MSI GTX280 fan spinning down or not?

[Dutch Guy]

I found a MSI GTX280 Super OC (700/1400/2300Mhz) for only 279 euro but I read in a review that as soon as you load the card it becomes loud (obviously) but when you stop playing a game and go to 2D speeds the card stays loud, is that correct/normal for GTX280 cards?

 

[mogwai]

My 8800 GTS spins up to full speed briefly when I switch the pc on. I have not heard it ramp up to full speed during gaming either. I know my card is not the 280 but I would imagine it would be the same, unless due to the overclock they have changed the fan setting from auto.

 

[garylouden]

My BFG GTX280 stays silent on the desktop and after about 1+ hour of playing games if i listen closely I can hear a slight change in noise but its very small and when I exit if i listen closely again it will go back to 40%.

I have never heard it above the rest of my pc which is very quiet. I did however ramp the fan to 100% using rivatuner and it was insane how loud it was.

 

[Musty Pie]

Yeah my 280 idles at 40% fan, and when gaming doesnt change. I think it depends on how cool your case is (possible temp increase, increases fan speed?) dont hold me to that though.

 

[Dutch Guy]

So it's not really a loud card compared to my 8800GTS-640MB ??

I ask because the 8800GTS is the loudest part in my system by far and hate to get a card that is much louder.

 

[Blackwhite]

You can set at Riva Tuner your fan rpm - best way to do this.

 

[Stonedofmoo]

Don't they do aftermarket G200 heatsink and fans now? Get one of those if the reference design is a worry

 

[Dutch Guy]

Don't they do aftermarket G200 heatsink and fans now? Get one of those if the reference design is a worry

That is an option, but cost is always an issue as always.

Although you could say that if I spend the cash for a GTX280 I can also spend for a cooler

 

[alex24]

My GTX280 is certainly louder than my 8800GTS 320. However, when gaming, the card is not fully loaded anywhere near as much, so with fan on 40% ish most of the time it's fine. Stress testing though, that's another matter!

 

[Dutch Guy]

My GTX280 is certainly louder than my 8800GTS 320. However, when gaming, the card is not fully loaded anywhere near as much, so with fan on 40% ish most of the time it's fine. Stress testing though, that's another matter!

Hmmm, not good.

I guess I will have to find out and see if I want to buy another cooler for it

 

[alex24]

It'll depend on what you play and the rest of your system. My system seems quite CPU limited now, so the gfx doesn't tend to get too crazy when playing games, though on almost all the new titles I get amazing IQ and FPS compared to the 8800, it certainly was a big boost.

I don't think you'll have too much of a problem with it tbh, though if you buy one, you always have the option to put a t-rad or similar on it.

On an interesting note, I noticed much better colours and clarity in 2D windows environment with the new card. Same drivers, same cable (DVI) etc.

 

[Dutch Guy]

Well I ordered the card, even though they raised the price to 299 euro's.

I have an Enermax Pro 82+ 525W PSU with three 12V rails, which connectors should I use to connect the card, I think the PSU has two 6+1 pin connectors and one 6-pin connector?