FTW3 1080ti Hybrid vs. FTW3

[Notwist]

Good afternoon,

Choosing a GPU and debating between these two. I use an NZXT Manta chassis, and am obsessed with silence. Which would the community steer me towards: the FTW3 or the FTW3 Hybrid card?

If I went Hybrid I would replace radiator fan with my Noctua F12 and keep it around 1000 RPM, but then I risk being annoyed by pump noise at idle. If I go with the air cooled card I can enjoy 0DB idle noise, but I don't know how loud those fans might get under load? Any advice on which is best option for a noise sensitive individual? Are the Hybrid cards really that much better? Thanks!

[Abula]

am obsessed with silence. Which would the community steer me towards: the FTW3 or the FTW3 Hybrid card?

If you really are obssed with silence, dont go with 1080Ti, its going to be harder to keep a high tdp gpu quiet, most of the reviews are very similar, there are no real super quiet options once the gpus are at load they will be noticible, that said EVGA has the worst in terms of quiet, most manufacturers went with 2.5 slot some with 3 slot coolers, that perform similarly, the FTW3 is a one of the few dual slot, but there are no shortcuts in cooling, its one of the noisiest 1080Ti because of this. The hybrid version, i havent seen any testing, but the pump will not be my top pic on a quiet gpu.

Now my suggestion is go with Asus GTX1080Ti Strix and if you cooling inside the case is decent, test it first, then opt for the Quiet Bios that asus released in the main webapage, it should slow down the ramping of the fans in the expense of temperature, but in my experience the card performs really well with decent airflow, over time im planning on moving toward the silent bios, simply atm havent been able to do the testing that i like to be sure.

[Notwist]

am obsessed with silence. Which would the community steer me towards: the FTW3 or the FTW3 Hybrid card?

If you really are obssed with silence, dont go with 1080Ti, its going to be harder to keep a high tdp gpu quiet, most of the reviews are very similar, there are no real super quiet options once the gpus are at load they will be noticible, that said EVGA has the worst in terms of quiet, most manufacturers went with 2.5 slot some with 3 slot coolers, that perform similarly, the FTW3 is a one of the few dual slot, but there are no shortcuts in cooling, its one of the noisiest 1080Ti because of this. The hybrid version, i havent seen any testing, but the pump will not be my top pic on a quiet gpu.

Now my suggestion is go with Asus GTX1080Ti Strix and if you cooling inside the case is decent, test it first, then opt for the Quiet Bios that asus released in the main webapage, it should slow down the ramping of the fans in the expense of temperature, but in my experience the card performs really well with decent airflow, over time im planning on moving toward the silent bios, simply atm havent been able to do the testing that i like to be sure.

My only concern with the Strix is a) 2.5 slot design will leave even less room between fans and my PSU shroud, and b) customer support horror stories. Perhaps my best option is the FTW3, but dial back the power target on it to keep thermals more in line?

My plan is to make the most of my current case for the next year and then eventually just move up to a mATX chassis so I can have proper airflow and enjoy the benefits of 2.5 & 3 slot cooler designs in the future.

Gotta add: this community is amazing. I realized a long time ago I have incredibly sensitive hearing, which made my goal of building a PC about 1000 times more difficult. Vibrations and dissonant noises like clicks or whines catch my hearing almost 100% of the time. I mean, I can be in my basement and hear a phone vibrating two floors up. It's ridiculous. I'm just glad I'm not the only one sensitive to noise =)