Like we may all know. Its two main fans
1: https://www.sevenforums.com/attachmen...1&d=1363447896
And
2: https://www.sevenforums.com/attachmen...1&d=1363447896
For me it feels like the #2: is the most quiet and most cooling one. is that right?
It depends on how fast they are turning honestly. Fan noise is a funny thing because there are so many variables involved. First things first........a general rule is: The smaller the fan, the more noise it will make. If we are assuming that the fans are automatically controlled and not under a heavy load, a larger diameter fan will produce less noise than a smaller fan. To cool the card adequately, the single fan on the 580 will have to run faster and it will probably produce a good amount of noise. The dual fan setup(which look to be larger fans) won't have to work as hard as the single, smaller fan and even though there are 2 fans, they shouldn't produce as much perceived noise as the single fan. That is all just me guessing of course, and assuming quite a bit.
Also, those cards have 2 distinct methods of cooling. The dual fan cooler has fans on a heatsink which will expel the air inside the case, while the single 580 fan will blow hot air out the back of the case.
Two more ofuscating variables are how hot the GPU runs and how efficient the heat sink is.
You said it depends on how big the fan is. My old gpu on my old computer had a like 50mm fan or something. That was loud. The i changed gpu to a ENGT 430 with a patetic fan. It is like 20mm and i can't hear it at all. So the computer is ultra quiet. I think its the psu that makes the most sound. (Rear fan, not large fan like other psu's have today.)
Oh a thing to mention. That comp is making a really really high pitch sound. It really hurts the ears.
And. Its just photos i downloaded so you could see what i was talking about. :P
Again, it would depend on the PSU and how much load is on it. I have a Corsair HX750W in my new rig with a 140mm fan and I can't hear it at all at low loads. I put a dummy load on it to see how it handled in a certain situation and it never did get any louder than my rear case fan on low speed.
The card you showed on the left is a gigabyte with the "Windforce" cooler. It works very well and is very quiet for a GPU fan. I have a Gigabyte 6950 with 3 of the "Windforce" fans and it is very quiet and keeps the card vey cool at any task, as long at the fan stays below 70%. It can be heard after that. I am of the opinion, as stated by Kbrady, that more fans do not need to work as hard to get the job done and therefore are quieter, and most times more efficient.
If there is a fan in your system that whines so much it hurts your ears..........you have a fan that is about to go bad. I have 2-35mm fans in my motherboard that turn 3700-4000 RPM and they are whisper quiet.
I would rather have a GPU that exhausts heat out of my PC rather than making it hotter inside the case.
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