I just upgraded my GPU from an RX 480 to the PNY OC 5070 Ti, and while it performs great, I'm noticing that the fan noise is significantly louder—going from about 30 decibels to around 50 decibels while gaming when the fans ramp up. My RX 480 was really quiet, so I'm not sure if I should just accept this noise level as part of the upgrade. The fans are at minimum speed, which is set to 30%, and I've also noticed some dust buildup inside my case, so I'm planning to clean that out. I'm using stock case fans—one at the front and one at the back. I'm still pretty new to building PCs, so I hope I'm not missing something obvious. By the way, at that 30% minimum, the fans are spinning at 1000 RPM. Any thoughts?
2 Answers
You're definitely not alone in this! I have the same GPU, but I'm still waiting on my RAM to arrive. I can test the noise and send you a video once I'm set up. From what you're saying, it sounds like the fans are going to max speed unnecessarily. The PNY 5070 Ti has a TDP of around 300W, but it usually only needs 250-270W, so it might just be ramping up too much. Are you certain that it's really at 30%?
If the noise is really bothering you, you might want to consider adjusting the fan curve. Typically, you should be able to set it below 30%. I customize my fan curves through the BIOS, and it works like a charm, but you can also use software from your GPU vendor. There are fan control apps too, like the one at getfancontrol.com. I usually have my GPU fans turn off unless I'm actually gaming.
Thanks for the tip! I tried setting up my fan curve with MSI Afterburner, but it didn't help; nothing goes below 30%. I guess that is the minimum unless the fans drop to zero when idle. Do you think 50 dB at 1000 RPM is normal for this GPU? If it is, I guess I can just throw on some headphones and deal with it; I just didn't want to think there might be an issue.
Thanks! If you could let me know the noise level when you get your RAM, that would be awesome. And yes, 30% is indeed the minimum fan speed—I've confirmed it with both the Nvidia and PNY apps that won’t allow me to set it lower than that.