[SOLVED] Big fan vs small fan on graphics cards regardubg noise

[sdedu77]

I'm looking for a GT 1030 graphics card. There are some models with a small fan (like this) and some with big a bigger fan (like this).
The problem is (beside the microATX case and a weak 320 psu) is my monitor: it only has a vga port, so i either get the Zotac GT 1030 or get a hdmi-vga adapter. (also, in my country, sites like Amazon/Ebay don't do deliveries, so my options are limited).
My question is: are graphics card with smaller fans louder or less cooling efficient? Is it worth it to take a gamble with a cheap adapter? Thanks anticipated.

 

[CountMike]

You are not likely to overheat or even seriously heat up 1030 so any fan config is OK.

 

[cryoburner]

In general, a larger fan will typically be quieter since it doesn't need to spin as fast to move the same amount of air, though considering a GT 1030 only draws around 30 watts under load, and there are even a number of fanless models available, a card could probably get away with a lower fan speed even with a tiny fan like that.

Just make sure you get a version with GDDR5 VRAM, like those, not the DDR4 versions with weaker performance. And of course, check whether your PC case is wide enough to fit standard-size cards, like the Gigabyte one, or just narrow, small form factor cards, like the Zotac.

If you are looking for gaming performance and are willing to spend a bit more, you might also consider moving up to something like GTX 1050, which will offer significantly more performance. They are likely to run fine on a 320 watt PSU, though you will need to select one that doesn't require a PCIe power cable, since your power supply almost certainly doesn't have one.

 

[sdedu77]

In general, a larger fan will typically be quieter since it doesn't need to spin as fast to move the same amount of air, though considering a GT 1030 only draws around 30 watts under load, and there are even a number of fanless models available, a card could probably get away with a lower fan speed even with a tiny fan like that.

Just make sure you get a version with GDDR5 VRAM, like those, not the DDR4 versions with weaker performance. And of course, check whether your PC case is wide enough to fit standard-size cards, like the Gigabyte one, or just narrow, small form factor cards, like the Zotac.

If you are looking for gaming performance and are willing to spend a bit more, you might also consider moving up to something like GTX 1050, which will offer significantly more performance. They are likely to run fine on a 320 watt PSU, though you will need to select one that doesn't require a PCIe power cable, since your power supply almost certainly doesn't have one.

Thank you! I was saving up for some time and I wasn't very sure what to choose. Made my decision easier!

That being said, is a bigger fan significantly louder?

 

[cryoburner]

A bigger fan should typically be quieter, since again, it doesn't need to spin as fast. However, it's hard to know exactly how the sound levels of two cards will compare, aside from checking reviews (and it will be harder to find any professional reviews for these lower end cards).

There's more to the cooler design than just the fan, for example, how much metal the cooler's heat sink contains, and how the cooling fins are arranged. And some manufacturers may potentially make their fans spin faster than necessary. I susect either of these would be relatively quiet, since the card doesn't require much power, but I can't say for sure.