Zotac GTX 560 a really loud card?

[Questing]

I just recently got a Zotac GTX 560 (not Ti, yes I know) and it seems to idle really, really loud. It idles about as loudly as my last graphics card when it was under load (GTX 260). It get so intense in terms of fan speed, it started making my case vibrate and I had to jamb a phonebook up against it. I can post a video if you want. It generally idles at 60 degrees C and 1500 RPM. Under the heaviest possible load, 78-79 degrees C and 2800-2900 RPM.

 

[chesteracorgi]

I suggest that you get MSI Afterburner software to tweak yuour settings (including the fan speed). Depending on the model the Zotac can be very loud, but you do not specify the model and whether it is a reference model. If it is a reference model you may be able to mod our the card with an aftermarket cooler (not for the feint of heart).

 

[Questing]

I suggest that you get MSI Afterburner software to tweak yuour settings (including the fan speed). Depending on the model the Zotac can be very loud, but you do not specify the model and whether it is a reference model. If it is a reference model you may be able to mod our the card with an aftermarket cooler (not for the feint of heart).

I did try MSI Afterburner, I can jack the fan speed up really high and it just gets louder and louder. When I drop the fan speed to below 1150 RPM, it is almost silent, but idles at 64C which I don't like. Once I get to my idle average or higher (1500 RPM+) it just gets louder and louder from there. Once I hit 2280+, it almost always makes the case rattle. It only ever gets that high when I play something like Metro 2033 on highest settings at DX11. I have heart Zotac can be loud, but this is a little over the top. Its nothing I can't live with, but damn, hahaha. No idea if its a reference model, either. What other settings in MSI Afterburner do you suggest I tweak besides fan speed? Also, the rattling is coming from the same side of my case that the motherboard is on. Not good, but I determined the motherboard itself is not rattling, its the frame of the case itself.

 

[chesteracorgi]

There are a number of aftermarket coolers for graphics cards. Zalman, Gelid and Arctic Cooling inter alia market such coolers. They involve taking off the OEM cooler and attaching the after market cooler which usually has more and quieter fans.

If you are not willing/able to do a modification of the GPU card then you are stuck.

 

[17seconds]

Your idle temp is too high, hence your fan RPM's are high and loud. This is not normal. Since it's an older card, did you buy it used? If it's brand new, I would absolutely call product support and see about an RMA. The GTX 560, custom or reference, is not considered a noisy card at all.

The other way to fix your problem, without returning the card, is replace the thermal paste and secure the heatsink properly. I'm leaning toward there is something clogging up the heatsink and/or it is not seated correctly on the GPU.

Another thought is, do you have a second monitor hooked up? That will cause your card to run hotter and noisier at idle.

Do you have the AMP! version or the reference cooler?

 

[Questing]

Your idle temp is too high, hence your fan RPM's are high and loud. This is not normal. Since it's an older card, did you buy it used? If it's brand new, I would absolutely call product support and see about an RMA. The GTX 560, custom or reference, is not considered a noisy card at all.

The other way to fix your problem, without returning the card, is replace the thermal paste and secure the heatsink properly. I'm leaning toward there is something clogging up the heatsink and/or it is not seated correctly on the GPU.

Another thought is, do you have a second monitor hooked up? That will cause your card to run hotter and noisier at idle.

Do you have the AMP! version or the reference cooler?

Its a day old, brand new, and yes I have a second monitor. The cooler is not after market, it is straight out of the box. I also have some spare arctic silver thermal grease here, if I should use that. I did not think 60 degrees idle was that bad at all, but then again everything in my computer idles slightly hot because my case is a budget coolermaster (free) so I don't know. If you think its worth cracking open and adding thermal grease, then just tell me how to do it.

Pictures of GPU-Z while idle:

Here is a video of the noise. It is the constant "rrrrrrrr" you hear. It is distinct from the other fan noises. It may not seem loud in the video, but you can hear it walking by my room, and sitting near it all day is annoying as hell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcZdHQMXNC0&feature=youtu.be (turn your volume up a bit)

 

[17seconds]

The second monitor is what's adding to the noise. But I'm also wondering if your clock speeds are correctly idling around 51 MHz/405 MHz, or are they idling at the higher 822 MHz. That would also be a prime suspect if your GPU wasn't properly reverting to 2D clocks and instead idling at 3D clocks.

 

[Questing]

The second monitor is what's adding to the noise. But I'm also wondering if your clock speeds are correctly idling around 51 MHz/405 MHz, or are they idling at the higher 822 MHz. That would also be a prime suspect if your GPU wasn't properly reverting to 2D clocks and instead idling at 3D clocks.

Well, just tell me what I should do to to see if all this is the case. My second monitor never made my GTX 260 get louder, but hey, I am only now getting with the times.

Do you just want me to try stepping the core clock speeds down to 51/405 MHz in Afterburner?

And yes, from what I have seen, the screenshots above are what it idles at 24/7, those numbers only change a few decimal places. I am not sure what you mean by reverting from 3D to 2D clockspeeds.

 

[17seconds]

Doing further research:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Palit/GeForce_GTX_560_2_GB/30.html

It appears that your card will stay at its highest power state, 3D clocks, when attached to multi-monitors. Not much you can do there about the heat and noise then, other than disconnect the extra monitor.

So it seems that your card is working normally, albeit not ideal in terms of noise. In order to reduce the noise, make sure you have good airflow. As a secondary intervention, you could remove the heatsink and carefully reapply the thermal paste, which is usually good for a few degrees Celsius and a few percent less fan RPMs. You could also invest in an aftermarket heatsink. Since the card's new, you could also consider returning it for another model, or maybe see if another card of the same model is any quieter.

 

[Questing]

Doing further research:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Palit/GeForce_GTX_560_2_GB/30.html

It appears that your card will stay at its highest power state, 3D clocks, when attached to multi-monitors. Not much you can do there about the heat and noise then, other than disconnect the extra monitor.

So it seems that your card is working normally, albeit not ideal in terms of noise. In order to reduce the noise, make sure you have good airflow. As a secondary intervention, you could remove the heatsink and carefully reapply the thermal paste, which is usually good for a few degrees Celsius and a few percent less fan RPMs. You could also invest in an aftermarket heatsink. Since the card's new, you could also consider returning it for another model, or maybe see if another card of the same model is any quieter.

Jesus, my second monitor really causes all that racket? I am NOT getting rid of my second monitor, no way in hell. I will do everything in my power to shut this card up but I am not parting with my second monitor. Thanks for all your help, man!