.wav file of X1800XTs fan noise

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: FalllenAngell

Originally posted by: 5150Joker

Originally posted by: SonicIce
Here is what it really sounds like:
http://users.ameritech.net/hemirich/x1800xtJET.mp3

LMAO!! Aggressor, can you do a recording while playing a game? That's where it counts the most. Personally I don't think it's a big deal for those that run air cooling systems while gaming anyway since game noises drown out computer fan noise and if you wear headphones then it's rare to even hear the fans unless you got one of those tornado fans in your system.

Hmmm.

So the AF of 7800s is like a "needle in your eye" but that dustbuster racket isn't a "big deal".

Makes sense to me.

Fan noise drowns out during gaming and in a well ventilated case it won't get near 100% levels. Poor AF translates to a bad gaming experience. I'd rather have some fan noise over a visually subpar gaming experience. Also the 7900 GT fan is just as loud yet I don't see people making recordings of it's fan noise..hmmmm. Besides, how many people put their ear next to their case during gaming like this recording? Several people in this thread that own X1800/X1900 hsf's have already disputed aggressors exaggerated recording.

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

Hmm, it's not as bad as some posters here would have made me think . . . then again, I'm not the kind who is super sensitive to noise . . .

 

[yacoub]

Originally posted by: aggressor
It lets you see the noise added when the fan ramps up compared to idle. It doesn't matter how loud you have your speakers, you will still hear the extra noise generated when only the GPU fan speed is changed. Obviously if you enjoy using 20 Delta fans at full blast, your idle noise is going to be higher than mine, and the GPU fan noise will be drowned out, making it seem 'quiet'.

Now I remember why I didn't post on this forum regularly. I think it's time to go back to lurking here only, and laughing at all of the people who can't put an argument together to save their lives or have serious reading comprehension issues.

I just wanted to say thanks for this post. It is helpful to me and I completely understand your point in posting it. I, too, am pretty tired of the handful (maybe more) of idiots that run around here in Video screwing up threads but it helps if you just ignore them like they didn't even post.


edit : Also, that thing is LOUDER than my dustbuster LOL

 

[yacoub]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
Here is what it really sounds like:
http://users.ameritech.net/hemirich/x1800xtJET.mp3

You win the thread!

 

[Extelleron]

How do you adjust the fan speed on ATI cards? I'd like to see how my X1900XT sounds @ 100%.

 

[Maximilian]

My X1900XT starts at 100% and then ramps down after a few seconds. Ive heard louder fans ... But not on a GPU, that thing is an absolute beast, seriously. Ill take a recording of it somtime if i can, but its really pretty loud, and thats from inside a P180.

 

[BFG10K]

The recording is a completely exaggerated and obviously dependant on the volume setting of your player...hardly a realistic example of how the card sounds in an actual PC environment.

While I still have no doubts the cooler is loud you make a very good point with this comment.

 

[yacoub]

It really depends most of all on your environment. Some of us have much less ambient noise, thus what is not too loud for one person could be frustratingly loud for another. Either way, it's clear the ATI X1800/X1900 series reference design coolers are louder than the 7800GTX/7900GTX cooler design at most speed settings.

The real factor though is whether or not you can throttle down the NVidia cards since it seems not all of them have that ability where as I think most recent ATI cards do. I have my X800XL knocked down to around 20% fan speed when not gaming and it runs cool AND is almost silent. Sure when I game it ramps up dynamically with temps to keep cool but it never gets REALLY obnoxious. (It's a Sapphire card that came with a Zalman cooler on it btw).

What I'd want to know before dropping $$$ on a 7900 series card is if for sure I can dynamically control fan speed with a program like ATI Tool or not.

Either way, when gaming (and thus when the fan is running high speeds) the X1800/X1900 cooler is obnoxious to me and anyone else with low ambient noise.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: yacoub
It really depends most of all on your environment. Some of us have much less ambient noise, thus what is not too loud for one person could be frustratingly loud for another. Either way, it's clear the ATI X1800/X1900 series reference design coolers are louder than the 7800GTX/7900GTX cooler design at most speed settings.

I don't think anyone is contesting the fact that 7800 GTX/7900 GTX coolers are quieter than X1800/X1900.

The real factor though is whether or not you can throttle down the NVidia cards since it seems not all of them have that ability where as I think most recent ATI cards do. I have my X800XL knocked down to around 20% fan speed when not gaming and it runs cool AND is almost silent. Sure when I game it ramps up dynamically with temps to keep cool but it never gets REALLY obnoxious. (It's a Sapphire card that came with a Zalman cooler on it btw).

With X1800/X1900 cards you can also adjust the voltage of your card to lower core temperature and thus have the fan rev up much less. There are some people on xtremesystems that have their X1900 ram underclocked to 1.996v and core at <1.4v for default 3D speeds with complete stability. When I briefly ran my X1900 using it's stock cooler (I use water cooling) in 3dmark05/06 I never heard it rev up loud enough to be annoying - in fact the chipset cooler on my NF4 board was making more noise than the XTX fan.

What I'd want to know before dropping $$$ on a 7900 series card is if for sure I can dynamically control fan speed with a program like ATI Tool or not.

I don't think you can adjust the fan, at least I dont remember having that option with the 7800 GTX I had. Also keep in mind that only the 7900 GTX has the nice Quadro HSF, the 7900 GT hsf is just as loud as the X1800XT/X1900.

Either way, when gaming (and thus when the fan is running high speeds) the X1800/X1900 cooler is obnoxious to me and anyone else with low ambient noise.

Do you turn up your speakers during gaming or use headphones? Because if you do either, then even with a noisy system you should be hard pressed to hear your fans.

 

[Gamer X]

Watercooling for video cards needs to become a standard.

 

[Powermoloch]

lol damn....my x850xt never made that kinds of sound (never oc...stays cool )

although it's not an apple to apple comparison.

BUT DAMN that's loud

 

[Ackmed]

Originally posted by: Powermoloch
lol damn....my x850xt never made that kinds of sound (never oc...stays cool )

although it's not an apple to apple comparison.

BUT DAMN that's loud

Of course its loud, its right behind the card, in direct flow to the fan. That is not how it sounds when you are sitting at your desk. Of course since we do not have a card to compare it to, its pretty useless.

On a side note, before I dismantled my SLI setup, I took a video/sound recording of my cards/system. I was about 3 feet with the side off, and moved to about within one foot. I did it for idle, and load. When I get my second X1900, I plan to do the same. To help people decide if the sound is bad enough to be a problem for them. Probably get my second X1900 in a few weeks or so, the money I had saved for it is going to my ever increasing Lasik operation in two weeks. :roll:

 

[TraumaRN]

Nvidia cards do have fan control it's called RivaTuner

Besides that fact I've never actually heard my 7800GT spin up under load UNLESS i turn my speakers off. Otherwise when I do homework quietly I only heard my 80MM's spinning.

 

[StumbleBum1]

I own this card and even when heavy gaming it never sounds like that ..maybe your fan needs some grease

 

[sodcha0s]

Originally posted by: FalllenAngell

Originally posted by: Ackmed

Originally posted by: sodcha0s
The cooler is loud no doubt, at least when it's at 50% or faster speed. Luckily for me, I have good case with very good airflow and the cooler never reaches those speeds. It will at times get to where I can just hear it above my other fans, but I never get that annoying hairdryer noise... The best thing about it is it blows all that hot air out, instead of directing it at my CPU cooler.

Sadly, most people dont understand this. Good air flow, keeps things cooler. And keeps fans that are temp regulated, running slower and quieter.

But all the reviews we've been reading say the fan cycles in and out of of the 50%> speed while gaming, and a lot of user reports do to?

It's hard to know if your room temperature or case airflow will kick it into dirt chasing mode???

I don't think you can go by review sites, unless they are specifically testing for sound in real life conditions. I'm sure most have the motherboard and components sitting right on the workbench next to them which really won't tell you what kind experience to expect. Sure the high case temp factor is eliminated, but any increase in fan speed would easily be detectable in that scenario. Put the system in a case and place it a few feet away and all of a sudden you can't hear the fan anymore.

It's almost the same thing with some users reports. How many of them bought one of those cheesy "gaming" cases with all the fancy lights and whatnot that offer complete crap for airflow? Or the guy that has 4 10,000 RPM drives in RAID packed into a minitower? Or the guy that lives in a hot climate and doesn't run air conditioning? If you are one of these people, then maybe you should look at a different cooling solution, or a different card.

My computer doesn't generate much noise. I would say it is quiet, although not silent by any stretch. When I game, I can at times hear the cooler spin up and honestly I don't know exactly how much, but it is never annoying or distracting. The noise is just above what I hear normally.