Best HTPC card for a SFF build?

[DaFOBulous1]

I got my girlfriend one of those SFF by AOpen. It does have a built in video card but I wanted to add a higher performance video card for her minimum gaming needs.

The problem with this SFF is that the CPU heatsink sucks air from the left side so when you put a video card, it basically takes in the hot air behind the GPU.

With the 9800 pro, it was a disaster as the CPU was constantly running at 65-70C. I repalced it with a BFG 6600GT which I believe runs a bit cooler but it still it runs out. Now it has been 5-6 months and it seems the overheating is getting worst.

At this point, I'm wondering what is the best passive video card there is for a SFF that is equivalent or almost as good as a 6600GT or better?

Thanks.

 

[slackwarelinux]

7600GS?

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Why not use ATI Tool and underclock the 9800 pro?

 

[DaFOBulous1]

It still runs rather hot underclocked and I already replaced with a 6600GT with that BFG copper heatsink and still overheats. 🙁

 

[frostedflakes]

I think it's possible to undervolt the GPU using NiBiTor, try that out and see what happens.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Not to be a wise guy, but have you tried re-installing the CPU HSF? I find it hard to believe that a hot GPU could be responsible for those temps (I'm assuming there's not a Prescott CPU in the AOpen).

I have a 9800 non-pro running passively cooled in my living room PC... it has a Thermaltake Giant VGA cooler on it, and I underclocked the card by 10% and unplugged the fan from the VGA cooler, and it works just fine.

Wouldn't a passively cooled video card actually generate more heat than an actively cooled card? There's no fan to move the hot air away - just more heatsink to spread it out...

 

[pukemon]

7600GS with passive cooling, if you have PCI Express - original post didn't say.

 

[DaFOBulous1]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
Not to be a wise guy, but have you tried re-installing the CPU HSF? I find it hard to believe that a hot GPU could be responsible for those temps (I'm assuming there's not a Prescott CPU in the AOpen).

I have a 9800 non-pro running passively cooled in my living room PC... it has a Thermaltake Giant VGA cooler on it, and I underclocked the card by 10% and unplugged the fan from the VGA cooler, and it works just fine.

Wouldn't a passively cooled video card actually generate more heat than an actively cooled card? There's no fan to move the hot air away - just more heatsink to spread it out...

I have tried installing and reinstalling it. However Im limited to re-applying thermal paste as the computer is where he lives while she is off to college. I really didn't thinking of bring AS5 to the airport with me. 🙂

It's a Northwood CPU and I tried playing around with the volts but it didn't help much and I really wanted to keep everything stock because her knowledge is limited if something goes bad.

Well, I should link you the design of her SFF. The fan sucks air from the horizonal aspect where it sucks air from the left grill and the exhaust to the right grill. That is fine but when you put a video card, the left grill is essentially blocked and the air the HSF sucks in is the hot air behind the GPU. It's just pure hot air...

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/xccubeac/4.html

As for passive, Im more into a low-profile passive as at least half of the air it sucks from the grill is air from outside rather than inside.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Hmm, I wonder is AS5 would set off the airport's metal detector... 🙂

I checked out your link to the AOpen sff. The review system seems to be fairly comparable to your g/f's - Pentium 4 3.0 and a 9600xt. I wonder why your g/f's is having such a heat issue.

My fiance had a Shuttle sff I built her a few years ago, it had a P4 2.4 and Radeon 9100 Vid card, cpu temps ran up to around 60 under load.

How about a low-profile Radeon 9600?

 

[slackwarelinux]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
How about a low-profile Radeon 9600?

I just got one of those for a project, it is really really cool, provided you have a little air blowing over it. Not too speedy, but it is pretty cool and has low power consumption (which is what I was aiming for).

Anyways, the reason why it is so cool is because it is an ATI Mobility Raedon, aka a laptop chip. This means it should be a little slower than a normal 9600, so not much of a upgrade speed wise.