Is 38 Decibels loud?

[Arc Angel IV]

Hi, I've ordered a new graphics card and want to be sure it's going to be quiet. I have ordered the aftermarket Gigabyte GTX 670 and apparently at idle, the cards sound is 30,7 decibels and at peak it is 37,8 decibels. Now I know around 20 decibels is around whisper quiet, so do you think this card will be noticeable in a relatively quiet system?

 

[Deemo13]

I don't think it would be that loud. If your case has good airflow, then it shouldnt be a problem and you might even be able to adjust the fan.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Decibel (loudness) Comparison Chart.

No, 30.7 decibels is about as loud as a whisper at 6 feet.

-Wolf sends

 

[nforce4max]

If you want loud then stand next to a jet engine or be with in a few miles of a nuke going off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXEdq3UnnFE

 

[Deemo13]

^That is an awesome chart.

 

[michaeljhuman]

Just remember, you should not talk about decibels naked. It's 1 tenth of a bel ( named after the famous inventor,) and it's only meaningful with a unit of measurement.

You want to say dB SPL for sound pressure. The dB just indicates that it's a logarithmic scale where the value is compared to a reference value. SPL indicates what the reference value is, and what's being measured.

 

[Pinhedd]

If you want loud then stand next to a jet engine or be with in a few miles of a nuke going off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXEdq3UnnFE

I do not recommend standing anywhere near a running jet engine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0nRt9g6tdg&feature=player_detailpage#t=58s

 

[Pinhedd]

Just remember, you should not talk about decibels naked. It's 1 tenth of a bel ( named after the famous inventor,) and it's only meaningful with a unit of measurement.

You want to say dB SPL for sound pressure. The dB just indicates that it's a logarithmic scale where the value is compared to a reference value. SPL indicates what the reference value is, and what's being measured.

Exactly. It's a measure of gain or loss relative to a reference point

 

[michaeljhuman]

What I find interesting, is all the odd looking db scales. They date back to the early days of telephone signals, which I guess would explain why they deal with stuff like 600 ohm resistances.

 

[Pinhedd]

What I find interesting, is all the odd looking db scales. They date back to the early days of telephone signals, which I guess would explain why they deal with stuff like 600 ohm resistances.

I know exactly what you mean. Prior to about the 1960s the world had a million different ways of doing the same thing, nothing was standardized. If you ever get the chance to do so, take a look at some of the instruments on a world war II ship.