Lucky you! Well, could try to decrease the temp in my room
... or I'll get an exchange card from ATI without any guarantee that this will solve the problem, or, my favoured alternative, I'll try the aftermarket cooling solution 
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is your 3870 fan always loud?
- Thread starter DualShock
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Lucky you! Well, could try to decrease the temp in my room
... or I'll get an exchange card from ATI without any guarantee that this will solve the problem, or, my favoured alternative, I'll try the aftermarket cooling solution Both of my 3870's were silent - it was only having both with one blowing on the other that caused it to heat up and spin up
So they definitely are not supposed to be loud at all - theres someone else on here who switched out their first one with ATI and the replacement was virtually silent also
Was just letting people know if yours is "loud" then there is definitely something wrong with it
So they definitely are not supposed to be loud at all - theres someone else on here who switched out their first one with ATI and the replacement was virtually silent also
Was just letting people know if yours is "loud" then there is definitely something wrong with it
I do not expect all 3870 cards to have a constantly runnig fan (full speed) but if you look through the threads I am definitely not the only one in this unpleasent situation. If I just order another card from my supplier I might end up with one from the same defective (?) lot.
btw, did you switch your two cards to actually proof that the position within the Mac Pro causes the fan to speed up? My fan starts up 2 or 3 seconds after I turn on the Mac, so in that I agree with you - there is clearly something wrong with the card.
Just got a loud one too
Glad to hear I am not the only one with this issue. Just got my Mac Pro yesterday and installed the card. It starts running at full speed the moment the computer is turned on. Guess it is time to RMA it for another one. I am just happy that it is not normal as I would not be able to stand listening to that after my silent iMac or almost silent Mac Pro with the 2600.
Glad to hear I am not the only one with this issue. Just got my Mac Pro yesterday and installed the card. It starts running at full speed the moment the computer is turned on. Guess it is time to RMA it for another one. I am just happy that it is not normal as I would not be able to stand listening to that after my silent iMac or almost silent Mac Pro with the 2600.
I'm wondering if this is a hardware problem or perhaps a firmware revision that resolved the high speed fan issue. For those that have a quiet fan can you look at the video card info in System Profiler? Select Hardware - Graphics/Displays and grab the info that appears and then we can compare quiet to loud cards.
Thanks!
Yes, please post! I posted mine on the first pg of this thread.
My replacement 3870 has shipped. I should have it by next Monday. Will keep everyone posted.
Here's mine - turns on fan on power up like all video cards but then quiets back down immediately to silent except if playing 3d games or heavy video work and then is barely audible - both were this way separate - only time I heard is if had both in at same time and top one would rev up some -
ATI Radeon HD 3870:
Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 3870
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
Slot: Slot-1
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x9501
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-B3390F-270
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.270
Displays:
FHD2401:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported
SyncMaster:
Resolution: 1440 x 900 @ 60 Hz
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported
ATI Radeon HD 3870:
Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 3870
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
Slot: Slot-1
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x9501
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-B3390F-270
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.270
Displays:
FHD2401:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported
SyncMaster:
Resolution: 1440 x 900 @ 60 Hz
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported
Not sure , possible though -
Only other thing I can say about my setup is I keep the Pro on top of the desk and in fairly cool environment - during the summer we keep the air on 73 or lower and ceiling fan going also (cannot stand to be hot inside) so the ambient temperature the overall unit is in is always fairly cool
Only other thing I can say about my setup is I keep the Pro on top of the desk and in fairly cool environment - during the summer we keep the air on 73 or lower and ceiling fan going also (cannot stand to be hot inside) so the ambient temperature the overall unit is in is always fairly cool
Mine doesn't run fast all the time. When I watch a movie file I have noticed that it spins up and down and up and down which is a little wierd.
Humh, also have the same ROM version ... hope the problem is not my GPU - otherwise my card might get fried as soon as I get my new cooler ... well what can I say, I love the risk
So you're saying, you like living dangerously?... well what can I say, I love the risk
Adrenaline junkie!
Lucky you! Well, could try to decrease the temp in my room
Perhaps those with dealing with heat issues could install a simple PCI Fan such as this one:
or move up to something more badass like this:
This should help circulate the airflow out of the case. Looking at the video card, whoever designed the cooler was an idiot, it blows off the processor straight back into the mac pro inside. It should have a passage using the bracket as a vent.
One other possibility... and this is a real long shot. Could it be the revision of Mac Pro? I have the first gen (dual core) PCIe 1.0 and my 3870 is loud. Can those with a the later quad and 8 core (PCIe 2.0) Mac Pros chime in?
When I had the mac pro with the 3870 card it used to make a mooing affect like when the card was in use say playing a 1080p mkv movie or something then the card would spin up fast and slow like a mooing affect.
But most of the time it was quiet.
But most of the time it was quiet.
My temps look similar - still I have a hairdryer in my Mac Pro as well
Is there a way to check the GPU temp in OS X? In vista my GPU runs at about 42°C when idle. Maybe the sensor measures a too high temperature all the time?
Is there a way to check the GPU temp in OS X? In vista my GPU runs at about 42°C when idle. Maybe the sensor measures a too high temperature all the time?
Sup all... new to the board...
I Just got mt ATI 3870, and I hate that I can hear this fan spinning so hard.
It would be great if the folks with and without problems can post room temps and placement of Mac Pro in the room. I am trying different scenarios, and noticed if I drop my AC to 73, the card fan spins lower.
Still wondering weather to RMA or not....
I Just got mt ATI 3870, and I hate that I can hear this fan spinning so hard.
It would be great if the folks with and without problems can post room temps and placement of Mac Pro in the room. I am trying different scenarios, and noticed if I drop my AC to 73, the card fan spins lower.
Still wondering weather to RMA or not....
just got my ATI 3870!
Its pretty silent but the fan is REALLY loud when gaming. though it doesnt bother me, ive either got my headphones on or sound turned up rather high.
ive yet to test it out in OSX....
Its pretty silent but the fan is REALLY loud when gaming. though it doesnt bother me, ive either got my headphones on or sound turned up rather high.
ive yet to test it out in OSX....
Sup all... new to the board...
I Just got mt ATI 3870, and I hate that I can hear this fan spinning so hard.
It would be great if the folks with and without problems can post room temps and placement of Mac Pro in the room. I am trying different scenarios, and noticed if I drop my AC to 73, the card fan spins lower.
Still wondering weather to RMA or not....
My room temp is 73 or lower all the time - our air runs fairly non stop in summer and its in a room with most thick blinds/curtains over windows during summer also - I prefer the cold over hot and barely use the heat in the winter - just my thing
So I'm sure my ambient temp helps keep it always quiet and is around 70 most of the time - ceiling fan on always too
Mine sits on top of my side desk connected to my main one
Hi !
I just bought this card too and i'm also annoyed by the fan noise...
When I look at my specs, i have :
PCIe Lane Width: x1 ... but not x16 like you... what's the deal ?
Well ok, never mind, i just found the answer, the card must be on the first slot...
Yup, mine too. Though the fan turns on when playing *any* video in OS X, both in VLC and Quicktime. However, i tried messing around in Final Cut Pro, added a divx movie to the sequence and played it back: fan did *not* turn. Odd.
When browsing files in the finder the video card is silent, but when coverflow is used, say for a folder of 50 images, the fan turns on. The same is true about coverflow in iTunes.
The fan is not at full speed though when this happens. Otherwise, its pretty much silent. I wonder though, would an updated driver fix the fan issue?