Best/most silent GPU in the DanCase A4.

[Bech88]

Hi All

I just got my Dan A4 V4, and the Asetek 645LT Cooler today.

But i cant decide what GPU to use.
I would like a RTX2070 or RTX2080, and i would like it to be as silent as possible.
What is the most silent GPU for the DAN A4? (stock card and no overclocking at all).

I have been reading/watching A LOT of reviews and builds, but nothing conclusive.

From what i can tell, I can't rely on dB tests. Some GPU's are bigger than others, and if the fans are too close to the panel it will be more noisy.
Also some GPU vendors have low dB measures, but in reality the sound is more "high-pitch" which makes them very annoying despite low dB.

I have been looking at MSI Armor, Gigabyte Windforce and Gaming, GeForce FE, Asus Dual, EVGA black, and more.

I would like to hear your experiences and recommendations.

Sincerely
Benjamin

 

[UnknownBehemoth]

I read a lot of posts on the net that FE is noisy.

The Asus Dual, MSI Armor, Gigabyte 2080 Gaming OC is 2.5 slots, it wont fit the A4-SFX.
So your choice comes to the Gigabyte 2070 Gaming OC, Gigabyte Windforce and EVGA Black.

As for 2070/2080, the less powerful GPU should be less noisy, in theory.
Less power = less heat = less fan = less noise.

 

[glow]

Silent while gaming, or silent while desktop/media?
Because the latter is easy: any decent card with 0dB (fan stop, fan idle, idle stop, etc). Not all will be perfect (some have poor hysteresis), but starting from there will get you to the card you want.

The former... I'd venture it's not going to be pretty. The RTX cards are probably the best when it comes to power efficiency for the performance they have, but all of them still draw a large amount of power. Any cooling solution for one of them under load will be a bit noisy in the Dan A4 SFX, solely due to the limited "width" for GPUs (it is a very focused case, after all). 1 slot coolers are generally noisy and 2 slot coolers place the fan very close to the side panel.

That being said, it's not LOUD loud, but your tolerance for it will completely decide the outcome of this.

I'd guess something wild like a mITX card with a 120mm AIO might work, but I have no clue what I'm going on about at that point.

 

[Bech88]

Thanks a lot for your response.

I was not aware of the 2,5 slot limitation.

the use will be 70% office and browsing, and 30% gaming. it doesn't have to be silent while gaming, but i don't want it to be annoying.
It can be very annoying if it is too loud, or if the sound is too high pitch.

I think i will go with the RTX 2070 because It is cheaper and less power hungry (less heat).

What is your experience or personal preference?

 

[Bech88]

Just found this compatibility list of RTX2080 cards.

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/nvdia-gpu-compatibility-list.9992/

But i would still like to know some personal experiences on fitment, noise levels and the pitch. :-)

 

[wirdo]

The high pitching you are referring to is coilwhine? I think this really depends on the card you receive.

Perhaps this helps a bit, it’s a chart at full load 10cm away from the card itself.

 

[Bech88]

That's a nice chart. Thanks a lot.

After seeing that and reading some reviews (see link below) i think i might go with the Gigabyte RTX2070 Windforce 8GB.
It seems to be among the more silent GPU's and it is reasonably priced and have good cooling capabilities.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3319520/gigabyte-geforce-rtx-2070-windforce-review.html

 

[Stryprod]

That's a nice chart. Thanks a lot.

After seeing that and reading some reviews (see link below) i think i might go with the Gigabyte RTX2070 Windforce 8GB.
It seems to be among the more silent GPU's and it is reasonably priced and have good cooling capabilities.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3319520/gigabyte-geforce-rtx-2070-windforce-review.html

Make sure you read the reviews on that card at newegg and Amazon, seems like a lot of problems.

 

[wirdo]

Make sure you read the reviews on that card at newegg and Amazon, seems like a lot of problems.

The issues you are referring to are not brand related but RTX cards in general.
Internet is full of dying RTX cards (especially 2070 and 2080) Seems to be related to the memory.

 

[glow]

The internet was "full of" dying Pascal cards at launch, too. With Nvidia commanding ~80% of the new sales market (throughout the Turing launch and immediately after), any small quibble becomes "everything is dying."

 

[dcsais]

I'm using the Gigabyte 2080 Windforce and it's pretty silent.