GTX 670 FTW 4gb vs GTX 480 FTW 4gb Noise

[JazzK_90]

Hello everyone, I'm looking for some advice on upgrading from GTX 460 SLI to a single 670 or 680 4gb.

I only game at 1920x1080 on a 24" 120hz monitor but I also record gameplay, edit HD video and 3D render so that's why I'm looking at the model with the larger vram.

The main worry I have is the number of different topics across numerous websites that complain about the level of noise or coil whine from these more modern cards (at least from the EVGA models). As I record commentary alongside the gameplay I'm worried that the noise may be picked up by my condenser microphone and become difficult to clean out.

Has anyone had any experience with the coil whine and general noise level of the 670 and 680 4gb models?

 

[nadim615]

I had a 680 2GB from EVGA, and the general noise of it was fine, as long as you keep the fan speeds below 40-50%. Anything above that and it does tend to get quite noisy. But this was with the 2GB version, I'd assume the 4GB would be just about the same though.

 

[shamsmu]

if noise is your concern, get an asus gtx670/680 direct cu II model. The card is so quiet, I can't ever hear it even at 100% fan speed.

 

[hizodge]

Always relevant: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-14.html

It's a bit old and doesn't include all the brands out there today + some of them have had their coolers tweaked or changed, but it'll give you some general idea on the noise levels.

The most noise efficient cooler is the Asus DCUII, which comes in both 2- and 3-slot versions based on the card. I believe the standard 2Gb 680 models are 3-slot and everything else 2-slot, including 680 4Gb version.

That said, I have no idea how well the 2-slot 4Gb version of 680 fares. There just aren't any reviews online I can find, but we can safely assume that it probably doesn't perform as well as its bigger brother.

 

[JazzK_90]

Thank you for the replies everyone! I think I'll probably go with the Asus model then to keep the noise level down.