In House HD2900XT vs. 8800GTS 640

[BFG10K]

For a start...give up the whole "OMG it's so loud!! Look at the test results!!" problem... as it seems like the only people who think it's a problem... are the people who don't own one..

Sorry no, that is false:

Tech Report:

Here's where one place where those power draw numbers have an impact. AMD has equipped the Radeon HD 2900 XT with a blower than can move an awful lot of hot air, and that inevitably translates into noise. This isn't anything close to GeForce FX 5800 Ultra Dustbuster levels?that card hit 58.8 dB on the same meter?but the 2900 XT is in a class by itself among high-end graphics cards. I think I probably could live with these noise levels, since the thing is only likely to crank up during games, but it definitely makes its presence known. The GeForce 8800's hiss is whisper-quiet by comparison.

Xbit Labs:

As we see, the Radeon HD 2900 XT is not a quiet graphics card to say at least. Even though it may not be as noisy as some other graphics cards, such as Radeon X1800 XL with the first version of the cooler, it is definitely much noisier than the main rival: GeForce 8800 GTX. Moreover, our Radeon HD 2900 XT did not slowed down its fanspeed after speeding it up after high load, which means that the board remains noisy even after high performance cooling becomes unnecessary (e.g., after exiting 3D applications).

Even though the cooling systems seems to be efficient, we are not satisfied with its acoustic levels and working algorithms and hope that AMD will improve them with future driver/BIOS releases.

Hot Hardware:

In regard to its acoustic signature, we found the Radeon HD 2900 XT to be somewhat irritating, but not necessarily very loud. According to a digital sound level meter placed about 1 foot away from our test system (which had its side-panel removed) the Radeon HD 2900 XT generated about 55dB - 59dB of sound pressure when its fans were spun up in a typical gaming scenario. At idle, however, the cards were nice and quiet and weren't audible over the PSU and CPU fans, and hard drive. Conversely, a GeForce 8800 GTS SLI rig generated a more palatable 53dB under load.

Perhaps more noticeable than the actual sound level, however, was the pitch of the Radeon's fan. It definitely produced a much more audible whine when spinning at high-speed than the GTS, which some users may find distracting.

How many more links do you need?

Yes it may technically be loud...but it's not an *annoying* loud (which your argument is)..

According to multiple reviewers it is loud and again I'm more likely to take that over someone trying to justify their purchase.

Is it louder than a G80? I don't know...never owned one... and I'm sure no one who buys a 2900XT will have owned one either...so what's the point?

The 2900 is loud whether or not you own a G80. A lawnmower doesn't suddenly become quiet just because you don't own a Concorde.

So drop it please...we're happy with our 2900's...you obviously think it's the devil... we get your opinion...now just drop it...

I'll drop it once you stop trying to excuse the noise with ridiculous justifications.

 

[CaiNaM]

Originally posted by: apoppin
your "beliefs" are immaterial and 2nd hand .. i actually have a HD2900xt by VisionTek in my case and it is a relatively quiet card

relative to what?

the visiontek 2900 uses a reference cooler. the reference cooler has been measured accurately as having high noise levels. that's a fact.

that your opinion is it's "relatively quiet" doesn't change the fact it IS one of the noisier graphics card. it's fine for you, but that means nothing to anyone but you, as it's been shown many times to be very loud 'relative' to an 8800.

i CAN *prove* this to you if you like ... the simplest way is to set up my rig in a quiet room with qa microphone 1 foot from the front of the case ... i will stop my HD2900xt's fan so you can hear's the rig's ambient noise ... and then the "added" noise of the fan ... dead silent on low - you *won't hear it* and then on High - BARELY over the case's ambient noise

that's at least something in the right direction, however the result will be dependant on how quiet your environment actually is, and how sensitive the mic recording the sound is as well. in order to be something other than subjective, you should also establish a baseline for that environment, such as another gfx card in the same rig, or a measurement of the actual decibels.

of course our intolerant princess of noise will hear an pin drop and claim it is an explosion

smartass responses such as this hardly add to your credibility in this or any other argument.

Originally posted by: apoppin
how do i "normalize' ... pretty Obviously ... everything is relative ... you hear the "ambient" noise of my rig and then you ADD the HD2900xt to it and note the RELATIVE increase

but if your rig is noisy to begin with, you can add a noisy gfx card will with 'relatively' little increase. how is that objective or scientific in any way?

it wouldn't tell any of us anything, so what's the point in even doing it? that's why you need to establish some kind of baseline, or your "test" is absolutely worthless to anyone but you.

that's why tests like those done at xbit have relevance, where yours does not... we know it's "okay" for you, but it means nothing to the rest of us.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

For a start...give up the whole "OMG it's so loud!! Look at the test results!!" problem... as it seems like the only people who think it's a problem... are the people who don't own one..

Sorry no, that is false:

Tech Report:

Here's where one place where those power draw numbers have an impact. AMD has equipped the Radeon HD 2900 XT with a blower than can move an awful lot of hot air, and that inevitably translates into noise. This isn't anything close to GeForce FX 5800 Ultra Dustbuster levels?that card hit 58.8 dB on the same meter?but the 2900 XT is in a class by itself among high-end graphics cards. I think I probably could live with these noise levels, since the thing is only likely to crank up during games, but it definitely makes its presence known. The GeForce 8800's hiss is whisper-quiet by comparison.

Xbit Labs:

As we see, the Radeon HD 2900 XT is not a quiet graphics card to say at least. Even though it may not be as noisy as some other graphics cards, such as Radeon X1800 XL with the first version of the cooler, it is definitely much noisier than the main rival: GeForce 8800 GTX. Moreover, our Radeon HD 2900 XT did not slowed down its fanspeed after speeding it up after high load, which means that the board remains noisy even after high performance cooling becomes unnecessary (e.g., after exiting 3D applications).

Even though the cooling systems seems to be efficient, we are not satisfied with its acoustic levels and working algorithms and hope that AMD will improve them with future driver/BIOS releases.

Hot Hardware:

In regard to its acoustic signature, we found the Radeon HD 2900 XT to be somewhat irritating but, not necessarily very loud . According to a digital sound level meter placed about 1 foot away from our test system (which had its side-panel removed) the Radeon HD 2900 XT generated about 55dB - 59dB of sound pressure when its fans were spun up in a typical gaming scenario. At idle, however, the cards were nice and quiet and weren't audible over the PSU and CPU fans, and hard drive. Conversely, a GeForce 8800 GTS SLI rig generated a more palatable 53dB under load.

Perhaps more noticeable than the actual sound level, however, was the pitch of the Radeon's fan. It definitely produced a much more audible whine when spinning at high-speed than the GTS, which some users may find distracting.

How many more links do you need?

Yes it may technically be loud...but it's not an *annoying* loud (which your argument is)..

According to multiple reviewers it is loud and again I'm more likely to take that over someone trying to justify their purchase.

Is it louder than a G80? I don't know...never owned one... and I'm sure no one who buys a 2900XT will have owned one either...so what's the point?

The 2900 is loud whether or not you own a G80. A lawnmower doesn't suddenly become quiet just because you don't own a Concorde.

So drop it please...we're happy with our 2900's...you obviously think it's the devil... we get your opinion...now just drop it...

I'll drop it once you stop trying to excuse the noise with ridiculous justifications.[/quote]

you and wreckage have a lot in common ... i just rebolded your same quotes

no one said it was LOUD ... ONLY that the GTS was QUIETER

SOME of the reviewers mentioned the PITCH as irritating .. it is NOT

and some mentioned that BIOS changes might improve the fans performance .. UNLIKE *one* of the early tests where it NEVER came out of 3D mode ... mine otoh works OK and does drop when the heat is off

you are 2nd hand old news ...

 

[BFG10K]

you mean like you and your reviews?

Riiiight, because the multiple dB tesst are all invalid in the face of your scientific "it sounds quiet". :roll:

set them to 10 so you blow your speakers out when it revs up ... do you have an idea of how "loud" my OCZ is ? there are published db reports on it also

Great. How does their environment compare to yours? Unless the OCZ is in the same testbed used in their graphs you can't compare the sound figures. You can only compare the readings if the testbed is identical at which point they become relative to the rest of the cards tested.

But then I would expect you know that, Mr professional sound man.

like HardOCP? i can give you "measurable figures" also ... db or SPL meters are cheap ... but then you won't know the exact conditons of my test also unless you are there and you also need to measure the frequencies of the "noise" ... you clearly have no clue about psycho-acoustics

But we don't care about the condition of your test. Again we don't care about your delusional world were you think you have some kind of magic cooler nobody else does. When multiple reviewers are stating the same thing we get a pretty good picture of who isn't quite telling the whole story (hint: it ain't the reviewers that are the problem).

db readings - by themselves - are as meaningless as your arguments here

They're a hell of a lot more meaningful than your "it sounds quiet".

So what we have here is multiple reviewers with dB readings along with subjective commentary telling us the card is loud.

Then we have Apoppin with his scientific "it's quiet" and "you don't own one" telling us otherwise while threatening to record the card, as if that's someone going to prove something.

Like I said it?s a repeat of the 5800 U fiasco right down to the same arguments being used "I have one and I'm telling you it's quiet" and "you don't own one so you can't comment?.

 

[BFG10K]

no one said it was LOUD ... ONLY that the GTS was QUIETER

What is the definition of "loud"? Again it's a vague and subjective term without numbers to back it up.

Also you agree that the G80 is quieter now? So I assume your past statement:

i think it is irresponsible to say that r600 is louder than g80

Is going to be retracted?

SOME of the reviewers mentioned the PITCH as irritating .. it is NOT

I don't understand. You told us subjective commentary was better because dB readings tell us nothing about how it sounds to the human ear. Now when I produce multiple examples of subjective commentary confirming this you're claiming they're wrong?

Why should we take your subjective opinion - a person that has dropped cash into his purchase - over multiple unbiased reviewers that have no monetary investment in the card?

and some mentioned that BIOS changes might improve the fans performance .. UNLIKE *one* of the early tests where it NEVER came out of 3D mode ... mine otoh works OK and does drop when the heat is off

Great but the problem has always been load, not at idle. The graphs have already shown idle isn't the problem so that was never under debate.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

you mean like you and your reviews?

Riiiight, because the multiple dB tesst are all invalid in the face of your scientific "it sounds quiet". :roll:

set them to 10 so you blow your speakers out when it revs up ... do you have an idea of how "loud" my OCZ is ? there are published db reports on it also

Great. How does their environment compare to yours? Unless the OCZ is in the same testbed used in their graphs you can't compare the sound figures. You can only compare the readings if the testbed is identical at which point they become relative to the rest of the cards tested.

But then I would expect you know that, Mr professional sound man.

clearly you don't ... NONE of the reviewers suggest that it is LOUD .. just quieter then the G80 ... since my test is not valid then NONE of the OTHER reviewers are either ... we use the same identical equipmment ... BUT the variables are all different from each reviewer and test bed to another ... one tested with the side panel off

like HardOCP? i can give you "measurable figures" also ... db or SPL meters are cheap ... but then you won't know the exact conditons of my test also unless you are there and you also need to measure the frequencies of the "noise" ... you clearly have no clue about psycho-acoustics

But we don't care about the condition of your test. Again we don't care about your delusional world were you think you have some kind of magic cooler nobody else does. When multiple reviewers are stating the same thing we get a pretty good picture of who isn't quite telling the whole story (hint: it ain't the reviewers that are the problem).[/quote]we don't care about your old 2nd hand opinions either ... i jhhave a card and i can test it just as well as any OTHER reviewer

db readings - by themselves - are as meaningless as your arguments here

They're a hell of a lot more meaningful than your "it sounds quiet".[/quote]shows how LITTLE you know about sound and psycho acoustics

So what we have here is multiple reviewers with dB readings along with subjective commentary telling us the card is loud.

nope they don't ... try a little comprehension when you attempt to understand what you are reading ... they are giving a RELATIVE comparison of the g80 vs XT

Then we have Apoppin with his scientific "it's quiet" and "you don't own one" telling us otherwise while threatening to record the card, as if that's someone going to prove something.

Like I said it?s a repeat of the 5800 U fiasco right down to the same arguments being used "I have one and I'm telling you it's quiet" and "you don't own one so you can't comment?.[/quote]then we have *you* - a perfect match for a discussion with your nemesis and twin Gstanfor ... who isn't here ... The reviewers DID say it was NOT like the DustBuster ... why should anyone believe your 2nd hand interpretation of test results you don't even understand?

 

[Lord Banshee]

come on guys you are fighting for no reason and all the answers have been answered by both of you.

apoppin says it is quieter than his other card, not hard to believe if he had a stock X1xxx coolers.

BFG says the HD2900 is louder than the 8800, yes the db reading tell us this.

apoppin never said it was quieter than a 8800 just quieter than his previous card.

TO some it up: To apoppin, the HD2900 is the quietest card he has ever owned and he does not think it is quieter or louder than a 8800. So what are we fighting about.

And to add some points to what others have said about testing audio... Well this is crazy complex. One thing a microphone isn't going to do justice at all, the human factors out a lot of sounds depending on what the person is to do. For example if you were in a loud room and talking to a friend close by while recording the conversation with a mic. You will be able to hear your friend pretty good due to local filtering and other amazing powers of the brain and the human body. But if you replay the audio from the mic it will be very hard to hear anything as it will pick up all sounds. There is a word for this effect, but i forgot what it is called.

I don't know, personally i don't think the 8800 or the HD2900 would be quiet enough for me as i will say i am a noise princess lol. My loudest parts in my computer are the PSU at load, hard-drives and a 5V 90mm fan to cool my chipset and X1950 vreg. If any of my 120mm fans run > 1000rpms it is too loud for me...

Anyway recap, the numbers say 8800 is quieter the HD2900. appopin does not agree or disagree as he has never heard one. The End

 

[BFG10K]

clearly you don't ... NONE of the reviewers suggest that is LOUD .. just quieter then the G80 ... since my test is not valid NONE of the OTHER reviewers are either ... we use the same equipmment ... the variables are all different from ech reviewer and test bed to another ... one tested with the side panel off

The variables are different but they all point to the card being loud. So unless your variables involve ear-plugs I'd say it's safe to say your card is loud too.

we don't care about your old 2nd hand opinions either

Using that reasoning your opinions to me are 2nd hand which brings us full circle where I'd rather use the opinions from multiple reviewers.

i can test it just as well as any OTHER reviewer

That statement has been proven wrong multiple times. You clearly don't even understand the basics of what is being discussed here.

Furthermore your childish jabs at comparing me to certain forum members while dismissing multiple reviews and pretending to be some kind of audio guru only go further to demonstrate how wrong you are.

The fact is the 2900 is a loud card and your irrelevant rhetoric doesn't change that fact.

shows how LITTLE you know about sound and psycho acoustics

Comments like this really don't do you any favours.

then we have *you* - a perfect match for a discussion with your nemesis and twin Gstanfor ... who isn't here ...

When all you have left is this it's time to hang up that keyboard of yours.

And I'm still waiting for a retraction of your comment, Mr soundman:

i think it is irresponsible to say that r600 is louder than g80

 

[Gikaseixas]

Guys we have two great products here, each one has it's strengths and flaws but i have to admit that each day i become more impressed with the ATI card. As the drivers mature we can witness better performance all around but they do need to work more on Open GL aplications to tople Nvidia.

Here's a link, interesting none the less

http://www.tweaktown.com/revie...al_thoughts/index.html

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Lord Banshee
come on guys you are fighting for no reason and all the answers have been answered by both of you.

apoppin says it is quieter than his other card, not hard to believe if he had a stock X1xxx coolers.

BFG says the HD2900 is louder than the 8800, yes the db reading tell us this.

apoppin never said it was quieter than a 8800 just quieter than his previous card.

TO some it up: To apoppin, the HD2900 is the quietest card he has ever owned and he does not think it is quieter or louder than a 8800. So what are we fighting about.

And to add some points to what others have said about testing audio... Well this is crazy complex. One thing a microphone isn't going to do justice at all, the human factors out a lot of sounds depending on what the person is to do. For example if you were in a loud room and talking to a friend close by while recording the conversation with a mic. You will be able to hear your friend pretty good due to local filtering and other amazing powers of the brain and the human body. But if you replay the audio from the mic it will be very hard to hear anything as it will pick up all sounds. There is a word for this effect, but i forgot what it is called.

I don't know, personally i don't think the 8800 or the HD2900 would be quiet enough for me as i will say i am a noise princess lol. My loudest parts in my computer are the PSU at load, hard-drives and a 5V 90mm fan to cool my chipset and X1950 vreg. If any of my 120mm fans run > 1000rpms it is too loud for me...

Anyway recap, the numbers say 8800 is quieter the HD2900. appopin does not agree or disagree as he has never heard one. The End

no

it is NOT the quietest card i ever owned ... just not louder than my last FIVE cards ... the x850xt was much more irritatingly loud as was the 7800GS OC at full bore ... since i do not have a GTS/GTX i can NOT comment on the relative loudness ... the reviewers have commented that the GTS is quieter .. "whisper quiet" is one comment ... i am OK with that ...

now our resident noise princess says:

The variables are different but they all point to the card being loud. So unless your variables involve ear-plugs I'd say it's safe to say your card is loud too.

which is a load of BS and NOT supported by ANY review

and you take any quote of mine completely out of contest and expect a retraction?
--i think NOT

you have no clue about "loudness", sound perception or psycho acoustics, measurement varianbles or even reviewer's testing methods .. nor do you have the comprehension to realize that there is a difference between your saying HD2900xt's is "loud" and the treviewers saying it is not "whisper quiet" like the g80
... this is beyond obvious to those of us who do have experience with testing and sound measurement - and to those of us who HAVE the card
--your interpretation of these reviews are what is ridiculous and twisted far from the truth ... too bad ... you could actually learn something if your mind wasn't shut

 

[Gikaseixas]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

clearly you don't ... NONE of the reviewers suggest that is LOUD .. just quieter then the G80 ... since my test is not valid NONE of the OTHER reviewers are either ... we use the same equipmment ... the variables are all different from ech reviewer and test bed to another ... one tested with the side panel off

The variables are different but they all point to the card being loud. So unless your variables involve ear-plugs I'd say it's safe to say your card is loud too.

we don't care about your old 2nd hand opinions either

Using that reasoning your opinions to me are 2nd hand which brings us full circle where I'd rather use the opinions from multiple reviewers.

i can test it just as well as any OTHER reviewer

That statement has been proven wrong multiple times. You clearly don't even understand the basics of what is being discussed here.

Furthermore your childish jabs at comparing me to certain forum members while dismissing multiple reviews and pretending to be some kind of audio guru only go further to demonstrate how wrong you are.

The fact is the 2900 is a loud card and your irrelevant rhetoric doesn't change that fact.

shows how LITTLE you know about sound and psycho acoustics

Comments like this really don't do you any favours.

then we have *you* - a perfect match for a discussion with your nemesis and twin Gstanfor ... who isn't here ...

When all you have left is this it's time to hang up that keyboard of yours.

And I'm still waiting for a retraction of your comment, Mr soundman:

i think it is irresponsible to say that r600 is louder than g80

According to the link i just posted the XT 2900 is quiter when in idle mode and bit louder when loaded, it's not a huge difference.

 

[BFG10K]

which is a load of BS and NOT supported by ANY review

Actually it's supported by all of the reviews I posted up and I can post up more if you like.

and you take any quote of mine completely out of contest and expect a retraction?
--i think NOT

Face it, you were wrong but you can't even retract your comment.

There was nothing "irresponsible" about claiming the R600 is louder than the G80 especially since you don't even have the G80 (like the reviewers do) but you're waving your hands at me for not having a 2900.

They have both cards and they have tested both accurately. Have you?

you have no clue about "loudness", sound perception or psycho acoustics, measurement varianbles or even reviewer's testing methods .. nor do you have the comprehension to realize that there is a difference between your saying HD2900xt's is "loud" and the treviewers saying it is not "whisper quiet" like the g80
... this is beyond obvious to those of us who do have experience with testing and sound measurement - and to those of us who HAVE the card
--your interpretation of these reviews are what is ridiculous and twisted far from the truth ... too bad ... you could actually learn something if your mind wasn't shut

Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard all of this claptrap before from 5800 U owners; it didn't change facts then and it certainly won't change them now.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

which is a load of BS and NOT supported by ANY review

Actually it's supported by all of the reviews I posted up and I can post up more if you like.

and you take any quote of mine completely out of contest and expect a retraction?
--i think NOT

Face it, you were wrong but you can't even retract your comment.

There was nothing "irresponsible" about claiming the R600 is louder than the G80 especially since you don't even have the G80 (like the reviewers do) but you're waving your hands at me for not having a 2900.

They have both cards and they have tested both accurately. Have you?

you have no clue about "loudness", sound perception or psycho acoustics, measurement varianbles or even reviewer's testing methods .. nor do you have the comprehension to realize that there is a difference between your saying HD2900xt's is "loud" and the treviewers saying it is not "whisper quiet" like the g80
... this is beyond obvious to those of us who do have experience with testing and sound measurement - and to those of us who HAVE the card
--your interpretation of these reviews are what is ridiculous and twisted far from the truth ... too bad ... you could actually learn something if your mind wasn't shut

Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard all of this claptrap before from 5800 U owners; it didn't change facts then and it certainly won't change them now.

you type as though you have actually have a clue about the HD2900xt's relative loudness

i have tested audio equipment and i know the variables and how to set it up far better than any of the HD2900xt's review's weak attempt at a "relative" comparison with unweighted decibles and an "impression" of how they felt about it's "loudness" - directly compared to G80

*none* of the reviewers support your silly claim that the card is "loud" ... none ... not one ... in fact they say the OPPOSITE ... that HD2900xt is NOT a "dustbuster"

you say things the reviewers don't and attempt to twist my words and then have the temerity to ask me to retract your 'twist' on my words

go troll someone else who doesn't know what they are talking about

i feel like buying a g80 just to shut you up ... but then you would say i "cooked" the test

i forgot to mention ... it looks like cable is coming to our road

 

[dreddfunk]

apoppin - congrats on the cable, if it comes. Broadband is hard to give up once you've got it. I'd probably eat pasta seven days a week rather than go back to dial-up.

I don't really want to get in the middle of the spat you and BFG are having, though I'd say as an impartial observer that, like many spats here on AT, both sides seem to have some merit.

It's like watching two people hold on to different ends of the same rope and have a tug of war. Lots of pushing and shoving, but it's the same rope.

I've got an x850xt and it's been a decent card but it's also somewhat loud if you want to keep it at a reasonable temperature. Given that you've had both it and the 2900 I take you at your word that it's quieter. The thing is, looking at many of ATI's stock coolers on the high end (which seemed unchanged from the x850xt until the x1950xtx) there was/is a lot of room for improvement.

I'd tend to believe the reviews that said that the 2900 is louder than the 8800 (there's where I'd agree with you, BFG). Calling it 'loud', however, is an ultimately subjective observation (which is where I agree with you, apoppin).

I've always heard that Pete Townsend from The Who has lost most of his hearing after playing 100+ decibel concerts for years. His subjective judgment of what constitutes 'loud' is probably pretty different from mine.

I also agree with one of the other posters, different frequencies bother different people, depending on our own hearing.

Cheers all.

 

[CaiNaM]

apop..

you're wrong, plain and simple. multiple reviews contradict you. the 2900 is loud; maybe not loud to you, or as loud as your last 5 cards, but loud relative to other gfx cards available today (and as a 2900 owner pointed out in this thread already, louder than his x1950xt's were).

just admit it and move on to the more interesting parts of the comparison you guys are trying to put together.

 

[Keysplayr]

C'mon guys. Enough is enough with the noise stuff. We aren't even going to do noise tests in this review. Just performance. I'm not saying who's right or wrong here, because there really isn't a right or wrong when discussing something that CAN be completely unique from person to person. So please, end this or take it to a new thread dedicated for it. I'll defo steer clear of that one.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: CaiNaM
apop..

you're wrong, plain and simple. multiple reviews contradict you. the 2900 is loud; maybe not loud to you, or as loud as your last 5 cards, but loud relative to other gfx cards available today (and as a 2900 owner pointed out in this thread already, louder than his x1950xt's were).

just admit it and move on to the more interesting parts of the comparison you guys are trying to put together.

just because you say so? or are you reading into the reviews like our noise princess does?

please ... show me where the "multiple reviews contradict me" ... they do NOT say ... anywhere - that the HD2900xt is *LOUD*

rather they say the G80 is "whisper quiet" in COMPARISON ... that IS a not so subtle difference, you know
===========

Originally posted by: dreddfunk
apoppin - congrats on the cable, if it comes. Broadband is hard to give up once you've got it. I'd probably eat pasta seven days a week rather than go back to dial-up.

I don't really want to get in the middle of the spat you and BFG are having, though I'd say as an impartial observer that, like many spats here on AT, both sides seem to have some merit.

It's like watching two people hold on to different ends of the same rope and have a tug of war. Lots of pushing and shoving, but it's the same rope.

I've got an x850xt and it's been a decent card but it's also somewhat loud if you want to keep it at a reasonable temperature. Given that you've had both it and the 2900 I take you at your word that it's quieter. The thing is, looking at many of ATI's stock coolers on the high end (which seemed unchanged from the x850xt until the x1950xtx) there was/is a lot of room for improvement.

I'd tend to believe the reviews that said that the 2900 is louder than the 8800 (there's where I'd agree with you, BFG). Calling it 'loud', however, is an ultimately subjective observation (which is where I agree with you, apoppin).

I've always heard that Pete Townsend from The Who has lost most of his hearing after playing 100+ decibel concerts for years. His subjective judgment of what constitutes 'loud' is probably pretty different from mine.

I also agree with one of the other posters, different frequencies bother different people, depending on our own hearing.

Cheers all.

O gawd, i HOPE so ... the Warner RR guys were walking the road and taking measurements ... i had cable in my apartments in Hawaii and also in San Diego. Dial-up sucks ... but not so much as satellite if you want to game online.

i ALSO believe the reviews that say the g80 is quieter than r600 ... but they do not say iHD2900xt is "loud" ... that is ALL i am saying ... --counterbalancing the FUD of those who have never heard it in comparison to other cards - nevermind beside g80 ...

Ultra DustBuster was loud ... hard to deny in ANY comparison
--x850xt and 7800GS OC were irritatingly loud on full bore, imo

and for me, x1950p is medium-loud but more tolerable than either of those ... and HD290xt is a still better solution to my trained ears ... so what, "somewhat loud but not obtrusive" ?

yeah ... i really did work in High End Audio - about 3 years and i set up some rather BIG sound installations including professional - and i had to do sound measumenent tests that i had to actually take courses for and pass tests

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Originally posted by: CaiNaM
apop..

you're wrong, plain and simple. multiple reviews contradict you. the 2900 is loud; maybe not loud to you, or as loud as your last 5 cards, but loud relative to other gfx cards available today (and as a 2900 owner pointed out in this thread already, louder than his x1950xt's were).

just admit it and move on to the more interesting parts of the comparison you guys are trying to put together.

No its not plain and simple... He never said the HD2900XT wasnt louder than the 8800GTX, he is just saying that LOUD is subjective, and I will agree with him

I mean, the 8800GTX is already "whisper quiet" right? Well I bet an watercooled version will be even quieter... And so, will you also complain that the air cooled GTX is loud? NO! Its simply NOT AS QUIET as the watercooled version

And thats exactly whats happening here

 

[apoppin]

One thing i DO want to say ...

i do NOT want to test STALKER - at all ... not with the current drivers ... it is completely pointless ... i used version 1.03 no floating point mod

it runs like crap ... much worse than with my x1950p which at least stayed in the 30s 'plus' with Fraps running ... everything maxed in game at 14x9

i'd say STALKER is completely unplayable at 14x9 with HD2900xt dropping into the low teens with FDL

very disappointing and IN LINE with HardOCP [and others]
--they better *not* all be like this stinker :|

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: apoppin
One thing i DO want to say ...

i do NOT want to test STALKER - at all ... not with the current drivers ... it is completely pointless ... i used version 1.03 no floating point mod

it runs like crap ... much worse than with my x1950p which at least stayed in the 30s 'plus' with Fraps running ... everything maxed in game at 14x9

i'd say STALKER is completely unplayable at 14x9 with HD2900xt dropping into the low teens with FDL

very disappointing and IN LINE with HardOCP [and others]
--they better *not* all be like this stinker :|

apoppin what are your detail settings at and what is turn on ? How high is distance settings, FSAA, and AF ?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: pcslookout

Originally posted by: apoppin
One thing i DO want to say ...

i do NOT want to test STALKER - at all ... not with the current drivers ... it is completely pointless ... i used version 1.03 no floating point mod

it runs like crap ... much worse than with my x1950p which at least stayed in the 30s 'plus' with Fraps running ... everything maxed in game at 14x9

i'd say STALKER is completely unplayable at 14x9 with HD2900xt dropping into the low teens with FDL

very disappointing and IN LINE with HardOCP [and others]
--they better *not* all be like this stinker :|

apoppin what are your detail settings at and what is turn on ? How high is distance settings, FSAA, and AF ?

everything maxed in game at 14x9

ALL sliders to the right, Full dynamic lighting ... my Pro could do it ... not the HD2900xt

 

[bfdd]

Why not have it tested anyways Apoppin? Maybe his GTS will do bad too? Or you just don't want to prove the HardOCP article right? I mean sure you might lose that but as you said it's not fully supported. I say test it anyways.... I would. You can't win everything.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

damn just read through the whole appopin/BFG10k arguements. You guys are arguing over something thats obviously not getting anywhere. BFG, wth are you arguing about, its obvious that you're against the HD2900xt and doesn't look like you'll buy one since it sounds like a jet. It's also obvious that you're on the 8800's nuts since the difference in 'noise' between the two cards probably dont make that much of a difference. Really, does a few db really matter when you're playing a game? do you own headphones or speakers? seriously... you're starting to sound like gstanfor and not really contributing to these two guys' testing. They've already stated that they're testing based solely on performance and NOT sound. appopin, the recording with the mic for the sound of the 2900 wouldn't be necessary here.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: bfdd
Why not have it tested anyways Apoppin? Maybe his GTS will do bad too? Or you just don't want to prove the HardOCP article right? I mean sure you might lose that but as you said it's not fully supported. I say test it anyways.... I would. You can't win everything.

i will give that one to the GTS ... i'd much rather bench my x1950p against it - it might actually have a chance ... the HD2900xt CLEARLY loses to the x1950p on my system

HardOCP is right about this benchmark ... what is there to test?

it drops to 12FPS .... my x1950 drops to 30

what do you think we can learn from this?

i think i'll load up an Oblivion save

 

[bfdd]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
damn just read through the whole appopin/BFG10k arguements. You guys are arguing over something thats obviously not getting anywhere. BFG, wth are you arguing about, its obvious that you're against the HD2900xt and doesn't look like you'll buy one since it sounds like a jet. It's also obvious that you're on the 8800's nuts since the difference in 'noise' between the two cards probably dont make that much of a difference. Really, does 2db really matter when you're playing a game? do you own headphones or speakers? seriously... you're starting to sound like gstanfor and not really contributing to these two guys' testing. They've already stated that they're testing based solely on performance and NOT sound. appopin, the recording with the mic for the sound of the 2900 wouldn't be necessary here.

Thing is it's making computers 50db+? That are already pretty loud imo. My PC is pretty f'in quiet I barely hear it when it's on and that's with my GTX fan set to 100% full time. My PC is right next to me and I have a hard time telling if it's booting up or not when I turn it on till I hear the floppy do it's thing. When it's on and my brothers PC is on and he has my old Antec 900 his sounds a LOT louder than mine I can't even hear mine when I have headphones on period. I doubt it's a big deal to most gamers, but to others who have speakers and watch movies and crap it must be annoying. *shrug* it sucks it's loud but I just don't see it as a big deal.