Fast but Quiet Video Card?

[HGC]

I currently have a Radeon 9600XT with a big Zalman heat sink instead of a fan, and an otherwise pretty quiet computer. I'd like to be able to play the latest games with the good stuff turned on, but don't don't want to give up the quietness. Is there a more powerful card like a 6800 GT that can be configured to be silent or near silent? Thanks for any ideas.

 

[Matthias99]

You can get a 6800NU or X800XL with similar heatpipe coolers. You can also buy the Zalman coolers aftermarket and put them on any card (although this voids the warranty, and some cards may run too hot unless you have excellent case airflow). There are other quiet (but not fanless) coolers available for today's high-end cards (such as the ATI/NV Silencer).

 

[ddogg]

the Zalman VF700-AlCu cooler on my 6800U is perfectly silent....would recommend that one to u if ur getting a 6800GT

 

[HGC]

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I might go with the VF700. Good to know I don't need to be afraid of the fan.

 

[imported_DaveA]

yeah i just installed my 6800 gt today, holy hell that stock fan is loud! i was idling at 52C so I pulled the card out and put on the vf700cu cooler i bought. idling at 46C now and whisper quiet. also was able to overclock to 430 core 1.15mem.

 

[Ryland]

The leadtek cards are silent right out of the box...

Edit: I have a silent BFG card (amazingly) with stock cooling

 

[BobDaMenkey]

Originally posted by: Ryland
The leadtek cards are silent right out of the box...

Edit: I have a silent BFG card (amazingly) with stock cooling

They aren't silent, that I can tell you, but they're not that loud either. They DO have a fan in the middle of that big copper mess called a heatsink.

 

[fierydemise]

gigabyte x800xl silent cooling and plenty fast

 

[ddogg]

ya but the XL fans dont give much room to overclock

 

[ddogg]

Originally posted by: BobDaMenkey

Originally posted by: Ryland
The leadtek cards are silent right out of the box...

Edit: I have a silent BFG card (amazingly) with stock cooling

They aren't silent, that I can tell you, but they're not that loud either. They DO have a fan in the middle of that big copper mess called a heatsink.

well based on the reviews, the Leadtek has got a pretty silent stock fan!!

 

[Munky]

I'm using a vf700cu on my 9800p, and although the stock hsf wasn't loud to begin with, this thing is quiet, and it cools way better than stock, I'm running the core at 450, from stock 380. Also, it has 2 speed settings, and I'm using the high setting, and it's still quiet. If you're not OC'ing, you can use the low setting, and it's almost silent, although a 6800gt might require a high setting with all the heat it generates.

 

[ddogg]

Originally posted by: munky
I'm using a vf700cu on my 9800p, and although the stock hsf wasn't loud to begin with, this thing is quiet, and it cools way better than stock, I'm running the core at 450, from stock 380. Also, it has 2 speed settings, and I'm using the high setting, and it's still quiet. If you're not OC'ing, you can use the low setting, and it's almost silent, although a 6800gt might require a high setting with all the heat it generates.

ya u have to keep it on high settings for the 6800GT and Ultra, even then though its completely silent....

 

[PrayForDeath]

Get this, it's passively cooled, so there's zero noise coming out of it.

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: PrayForDeath
Get this, it's passively cooled, so there's zero noise coming out of it.

You'd probably need good case ventilation for it to work effectively. Otherwise it might get pretty hot in there.

 

[PrayForDeath]

According to the review at Newegg, it works well with minimal ventilatin and for hours of gaming. It's just one guy though.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

Yep (PrayForDeath), thats the card id go for too, cuz i dont need to overclock cards and i doubt that in stock speeds this card will mean trouble regarding heat. And...a lil breeze in ur case is allways necessary, but if u use some case fans with 1000rpm, a xp-120 and a good cpu fan with like 1000-1500rpm then ur gonna have really a nice silent rig - other components like a quiet psu or hdd are easy to find, What u wont find a lot are the passively cooled middle-to-high-end graphics cards, its seems that Gigabyte is the only manufacturer who allways brings out a passively cooled model.

forgot to mention that the price at newegg is too high!! They cost 285Euros here in Germany...hm, maybe its the exchange rates...