Noise: ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 vs 9600 vs FireGL comparison

[DaveH]

As far as I know, the 7500 does not have its own fan, whereas the 9600 and FireGL do. This is only hearsay, but supposedly the FireGL runs more quietly than the 9600, and I assume the 7500 more quietly than either (unless the motherboard fan has too kick in more often to suck away the 7500's heat since it doesn't have a fan of its own).

Anyways, for notetaking in a small class or sitting in coach next to a sleeping stranger, fan noise might be important. Is the 9600 significantly louder than the 7500 or FireGL cards?

[Nabeel]

I hear nothing from mine

[Conmee]

All T Series come with a single fan integrated into the heat sink. On the MR9600/FireGL models, the heatsink extends to the GPU, covering and providing cooling for the graphic component. Basically, there is the SHORT fan (doesn't cover GPU) and the LONG fan (covers the GPU). There is no difference in sound between either component, since the fan is identical and the heatsink dimensions are identical (except for the extra bit of heatsink on the long fan to cover the GPU).

Primarily because of BIOS/controller issues, the MR7500/MR9000 systems tend to have fans that run more often and therefore slightly louder and occasionally exhibit annoying fluctuations every 5 seconds or so (at least for the T40/T41 models). The MR9600/FireGLT2 tend not to have these problems.

Not sure if you've been on a plane recently, but the noise level on standard passenger aircraft far exceeds what your notebook will generate, and the same can be said for the noise in passenger cars, trains, buses, and motorcycles. And as for small classes, professors talking and the sound of the AC/Heat vents and students shuffling papers, chewing gum, and typing are more noticeable/distracting than the fan, IMO.

Daniel.