GTX 295 noise level vs. GTX 280?

[AntaresDC]

Hi guys, it's good to be back on the "grin team" again - owning a Leadtek GTX 280 it's a huge improvement over my older vga and setup.

I was thinking of getting me the new GTX 295 over the 280... but I'm not sure how noisier will the 295 be compared to my trusty 280.

In Crysis, the gtx 280 settles at around 80 to 82 degrees Celsius, with the fan going to around 1900 rpm, compared to 1300 rpm in idle (40% fan speed).

Will the GTX 295 fan get much higher rpms and get much noisier? I cannot test or see the gtx 295 before buying, so I had to ask...

One more thing: what about the idle/load temps on those GTX 295 cards? I'm interested to hear how they're working inside closed cases, because all of the reviews are done on open-air benches.

My current setup: core i7 920 / Asus P6T Deluxe (X58) / Leadtek 280 GTX @ stock speeds / Corsair XMS3 DDR3 3072MB 1333 MHz / Thermaltake ToughPower 700W PSU / Coolermaster 690 case / 4 chassis fans - 120 mm

Thanks for your thoughts!

[ChrisRay]

It is a bit louder at default idle levels. At load they are similar.

[AntaresDC]

Thanks!

I did some more research - this is what I was looking for, a RivaTuner graph with both temps & fan speeds...

http://en.expreview.com/2009/01/09/r...-throne.html/6

In 2D mode, the fan spins @ 2,000 rpm (40%) compared to the gtx280, which does only 1,300 rpm @ 40%. In full load, the fan gets to approx. 2,700 rpm - around 60%, while my gtx280 fan only reaches 1,800 - 1,900 rpm (~54%) to keep the core hovering at 79-81 degrees.

So it seems that the fan profile is more aggresive on the gtx295 - but it makes sense, since in this case you have one fan trying to cool down two GPUs.

[ChrisRay]

Maybe my GTX 280 is a little different. ((all my Nvidia hardware is reference design)) but my GTX 280 could get to the 2k + range at full load too. Whats likely happening is the GTX 295 is reaching critical fan threshold tempatures sooner. Which is very likely considering my experience with both cards.

At the highest ranges ((IE full mode)) the GTX 295 is a bit louder than the 280. But at full blast I find them both rather annoying. Thankfully neither get close to full blast in 90% of all gaming circumstances. At full thottle the GTX 295 and 9800GX2 are very similar. If you have ever used the former card.

[AntaresDC]

Thanks for your reply! I guess you're right about the fan settings on the 295.

I own a vanilla gtx280 - no o/c version. Under Furmark I see the highest temps - 85-86 degrees Celsius - and the fan ramps up to well over 2,000 rpm...

However, under normal gaming conditions - such as playing Crysis for a couple of hours - the fan settles around 1,900 - 2,000 rpm to keep the core around 80 degrees. It doesn't bother me at all, since I have four case fans and will change some to 140 mm and add one more this week.

I don't know anything about the 9800GX2 since I didn't own one - but there are lots of reviews about it. I will try to have one tested before buying.

[Bee_Dee_3_Dee]

Originally Posted by AntaresDC

Hi guys, it's good to be back on the "grin team" again - owning a Leadtek GTX 280 it's a huge improvement over my older vga and setup.

I was thinking of getting me the new GTX 295 over the 280... but I'm not sure how noisier will the 295 be compared to my trusty 280.

In Crysis, the gtx 280 settles at around 80 to 82 degrees Celsius, with the fan going to around 1900 rpm, compared to 1300 rpm in idle (40% fan speed).

Will the GTX 295 fan get much higher rpms and get much noisier? I cannot test or see the gtx 295 before buying, so I had to ask...

One more thing: what about the idle/load temps on those GTX 295 cards? I'm interested to hear how they're working inside closed cases, because all of the reviews are done on open-air benches.

My current setup: core i7 920 / Asus P6T Deluxe (X58) / Leadtek 280 GTX @ stock speeds / Corsair XMS3 DDR3 3072MB 1333 MHz / Thermaltake ToughPower 700W PSU / Coolermaster 690 case / 4 chassis fans - 120 mm

Thanks for your thoughts!

I just today sent my GTX280 in to trade up for a GTX295.
Look for my posts in 7 to 10 days. I've scrutinized getting 285 vs 295 the past four weeks.

For now read these Reviews:

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/show...67#post1911367

And no Micro Stuttering:

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/show...60#post1913960

[EagleDM]

The fan of the GTX295 is intolerable as Hell in idle ! (at least for me)

I use EVGA Presicion Tuning (which works on all cards and is a minimal version of Rivatuner) to adjust the FAN to 28% and now it is almost inaudible with very little increase in temp under Idle.

PD: nothing is more silent than my old 4870X2 which was TOTALLY SILENT in idle.

At full, this card is on par with 4870x2 and a little higher than the GTX280

[Gort]

I swapped my 9800GX2 for an Asus GTX 295. I used eVGA's Precision to manage the fan speeds on the GX2, and am using the Asus utility to manage the 295. The 295 is noticably louder, both at idle and at full speed, than the GX2 was.

Peter