HD 6990 Preview/Review

[tajoh111]

Do you have a 6990? I have one. And it's not noisier then my friend 580 SLi set-up. Guru3d already report lower noise then others. I don't know how the others made their measurement, but it was not right compared to guru3d, that even made a comment on others measurements. I know, I have one in the computer I'm typing on. You?

Myself, I'm waiting for a waterblock for my XFX 6990. So using the stock cooler for now.

It's not hoter or noisier then my 5970 at 1000/1200, and that card is going strong 24/7 since 1 year and 4 months. No negative experience on my part. Rock-solid, rock-stable in Tri-Fire with a 5870 since 16 months, OCed to 1000/1200 24/7!.

Also doing Tri-Fire 6990+6970 right now and it's rock-stable. The 6970 is watercooled, so I hear only the 6990. And noise level is ok. Heat level is ok in a well ventilated case (Mountain Mods Extended Ascension). I have heard 580 SLI and it's worst IMHO.

Like usual on the internet multi-verse, it's an overblowed ''problem'' that people are copy and pasting all over the net, without having tried or heard the card for real. The usual day. Copy and paste parrots.

Anandtech is one of the most trusted reviewers on the internet. Guru3d has had a sketchy reviewing record at times.

And guru3d as far as decibels are concerned, shows the card being loud as 3 way gtx 580 SLI.

Techpowerup is another website I trust and they say the 6990 is like having a table fan on beside you. Sure the noise may not be a high pitched noise(which is basically the most positive thing that can be said of the noise the card generates), but a having that sound on constantly? It would get annoying.

Also vendors are giving warning on the noise level of this card. They have absolutely no reason to lie about this issue. Check the falconnw website and see for yourself.

Also telling everyone to buy the 700 dollars card to find out how noisy it is, is unreasonable. The point of reviews is to read someone elses opinion prior to buying a card. The reputation of that person is everything hence how valid that opinion is.

I have had really bad experience with differently clocked GPU based on the same architecture when using a dual and single gpu card as with the current setup I have. As a result, I would like to see how everything pans out for this card or the future of later cards.

Considering your using a mountain mods case and the size of your water cooling setup, it seems like your from the crowd whose primary concern is performance, even at the expense of noise.

I for one am wary of this card considering that if I do anything to make it the card I want it to be, the warranty is gone on a 700 dollar + graphic card. I don't need a review to tell me this as even AMD is telling us this.

[hurrdurr]

Guru3D's numbers are surely trustworthy, but their comments are absolutely worthless. I can't remember a major release from AMD or Nvidia they didn't call INCREDIBLE, SUPER, MASSIVE, DEVASTATING or something.

[RacingTurtle]

Guru3D's numbers are surely trustworthy, but their comments are absolutely worthless. I can't remember a major release from AMD or Nvidia they didn't call INCREDIBLE, SUPER, MASSIVE, DEVASTATING or something.

Lol thats true. But I do like their reviews.

1st hand experience: This card is really not that loud. I've gone from a fully silent watercooled rig to having this behemoth in my case. It's hardly silent but to be honest the sound of my 4 GT-15s are louder.

[Lanek]

For what i have understand the sound pressure is high, but the sound product is not aggressive and not trouble for the ears... you ear it, but it's not really a problem.... ofc in normal condition ( not if you push it at 100% for benchs ).

Ofc sound is really dependant of the person who ear it. I have 6 fans for my rads ( 4 GT 1850 + 2 NB 1850rpm slighty decreased with a fan controller ), 2x 200mm + 2x 140mm fans for the case, and the only sound who perturb me is the WD1To SATA3 i heard ( uppon the other HDD ) .... it's not silent, but all fans product a grave/constant sounds who is not bad at all. ( lol my GF allways complain about his "Intel stock" fans sound, and like the sound of my pc, she have only this fans who is audible )

[[XC] hipno650]

Do you have a 6990? I have one. And it's not noisier then my friend 580 SLi set-up. Guru3d already report lower noise then others. I don't know how the others made their measurement, but it was not right compared to guru3d, that even made a comment on others measurements. I know, I have one in the computer I'm typing on. You?

Myself, I'm waiting for a waterblock for my XFX 6990. So using the stock cooler for now.

It's not hoter or noisier then my 5970 at 1000/1200, and that card is going strong 24/7 since 1 year and 4 months. No negative experience on my part. Rock-solid, rock-stable in Tri-Fire with a 5870 since 16 months, OCed to 1000/1200 24/7!.

Also doing Tri-Fire 6990+6970 right now and it's rock-stable. The 6970 is watercooled, so I hear only the 6990. And noise level is ok. Heat level is ok in a well ventilated case (Mountain Mods Extended Ascension). I have heard 580 SLI and it's worst IMHO.

Like usual on the internet multi-verse, it's an overblowed ''problem'' that people are copy and pasting all over the net, without having tried or heard the card for real. The usual day. Copy and paste parrots.

have you noticed any "coil whine" or electrical noise from the card? I noticed noticed it on every AMD card since since my 2900 (up to 6950's) and I was just wondering if you have noticed it as many others have...

[RacingTurtle]

have you noticed any "coil whine" or electrical noise from the card? I noticed noticed it on every AMD card since since my 2900 (up to 6950's) and I was just wondering if you have noticed it as many others have...

I've not noticed anything - but I'm not running hardcore benches for hours on end, so....

[Lanek]

have you noticed any "coil whine" or electrical noise from the card? I noticed noticed it on every AMD card since since my 2900 (up to 6950's) and I was just wondering if you have noticed it as many others have...

Normally this not happend on normal condition with AMD cards ( only highly OC ), but it's good you point it, as many reviewers have tell got it when test the 6990... i m curious to get users infos on it. Cause this can be totally annoying.

Lol the first time i have push my 5870 after 1100mhz, i was really affraid of this sound coming during 2K3 first and second test ( like a 56K modem sound x100 ), at the point i was ask me if i will not cut the power of the pc...
But as back in time my old x1950XTX CFX highly OC was produce the same sound....

Volterra PWM look really sensible of it... ( i have test 8 different PSU's for a shop's friend, and strangely, this coil whine appears/disappears/increase/decrease depending the PSU used ( look like multi rails PSU increase it, when with a single 12v rails results are better )

[Levesque]

Considering your using a mountain mods case and the size of your water cooling setup, it seems like your from the crowd whose primary concern is performance, even at the expense of noise.

Not at all. You are making assumptions here. My system is whisper quiet, with all fans turning at 600-800 rpm.

That is the primary reason why I watercool everything. SILENCE!

But right now I have to wait for my 6990 waterblock, and since I have no agenda, and not a reviewer, and no other choice for now, I can tell you the sound of the 6990 is not worst then the 5970 with stock cooler, or my friend 580 SLi set-up.

Don't beleive me if you want. I don't care. But people are really exagerating the issue.

Just like the warranty sticker on the 6990. Blownout of proportion.

And honestly. between you and me. How many people do you think will buy the 6990 or upcoming 590 and use the stock coolers? If they do, they should be beaten with sticks for their idiocy.

So it's a non issue IMHO. And way blownout of proportions. People like to exagerate on the internet. It,s ALWAYS like this. For me, a jet-engine Nvidia 580 or 5970 is a jet-engine, since my system is whisper quiet.

And the 6990 is not worst then those. Just like another user with the 6990 card said also just after me, it's not that bad. You see, we are 2 end-users telling you now. Regular jet-engine, just like the 580 or 5970. Not worst, not better. And just like those, they should be thrown in the garbage and replace with a full waterblock.

[Manicdan]

noise is a byproduct of 2 things, lack of cooling power, or reducing temperature

if someone sets up a profile to let their 6990 stay at 90C, they might have a 45dp peak
if someone else wants to stay at 70C, then they could see noise break 60db

the ability to exhaust the hot air also makes a HUGE difference with the gpu dumping 150-225W back into the case and recycling it.
also the noise difference between having an open bench setup, vs inside a sealed case with medium speed fans in the front, side, back and top, could all reduce gpu temps and muffle the gpus noise behind their own noise.

[[XC] hipno650]

I've not noticed anything - but I'm not running hardcore benches for hours on end, so....

Normally this not happend on normal condition with AMD cards ( only highly OC ), but it's good you point it, as many reviewers have tell got it when test the 6990... i m curious to get users infos on it. Cause this can be totally annoying.

Lol the first time i have push my 5870 after 1100mhz, i was really affraid of this sound coming during 2K3 first and second test ( like a 56K modem sound x100 ), at the point i was ask me if i will not cut the power of the pc...
But as back in time my old x1950XTX CFX highly OC was produce the same sound....

Volterra PWM look really sensible of it... ( i have test 8 different PSU's for a shop's friend, and strangely, this coil whine appears/disappears/increase/decrease depending the PSU used ( look like multi rails PSU increase it, when with a single 12v rails results are better )

good to know. and in my experience it's not just benches that will bring it out. I have noticed it a great deal in Crysis on 4870's and 6950's while gaming and in the loading screens. all with different PSU's I have noticed similar on my GTX 275 but not nearly as loud. surprisingly I have never heard it on an Nvidia GTX 4XX card or 5XX card. for me it's not the biggest deal cuz I use noise canceling head phones when I game.... However I do build gaming computers for a living and some of my customers notice it right away....

on a fan note though. I did noticed that the fans in the 6950's were a good bunch louder then the ones on GTX 580's and GTX 570's... I can only assume this is at least as loud...

[XRL8]

As for the coil noise.
I was quite surprised to learn ,that while i was running furmark and the coil noise started to show up.The thing that actually made the sound was my PSU.
After i got another PSU, sound went away.Of course im not telling that its always the case, but from my findings, it can be both, psu or gfx card.

[Manicdan]

As for the coil noise.
I was quite surprised to learn ,that while i was running furmark and the coil noise started to show up.The thing that actually made the sound was my PSU.
After i got another PSU, sound went away.Of course im not telling that its always the case, but from my findings, it can be both, psu or gfx card.

i noticed that when i had a 2900xt running on an older 500w psu, to test i just bought a 1200w from bestbuy that i returned a few days later once my real upgrade came in the mail

i still hear some noise from my 4850, but its quite subtle and i only notice it because my fans are running so low, and im quite sure its coming from the gpu this time. the noise is no where near loud enough to be considered annoying, and my PC is up on the desk so its pretty close to my head.

[Lanek]

good to know. and in my experience it's not just benches that will bring it out. I have noticed it a great deal in Crysis on 4870's and 6950's while gaming and in the loading screens. all with different PSU's I have noticed similar on my GTX 275 but not nearly as loud. surprisingly I have never heard it on an Nvidia GTX 4XX card or 5XX card. for me it's not the biggest deal cuz I use noise canceling head phones when I game.... However I do build gaming computers for a living and some of my customers notice it right away....

on a fan note though. I did noticed that the fans in the 6950's were a good bunch louder then the ones on GTX 580's and GTX 570's... I can only assume this is at least as loud...

Yeah i have see too some get it on 6950 ( strangely not 6970 ) on different forums, i have tell them to return the card after try a different PSU if they can, it's not normal they get this at stock, but many factors can influe this: PSU watts and rails limits ( Amp ), but again i have see so few return of this, im not think it's a global problem on thoses cards. ( if all 6950 was make this annoying sound, i think we will have allready thousand of post about it, not just 2-3 posts by forums ).

[Chickenfeed]

Honestly many cards and psus exhibit this. You need a low noise floor to hear it often however. Frame rate limiters and vsync often remedies it though. I'll say from experience its much more apparent when water cooling with quiet fans and little background noise.

My machine sits right next to my display not 2 feet from my viewing position. I've noticed the whine on my 4850s, 4870x2 even on air. My gtx 260s didn't nor did my 5870 however on water I noticed it. My current 580 does as well. I will mention all these cards were used with at least 2 different psus.

Regardless of all this in the end I've found fan noise more irritating so its a non issue for me. I found my 4870x2 to be unbearable so a bit of emi noise was the least of my concerns with a beast pike that. These dual you cards demand better cooling.

[[XC] hipno650]

hmmm it's strange that I have noticed it on almost ever AMD card for some time now... I have used many different PSU's and I have done some extensive testing to pin point the source of the noise and it always comes for the GPU's never the PSU.... I find it to be similar to the the sound an older CRT type TV makes when it is running. ultra high pitched.... I find just like with TV's not everyone can hear it. I am younger and can hear it allot. other people I notice never really notice it....

most of the time it has been nothing major. the 2900 is pretty much fine once the fan kicks up under load. the 6950's are fine if you case is fairly loud. the 4870's however were brutal..... I would never use them without a headset...

[zerazax]

I noticed it first on my 8800 Ultra so it isn't an AMD only thing. Seems like something to do with the choice of circuits on board

[tbone8ty]

if im spending upwards of $600+ on a card im definitely watercooling it with out a doubt. im not worried about how load the card is!

i love how nvidia will now be claiming how cool and quiet its cards are like it totally makes up for its crappy clocks.

FAIL

[\/icious]

if im spending upwards of $600+ on a card im definitely watercooling it with out a doubt. im not worried about how load the card is!

i love how nvidia will now be claiming how cool and quiet its cards are like it totally makes up for its crappy clocks.

FAIL

It may have ty clocks out the box but i bet it will oc like a champ which is all really most of us are concerned with anyways lol

[Levesque]

So for all the green drama-queens out there. Look! A magic trick! I moved the BIOS switch on my 6990 and the sticker is still there! No one will ever know! Sigh...



You just peel it, and then put it back. All the drama for this. No one will ever know I moved my switch.

Huh. Except those reading this.

[FischOderAal]

Sending this in when it breaks would be warranty fraud...

[\/icious]

Sending this in when it breaks would be warranty fraud...

Haha Theres always one of you guys around

[japamd]

Sending this in when it breaks would be warranty fraud...

Nope, levesque has an XFX 6990 and XFX covers AUSUM switch

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardwar...rclock-switc/1

[Zloyd]

Yup buy XFX 6990's they cover the switch :P But seriously great going XFX hope they can back it up with good support as well and this fixes a major issue with this card (atleast for me).

[sniper_sung]

We have recently finished another 6990 review here: http://www.chiphell.com/en/?p=187

[STEvil]

Sending this in when it breaks would be warranty fraud...

Technically not, he didnt break the sticker.

Also you could reach under the sticker with a needle or something and push the switch over.

The sticker was a dumb idea.