Noise
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 near front of a Corsair Obsidian 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 under 30dB. Decibel readings are noted for idle, load (COD: Black Ops) and super-load (FurMark) after 10 minutes have elapsed.
We've seen a few excellent coolers in recent months, and HIS's IceQ X Turbo is right up there with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 560 Ti. Noise whilst gaming barely rises above the idle output, and the card simply kept quiet throughout testing.
