tornel

Received my 1gb sc EE version of the gtx 460 today and finally put it in an fired it up.  My very first thought was how noisy the fan sounds, even while just browsing the net.  I've been using a gtx 275 that I borrowed from a friend while he was out of town that has the exact same turbine type of fan on it (looks to be the same size too) and it's nowhere near as loud.  It sounds like either a bearing is out, or the thing is just out of balance somehow, but it makes a very loud and noticeable vibration noise(and if I turn up the speed even to just 50% with the precision tool its unbearable).  I know turbine type fans are louder, but this thing is so much louder than the 275 I can't believe their isn't something wrong with the fan.
Any input on this is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Tornel

Thats a tough question to answer without listening to it.  Generally the 4xx series cards do not make (IMO) that much of a noticable difference in sound when compared to the 2xx series.  I had a 280 SSC for years and usually had the fan on 100%, when compared to my 480SC at 100%, not a whole lot of difference.  With that being said, if it is not a constant humm (albeit loud) then I would start troubleshooting the issue with making sure the card is properly seated.  Next make sure its not something else in the case making the noise ie. wires rubbing against or other loose components too close.  From your description of the issue I am led to believe that you are aware of the proper noise a GPU should make, it is possible that you may have a defective card in terms of proper fan installment.  Your two options would be RMA the card for a new and compare, or try to fix the fan in the GPU, the latter which I am not educated enough to help with.  Hope you find a quick resolve!
 
 
 
 Q9550@3.6
GTX 480SC 1625/2000
4GB DDR3 1600 Patriot Viper
Antec 1000psu
Antec 1200 case
HANNS G 28' 1920x1200
ALL ON AIR

Just comparing it to the 275(and even my older 9800gx2) it seems way too loud (especially while not under load). If it was loud just while gaming I wouldn't mind as much,but the loud hum/vibration while checking email etc is very annoying.  From your input I'll probably get the RMA process going unless someone with this card can comment on their noise levels.
Thanks again!

I took a video with my crappy camera and you can hear somewhat what I'm talking about.  If you still don't hear what I'm hearing, I'll take my mic and make a recording(it's late and the camera was easier :P).  As you can see no wires are hitting on the fan, and I also reseated the card to make sure that wasn't the issue and the sound remains.

For anyone interested in buying this card, I'm pretty sure the fan is messed up and this is NOT the typical noise of this card so don't judge it based on this video.
Here is a link if you want to give it a listen.
LINK

Thanks!

Alright lol glad to hear it wasn't just my imagination.
I'll get the process started, thanks again for the help!

Weird I am folding right now with fans on auto and there @ 57%, and 51% and I can barely hear them. Maybe I got some quite ones.

Mine sound nothing like what yours do in the video.

Which fan, EE or ref are you people using? Is anyone having a noise problem with the ref fan?Or is it only evga EE fan?

They are talking about the EE version. We all know the reference one is much quieter and cooler.

 If your EE version is quiet Could you post a video? All we hear is that its very loud or noisy. It be nice if we could hear the quiet ones to relief some ears.

Otherwise IMO the evga EE model is designed to be a alot noisier than the reference design. Many people having gotten the evga ee model  and saying its loud proves that its not a bad card but a bad fan implementation

a0krn

And also it seems that it might be just only The superclocked EE version. correct me. someone. ANYone :p

I just have the basic EE version... still have the problem. These must be defective I just can't imagine anyone shipping cards with this kind of noise. It's one thing to get a little loud at load but being loud at idle is unacceptable!

I contacted evga tech support and they recommend I rma it.
I'll repost when I get my new card and let you know if it has the same issue or not.

I just got a evga gtx 460 1024mb EE card & am very disappointed by the fan noise. I previously had a GTX 280 with the same type of fan design but it doesn't sound half as loud esp. once you get over 50% on the fan but even at idle it's louder . I'm thinking of taking mine back & waiting for a different brands/models to show up as it seems like the EE version's of this card is a joke. Also I tried to run Dirt2 but I get a crash right after starting it any ideas ? I have tried checking the game cache & setting it to run in admin mode but it ran great with my GTX 280. Am downloading a new copy now to see if that fixes it. I used to really like EVGA stuff but this EE card sounds like a bad design choice. Any comments from EVGA staff ?

Glad I saw this post cause the fan really is way to loud on this card.... Would I be able to send it back for a refund because its so damn loud past 50% I had thought the EE design looked really cool but at the cost of crazy loud sound I wouldn't have bought it.

Legit_Xero

I purchased two of the 1gb EE models (non-SC) from newegg and got them installed yesterday. Mine are not nearly as loud as yours in that video. I can't even hear mine when I am gaming.

So at idle its still loud correct?
 And in gaming is a big different on what kind of headphones u use or how loud your speaker is. Hmm. Just asking. Is it loud at idle?

a0krn
So at idle its still loud correct?
And in gaming is a big different on what kind of headphones u use or how loud your speaker is. Hmm. Just asking. Is it loud at idle?

I don't consider them to be loud at idle. They are audible, but not to the point where it is irritating. Just the usual fan noise that comes from a computer case with all the fans running. I use a 5.1 speaker system, even if I turn them off while gaming they aren't loud enough to be bothersome. Before I got these I had 9800GT's and they were louder at idle than my 460's.

However if I manually crank the fan up to say, 70%, they become VERY loud. The fan never comes close to getting that high when gaming though.

tornel

Well I received my rma'd card back yesterday and it is definitely quieter than the one I sent back. It doesn't have that vibrating noise the other one had that made it sound like a lawnmower.  It's still louder than the older 275 but I can live with it since the vibration is gone.  If anyone knows of an aftermarket cooler that would work that is fairly quiet, I don't really care about the external exhaust (my case has very good ventilation) I would probably throw it on there to make it quieter.   I'm not really sure what size cooler is needed, as this card is smaller than the other 400 series cards.

Could you post another video for us again? Id love to hear a comparison with your old card and the new one.

tornel

Here is a video of my new card and it's noise level.  Overall I am happier with this card over the other one because this one doesn't get that loud until 60%+ whereas the older one was loud at idle (imo).

LINK: VIDEO

If anyone knows of an aftermarket cooler(maybe one similar to the non ee versions) that would fit I'd appreciate it.

Tornel your link's not working. 
 
Please fix when you get a chance, I'd like to see if it's worth returning mine.  Seems like it's luck of the draw right now though.