GTX 680 Noise Level.

ArCElM · *Last edited by ArCElM; 05-04-2012 at 07:43.*

I own a 4870x2 atm and when it is pushed it actually sounds like somebody is hoovering 5 feet from me..

I have looked at the GTX 680 with custom cooling, but I was wondering, just how loud is this card as standard? is it going to be quieter than my card, with STOCK cooling? or will I need to custom cool the 680 if I want any significant noise reduction.

I have the FT02 case with AP181 fans and a Corsair H50 on my CPU.. and I like things quiet... coz I'm old.

Frohman0905 · 05-04-2012, 09:05 | posts: 939 | Location: Belgium

Here's a pretty good comparison in term of dba.

GTX680

http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-680-review/11

HD4870x2

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon...ew-crossfire/6

To sum it up:

- GTX680: 37dba idle, 41dba load
- HD4870x2: less than 40dba idle, 43-44dba load

The GTX680 will give you less noise than the HD4870x2. Owning a GTX680 myself, I have to say that this is the most quiet reference card I've ever owned.

Steve30x · 05-04-2012, 09:15 | posts: 367 | Location: Ireland

My stock GTX 680 is so quiet while gaming that I cant hear it over the noise of my HDD's which is the loudest thing in my computer.

ArCElM · 05-04-2012, 10:01 | posts: 1,434 | Location: The Octagon

So you reckon the extra £100 for the gainward phantom 680 is not worth it?

Steve30x · 05-04-2012, 11:36 | posts: 367 | Location: Ireland

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArCElM

So you reckon the extra £100 for the gainward phantom 680 is not worth it?

Its not worth it. The GTX680 is silent already and doesnt need an aftermarket cooler to make ity quiet

ArCElM · 05-04-2012, 12:53 | posts: 1,434 | Location: The Octagon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve30x

Its not worth it. The GTX680 is silent already and doesnt need an aftermarket cooler to make ity quiet

Is this the general consensus?

WhiteLightning · 05-04-2012, 12:57 | posts: 20,482 | Location: Netherlands

i really hate the 4870x2 , power hungry and so much heat and noise. so glad i bought the 580gtx at the time, the difference in sound is amazing.
what ever you choose im sure you will be extremely happy.

[Drazio] · 05-04-2012, 13:59 | posts: 203 | Location: -

This reference GTX 680 is one of the few cards that I've owned that is really quiet under load.

The fan is more of a gentle whoosh rather than high pitched winding out sound. When using speakers at the lowest level while gaming I can still hear over the fan.

The HD 4870X2 on the other hand was the loudest card I had, so much that it bothered people in the next room when I was gaming. Sounded like a hair dryer..

Steve30x · 05-04-2012, 14:19 | posts: 367 | Location: Ireland

Quote:

Originally Posted by [Drazio]

The HD 4870X2 on the other hand was the loudest card I had, so much that it bothered people in the next room when I was gaming. Sounded like a hair dryer..

Just like the 2X GTX470's I had then. I could hear them in another room that was divided by a concrete wall and the door closed.

SashaX · 05-04-2012, 15:30 | posts: 205 | Location: BCN

Anyone having a reference card has noticed whistling-whining?
Mine does it if I the fan speed is below 50%... Maybe I have a defective unit?

RoadKillNL · 05-04-2012, 15:34 | posts: 2,549 | Location: The Netherlands

Seeing the KFA2 GTX 680 GC 4GB is taking too long i might get a Gainward GTX 680 Panthom 4GB and slap a Accelero Twin Turbo 2 on it :S

ArCElM · 05-04-2012, 15:40 | posts: 1,434 | Location: The Octagon

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadKillNL

Seeing the KFA2 GTX 680 GC 4GB is taking too long i might get a Gainward GTX 680 Panthom 4GB and slap a Accelero Twin Turbo 2 on it :S

That almost seems a bit pointless from what I hear about the Phantom.

And from what has been said in this thread, it seems even more pointless? I mean tell me if I am wrong..

I just decided not to get the Phantom on account of everybody telling me how quiet these cards were stock.. so it was pointless spending an extra £80

RoadKillNL · *Last edited by RoadKillNL; 05-04-2012 at 15:55.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArCElM

That almost seems a bit pointless from what I hear about the Phantom.

And from what has been said in this thread, it seems even more pointless? I mean tell me if I am wrong..

I just decided not to get the Phantom on account of everybody telling me how quiet these cards were stock.. so it was pointless spending an extra £80

I'm a sucker for silence and my current PC is pretty much inaudible. So the Panthom wont cut it with 2 x 80MM fans. People who say the stock coolers are quiet are either deaf or got loud case fans.

My plan was to get the KFA2 GTX 680 GC 4GB and put the new Accelero XTREME III on it, but KFA2 seems to be rare here in Holland.

I could wait for Gigabyte tho, the Windforce Cards are also compatible with Arctic Coolers.

If it wasn't for a freakin stacked PCI-E Connector i would have gotten a 4GB Card with Arctic Cooler already...curse you nVidia

ArCElM · 05-04-2012, 15:57 | posts: 1,434 | Location: The Octagon

That has upset me a bit coz I just passed up the phantom being told stock was quiet enough.

Will I be able to get my own quiet cooler for this GPU afterwards?

I also LOVE quiet but I do have big case fans, I have the FT02 with 3 huge AP181 fans (on low coz I feel thats enough for good air flow) and a Corsair H50 with the stock silverstone case fan at the top of the case, it is quiet enough, only 2 things which bother me, are the 2 HDD's I have in addition to my 2xSSD (which make zero noise) and this DAMN 4870x2 which is unbearable..

My case fans I can hear but they are peaceful enough and not intrusive.. and my CPU never gets so hot as to RAMP up the 120mm fan.

any tips?

RoadKillNL · 05-04-2012, 16:28 | posts: 2,549 | Location: The Netherlands

If you buy a stock GTX 680 you can buy the Arctic Twin Turbo 2. You should be able to run it at 40% Fan Speed only and have nice temps.

I run my Accelero XTREME Plus at 40% aswell and my Temps are 33C Idle and 65C Load. But ofcourse the XTREME Plus has 3 x 92MM Fan and the Twin Turbo 2 x 92MM.

But the 680 isn't a hot card by default.

Frohman0905 · 05-04-2012, 17:26 | posts: 939 | Location: Belgium

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadKillNL

People who say the stock coolers are quiet are either deaf or got loud case fans.

Ok, do you have a reference GTX680?

RoadKillNL · 05-04-2012, 17:28 | posts: 2,549 | Location: The Netherlands

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frohman0905

Ok, do you have a reference GTX680?

No, but i know it's louder than a Arctic Cooler running at 40%. Which is unacceptable for me.

But you basicly answered your own answer by quoting it.

Frohman0905 · 05-04-2012, 17:45 | posts: 939 | Location: Belgium

Saying that people are deaf or have loud case fans doesn't make sense because you said it yourself: YOU are a sucker for silence, not everyone else. A certain amoint of noise can be acceptable for someone but not for someone else. I find myself in between. I don't need my pc to be totally silent but I do want some level of silence. The reference cooler of the GTX680 definitly fits my needs and so does for most people (see posts above). It's also praised on many reviews.

But hey, it's your money...

MrH · 05-04-2012, 20:18 | posts: 1,530 | Location: UK

My GTX 680 is pretty quite, you can't hear it over the CPU fan until like 60%.

Steve30x · 05-04-2012, 21:45 | posts: 367 | Location: Ireland

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadKillNL

People who say the stock coolers are quiet are either deaf or got loud case fans.

I am not deaf and I dont have any loud case fans. The only loud thing in my whole computer is the HDD cage in my 800D. Yes they put rubber between the cage and the case body , but they dont have any dampening on the HDD's which result ibn the HDD cage resonating with the HDD rotation.

If you think the stock cooler on the GTX680 is not quiet you either have super sensitive ears or you set a fan curve in EVGA Precision X or MSI Afterburner where the fan spins up to match the GPU temperature. So for example if the GPU is 70 celcius the fan will spin at 70% with the fan curve turned on and anything over 60% with the stock cooler starts to be audible. Without fan curve enabled my GPU never reaches 80 celcius and the fan stays below 60%.

Anarion · 05-04-2012, 22:14 | posts: 9,174 | Location: Finland

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadKillNL

No, but i know it's louder than a Arctic Cooler running at 40%. Which is unacceptable for me.

But you basicly answered your own answer by quoting it.

It's quite, quiet isn't silent but at idle it hardly makes any noise at all.

Jraptor · 05-04-2012, 22:44 | posts: 55

My dual 680's are quieter than my old 580 classified. Like someone said earlier, my HDD is louder than the video cards.

[Drazio] · 05-05-2012, 04:28 | posts: 203 | Location: -

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadKillNL

I'm a sucker for silence and my current PC is pretty much inaudible. So the Panthom wont cut it with 2 x 80MM fans. People who say the stock coolers are quiet are either deaf or got loud case fans.

Nope, I am neither deaf or have any loud case fans. As a matter of fact I have no case fans and keep my side panel off (something I just prefer).

Quiet and silent mean two different things (to me at least). Quiet being low noise within an acceptable range and silent being no sound at all.

I never said it was the quietest card I've owned or even the most quietest reference card I've owned..rather it's one of the few.

Overall I'm satisfied with the card..back to BF3

ArCElM · 05-05-2012, 07:37 | posts: 1,434 | Location: The Octagon

Well I guess if it is not quiet ENOUGH for me I can always go for an after market cooler right? they will do quiet ones ?

RoadKillNL · *Last edited by RoadKillNL; 05-05-2012 at 09:29.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArCElM

Well I guess if it is not quiet ENOUGH for me I can always go for an after market cooler right? they will do quiet ones ?

http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vg...ii.html?c=2182

Quite some people got that on their 680's already and they get 55C Load Temps OCed with 40% Fan Speed.

I can tell you at 40% those coolers are inaudible.

You just need a good ventilated case, because 95% of the heat is exhausted inside. But i doubt you gonna buy a 680 and stuff it in a case with only 2 fans