KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
We have built a system inside a Lian Li chassis with no case fans and have used a fanless cooler on our CPU. The motherboard is also passively cooled. This gives us a build with almost completely passive cooling and it means we can measure noise of just the graphics card inside the system when we run looped 3dMark tests.
We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the closed chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation. Ambient noise in the room measures close to the limits of our sound meter at 28dBa. It isn’t a real world situation to be measuring with a case panel off only a few centimeters away from a video card. Our noise figures may therefore be lower than other publications who record at closer distances, or without a fully closed case muting the noise.
Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on only the video card. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
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 cooler on the RoyalAce card isn't the quietest we have tested, but the noise levels when gaming are not too intrusive – almost identical to output from the Palit JetStream solution on the GTX780Ti.
this is a great looking video card, I wish more makers would use backplates, its the part you look at when the card is installed and so many makers just leave it naked and ugly.
We cant get club3d here, or powercolor. so im limited in my choices.
I have had a Club3d card for years and they are very well made. They don’t get any exposure, so I was excited to see a review on one of my favourite review sites today. Bit out of my price bracket, but are they getting a UK deal with OCUK or something? no stock anywhere….
Is this a dual slot or triple slot gfx card?.
Shall I go for this beastly 290X or a 970GTX?.
I am looking for best bang for buck.
Thanks.