I'm planning on building a new PC this Summer, and after reading the review of Asus's GTX 670, it's pretty high on the list of video cards that I'm considering.

Are there any other cards out there that provide similar performance with similar acoustic metrics? I was considering the HD 7870 originally as well, but the worse acoustic performance reported in its review turned me off.

Typically, the MSI Twin Frozr cards are comparable to the same model Asus DC II cards. MSI tends to have a higher speed fan profile but has better VRM cooling. A couple of things to think about between now and this summer:
- While there isn't new gpu silicon expected this year, I expect Nvidia and AMD to tweak the current offerings/add new variants. Some might show up between now and when you want to build.
- Do you need the horsepower of the 670? The 660 Ti seems to cover 1080p gaming pretty well. Here's a list of cards with acoustic tests.

By the summer it is possible there will be next generation cards out which should be expected to offer better performance per watt.

While I don't completely need the power of the 670, I do intend to pick up a second monitor capable of running at 2560 x 1600 at some point as well. From what I've seen, the 670 offers better framerates at high resolutions. Additionally, I tend to over-buy when building a new PC; I tend to run them for at least 5 years after the initial purchase, only upgrading if a part dies. If SPCR's measurement of 16 dBA is believable for the 670, that seems like good choice for my particular use case.

You mentioned that that the MSI cards tend to have a higher fan speed. Does that mean that the fundamental note produced by the cooler would have a higher frequency as well? If that's true, would case walls lined with mass loaded vinyl or high density foam have a more noticeable effect on that?

As for the new silicon, I'm keeping a close eye on what's getting released, but there's such a huge backlog of existing parts that I was having a hard time filtering it down. Thanks for helping with that.

Ah - got it.


Mostly referring to differences in philosophy - Asus tends to run lower fan speeds for lower noise level and higher temps. MSI tends to run higher fan speeds for louder noise level and lower temps...but can be adjusted somewhat with their fan profile tool - Afterburner.

Mass loaded vinyl is good for dampening vibrations and not high frequencies. High density foam is used to dampen airborne noise. It *might* help..but with any build, I suggest building with the quiet components first and then tweak if you need to. For example: don't get a case with a side vent or window that faces you.