JohnJSal
Active Member
I'm just curious what everyone's expectations are when it comes to video card fan noise. I'm asking because I just got a 9800 GT to replace my GTS 250 in the hope that the fan would be quieter, but about 30 seconds into World of Warcraft it gets just as loud as the GTS. I have to admit, it's not SO loud that I worry the case is about to expode, but my previous 8800 GT was so quiet, even after hours of gaming, that I'm having a hard time adjusting (especially since the 9800 GT is the same thing!).
And when I say the 8800 GT was quiet, I really mean it. It was silent during normal PC use, and it didn't get one bit louder during gaming. I have to admit when I built my PC two years ago, I fully expected the noise to increase during gaming, but neither the CPU fan nor the GPU fan did, and I was very happy about that. But now I'm having to deal with it.
So I'm considering getting a VGA fan like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118037#spec
The reviews are good and everyone says it's "silent" or "quiet"...but my question is, what does everyone generally mean when they say that? Because I don't want to get it and install it, only to find out that it generates the same noise as my stock fan, and this is what everyone meant by "quiet".
Is there some general way to get an idea of how loud is too loud and what everyone thinks is acceptable? It may be impossible to answer since everyone has different comfort levels, but I just want to know that an aftermarket fan like this would actually make a difference, or if I'm just exaggerating how loud my card actually is.
And for anyone with experience installing these things, here's my card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130435&Tpk=512-p3-n973
Would I have to remove the black case before installing the fan? I imagine I would have to take off all of that, so I don't know how much more difficult it would be on a card like mine.
Thanks.
And when I say the 8800 GT was quiet, I really mean it. It was silent during normal PC use, and it didn't get one bit louder during gaming. I have to admit when I built my PC two years ago, I fully expected the noise to increase during gaming, but neither the CPU fan nor the GPU fan did, and I was very happy about that. But now I'm having to deal with it.
So I'm considering getting a VGA fan like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118037#spec
The reviews are good and everyone says it's "silent" or "quiet"...but my question is, what does everyone generally mean when they say that? Because I don't want to get it and install it, only to find out that it generates the same noise as my stock fan, and this is what everyone meant by "quiet".
Is there some general way to get an idea of how loud is too loud and what everyone thinks is acceptable? It may be impossible to answer since everyone has different comfort levels, but I just want to know that an aftermarket fan like this would actually make a difference, or if I'm just exaggerating how loud my card actually is.
And for anyone with experience installing these things, here's my card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130435&Tpk=512-p3-n973
Would I have to remove the black case before installing the fan? I imagine I would have to take off all of that, so I don't know how much more difficult it would be on a card like mine.
Thanks.
