Quiet 7900GT advice

[VivienM]

Well, it's time to finalize the Conroe build... I think I want a 7900GT, but not sure which to get. Ideally I'd like something on the quiet side without having to go with an aftermarket Zalman-type thing (if I had to go for aftermarket cooling, EVGA's warranty is better?)... Overclocking is not a criteria at all.

As I'm in Canada, I'm basically limited to what is available at NCIX.com...
PNY GeForce 7900 GT 450MHZ PCI-E 256MB 256BIT 1.32GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GT CO 500MHZ PCI-E 256MB 256BIT 1.5GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out RoHS Video Card
EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GT KO 500MHZ PCI-E 256MB 256BIT 1.5GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out RoHS Video Card
BFG GeForce 7900 GT OC PCI-E 256MB 256BIT DDR3 SLI Ready Video Card
BFG GeForce 7900 GT OC SIN Edition PCI-E 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 SLI Ready Video Card
XFX GeForce 7900 GT 520M Xtreme 520MHZ 256MB 256BIT PCI-E VIVO Video Card
They probably have a bunch more; those are the ones on their weekly specials. The BFG is the cheapest.

Which should I get?

 

[hans030390]

What's wrong with a Zalman cooler? They're easy to put on, and it makes a HUGE difference. I'm pretty sure none of those cards could compare to it.

 

[VivienM]

Originally posted by: hans030390
What's wrong with a Zalman cooler? They're easy to put on, and it makes a HUGE difference. I'm pretty sure none of those cards could compare to it.

Nothing wrong with them, if
a) installation is easy
b) they're affordable and readily available ($36CAD for a VF700, $51 for a VF900... that's roughly the same as going from the cheap 7900GTs to the expensive ones)
c) it doesn't destroy my warranty on the card
d) there is no other reasonable alternative
e) the cooling performance is good

If those criteria are all met, then I'll consider them? (and in that case, do I want the 700 or 900)

 

[vanvock]

I doubt you'd go wrong with any of those cards, as far as a cooler why not wait & see if you really need one, my XFX isn't a noise prob for me & that's such a personal thing anyway unless you're into a dead silent passive build.

 

[TheRyuu]

Just get the Evga because of the warrrenty.

So are you looking to vmod it?

 

[VivienM]

Originally posted by: wizboy11
Just get the Evga because of the warrrenty.

So are you looking to vmod it?

I'm looking to do nothing to it except maybe switch the cooler and shove it in and install the drivers

 

[Noubourne]

I've got the eVGA KO model and I put the VF900 on it. Stock it was ok, but the VF900 is silent, and 10C cooler than stock. You don't have to ruin anything to change coolers, so it won't void the warranty. If you happen to need an RMA for it (although I'd test it before I changed anything), just put the old cooler back on - problem solved.

The VF900 is worth every penny.

 

[tomt4535]

My eVGA 7900GT CO's cooler was really really loud. I replaced it with the Zalman VF-700CU and its dead silent. Next week im watercooling it, so it will be even better. I hear that the cooler on the KO version is better(cools the ram also), and pretty quiet. Their warranty rules too.

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: tomt4535
My eVGA 7900GT CO's cooler was really really loud. I replaced it with the Zalman VF-700CU and its dead silent. Next week im watercooling it, so it will be even better. I hear that the cooler on the KO version is better(cools the ram also), and pretty quiet. Their warranty rules too.

I gather your getting Maze4 for GPU?