980ti quiet until overclock so now I face a dilemma

saintdefender

saintdefender

saintdefender

Associate
Joined
7 Dec 2008
Posts
757
I have a REFERENCE 980ti overclocked to 1445mhz core and 3355 memory, so I would say I did OK in regards to the silicon lottery. However, in order to run at this speed, my 980ti has to speed up to about 75-80%+ speed, especially in games like the Witcher 3 and GTA V. For those who haven't experienced reference cards before, the fan on the 980ti gets loud, very loud.

I have since decided to stick with power limit 83c, so now my GPU never goes above 83c and it remains really quiet, and I mean really quiet. However of course my card is throttling as a result, and the speeds it throttles down to are 1150-1200mhz Core and 3305mhz memory.

My dilemma is, do I put up with the loud fan, or settle with quiet noise but a slower card? I guess another question is, is going down from 1445 to 1200 an 'omfg difference'? I haven't noticed much in the way of performance drops yet, but then I haven't played enough games only GTA V.

Finally for the obvious part on what I should probably be doing, I built this machine for quietness, I have a case built for that, and fans that are mean't for that. The only problem is the card, but I had this card before I began ordering parts for a quieter PC.

i guess I am here for advice, what would you do?
 
implosiveturnip said:
Are there any aftermarket coolers that will fit the 980ti? Or one of the AIO bracket-type thingies you could look at?
Click to expand...

Honestly mate, compared to many on this forum I am a complete casual when it comes to that kind of stuff, I can just about put together a normal PC and overclock it.

I don't even wanna begin dissembling graphics cards, especially these high end expensive cards.
 
ah right, sorry. In that case then, have you had your ti a while? If not, you could return it and spring for a custom-cooled model instead. The 980ti in my sig is near silent overclocked at 1416 core and 7760 mems.
 
implosiveturnip said:
ah right, sorry. In that case then, have you had your ti a while? If not, you could return it and spring for a custom-cooled model instead. The 980ti in my sig is near silent overclocked at 1416 core and 7760 mems.
Click to expand...

I could, but would people even want to buy a reference 980ti? And would i get more than half of what I paid for it? (bought at launch)
 
I meant return it as in a full refund. You could sell it too if if you're really that desperate to get a quieter card. Plenty of people want ref cards, especially tholse who use SFF systems or want to watercool.

I'd seriously give the aftermarket air cooler thing some consideration though. It would be cheaper, cooler and quieter overall, and it's not going to be that hard. If you've fitted any cpu cooler before (besides the intel stock cooler) you should be fine. It's essentially the same, just a few more screws to take out/put back in and perhaps some vrm/memory heatsinks to stick on. have a quick look on youtube there's tonnes of vids.
 
For the record, there's an EVGA reference 980ti on that well known auction site up to finish auction in 22hrs. Watch it, and expect to get roughly the same for your own if you go that route.
 
saintdefender said:
I could, but would people even want to buy a reference 980ti? And would i get more than half of what I paid for it? (bought at launch)
Click to expand...
You wouldnt have any problem selling on a Reference 980ti,,how much you would get depends how quickly you want to get rid of it,realistically you should be able to get £450ish for it.
 
A high end card will be noisy in demanding games.

You may be able to drop the volume with better case fans (a side vent fan dropped 5c off my temps for example) but really an aftermarket card like the MSI 6G one would be the best choice.
 
How about removing the plastic shroud and fan and leaving the metal heatsink on the card and zip tying 2x fans to it.
Pretty ghetto but it works as I've done it before myself on reference leaf blower coolers.

could also try setting up a fan profile it might not need that fan speed to acheive the same temp.
 
Last edited:
saintdefender said:
My dilemma is, do I put up with the loud fan, or settle with quiet noise but a slower card? I guess another question is, is going down from 1445 to 1200 an 'omfg difference'? I haven't noticed much in the way of performance drops yet........what would you do?
Click to expand...

So you have overclocked your card which is now too loud and through which you have noticed no discernible benefits in terms of performance, your alternative is a quiet card running at stock that evidently provides the performance you need. I don't really see your dilemma.

In terms of what I would do if I was not happy to replace the cooler or swap out the card. Through trial and error I would come to an understanding / compromise between what if any additional noise I was prepared to accept vs the performance gains I was able to achieve. Same as I've done with any graphics card I've had whether fitted with OEM or aftermarket cooling.

elmarko said:
A high end card will be noisy in demanding games.
Click to expand...

Seriously ??????? A high end card will be less stressed than a mid or low end card when running demanding games so is going to be less noisy. The OP's noise issues are not due to the "demanding" games he plays but the fact that he is wanting to overclock his reference card past the point where it's cooling is comfortable. From his original post it doesn't look like he needs to overclock and under these circumstances his card isn't "noisy in demanding games".
 
Last edited:
PieEater said:
So you have overclocked your card which is now too loud and through which you have noticed no discernible benefits in terms of performance, your alternative is a quiet card running at stock that evidently provides the performance you need. I don't really see your dilemma.

In terms of what I would do if I was not happy to replace the cooler or swap out the card. Through trial and error I would come to an understanding / compromise between what if any additional noise I was prepared to accept vs the performance gains I was able to achieve. Same as I've done with any graphics card I've had whether fitted with OEM or aftermarket cooling.



Seriously ??????? A high end card will be less stressed than a mid or low end card when running demanding games so is going to be less noisy. The OP's noise issues are not due to the "demanding" games he plays but the fact that he is wanting to overclock his reference card past the point where it's cooling is comfortable. From his original post it doesn't look like he needs to overclock and under these circumstances his card isn't "noisy in demanding games".
Click to expand...

I have only tried GTA V, and not for very long either. I am sure there is quite the difference in performance as benchmarks have proven, I just haven't felt it yet. You're right though, the overclock has pushed it beyond its acceptable limit and now the fan is having to work very hard to keep it cool. I don't mind my card running at 83c constant because thats the temp Nvidia has said is perfectly acceptable, and I am sure will run like that for years, i just need to decide if any extra noise is worth the added gain in performance.

I do know one thing is for sure, this will be the last reference card I ever buy.
 
I'd go the K10 and AIO route, there's really not much to it. I fully intend to buy a reference later in the year to slap a K10 on and call it a day.
 
I have the reference card, managed to hit 1500mhz on a 1:1 fan curve, temps wouldn't pass 75c ish. Now I have an Ek waterblock and backplate on it, max temps 45c and slightly higher core clock.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom