MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr Fits in Antec Solo

[DaveLessnau]

I just received my MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr video card. Since there's very little about it on this forum, I wanted to let people know that it does fit into an Antec Solo case. The card, itself, is 8.75 inches long. Measuring the fan shroud (from the back of the slot plate to the tip of the shroud), it's 9.25 inches long. It fits the Solo very nicely. At idle (default of 40% for its fans), I can't hear it. But, I have to agree with swaaye in:

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=61397

The fans are tuned to ramp up very quickly. Once they're at about 50%, they become audible. I used MSI's Afterburner software (the beta from Guru3d.com) and adjusted the fan profile to stay at 40% until 60 degrees and then go to 50% at 70 degrees, 60% at 75 degrees, and then 100% at 90 degrees. I ran Furmark for a bit and also STALKER: Call of Pripyat. The temperatures went up to the low 70s fairly quickly and stayed there. So, there don't seem to be any temperature problems in the Solo, but the fan is definitely audible. It's not a bad noise: more of a fairly low-toned whirring. But, as I'm replacing a passive card, I certainly notice it. Of course, I wonder if my passive card experience is biasing my opinion.

[falcon26]

That's good to know. I actually just picked up the EVGA GTX 560 myself. For $249. And at idle the fan is dead quiet I don't hear it. I played a bit of BC2 and it did ramp up a bit but it was still quiet. Its much much quieter than the stock fan that I had tested on the 6950 and 6870. And with EVGA fan control software I set it to something similar to what you did. But for now I don't really see a need for an aftermarket cooler on this thing, it is very quiet at load or idle, stock cooling that is...

[DaveLessnau]

The problem with these things is normal people don't usually have multiple, latest-version graphics cards lying around: I sure wish I could compare this Twin Frozr version to the actual reference heatsink in my own case with my own ears. Oh well. The bright side is that I chose this card primarily because it was one of the lowest priced GTX 560 Ti cards I could find. That way, if I didn't like the custom heatsink, I could swap it out myself without gnashing my teeth over having paid a premium for the customization (plus, this card has those "military grade" components (for what that's worth)). Again, the fan sound is a fairly smooth one. But, I'm pretty sure bigger fans (these are twin 80mm fans) would produce a lower-pitched, more pleasant sound when ramped up. Prior to buying this, I had been thinking of the GELID Icy Vision with its twin 92mm fans. That's still an option if I can't adjust this fan curve to suit me. Heck, I might even try that Thermalright Shaman with the single 140mm fan (though it's probably overkill).

I adjusted the fan curve again to:

60 degrees: 40%
70 degrees: 45%
80 degrees: 60%
90 degrees: 100%

Furmark brought the temperature up to 79 degrees pretty quickly and then stabilized (fans at 58%). I can't complain about the performance since it was putting out 100 fps @ 1680x1050. My old fanless 9600GT currently runs in a different Solo at 31 fps @ 1280x1024 (temperature stabilized at 66%). Over three times the fps at a higher resolution.

STALKER hit 72 degrees again with the fans at 48%. Better sounding than before.

I'll have to do more research on what temperatures are worrisome. Maybe I could push the whole fan curve out 10 degrees. If that's doable, the fans probably won't be audible in a normal game.

[falcon26]

I'm waiting to see if the Artic Cooling Twin Turbo Pro fits on these cards. Then that is also a possibility. Those are dead quiet and cool very very well. But like I was saying the stock cooler is also very quiet IMO..

[quest_for_silence]

I'm waiting to see if the Artic Cooling Twin Turbo Pro fits on these cards.

The (Sparkle) Calibre X560 sports the AC Twin Turbo Pro as stock cooler.

[DaveLessnau]

After looking at the web page for the Arctic Cooler Accelero Twin Turbo Pro:

http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vga/2 ... tml?c=2182

I was all set to opine that it probably wouldn't fit the 560 since I thought that was supposed to have the same mounting holes as the 460. Then I saw quest_for_silence's reference to the Sparkle Calibre x560:

http://www.fudzilla.com/graphics/item/2 ... -x560-card

It's interesting that Arctic Cooling still doesn't list the 560 as being compatible with that heatsink. Looking at the pictures of the Sparkle card and comparing it to the measurements of the Twin Turbo Pro (215mm = 8.5 inches), I'd say that if it is compatible with other 560s, then it should fit into a Solo case, too.

Regarding the fan curve on this Twin Frozr, the nVidia page for the card lists 99 degrees C as the maximum temperature. So, I bumped it out another 10 degrees to:

60 degrees: 40%
80 degrees: 45%
90 degrees: 60%
100 degrees: 100%

I played some more STALKER and the temperature went to 80 degrees (45% fan) and stayed there. It was still noisy, though. I don't think I want to go beyond that, though. We'll see how the card behaves in less demanding games.

[Jeroenlol]

I was doubting myself to get the 560 stock or MSI one.

Other route is getting 6850 and aftermarket cooler.

@Falcon the EVGA is that quiet huh?

[DaveLessnau]

I did play an RPG for a bit (Numen) and the temperature stabilized at 56 degrees. With my modified fan curve, the fans never left their 40% idle level. So, I think the only place to worry about noise is from the very graphically demanding games.

I should point out what was pointed out to me in my Amazon review of this card: the card is very well performing and, apparently, good for overclocking. That's not really an SPCR thing, but I really shouldn't be so hard on the card. Here's my Amazon review if you want to look at it:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3R8NFUW32 ... &linkCode=

[swaaye]

Yes some games definitely heat cards up more than others. STALKER really pegs the GPU utilization for one.

I'm pretty happy with my tweaked fan curve on my 560 Twin Frozr. It's quiet enough for me this way I think.

[DaveLessnau]

Something to worry about with this level of card and aftermarket heatsinks might be the amount of heat dumped into the case. My Gigabyte GA-EP45T-UD3P motherboard has two temperature sensors on it: TMPIN0 and TMPIN1. I have no idea what they measure, but TMPIN1 is normally near ambient and TMPIN0 is warmer (maybe the NB?). Anyway, with my old passive 9600GT, TMPIN0 was about 10 degrees warmer (42 degrees vs 32 degrees at idle) than it is with this N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr (I guess the the Twin Frozr claim to lower temperatures applies to case temperatures as well as to GPU temperatures). That 9600GT temperature at idle wasn't anywhere near a problem. But, maybe a non-venting GTX 560 Ti class card at high load could be an issue.

Of course, the case will make a big difference. I'm assuming my Solo has lower air flow through it than most of the "higher performance" cases out there. So, those cases might not see this. Then again, they're more open, so they might let more of the noise from the fans get out. But, since they're open, they might be cooler, so the fans might be slower. Plus, the aftermarket fans might be bigger and have better noise characteristics than this Twin Frozr or the reference heatsink. At some point, I might try an aftermarket heatsink on this card and be able to see how sound and temperatures change. But, right now, with the modified fan curve, I have to say that though I'm a bit disappointed with the sound performance of the card, overall, I'm satisfied with it.

Oh, on a different note, I should also mention that even though nVidia says the Minimum Recommended System Power is 500 W, I'm running without problem with my 430 W SeaSonic S12 II SS-430GB.

[CA_Steve]

Oh, on a different note, I should also mention that even though nVidia says the Minimum Recommended System Power is 500 W, I'm running without problem with my 430 W SeaSonic S12 II SS-430GB.

My e8400/P45/HD5770 system sees 145W (at the wall while) playing WoW and 235W with Prime 95+Furmark. Anandtech sees 90W diff between the 5770 and the 560 Ti while running Furmark and 75W playing Crysis.

So, my guess is you pull ~325W max from the wall while stress testing and maybe ~220-240W gaming.

[DaveLessnau]

When I decided to buy this thing, I went to a couple of those power supply calculator sites. Basically, for my system, the only significant power consumers are 1) the video card, 2) the CPU, and 3) the motherboard. I really don't even need the calculators. My E8400 is rated at 65 watts and my GA-EP45T-UD3P would supposedly draw between 50 and 150 watts (and I believe the higher number as much as I believe people need kilowatt power supplies). According to the nVidia product page for the GTX 560 Ti, its maximum draw is 170 watts. Everything else gets lost in the background. So, the probable worst case would be 285 watts and the absolute worst case would be 385 watts. I was worried about the current draw on the 12 volt lines. But, the 17 amps that the two lines are rated for seem to be fine.

[falcon26]

The stock cooler is pretty darn quiet. Its NOT as quiet as the Artic Cooling Twin Turbo Pro, but its close. The thing, if you get the Evga stock card and you find that its to loud for your tastes you can always get the Twin Turbo Pro on it anyway. Of course that's if it fits. I send an email to their tech support asking weather it will work on the GTX 560. I'll keep this thread posted on what they say. I'm almost tempted to just buy one and try and see if it does fit...

[quest_for_silence]

According to the nVidia product page for the GTX 560 Ti, its maximum draw is 170 watts.

Just as a side note, I think Nvidia claim is a gaming figure for stock clock: depending of factories' OC amount, the maximum power draw under FurMark/OCCT might be as high as 230-240W, IIRC (check several TechPowerUp! reviews).

[DeerDance]

Similar situation as you.
I have this card for a 2 days now, it is pretty loud with preset fan curve. I am using your second recommended curve and so far in battlefield 2, SC2, or NFS:MW I haven't seen temps go over 60°C with 40% fan speed.(edit, after some intense gaming 69°C is now max for me)

But what I can hear is my 400W OEM seasonic. It gets pretty loud when under load, but otherwise no problems.

But where similarity end is the case. It some old s***, with 2x90mm fans that are pretty loud, so I now have sidepanel open, which in the end is cooler and quieter than with those 2 stupid fans.

[Jeroenlol]

This card looks really nice aswell

Gainward GTX560 Ti PHANTOM

http://www.alternate.de/html/product/Gr ... eForce+GTX

[DaveLessnau]

I wonder how the ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII/2DI/1GD5 would sound? On Newegg, it's in the same "lowest-priced" group as most other GTX 560 Ti cards:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

And, it should fit into the Solo case -- it's supposedly 9 inches long according to:

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=d ... templete=2

The DirectCU heatsink did well in SPCR's review of the Radeon HD 6850:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/Asus_AH68 ... U_VGA_Card

But, the single fan version in that review looks very different from the dual fan version on the 560.

[quest_for_silence]

The DirectCU heatsink did well in SPCR's review of the Radeon HD 6850

Even if it were the same, the 6850 is a 120W card, an oced 560Ti goes up to 200-240W.

[falcon26]

Can you turn the fan speed below 40% or is that the lowest it will go?

[phabean]

@falcon26: looks like 40% is the lowest you get, for me still barly audible at idle. 30% would actually serve me well.

[Zoide]

@falcon26: looks like 40% is the lowest you get, for me still barly audible at idle. 30% would actually serve me well.

So even if you're not running games or benchmarks, that's the quietest it will go?

Still, you mention that it's "barely audible" at 40%, which doesn't sound so bad. What case are you using?

Thanks

[DaveLessnau]

In my Solo, at that 40% idle fan speed, I can't hear the card at all (but the Solo might be quieter than more open cases). But, even at 45%, it becomes noticeable. If you modify the fan curve to what I mentioned earlier, it only leaves that 40% level during fairly intense games.

[Zoide]

In my Solo, at that 40% idle fan speed, I can't hear the card at all (but the Solo might be quieter than more open cases). But, even at 45%, it becomes noticeable. If you modify the fan curve to what I mentioned earlier, it only leaves that 40% level during fairly intense games.

Great, sounds very promising! (I'm getting an Antec Solo this weekend)

Thanks

[Zoide]

Good news! You can now lower the fan below 40%

http://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=146079

[swaaye]

Nibitor is able to change fan stuff but you must donate to them to get the unreleased version they have. I imagine it will be out for free eventually as usual. I saw people posting their BIOSs on mvktech for editing and Mavke (admin) was doing it and reposting them.

40% is pretty much inaudible to me but I'd like to tweak the fan curve in the BIOS. Waiting for nibitor to do that.