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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. 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.
Ambient noise in the room is around 20-25dBa. 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.
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 fans spin around 1,110rpm generating very little noise at all.
At the reference speed setting, the fans spin at around 2,300 rpm when gaming, peaking at 2,600rpm under Furmark load (57%). The noise levels are noticeable although never intrusive.
When ‘lethal boost' is enabled, the fans spin higher to compensate for rising temperatures. When gaming the fans spin at 2,900 rpm and they rise to 3,300 rpm (78%) when under the synthetic Furmark load. The noise levels increase noticeably and can be heard above several quality case fans. We didn't find the pitch of the fans to be uncomfortable long term.
Both settings are significantly quieter than the reference HD7970 GHZ Edition we have here. Two fans are certainly better than one, especially when attached to a monster cooling solution.
