Galax launches single-slot RTX 4060 Ti — uses a very slim blower design

News
By Mark Tyson
published

Tests reveal that cooler noise may be an issue.

Galax
(Image credit: Galax)

Single-slot graphics cards aren’t easy to find, and the higher up the performance stack you go, the rarer they seem to be. We reported on the sighting of a single-slot GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB blower graphics card last October, and now it seems to have become available. Chinese tech site EXP Review got its hands on one of these slim GPUs and gave it a thorough testing and assessment.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has been reviewed on Tom’s Hardware in both its 8GB and 16GB incarnations. Whatever the memory configuration, we have to grumble that these GPUs offer weak performance for the price, and the doubled VRAM model offers limited extra appeal. This slim blower design from Galax seems to be based on a 16GB model, as per the previous leak, and this choice may support any premium product pricing plans Galax might have.

Potential buyers of the slim new Galax card should expect reference specs, such as a 2,535 MHz boost clock, according to the data shared in the review. The 16GB model from Gigabyte we looked at had a slight factory overclock. EXP Review compared the Galax single-slot model against an overclocked iGame OC model (2,580 MHz) that wasn’t quite as speedy as the Gigabyte model in our review (2,595 MHz).

Noise is the product’s Achilles' heel

Benchmarking revealed the Galax launches single-slot RTX 4060 Ti performed very similarly to its fatter iGame rival (the OC advantage was very minor if present), which indicates that the slim cooler did its job pretty well. EXP Review notes that the slim Galax saw a maximum GPU temperature of 69.5°C, and maximum hot spot temperature of 81.9°C under testing at full load. 

Fan noise looks like it might be the most significant drawback of the Galax – the price you pay for the compactness – with 51.4dBA recorded in tests. The aforementioned iGame model only hit 32.2dBA in the same situation, and Nvidia’s FE model hit 28.4dBA.

It is interesting to see EXP Review take this Galax graphics card model apart, as it is quite different from many rivals. The long PCB with a trio of cutout arcs, the laptop-style fan, and its rectangular metal thermal module reveal quite a lot of thought has gone into making this product.

In conclusion, the slim blower fan construction helps Galax deliver the svelte 280 x 126 x 20mm design. Moreover, it doesn’t seem to impact the level of performance you might expect from a reference RTX 4060 Ti model. However, cooler noise might be an issue that you can’t live with, depending on your personal tolerance.

Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
Freelance News Writer

Mark Tyson is a Freelance News Writer at Tom's Hardware US. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

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13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ohio_buckeye
    Not a big fan of the 4060 and 4060ti, but I’ll give galax credit. More companies should make this type of product for home PCs etc. Although I’ve been now building PCs for years, it started with my dad and I upgrading our home pc in the 90s until we eventually built a PC.
    Reply
  • Metal Messiah.
    Noise is the product’s Achilles' heel.. Fan noise looks like it might be the most significant drawback of the Galax – the price you pay for the compactness – with 51.4dBA recorded in tests. The aforementioned iGame model only hit 32.2dBA in the same situation, and Nvidia’s FE model hit 28.4dBA.

    Why so ? I wouldn't call it an Achilles' heel per se. Because what else do you expect from a blower-style GPU cooler/model ?

    These blower cards tend to be noisy for the most part, and saying that this is the card's most significant drawback kind of contradicts the whole point, and you make it look like a bad product (which frankly speaking is not, based on the performance it delivers).

    Also, the iGame model which they are comparing with is a triple-fan 'open-air' GPU (see image below). So there is bound to be a difference in the noise level. So the comparison and your conclusion is moot, at least in my opinion.

    You and others might disagree with me though. ;)

    https://www.expreview.com/90843.html
    https://i.imgur.com/EtbLeMD.jpeg
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    I want that noise :) better than fry my chipset or the ssd under the graphic card
    Reply
  • kealii123
    This is actually exactly what I'm looking for to run LLMs locally. Good vram to price ratio, and single slot makes it easier to fit multiple into a single chassis
    Reply
  • 35below0
    kealii123 said:
    This is actually exactly what I'm looking for to run LLMs locally. Good vram to price ratio, and single slot makes it easier to fit multiple into a single chassis
    What motherboards would you consider using? Not too many can fit more than 2 GPUs
    Reply
  • SSGBryan
    35below0 said:
    What motherboards would you consider using? Not too many can fit more than 2 GPUs

    Any Threadripper based board should do the trick.
    Reply
  • COLGeek
    That is a similar design to one slot workstation GPUs that have been used forever. Not the sexiest solution, and not for OCing, but definitely gets the job done and supports the flexible uses some have already mentioned.
    Reply
  • Metal Messiah.
    Actually, there is one more thing to be noted. I consider this as a "plus point" though.

    This particular GALAX blower GPU has a fan STOP tech feature, meaning the fan won't spin in IDLE standby mode. The 0db feature.

    Kind of strange though, since blower-type cards usually don't have this feature, unlike open-air coolers, IMO ?

    Even my Zotac RTX 4060 Solo 'single-fan' GPU model has the fan spinning constantly, and I can't make it stop, apart from decreasing the fan speed manually to 30% max, which is the default factory speed. :(

    Below that 30% value, the fan cannot be controlled or stopped. So it's good to know this Galax/Galaxy GPU will keep the noise levels in check by shutting off the fan when not needed, when the LOAD on the card is less. (y)

    There is no need to worry about high temperature and frequency reduction. In standby mode, the graphics card fan stops and relies entirely on passive heat dissipation. After a 10-minute standby test, the GPU temperature rose slowly, reaching a maximum of 43.6 degrees, but it still did not reach the temperature at which the fan starts. The hot spot temperature is 52.1℃.
    Reply
  • Metal Messiah.
    On some other news, we have another blower GPU from AFOX brand. Though one may find it difficult to acquire this card in retail shops, since AFOX mostly ships them to system integrators and OEMs.

    AFOX RTX 4080

    https://www.afox-corp.com/show-134-662-1.html
    https://i.imgur.com/gaUy9Ib.png
    Reply
  • FoxTread3
    April 20, 2024 - I'm no where near being in the league of the commenters here, though I do build or update desktop PCs on average of every two years. My only comment is that while all of my builds are full tower PCs. I still find the ever growing size of GPUs kind of annoying, and baffling to some degree. It seems to me that so many Tech products are increasing in memory, capability etc. while getting smaller in size. GPUs seem to be growing in size to the point that they'll HAVE to be housed in separate enclosures. It's nice to see GPUs that aren't the width of a school bus. :giggle:
    Reply