What GTX 1080 card is most quiet?

Hi!

I want to upgrade my system to a 1080 card, but I am not sure which one!

I am looking at either a air cooled one or one with liquid (AIO), which would be most quiet during load?

I really couldent find on Guru3D what gtx 1080 cards that beats the rest in noise.

Do I have to go in to every review to find what card that has lowest db during load? Or can someone maybe give me an answer here?

I mean it looks like every card review I go on, that card is the most quiet during load.
But same cards that reach low dB are not even on the next review,

For example


&

Thanks!

 

My 980TI was supposed to be quiet. It isn't quiet at all. It sounds like a hurricane inside my computer when I play games. with no specifict overclock (card is set on gaming)

 

Without knowing any specifics about the rest of your system, how are we supposed to give any informed advice? Your case cooling can have a major impact on noise levels.

 

Fractal R5 as case.

So I guess there is no "This card is a lot quieter than this card" what you say....

 

Mostly it depends on how effective the cooler is from the gpu. If it cools well it doesn't need to run at high RPM thus makes it quieter.

But no matter what fans it has they will be audible at some point because of the air passing through the heatsink, but what is known is that bigger fans are quieter because they move more air at lower RPM. At least in theory

What I know for sure is that the Asus strix starts to get audible at 60-70% fan speed and quite loud at 80%. So avoid that I guess, you could try going with MSI since it has bigger fans.

If you want best low noise/cooling performance ratio you must go water,you can get an EK kit for example and a waterblock for your card, saw EK makes FE,Msi,asus blocks at least. But of course that will add more price to the already expensive GPU.


On a side note: If you don't want to go watercooling you could try getting an Accelero Xtreme Cooler like the Accelero Xtreme IV. Last one I had (xtreme III ) was really good at cooling and even at 100% fanspeed(if I remember correctly that was about 2000 rpm) it was silent as winter.

 

If you want a quiet videocard the best is to get an Arctic Accelero Xtreme 3 or 4.

I personally have very sensitive ears and pick up specific high frequency sounds that most other people wont hear. So for me Arctic has been the go to GPU Cooler for the past 10 Years.

I have the Xtreme 4 on my GTX 1070 and at Auto Fans it stays at 33% while the card maxes out at only 51C, which means it remains inaudible.

Note that the Xtreme 4 will only work with Videocards that have a 98MM wide PCB (reference)

I'm sorry, but this is far from the truth.

Either your case fans are so loud you can't hear the Arctic at 100%, or you're having hearing issues.

The Arctic can definitely be heard at 100% Fan Speed, not a whiny sound but you can hear the Air Flow.

 

The noise not only depends on the desing of the card, also on the airflow of your case, if your case have poor airflow the card will increase the RPM fans.
I don't recommend at all getting a card with AIO, the pump is a big point of failure. The MSI Gaming model is one of the most quiet models

 

If you want silent card (or system), use watercooling. It's that simple. I've been dealing with this 8-10 years ago. Then I've switched to full system watercooling and I can't go back, it's just that much better.

 

Not everyone is interested in the refilling and cleaning hastle of Water Cooling.

And most AIO are not worth the extra cash as Air Cools as good and is much quieter due to no noisy pump.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE9PEDfaPKA This is the Accelero Xtreme II, to make an idea of how silent it is.

 

Yes, if you are not willing to spend 1 hour every year, watercoolng is not for you.

There are noisy pumps and there are very quiet pumps. My 8 years old pump is extremely quiet and I believe there are even better solutions these days.

 

Quality Watercooling pumps tends to be super quiet, i had a Laing D5 in Speed 3 is almost inaudible.

 

@haste nah man, I'm sure you have hearing issues, all pumps are noisy. (joking of course)

 

My Koolance Exos 2.5 system was loud. New system...all air is whisper quiet even while playing. Think I'm done with water for a while. Just don't need it with these more efficient chips unless your going for some crazy overclocks.

 

OP, my Zotac 1080GTX Amp Edition is super quiet. At idle the fans don't evens spin. I'm guessing that is a feature of the 1080's. When playing, fans are hardly audible.

 

Refilling is a hassle? My loop has been running flawlessly for close to 2 years now. No refilling needed. Just use good coolant.

If you setup watercooling properly, disassembly becomes very easy. You just need to have a drain port.

The benefits are enormous.

 

So regardless if I get a Fan cooled card, or a AIO cooled one, so will sound "always" be the same during load?

 

I'm only going by personal experience here but EVGA's hybrid cooler on a reference (FE) card is dead silent and super-chill. For those of us who aren't willing to take the plunge into the world of custom loops (for whatever individual reason), it's a great alternative if you're willing to spend the extra cash.

I suspect the Corsair hybrid would perform similarly, but I've never seen/heard one in person so I'm purely speculating. Same goes for the NZXT offering however, I personally prefer the aesthetics of EVGA's kit since it includes a full shroud that fits the 1070/1080 FE perfectly.

 

Witcher 3 with DSR up to 4k and 99% gpu useage i can barely hear my cards under sli

I never buy gigabyte again i had the g1 before [gtx 980 ti] they were really loud under load.

 

Just get a Reference Design Card (like i have) with an Arctic Cooler. You only ever need to run it at 35% Fan Speed.

It will be inaudible, trust me i have over 10 Years experience with them.