KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
We have changed our method of measuring noise levels. We have built a system inside a Lian Li chassis with no case fans and have used a fanless cooler on our CPU. We are using a heatpipe based passive power supply and an Intel SSD to keep noise levels to a minimum. The motherboard is also passively cooled. This gives us a build with completely passive cooling and it means we can measure noise of just the graphics card inside the system when we run looped 3dMark tests. Ambient noise in the room is around 20-25dBa. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation.
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 Refridgerator
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
When idle, the card is almost silent which makes it a good choice for a media center. When loaded with 3DMark it quickly becomes audible, rising to around 35 dBa. Furmark pushes the fan profile harder, averaging just over 40 dBa after 20 minutes of stress testing. Clearly audible and actually fairly noisy.
Looks great. I like the fact many media system will suit this, and its more powerful than the usual single slot option
Nice looking card, very slim 😉
The noise figures are helpful, but I want to get two for a new crossfire based media center in a HTPC lian li chassis. will the noise be offputting? its hard to know.
Its a neat idea for a fairly high powered card, but in reality most people shouldnt touch it. they are better off with a dual slot design as they always run cooler and produce less noise. shame they didnt opt for a bigger fan which would spin slower.
Not for me, 6950 is in my plans for the future.
I opted for a 5670 passive card for my media system, it was enough for what I needed. this is a good option, but most people will want a silent or very quiet card for media. this isn’t it. good review