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What's the quietest but still powerful card for 1080p?

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NewbieOneKenobi

Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2006
Location
Warsaw/Poland
What is the quietest card you can buy for 1080p? By this I mean not less powerful than 1060/580 but not more expensive than 1070.

Alternatively, what is the best card for replacing the fan shround with custom fans (as large as possible) with minimum hassle while keeping the heatsink?

Don't care how big it is, 40 cm long and 5 slots thick is fine by me if it does the job.

TechPowerUp claims EVGA SC 1070 delivers 29dbA at 100 cm and is the quietest 1070 they'd reviewed to date (later, MSI GamingX 1070ti also scored 29, as did Asus Strix OC 1070ti), and MSI GamingX 1060 28 dbA and 'the' quiet card. Should be good enough, though if there's anything better, I'd like to know.
 
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Quietest 1070?

I'm getting around to buying a used 1070. Prices vary, various cards come and go. I'm having my eyes set on MSI Gaming X 1070 mostly because of the cooler, but Zotac Amp! Extreme seems to have even better clocks than MSI while having 3 fans. But some of the reviews say that while the card is not unpleasant, it certainly isn't inaudible. On the other hand, Gaming X is supposed to be practically inaudible. Or is there anything quieter than MSI Gaming X on air?

(Quieter without sacrificing too much power also counts, if it can be achieved by simply modifying the fan profile with attached software.)
 
Without looking at each review, I would say the Gaming X with that Twin Frozr cooler is one of the quietest. At this point, I think you are splitting hairs on what would be quieter.

I merged your other thread with this one since its really all the same thing... you want a good, quiet 1080p card.
 
Thanks, yeah. I'm basically fishing for a bunch of names/models people can first-hand confirm not hearing much above the ambient under heavy load, and obviously all the better if I can get some warnings against high-pitch sounds, coil whine or anonying bearing noise.

I've got Techpowerup reviews — which I like for the consistent 100cm noise metering — for MSI Gaming X and EVGA SC confirming them both as quite silent, the EVGA even more so than the MSI, though it also lags some 1.5 fps behind.

I'll probably need to start considering 1080s too, as they are only like 15% more expensive.

Anybody got experience with Asus Strixx, Asus Dual, or MSI Armor 1070s? There's a slew of those coming up on auctions tomorrow and the day after.
 
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Well I can safetly say my SC Gaming 980 with the ACX 2.0 is pretty damn quiet. As in with the stock OC and fan profile, inaudible with a closed case even while gaming. The 1070 with the ACX 3.0 is only going to be quieter (can it be quieter than inaudible?)
 
Get any of the triple fan cards, then use MSI Afterburner to undervolt the GPU. You'll have to play around to find the lowest stable voltage at your specified clockspeed, but it reduces the amount of heat generated by the card.
 
Between the Gigabyte Windforce 1060 and the EVGA 1070 SC they were both only slightly louder than the Cooler Master 212x they were paired with. I didn't have a meter when I was testing them out but if i had to guess which was quieter I'd guess the Gigabyte. Again both were well within my comfort zone though.
 
There seems to be a literal flood of Asus Strixx and MSI Armor 1070s finishing later this week. I think some of these auctions could finish lower than most BuyNows. There seems to be a dearth of 1070tis, though, and just a while ago they sold about the same as normal 1070s. Now they're just a little under 1080s, which makes me look at those too. I got a nice bonus at work, so my budget's up a bit.
 
I can tell yo that the msi gaming x is the way to go for quiet, I have a evga 1060 sc I gave away because it was so stinking loud, I have an msi 1060 gaming x and at full tilt it's quiet as a mouse.
Myevga 1080's are lous, I'll get msi twin frozer cards from now on.
 
Well, MSI Gaming X fans do have double-ball bearings so here's hoping they're gonna last awhile. That cooling is my default pick with any card, but the problem is everybody else here regards them as way superior than the rest of the lineup, so they command hefty premiums usually. So I end up looking at other makers' cards or even one grade up, because that's the kind of difference MSI GamingX makes vs anything else here (apart maybe from Asus Strixx).

Right now I see four MSI Armors finishing today, two Strixxes tomorrow, then like ten cards on Sunday, including MSI Gaming X, including one or two ti's, so here's hoping I'll be able to land a good bargain. I'm basically sitting on my butt at home working 16/24/7 till the end of the month, so no playing time but checking out auctions is just the kind of distraction I need every now and then. At least I finally have a decent budget to play with. Part of the reason I'm looking up at 1080 too is I might end up convincing myself to get a used 1440p or 4K monitor or 144 Hz too, so there'd be some reserve/future proofing.
 
Does Gigabyte's 3-fan Windforce tend to malfunction and get really loud, or is it just my experience with my first 280X and some other guys' with the 1080? There are some complaints, but also a lot of people tend to dismiss them as isolated cases.
 
I wouldn't look to pile anecdotes on like this, honestly. Its going to be a crapshoot unless its a huge issue. You said it was a couple people here and there, and things happen. That was also several generations ago.

Don't get caught in the minutia. ;)
 
ive had really good luck with my gigabyte wf3 cards(2). they were both vitually silent unless they were loaded up with a game or i was testing them. you really need a filtered case with them or they will get clogged up.
 
Luckily, I got a Phanteks Enthoo Pro — filters everywhere, almost. There's a 200mm front intake tolerable @ 500 rpm and a 140mm rear exhaust tolerable @ 800 rpm in day ambient. The flow could be better — the fact the PC sits under my desk right in the corner of the room isn't helping the flow (but it's helping the temps) — but it certainly can't be bad.

So, I'm still peeking at those auctions, but due to the same overtime at work that gave me a larger budget I'm going to have sub-zero gaming time these coming 2 weeks, so I'm under no pressure to buy immediately. There are some good deals on 1070s — for example a used Asus Expedition finished just under PLN 1000 (~ $262) today — but I'm thinking about paying the 50% extra simply to avoid the hassle of having to upgrade the card faster or the inconvenience of having to crank this or that setting down or not being able to support my new monitor, whenever I buy one. I'm having my eyes set on a 32'' 1440p IPS unit (~$200) and contemplating the merits of quick-reaction high-refresh TNs (prefer VAs for office work), and then there's always VSR/DSR for those games that get it right. For this reason I think it could be safer to grab a 1080. There are, of course, 1070tis, but they cost like PLN 1250 for a Zotac Mini (~$335) or 1350 for an MSI GTX if you're lucky (1500 if not). This seems to make getting a 1080 right away a smarter choice than obsessing over balance on the 1070-1070ti-1080 scale.

I suppose I could buy just about any cheapest 1080 with a blower and invest the difference in Accelero IV / Morpheus II and end up with much better cooling for the same price, though maybe worse power sections and thermal designs. But this is kinda the way I look at it: if I can get a good cooler like MSI Gaming X or EVGA SC or Palit (Super) Jet Stream for some $50 extra, then I won't need to bother with custom cooling but will get a solution that's better out of the box, plus higher-binner cards and stronger power sections, AND warranty (no seals broken while replacing the cooling etc.). What's going on in my mind right now is that the Zotac Minis are consistently much cheaper than anything else, whereas they are in fact strong, durable and well-designed cards. Nothing says I couldn't snap an Accelero or Morpheus on one of those.
 
Hey, guys, I've got a somewhat subjective preference question. Obviously we all know the 1070ti is a castrated 1080, not a beefed-up 1080. It's also forbidden by nVidia from being overclocked, but overclocks quite nicely as a user. These cards also — and I know this from comparing 1070, 1070ti and 1080 reviews at TechPowerUp — tend to end up quieter than either 1070 or 1080. Still, a full 1080 will be better stock-for-stock and might overclock somewhat better and give a crucial fps difference in higher resolutions and generally be a somewhat better 4K card. For this reason plain 1080 like Palit Dual vs pampered 1070ti like GamingX or Strix is going to be quite controversial. Personally, I'm inclined to go for the 1070ti in this scenario because of acoustics — 5 fps is far less important than 5 dbA to me, unless the noise is already too low to be overheard over game ambient/music. Plus, any used 1070ti is obviously bound to be like several months old tops, compared to the possible age of some 1080s; hence you're buying an almost new card.

This said, I have the following options right now, in PLN. 1 PLN = $0.26 / €0.23 if you're interested, but my focus here is on relative ordering among the cards listed:

PLN 1000 — Palit Dual 1070 (for comparison)
PLN 1100 — mid-shelf 1070s like MSI Armor, various Gigabytes etc. (unconvincing to me)
PLN 1100 — real nVidia FE 1070
PLN 1200 — MSI 1070 GamingX, Asus Strix etc., EVGA SuperClocked, Palit GameRock, Gainward Phoenix, Zotac Exo Armor/Amp, etc.
PLN 1300 — Zotac Mini 1070ti (nice but louder than most)
PLN 1350 — Gigabyte 1080 WindForce OC 3X (I've read customer testimonials, reviews, problem threads, etc., and this does seem loud, so I might end up needing to replace the cooler, and in some cases those card's cooling systems go rogue, which I've witnessed first-hand, so Gigabyte is normally blacklisted for me for higher-end products)
PLN 1400 — Asus 1070ti Strix, which for 1070tis is better than MSI GamingX (performs better, OC's better and isn't louder)
PLN 1400 — Zotac 1070ti Amp!, (louder but with superior electronics, power protections, ripple dampening and whatnot)
PLN 1400 — MSI Aero 1080 — blower (I could remove the fan shroud and place a larger fan (plugged into mobo) on top of the heatsink to help things along; I also have the heatsink from a Gigabyte 280X WindForce 3X somewhere, which might be convinced to fit, with some persuasion)
PLN 1450 — MSI 1070ti GamingX (I'll pass; Strix wins)
PLN 1500 — MSI Armor 1080 (and this gives me the pause, as Armor, while average, is not bad, it at least shouldn't have issues and isn't fragile or crappy-constructed or anything of the sort)
PLN 1800 — Zotac 1080 Bulk new-in-box from a proper retailer (but I think too loud for me to not replace the cooling, voiding warranty)

Because of ease of use, out of the box, the 1080 Armor for 1500 wins against the 1080 Aero for 1400. However, the blower is a reference design, and — while this not coming from nVidia would be less likely to be higher-binned — those OC better. And because of not paying for a fancy partner cooler, I'd have 100 more towards an aftermarket cooler like Accelero or Morpheus. Even if the card fails to OC significantly, it will at least be made dead-quiet under 100% load. On the other hand, Armor isn't loud, and Armor too can have its cooler replaced (or even just have larger, better fans mounted on the same heatsink). And obviously if I can fit the 280X WF3X heatsink on this, I'm gold. Hence I'm undecided. But I don't really want to have to void the warranty right off the bat, so I lean toward the Armor here.

I'm also undecided between 1070ti Strix for 1400 vs 1080 Armor for 1500. The Armor will still get more fps out of the box and will still have some headroom. The difference between 1070ti and full 1080 will probably count for more than the difference between the Strix and the Armor cooler. The Armor will be louder, but won't be a loud card really, and I could still spend like 100 on two nice, large high-pressure fans.

And the Gigabyte for 1350 obviously seems to rock the boat. But I've had two Gigabyte Windforce cards with serious problems in the last 5 years, in addition to a somewhat large crowd of dissatisfied customers online. The seller would give me 5 days to test the card, but the problem is I can't afford a whole day for serious testing this week.

Between the Gigabyte Windforce 1080 and the MSI Armor 1080, the 150 difference is 2/3 of the price of Accelero Extreme III/IV and half the price of a Morpheus II, both being way superior toolers to almost anything else on air (well, okay, perhaps Strix or GamingX can compete with Accelero).

And between Aero at 1400 and GB at 1350, the GB may be a better candidate for Accelero/Morpheus installation, provided the circuitry is OK.

But I'm still worried about Gigabyte's power circuitry, fan profiles and propensity for sudden violent death or crippling.

If the card is merely too loud, I can obviousy resell it without (much) loss, and the manufacturer will probably take it back anyway, so no real risk, just the nuisance.

I might be able to talk the 1070ti Strix guy down from 1400 to 1300, but I'm not sure. I'm watching some 1070ti auctions just as well as 1080s and will see where those end up.

What would you guys do? I know I'm obnoxious with all this overthinking and indecision, but I'd really like to close this, stick to a choice and move on.
 
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Wow. You Pols and walls of words... :p :rofl:

Being serious, you need to look at reviews and see how loud they are. Some members may have some cards amd can share their experiences, but one man's acceptable is another man's too loud. Pick one of the more quiet ones and go... get out of the minutia. :)
 
It's not just being Polish, though we tend to be on the wordy side. :D Myself, I've got a special set of issues with decision-making that are unique to me, lol. You should see me try to order food… I had to develop a rigid system in which I cycle through the entire menu from top down. I'll die single because choosing a girlfriend would be too hard of a task to execute.

I have full confidence in the 1070ti Strix, but the problem it costs 1400, while the 1080 Windforce 3X costs 1350, giving me a pause. I really feel bad buying a lower card for more money. Then there's 1080 Armor for 1500, but that's well, 150. Throw in another 130, and I've got me a brand spanking new Accelero to play with and laugh at both Windforce and Armor (and probably Strix and TwinFrozer as well). Perhaps someone will post a Strixx/GamingX/EVGA SC 1080 at around 1600, at which point I'll shut up and buy. I saw a Gaindward GS 1080 at 1350 later tonight and would have bought it, but it was too late. Argh. Okay. Sigh. I'll try to focus on work instead. I'll have to this weekend and into the next week anyway. Maybe something interesting will pop up.
 
Woomack loves walls of posts... also from Poland. :p

Well, sounds like it's in your head and beyond our help at this point! Let us know what you choose and how it works out!
 
Believe me, there are days I want to see a shrink. The Gigabyte is gone, so that's one less. I'll probably just force myself to focus on work instead for the time being, except there are some 580s likely to finish very low (<600), and that could be a good Miss Right Now and who knows, I might even get lazy and forget about looking for a Miss Right.
 
Okay, I'm almost done with that huge load of work, which basically means another week's worth of work packed into a single day + night today & morrow, and I can slow down a bit later, though still need to work more than play. This is good for reducing the pressure to buy, but it's less good for avoiding the pressure to window-show and keep looking and comparing. But 1080s are falling in price steadily, and I suspect 1070ti sellers will eventually want to rethink their pricing (argh, I missed the window of opportunity when tis sold for almost the same as plain 1070s). My favourite at the moment is 1070ti Strix, because while it does work life 2-5 fps slower depending on the resolution than Zotac Amp 1080, it's also 3 dBA quieter under load, which is more important to me. The thing is quieter even than MSI Gaming X. Perhaps I'll overcome my compunctions against buying a step lower card for the same price, but the thing is a weaker 1080 anyway.

Alternatively, since I'm not exactly itching to fork out another bunch of dough for a 1440p monitor, I'm still looking at 1070s in case one's really, really modestly priced, or even 1060s. I've just realied my game list is neither long nor particularly demanding, so I might as well get the dirtest-cheap 1060 3GB, slice the shroud, snap 2x120mm on, OC through the roof and hope for no permanent damage for a year. Should probably get me to 60 fps ultra in Witcher 3 and Dirt 4 and maybe just maybe put me in playable range in Kingdom Come: Deliverance at ultra too, at 1080p, in which case I wouldn't need more power, given that virtual 1440p on a 1080p monitor is quite sketchy anyway (though it does help a lot in third-person games). Part of me is itching to do just that. I mean, how could one possibly give up the pleasure of taking a knife (and/or some glue and whatever) to an already non-warrantied card?
 
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