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[pestul]

Success!!

After fiddling around, I was able to get +200 core and +100 or so on the memory, giving me a greater than 10% boost on this Vanilla Zotac 970. Unfortunately, until there's a BIOS update, I'll have to deal with the voltage fluctuations under load, but boost maintains relatively the same speed. Telling MSI Afterburner to prioritize temp limit over power limit seems to have helped.

I found that increasing my memory speed much more led to power limiting and causing the boost to lower. So that is the happy medium. As I close in on 1500MHz Core I did notice some artifacting in Unigine Heaven, so I dialed it back 50MHz. I'm hovering around 1460MHz and couldn't be happier. Max load temp of 65C!

Seems good with the ol' i7 920.

 

[Bananajama]

http://www.eteknix.com/asus-strix-geforce-gtx-970-4gb-graphics-card-review/

The Asus Strix 970 reviewed very well

 

[Faith]

My 4th Gigabyte GTX970 has also coil whine, and I think it's even worse than the previous 3 cards.

4/4 now. Are there even any without coil whine?

Tried a different PSU, same problem.

 

[kharma45]

My 4th Gigabyte GTX970 has also coil whine, and I think it's even worse than the previous 3 cards.

4/4 now. Are there even any without coil whine?

Tried a different PSU, same problem.

People on the OCUK forum seem happy with the GALAX one, only one report of any whine.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

My 4th Gigabyte GTX970 has also coil whine, and I think it's even worse than the previous 3 cards.

4/4 now. Are there even any without coil whine?

Tried a different PSU, same problem.

Yes there are indeed Gigabyte 970s without coil whine, I have one and so does Zeliard.

 

[jfoul]

My 4th Gigabyte GTX970 has also coil whine, and I think it's even worse than the previous 3 cards.

4/4 now. Are there even any without coil whine?

Tried a different PSU, same problem.

I don't know why this is such a widespread issue with these cards. I'm seeing coil whine reports across all vendors. Even the Asus Strix with 6-phase power has reports of coil whine. The Gigabyte GTX970 G1 was in stock yesterday for about 3 hours at Newegg and I held off because of it.

 

[Thrakier]

Yes there are indeed Gigabyte 970s without coil whine, I have one and so does Zeliard.

I'm sure that is not the case. There is no such thing as "no coil whine". It's related to the PSU, the motherbord, the case where it sits in, the overall loudness of the system, the games and the framerates of these, the hearing capability of the owner etc. - RMAing a card over and over again will bring no or very, very little change. These things are all build the same way.

 

[Faith]

I might try a different card. Maybe a Gainward Phantom, Asus Strix or a EVGA FTW.

Let's see what the customer service says.

Thankfully I only get it when my fps is in the thousands.. it would drive me nuts otherwise. And even then it's very low.

I get it even at 60fps. Which card do you have?

 

[pestul]

Thankfully I only get it when my fps is in the thousands.. it would drive me nuts otherwise. And even then it's very low.

 

[intheinbetween]

well finally made my mind and I bought the Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming card, will get it on monday. I've read many great things about that card and it was hard to find it, so I just hope the effort has been worth it

 

[Windom Earle]

My 4th Gigabyte GTX970 has also coil whine, and I think it's even worse than the previous 3 cards.

4/4 now. Are there even any without coil whine?

Tried a different PSU, same problem.

Dude it's your system.

 

[Faith]

Dude it's your system.

Tried it in my brothers computer. Same problem. My old Gainward GTX770 didn't make any noises.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Ooooook, WTF is this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViAZZ-nAL4Y

Strange "clicking/rattling" noise coming out of the CPU or the GPU? Can't tell honestly. :/

Full specs:
ASUS Z87-PRO
Intel Core i5-4670K
Noctua NH-D14
2x4GB G.Skill Sniper DDR3, 1600MHz
Gigabyte GV-N970-G1 GAMING-4GD
Corsair HX520
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD, MZ-7PD256BW
Western Digital WD10EZEX, 1TB SATA-III
ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS
Antec P183

Is it the PSU or the GPU? This is not the standard coil while, AFAIK.
It only makes this sound IN a game (when you're in the game's menu, it doesn't make the sound, same when it's idle in Windows).

I had no crashes or artifacts or any error for that matter. Halp!

 

[wiggleb0t]

Ooooook, WTF is this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViAZZ-nAL4Y

Sounds like maybe a cable is slightly clipping the fan or a fan needs replacing.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Sounds like maybe a cable is slightly clipping the fan or a fan needs replacing.

On what? PSU or GPU?
But how do you explain that there's no rattle outside the game itself? When idle or in very low utilization?

 

[CO_Andy]

Is it worth the extra $10 to buy the OC version of the 970 GTX?

 

[j0hnny_385]

Tried Furmark. When I start the bench, the rattling sound starts, when I stop it, the sound stops.
So it's definitely only under (heavy) utilization/load which means either the CPU or PSU has a problem. *sigh*
I'm thinking it's the PSU. :/

 

[-PXG-]

Thinking about buying two 970s to replace my twin 560s. Worth it?

 

[wiggleb0t]

On what? PSU or GPU?
But how do you explain that there's no rattle outside the game itself? When idle or in very low utilization?

Higher utilization > thermal sensors trigger > higher rpm on gpu fans & possibly cpu, psu & case fans. Depending on setup/hardware.

It's likely to be vibration related from higher fan rpm, something loose. Or something else is wrong...How old is psu? Spare gpu to rule out new one?

 

[Tommy DJ]

Tried Furmark. When I start the bench, the rattling sound starts, when I stop it, the sound stops.
So it's definitely only under (heavy) utilization/load which means either the CPU or PSU has a problem. *sigh*
I'm thinking it's the PSU. :/

Get a tube (like a toilet roll tube) and put it between your ear and the relevant component. This should let you know where the sound is coming from.

 

[j0hnny_385]

It's likely to be vibration related from higher fan rpm, something loose. Or something else is wrong...How old is psu? Spare gpu to rule out new one?

I had Radeon 7850 2GB until I got the 970 and there was no sound.
I think this is more likely the PSU, not the GPU.
It's the remarkable Corsair HX520 but I guess it started to show its age.
Year 6 of flawless operation, I guess the 970 is pushing its limits when under load.
I'm pretty sure it's not the GPU itself since this is no coil whine.
I'll get the PSU next month just to be sure.

 

[kharma45]

Thinking about buying two 970s to replace my twin 560s. Worth it?

It'd be a considerable upgrade.

 

[codhand]

after a good day with Mordor and Wolfenstein New Order, happy to report no issues and great performance on the plain jane Zotac 970

 

[-PXG-]

It'd be a considerable upgrade.

I'm running a i5 2500k @ 4.2 GHz. I'm told I'm fine. I don't know if I should just build a new rig. I'm leaning towards just getting new graphics cards and calling it a day.

Also my SLI bridge is fine, right? I don't need a new one, right?

 

[leng jai]

My 4th Gigabyte GTX970 has also coil whine, and I think it's even worse than the previous 3 cards.

4/4 now. Are there even any without coil whine?

Tried a different PSU, same problem.

You returned 3 video card because of coil whine? How bad is it really man?

 

[j0hnny_385]

It's definitely the PSU, I nearly pressed my ear on it how close I was.
*sigh*

god damn it, I thought this PSU could handle the GTX 970. >(

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

Got my 970 coming next week. Twin Frozr model.

 

[Grief.exe]

Yes there are indeed Gigabyte 970s without coil whine, I have one and so does Zeliard.

I do as well.

I don't know why this is such a widespread issue with these cards. I'm seeing coil whine reports across all vendors. Even the Asus Strix with 6-phase power has reports of coil whine. The Gigabyte GTX970 G1 was in stock yesterday for about 3 hours at Newegg and I held off because of it.

I think people are incorrectly reporting normal fan noise as coil whine.

 

[hoserx]

I do as well.



I think people are incorrectly reporting normal fan noise as coil whine.

^^ this

I haven't had a single moment of coil whine with either of my cards.

 

[Faith]

You returned 3 video card because of coil whine? How bad is it really man?

Ziiiuuuiiiiuuzzrrrrr that you can hear from 4-5 meters. I have good ears (also an expensive audio setup) and it's a no-go for me because it's fucking annoying. It's worse than the worst plasma TV coil whine.

 

[pestul]

Tried Furmark. When I start the bench, the rattling sound starts, when I stop it, the sound stops.
So it's definitely only under (heavy) utilization/load which means either the CPU or PSU has a problem. *sigh*
I'm thinking it's the PSU. :/

Furmark is more taxing that almost any other scenario a gpu would ever face.. so I wouldn't recommend using it. AMD/Nvidia both throttle their cards a little (at least they used to) when furkmark.exe is detected. Just use Heaven/Valley in windowed mode with the settings cranked.

 

[kharma45]

I'm running a i5 2500k @ 4.2 GHz. I'm told I'm fine. I don't know if I should just build a new rig. I'm leaning towards just getting new graphics cards and calling it a day.

Also my SLI bridge is fine, right? I don't need a new one, right?

Yes your CPU is still great.

As for the bridge, I believe so but I'd get a second opinion before assuming so.

 

[pestul]

Ziiiuuuiiiiuuzzrrrrr that you can hear from 4-5 meters. I have good ears (also an expensive audio setup) and it's a no-go for me because it's fucking annoying. It's worse than the worst plasma TV coil whine.

Shitty. Bad batch from the same retailer maybe?

 

[Faith]

Shitty. Bad batch from the same retailer maybe?

2 from Techmania and 2 from Brack (Swiss online shops). 1st was 4 weeks ago, 2nd 2 weeks ago and the last 2 are from this week.

 

[PeterVenkman]

still waiting on the rma for my msi 970. this process is ridiculously long. and no, it was definitely not fan noise. audible when the case was closed, sitting on my couch, surround speakers going AND apartment fan blowing. All during regular gameplay of ethan carter - ruins the immersion when audio cues are so well done.

mine was more of a buzzing than a whine.

 

[Thrakier]

still waiting on the rma for my msi 970. this process is ridiculously long. and no, it was definitely not fan noise. audible when the case was closed, sitting on my couch, surround speakers going AND apartment fan blowing. All during regular gameplay of ethan carter - ruins the immersion when audio cues are so well done.

mine was more of a buzzing than a whine.

Have fun with the new MSI with the exact same issue. Mine is buzzing as well, depending on the game and framerate. So is every other GTX.

 

[hoserx]

Have fun with the new MSI with the exact same issue. Mine is buzzing as well, depending on the game and framerate. So is every other GTX.

except all of the ones that aren't?

 

[shark sandwich]

man, a 980m variant would be great for a wii u sucessor in 2017-2018.

Going forward Nvidia is designing all their GPU architectures for SOCs first, and then scaling them up for discrete GPUs. I'm pretty sure Maxwell is the first architecture designed with this philosophy.

And yet Tegra K1 packs a ridiculous amount of graphics power into an SOC despite being based on the old Kepler architecture. It's awesome to imagine what Nvidia will be able to do with Maxwell and beyond.

Anyway yeah, I think Nvidia is going to be a very attractive option for the next generation of consoles. My prediction is that a power efficient GPU architecture + stacked VRAM + 64 bit ARM (Denver is likely more powerful than AMD Jaguar already) + a couple of generations of fabrication improvements = more power than a PS4 all contained in a single chip that costs in the tens of dollars.

 

[-PXG-]

Yes your CPU is still great.

As for the bridge, I believe so but I'd get a second opinion before assuming so.

OK. Thank you.

 

[IAmRandom31]

Going forward Nvidia is designing all their GPU architectures for SOCs first, and then scaling them up for discrete GPUs. I'm pretty sure Maxwell is the first architecture designed with this philosophy.

And yet Tegra K1 packs a ridiculous amount of graphics power into an SOC despite being based on the old Kepler architecture. It's awesome to imagine what Nvidia will be able to do with Maxwell and beyond.

Anyway yeah, I think Nvidia is going to be a very attractive option for the next generation of consoles. My prediction is that a power efficient GPU architecture + stacked VRAM + 64 bit ARM (Denver is likely more powerful than AMD Jaguar already) + a couple of generations of fabrication improvements = more power than a PS4 all contained in a single chip that costs in the tens of dollars.

Plenty of $$$ real-estate for built-in VR into the PS5 then

 

[Thrakier]

except all of the ones that aren't?

I'm sure there are non. Just different PSUs and owners, rooms etc. - I have yet to own a GTX card without a buzzing noise.

See, people are having this discussion and making videos for years. Not once I wittnesed a successful RMA:

560TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNGn_SSOzKE
660TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzO9Iee_DI4
680: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISIRKFETxZA
770: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IqhetNjXGM
480: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJKvG3FSwFs

Or AMD, if that matters:
R290: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0J0n6pONVw

etc. etc....it's like that for an decade. So please stop RMAing these cards. They are all, more or less, the same. And certainly not defective.

 

[Kezen]

All my GPU buzz but the noise is very low.

 

[Faith]

I'm sure there are non. Just different PSUs and owners, rooms etc. - I have yet to own a GTX card without a buzzing noise.

See, people are having this discussion and making videos for years. Not once I wittnesed a successful RMA:

560TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNGn_SSOzKE
660TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzO9Iee_DI4
680: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISIRKFETxZA
770: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IqhetNjXGM
480: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJKvG3FSwFs

Or AMD, if that matters:
R290: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0J0n6pONVw

etc. etc....it's like that for an decade. So please stop RMAing these cards. They are all, more or less, the same. And certainly not defective.

I will RMA 100 cards if I need to. Buzzing/coil whine is unacceptable! My GTX770 didn't have it and my new GTX970 isn't allowed to have it. Period.

So if Gigabyte loses 40.000$ just to sell me 2 GTX970 without coil whine, then that's their problem.

 

[hoserx]

I'm sure there are non. Just different PSUs and owners, rooms etc. - I have yet to own a GTX card without a buzzing noise.

See, people are having this discussion and making videos for years. Not once I wittnesed a successful RMA:

560TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNGn_SSOzKE
660TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzO9Iee_DI4
680: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISIRKFETxZA
770: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IqhetNjXGM
480: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJKvG3FSwFs

Or AMD, if that matters:
R290: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0J0n6pONVw

etc. etc....it's like that for an decade. So please stop RMAing these cards. They are all, more or less, the same. And certainly not defective.

I've had 3 8800 gtx, 3 gtx 260 core 216, 3 gtx 480, 2 gtx 580 classified, 2 gtx 680s, and now two gtx 970s, all without coil whine.

Am I doing it wrong? I always use great power supplies......and keep them cool.

 

[Thrakier]

I will RMA 100 cards if I need to. Buzzing/coil whine is unacceptable! My GTX770 didn't have it and my new GTX970 isn't allowed to have it. Period.

So if Gigabyte loses 40.000$ just to sell me 2 GTX970 without coil whine, then that's their problem.

You can RMA 1000 if you want to, I don't care. But it won't help you. Every single one will buzz. Non buzzing GTX do not exist. What changes is your perception though.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I hadn't taken the time to do it before so I decided to check out the performance on a few games and holy shit does Sleeping Dogs run well. I always knew it was a well made PC port. I could get it pretty much locked to 60fps in all areas with last machine (i7 920/HD 7970) with a few settings knocked down a bit.

On my new PC (SLI 970s/i7 5820K), it averages 130 fps @ 1080p everything maxed and 190 fps with AA set to High instead of Extreme. If only every game was able to balance visuals and performance the way Sleeping Dogs does. BF4 also runs exceptionally well for how it looks and what can potentially be happening in a 64 player game. Depending on the map my fps sits between 120 fps and the 200fps cap in 64 player servers. I guess I'm not used to having such a high end machine so when something actually utilizes it, I'm amazed. Now I need a Gsync 120/144hz monitor to really appreciate all these frames.

 

[Faith]

You can RMA 1000 if you want to, I don't care. But it won't help you. Every single one will buzz. Non buzzing GTX do not exist. What changes is your perception though.

Wrong. I was at my friends home and he was playing CoD with something like 120fps and my ear was 4-5cm away from his Gigabyte GTX970 and there was no buzzing!

 

[Felix Lighter]

I'm sure there are non. Just different PSUs and owners, rooms etc. - I have yet to own a GTX card without a buzzing noise.

See, people are having this discussion and making videos for years. Not once I wittnesed a successful RMA:

560TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNGn_SSOzKE
660TI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzO9Iee_DI4
680: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISIRKFETxZA
770: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IqhetNjXGM
480: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJKvG3FSwFs

Or AMD, if that matters:
R290: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0J0n6pONVw

etc. etc....it's like that for an decade. So please stop RMAing these cards. They are all, more or less, the same. And certainly not defective.

I could not hear the coil whine in the first 560ti video. I could hear it fine in the others. That's a little scary because I'm sure it's there but my aging ears can't hear it. That's the first time that's happened. As for super high fps coil whine, my 7970 would experience that. I also had to return an MSI 7970 for constant annoying coil whine under any load.

If my current cards have any perceivable coil whine, it must be at a frequency I cannot hear anymore. I've had my case open and my ear inches from the cards because I was quite concerned after early reports, and I hear nothing but fan noise.

Edit: I listened to it again. I can hear it when the camera is in specific angles. Very weird. (the 560ti video that is)

 

[Mohasus]

Wrong. I was at my friends home and he was playing CoD with something like 120fps and my ear was 4-5cm away from his Gigabyte GTX970 and there was no buzzing!

Ask him if you could test his GPU on your PC (or yours on his), after trying 3 of these, I'm not sure if it is the card's fault.

 

[Moses Donut]

Thought I would throw in my 2 cents about the Gigabyte 970.

I have mine at 1500mhz with no other modification besides increasing the power limit. I haven't seen it go past 65C under load. The fans are not even audible next to my hyper 212. And absolutely no coil whine, buzzing, anything. In case it matters, I have a Corsair AX750 psu and an ASRock z77 with an i5-2500k at 4.5ghz.

I was a little apprehensive about ordering it with all the talk of coil whine, but couldn't be more pleased with what I got. It is replacing a Radeon 6950 with unlocked shaders, and the performance increase is pretty awesome.