[SOLVED] Help deciding on least noisy Radeon 5700 or similar AMD GPU

[jahu00]

I'm building a new desktop rig and I'm set on most parts, but I'm not sure what GPU to pick. Price-wise Radeon 5700 seems the best option, but there are so many variants.

My current machine has a Gigabyte RX 480 G1 and it turns into jet engine under load. If possible I would like my new GPU to be not as loud. I was wondering which version of 5700 is the least noisy. I could even sacrifice a little performance and buy a weaker card if it meant it's more quiet. Since I have a FreeSync monitor, I would prefer an AMD card.

My GPU budget is around 435 USD.

Asus Dual Radeon RX 5700 OC Evo seems to be the cheapest one available in my region.

 

[Aeacus]

Well, for quietest GPU, then you need to look what features GPU has and if it does have automatic fan stop feature with it.

One of the brands that i know for a fact that has this nice feature is MSI. MSI calls their feature Zero Frozr and what it does is when your GPU temp is below 60C, the GPU fans will stop, giving GPU noise output to big fat 0 dB(A). Only when GPU temp goes over 60C, the fans start to spin. MSI GPUs with Zero Frozr feature are ideal for those who want quiet PC.

I can personally say that MSI Zero Frozr feature works as advertised since i have MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X 3G GPU with Zero Frozr feature in my Skylake build (full specs with pics in my sig) and i can't hear my GPU at all, either at idle or during gaming. Also, highest my GPU has gone temp wise is 66C but then again, i have very good cooling in my PC in form of plenty of high-end fans and Nvidia GPU in itself isn't that hot running as Radeon GPUs are.

For RX 5700, MSI has 4x GPUs that have Zero Frozr feature (Gaming, Gaming X, Evoke and Evoke OC),
link: https://www.msi.com/comparison/grap...R0FNSU5HLVg=","UmFkZW9uLVJYLTU3MDAtR0FNSU5H"]
And all of them are cheaper than $400 USD,
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/pk6qqs,nd9tt6/

TH also reviewed MSI Zero Frozr feature and it's operation when Radeon R9 390X, R9 380 and R7 370 GPUs were released back in 2015,
link: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-r9-390x-r9-380-r7-370,4178-12.html

 

[jahu00]

I did some digging through the net (which wasn't easy, because everyone was more interested in testing the XT variants). Apparently MSI 5700 run their fans quite fast during load (around 2000 RPM). On the other hand ASUS Strix variant is said to keep the fans around 1500 RPM during load (depending on BIOS version, may spin them faster from time to time). In comparison fans in my current RX 480 can reach speeds well above 2500 RPM when under load.

So, any 5700 with after-market cooler, should be less noisy than my current card, but ASUS Strix seems to be the best option if I want it to have the least noise 5700 variant.

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Edit:

If XT stats translate to non-XT models, 3 fan Gigabyte's Radeon RX 5700 GAMING OC might be an option too. Apparently I manages to keep 1700 RPM most of the time.

 

[Aeacus]

Actually, fan max RPM isn't the definitive source to know how loud fan can be.

Example:
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM - 2000 RPM - 22.6 dB(A) - specs: https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a12x25-pwm/specification
Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM - 1700 RPM - 25.1 dB(A) - specs: https://noctua.at/en/nf-p12-redux-1700-pwm/specification

Both fans are 120mm PWM fans but somehow fan that spins faster is quieter than the one that spins slower. Do you know why? I do.

 

[jahu00]

The second one moves more air.

On the other hand , the lower the frequency, the lauder the sound needs to be to be heard by a human. Both of those Noctua fans appear to be below hearing threshold.

 

[Aeacus]

Besides fan RPM, the fan blade design and any restrictions to the airflow (case grille, filters, rad) also contribute to the sound coming from fans. Same goes to the GPUs. If given that two GPUs use the very same fans on them (same fan blade design and max RPM), then the heatsink design behind the fan dictates if the GPU is "noisy" under full fan RPM or not. Heatsink with loosely packed fins gives out less audible noise than the heatsink with closely packed heatsink fins.
Due to that, choosing GPU based on the fan max RPM alone doesn't work if you aim for the quietest GPU.

In the fan world, anything below 20 dB(A) is considered as silent. 20 - 30 dB(A) is audible, 30 - 40 dB(A) is loud and anything over 40 dB(A) is very loud. Also, hearing threshold is individual and directly depends on how good of a hearing anyone has and if the sound from fans is annoying or not.

Oh, with GPUs, you can also limit their fan speed with GPU OC software, e.g MSI Afterburner, if the noise of fan's max RPM doesn't suit you.

 

[jahu00]

Before I bough my GPU I was unable to find enough reliable information about different brands of 5700, so I made my decision based on the little that I did find. After already ordering my new GPU, I run into a site (by accident) that reviewed both MSI Gaming X and ASUS Strix variants of the 5700.

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_radeon_rx_5700_gaming_x_review,8.html

ASUS Radeon RX 5700 ROG STRIX review

After reviewing the XT model, it is time to check out the ASUS Radeon RX 5700 ROG STRIX (non-XT) today. The beefy card comes with increased clocks, spiffy looks and and can be called impressively si... Introduction

www.guru3d.com

Long story short, both appear to be fairly quiet. MSI Gaming X might possibly be even a tiny bit more quiet than the ASUS Strix variant. There might be slightly more to how each card performs in terms of noise, but both make very little.

I don't know if it is true of all 4of the MSI 5700 variants, as some random folks on the internet complained about Evoke being noisy (whatever they meant by that).

 

[Aeacus]

Nice to hear that you got your new GPU purchased and are happy with it.

I don't know if it is true of all 4of the MSI 5700 variants, as some random folks on the internet complained about Evoke being noisy (whatever they meant by that).

As long as there are different people, there is always someone who isn't happy with one or another. And internet is a good place for a rant.

Also, when you're happy with your product, it's unlikely that you're going to the internet boasting about it. However, if you're unhappy with it, it's far more likely that you'll rant about it in the internet.