What is the quietest enthusiast level card out there?

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TylerS

Member
Oct 30, 2012
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I am looking to upgrade video cards, but have a case that is pretty much open air. So....

From GTX 660 / HD 7850 up, what is the quietest card out there? Load/Normal Range/Idle.

Minimum reqs: needs to be able to have strong "game" at 1920X1080.
 
V

VulgarDisplay

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2009
6,188
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Buy GPU, Buy Waterblock, buy pump, buy resevoir, but radiator, and buy Tubing. Silent GPU achieved.
 
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DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
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I think of the GTX 670 for an "enthusiast" card at a decent price. My GTX 680 is quiet under load and perfect for anything at 19x10, but the 670 is almost as fast and $100 less.
 
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bononos

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2011
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DaveSimmons said:
I think of the GTX 670 for an "enthusiast" card at a decent price. My GTX 680 is quiet under load and perfect for anything at 19x10, but the 670 is almost as fast and $100 less.
Click to expand...

But is the 670 quiet? since thats what the OP wants in the title.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
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I can't hear my GPU fan at idle or load. I changed the CPU fan so that it runs faster than default under load. So the video card could start making a little noise under load that I can't hear.
 
Eureka

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
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The thing is, it's hard to say if a card is quiet because each card has many OEMs with their own cooling solutions. Anandtech releases noise levels but I'm not sure if they're reference or not:

49228.png

49230.png


Within these ratings, it seems like the 660 Ti OC is a far quieter card than most, but I think the rest are just reference blowers. Also for reference, a 3dba increase is about 2x noise level. 10dba is 10x as loud.
 
M

Mr. Pedantic

Diamond Member
Feb 14, 2010
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Most cards with 3rd party coolers are quieter than the reference. For example, my Sapphire 6950 isn't quite silent, but it's quieter than my case fans (which are set on low already) so that's all you need if you're cooling in air.
 
A

Alusan

Member
Mar 5, 2010
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Agreed that vendor-specific coolers are the way to go for the quietest system out of the box. Tom's covered a few of these cards for both the 670 and the 7950:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-12.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-14.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7950-review-benchmark,3207-11.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7950-review-benchmark,3207-12.html

The videos are also helpful for hearing the quality of the sound they put out, though all the cards sound scary loud on the open testbench. When I mentioned in the other thread that the MSI cooler was loud for me, it was probably more that the higher-pitched "whine" of the fans was really hard to ignore compared to the Sapphire cooler.

The best bets are probably the ASUS or Gigabyte coolers if you haven't decided on an Nvidia or AMD card yet.

I just realized you were asking about the cheaper cards. A few of these coolers like the MSI and the Gigabyte can be found on 7870-level cards, but the lower end Sapphire and Gigabyte coolers also seem to be on the quieter side.
 
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BrightCandle

BrightCandle

Diamond Member
Mar 15, 2007
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Honestly there isn't a lot between the various manufacturers. The volume is driven by the amount of heat produced so a less powerful card that consumes less power will be quieter. There is really only one other way to get quieter and that is spread the heat over a larger area and use more slower fans. For GPUs the only way to do that is with water cooling.
 
ClockHound

ClockHound

Golden Member
Nov 27, 2007
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Eureka said:
...Also for reference, a 3dba increase is about 2x noise level. 10dba is 10x as loud.
Click to expand...

No. And no. At least from the perceived level increase. (The acoustic power level calc would be correct, but we don't hear volume linearly, our ears are wired for a logarithmic volume experience.)

+3 dB = twice the power
+6 dB = twice the amplitude
+10 dB = twice the perceived volume or twice as loud (Loudness sensed − psychoacoustics)

10dB increase is perceived as twice as loud, not 3dB, which is perceived as a small increase. Sorry for the harping on the petty details, but it's a tech site, so someone has to keep their ear on the decibel meter. Sadly, today, it was me.
 
3

3DVagabond

Lifer
Aug 10, 2009
11,951
204
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ClockHound said:
No. And no. At least from the perceived level increase. (The acoustic power level calc would be correct, but we don't hear volume linearly, our ears are wired for a logarithmic volume experience.)

+3 dB = twice the power
+6 dB = twice the amplitude
+10 dB = twice the perceived volume or twice as loud (Loudness sensed − psychoacoustics)

10dB increase is perceived as twice as loud, not 3dB, which is perceived as a small increase. Sorry for the harping on the petty details, but it's a tech site, so someone has to keep their ear on the decibel meter. Sadly, today, it was me.
Click to expand...

+1
 
S

supremor

Senior member
Dec 2, 2010
266
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0
RussianSensation said:
Asus GTX670 Direct CUII - noise video.

On the AMD side, HD7950 PowerColor PCS+ - noise video
Click to expand...

I'll second the 670 DCII recommendation. They are very quiet cards even with the stock fan profile, hell they aren't even that loud in SLI under load. The cooler is not only quiet but also keeps the cards cool very well.

Under load in SLI my top card is 76-80c and the bottom one is 62-66 and this is with relatively high ambient of anywhere from 25 to 28C.
 
Eureka

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
1
81
ClockHound said:
No. And no. At least from the perceived level increase. (The acoustic power level calc would be correct, but we don't hear volume linearly, our ears are wired for a logarithmic volume experience.)

+3 dB = twice the power
+6 dB = twice the amplitude
+10 dB = twice the perceived volume or twice as loud (Loudness sensed − psychoacoustics)

10dB increase is perceived as twice as loud, not 3dB, which is perceived as a small increase. Sorry for the harping on the petty details, but it's a tech site, so someone has to keep their ear on the decibel meter. Sadly, today, it was me.
Click to expand...

Oops, must have confused loudness with power somewhere down the line. I'll show myself out...
 
BD231

BD231

Lifer
Feb 26, 2001
10,568
138
106
If you want a quiet card just buy the fastest card you can afford, throw the included cooler in the trash and slap on an arctic accelero twin. No need for a closed loop, or any kind of water loop for that matter. A good copper sink will do exactly what you're asking and for a lot cheaper.
 
R

realjetavenger

Senior member
Dec 8, 2008
244
0
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supremor said:
I'll second the 670 DCII recommendation. They are very quiet cards even with the stock fan profile, hell they aren't even that loud in SLI under load. The cooler is not only quiet but also keeps the cards cool very well.

Under load in SLI my top card is 76-80c and the bottom one is 62-66 and this is with relatively high ambient of anywhere from 25 to 28C.
Click to expand...

+1
If the op is opposed to water cooling or installing one of the mentioned aftermarket coolers, the 670 DCII is super quiet (however the 680 DCII is not the same nor as quiet). Even when turning up the fan speed it is nearly inaudible and the sound is a pleasant one at that.
 
railven

railven

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2010
6,604
561
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I swapped out my GTX 460 in my HTPC build with this bad boy:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125443

[Of course I paid more d'oh!]

It is very competent at the games I've thrown at so far (WoW/Batman:AC/AC3):

AT's noise metric on a stock cooler (the one I bought is better):
49775.png

49776.png


No complaints yet. Literally silent during Netflix sessions and not audible during gaming.
 
MrK6

MrK6

Diamond Member
Aug 9, 2004
4,458
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Glad you're happy with your purchase; good choice! :thumbsup:
 
wand3r3r

wand3r3r

Diamond Member
May 16, 2008
3,180
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The 670 Twin Frozr 4 is very quiet, quieter then the 7950 DCUII, and way quieter then the gtx 690 (loud), and the last gen twin frozr III's. In fact I don't know if it spins up ever. I'd have to pay close attention or follow it to see.

670 TF4 doesn't seem to spin up on load
7950 DCUii audible, but only slight spin up under load
680 lightning - audible, slightly louder then the 2 above
690 loud as heck compared to the 2 above. (probably quieter then other reference cards actually?? Not sure)
twin frozr iii - not so quiet when spins up

You should be happy with the DCUII on the 7850, it will be really quiet.
 
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