Cheap fanless/silent GFX card ?

[hhhd1]

What is the best cheap fanless that i could get for my old core 2 duo computer ?

I had ATI 4670 , but it died, I was happy with its performance for the few old games I run on, but It used to get pretty loud and hot, it died because i lowered the fan speed and it overheated.

Looking for around $50, but can go higher if i can get a better bang-for-the-buck deal.

My PSU is only 350w.


EDIT:

It might also be used for light photoshop/autocad, nothing major, just learning.

 

[Termie]

You won't find anything at $50 that performs as well as a 4670. You can, however, find silent cards, like the Zotac GT 730 and Asus Radeon HD 6450.

If you wanted performance at least as good as the 4670, you'd be going with the more expensive, actively-cooled R7 240. Even then, it's not much better than what you have.

Your best bet is actually the actively-cooled GT 740 GDDR5, which is $80-$90, and performs much better than a 4670. It would also be great for Photoshop.

The lack of progress on smaller nodes means there's been essentially no change in the low end video card market for years. Until something smaller than 28nm hits the high end, and then trickles down to the ultra-low-end, your specifications will go unmet. I expect it will take another two years.

 

[Rezist]

You won't find anything at $50 that performs as well as a 4670. You can, however, find silent cards, like the Zotac GT 730 and Asus Radeon HD 6450.

If you wanted performance at least as good as the 4670, you'd be going with the more expensive, actively-cooled R7 240. Even then, it's not much better than what you have.

Your best bet is actually the actively-cooled GT 740 GDDR5, which is $80-$90, and performs much better than a 4670. It would also be great for Photoshop.

The lack of progress on smaller nodes means there's been essentially no change in the low end video card market for years. Until something smaller than 28nm hits the high end, and then trickles down to the ultra-low-end, your specifications will go unmet. I expect it will take another two years.

Integrated graphics really have done a number on this segment, that said with the higher performance and way more cost they should be able to easily handle most games.

 

[Blue_Max]

Check the reviews of certain cards in your price range... some of them CAN be passive but they put one big fan on it that barely spins. Not 100% silent... just 99%.

I had an utterly silent HIS Radeon 7770 card that was so much quieter than my ASUS R9-270 I almost wish I hadn't upgraded!

 

[birthdaymonkey]

I built a Q9550 kitchen computer recently from some old parts and threw in an Asus GT 630 (Kepler), which goes for $35 AR.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121778

It's no gaming card, but it should outperform a 4670.

Fanless, runs cool, decodes video nicely, can play Dota 2 on low-medium settings at 1080p. No complaints.

 

[Blue_Max]

There's a fanless GTX 750 (and TI I think) that would absolutely crush anything else in the fanless arena... it's over $100 though. But a beauty! Save up for it?

 

[Charlie98]

I've got a passively cooled Diamond HD6450 in my HTPC, it's a decent card for it's purpose but it does run at 50C, even at idle. Something to consider if it's going into a small case. I don't really know how it handles any gaming, all I've ever run on it is FSX, which it did well enough.

Personally, I would spring for a better card... watch the sales or look for a used GTX750 or similar.

 

[hhhd1]

Thanks for the suggestion, I found this:
Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition 1 GB GDDR5 (fanless)
for ($120) on amazon, which is not bad considering the performance, will see if i can wait for a good offer.

but its power requirements is saying:

* 400-watt power supply recommended55-watt max power consumption

My PSU is only 350w, and I plan to get a 95watt quadcore and overclock it , plus the HDDs.

Would that be pushing it in terms of power requirements ?

 

[monstercameron]

http://www.legitreviews.com/powercolor-radeon-hd-7850-scs3-1gb-passive-video-card-review_2213
kinda beast.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Thanks for the suggestion, I found this:
Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition 1 GB GDDR5 (fanless)
for ($120) on amazon, which is not bad considering the performance, will see if i can wait for a good offer.

but its power requirements is saying:

* 400-watt power supply recommended55-watt max power consumption

My PSU is only 350w, and I plan to get a 95watt quadcore and overclock it , plus the HDDs.

Would that be pushing it in terms of power requirements ?

Your PSU should be able to handle it if it's a quality brand. If it's a noname or offbrand crappy unit, it might not work.

 

[Blue_Max]

I'm 95% certain it'll work fine. Neither the Core2Duo nor the no-plugs-needed GTX 750 need much power.

If you need to stay fanless & silent, it's your best bet. That card barely sips power and stays cool as a cucumber.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Anyone who games but has an issue with the fan noise........Low CFM fans are the answer, you will still need to move air for a passive solution

 

[BSim500]

Thanks for the suggestion, I found this:
Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition 1 GB GDDR5 (fanless)
for ($120) on amazon, which is not bad considering the performance, will see if i can wait for a good offer.

but its power requirements is saying:

* 400-watt power supply recommended55-watt max power consumption

GTX 750's draw barely 50-60w in games. Most don't even require a power cable and draw 100% from the motherboard. As others have said - "near silent" versions like the MSI Twin Frozer run very quiet even with 2 fans, and you can always "tweak" the fan curve with a utility (MSI Afterburner, Sapphire Trixx, Speedfan, etc). Under 25% it's virtually silent yet runs a lot cooler than a pure passive. Likewise, the 750's run so cool that the temps often max out at 50-55c at default fan settings, so even under load you've got headroom to slow the fans down to really slow near silent speeds and still remain under 65-70c temps.

There is a passive Palit 750 Ti "KalmX" but it isn't always available in all markets:-
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Palit/GTX_750_Ti_KalmX/

 

[hhhd1]

Thanks for all the help.

I am looking for fanless card because I also want to avoid the maintenance required with fan, since after a while, dust could make it become noisy.

With heatsink only, if heat became an issue, I can use one quite case fan or leave the case open for heat to escape easier.

And I am not planning on allot of gaming anyway, it will remain 90%+ of the time in idle.