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We measure graphics card acoustic emissions in our test system while all other fans are disabled, leaving our Corsair H100i's pump unit as the sole noise-producing component.
We measure at a distance of around 1m from the front of the test system and around 1m from the ground. The positioning of a graphics card's AIO liquid cooler (if the card has one) will have a noticeable effect on the recorded sound level and the system's perceived loudness.
Unfortunately the city-centre positioning of my test location creates a relatively high ambient noise level of a little over 40 dBA. This has an effect on the perceived loudness of each card at the lower end of the noise scale.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
The use of three 90mm fans with a thick heatsink means that the blowers can spin at a low (therefore quiet) speed while still producing solid thermal performance. This is what we see with MSI's GTX 980 Ti Lightning which is practically inaudible over our background even when running GTA V at 4K.
Coil whine was not an issue with MSI's chosen power delivery components.
You would think that this GPU would perform better than the rest on the market, but my Asus GTX980-Ti-OC-STRIX-6GB perform even under Air much better than the Lightning.
Hey, what boost clock does this card have without overclocking?
did it not win an award from you?
Sorry I’m dumb. So it does 🙂