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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > ATI Radeon 5770 in MacPro 2009 too noisy

ATI Radeon 5770 in MacPro 2009 too noisy
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Nov 24, 2010, 12:41 PM
 
I bought the ATI Radeon 5770 as a replacement for the Geforce GT 120. I am happy with the speed improvement, but not with the noise.
Fan speed measured by iStatPro is often between 1700 and 2100 RPM, especially after starting up the computer, and sometimes the speed is reduced after 15 minutes, sometimes after one hour.
The Geforce GT 120 was really silent.

Any suggestions?
TIA
MacPro QuadCore 2.66 Nehalem - MacBook SR 2.2 Ghz - PowerMac Dual G5 1.8
Besides Macs, I love Gothic Horror Films
     
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Nov 25, 2010, 02:25 AM
 
It seems that not the Radeon fan but the PCI expansion bay fan is making the noise, in combination with the power supply.
I tried resetting SMC but it didn't help.
I removed the ATI 5770 and placed the GT 120 back.
Now I have a silent Mac, but with a slow graphics card.
I wonder whether the 5870 would be a better option. But I have to be sure that I won't have that noise problem again, otherwise I won't order this card.
(Last edited by Mac Hammer Fan; Nov 25, 2010 at 11:48 AM. )
MacPro QuadCore 2.66 Nehalem - MacBook SR 2.2 Ghz - PowerMac Dual G5 1.8
Besides Macs, I love Gothic Horror Films
     
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Nov 25, 2010, 08:50 PM
 
If it's the ATI Radeon 5770 that is causing the PCI fan to go faster, the 5870 is unlikely to solve that, as it probably produces more heat.
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Nov 26, 2010, 03:27 AM
 
5870 is a decent upgrade over the 5770 according to benchmarks. Probably won't help with noise though.

I am building a unit with a 5870 in it next week. I'll let you know, but I don't expect to see it until friday.
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Nov 26, 2010, 10:57 AM
 
The problem was with the 5770 that the PCI expansion bay fan went up to 2000 RPM.
Could it be possible that the card was defective?
I did however a Techtool Pro test and no problems were found.
The GT 120 doesn't need a power cable connected to the logic board, but the 5770 does.
The noise went away after 30-60 minutes as the fan speed dropped then to 800 rpm, but I always was in trouble again after restarting.
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Besides Macs, I love Gothic Horror Films
     
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Dec 25, 2010, 02:06 PM
 
A few days ago I installed an ATI Radeon 5870 in my MacPro 2009 and with this card I have no noise troubles. Upon startup the PCI expansions bay runs at 2000 rmp but after 30 seconds the speed drops to 800 rpm. Very acceptable. I am happy that my problem is solved.
I wonder wether the 5770 card was defective or it was a common problem with these cards in a MacPro from 2009. (According to the Apple Store, only the 5870 is compatible with Mac Pro 2009)
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Dec 25, 2010, 03:57 PM
 
The one I built was pretty quiet too. Not dead silent but perfectly fine.
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