Noise
We want to shed some analytical light on the system noise levels generated when high-end cards are installed. To this end, we're using a PCE-318 noise meter placed near front of a Corsair chassis that has the side panel on and card(s) screwed in. Only the test system is running in a quiet room with a sound floor of under 30dB. Decibel readings are noted for idle, load (Aliens vs. Predator) and super-load (FurMark) after 10 minutes have elapsed.
NVIDIA hasn't supplied a reference GTX 550 Ti, so we can't compare Gigabyte's 10cm cooler directly, but we doubt NVIDIA's design would be any quieter than this.
Whether it's idle or under load, the noise generated by Gigabyte's GTX 550 Ti OC barely increases. The card remains suitably quiet at all times, and if you're used to something that's noisy, the soft hum of this card when gaming is a very pleasant surprise.