Noise measurement
We want to shed some analytical light on the system noise levels generated when high-end cards are installed. To this end, we're using a PCE-318 noise meter placed at the front of a Corsair Obsidian 700D chassis that has the side panel on and card(s) screwed in. Only the test system is running in a quiet room with a sound floor of 28dB. Decibel readings are noted for idle, load (COD: Black Ops) and super-load (FurMark) after 10 minutes have elapsed.
Most high-end cards tend not to put out too much noise when idling. However, listening to the reference's card's fan we noted that it sounded 'shriller' than most others, making it easier to discern above the background noise.
But one beauty of the reference card is that the fan barely spins up when playing a game. Indeed, it's difficult to differentiate between idle and load states.
We ran the FurMark test numerous times and cross-referenced the temperature, power-draw and frequencies just to make sure no trickery as a-foot. The reference card's fan increases speed from around 1,500rpm to only 1,800rpm after 10 minutes of FurMark load - impressive stuff.
