View Full Version : Best AGP8x video card without a fan?
goodstuff
04-11-2005, 12:11 PM
Hi, I going to be getting that dell 24" widescreen monitor that runs at 1900x1200 and I'm not sure if my current PNY nvidia FX5200 ultra can support that with a good picture. I run a pretty silent machine, so I'd rather not have a video card with those annoyingly loud fans on them. I replaced the fan on my current card with the dual Zalman heat sink thing, but that was a pain in the butt and I'd rather not do that again. Are there good fanless AGP8x video card that can run that resolution well? Thanks
PS: I don't plan on playing any heavy duty FPS games on this, just some mid level games like Command & Conquer Generals, Warcraft III, Tiger Woods 2004, etc. I also do light Photoshop/imaging work on it.
System specs:
Abit AI7 mobo (no overclocking)
P4 3.2ghz Northwood@800FSB with HT
2048MB Geil DDR400 Blue Value RAM (4x512 dual channel)
PNY Nvidia 128MB FX5200 Ultra
Antec 480W NeoPower
Samsung 193N LCD 19" monitor 1280x1024
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-305&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-342&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-299&depa=0
The $75 9600 should be powerful enough unless you really want better game performance. The 9800 Pro has a preinstalled Zalman. I don't know what that rig is on the 9600XT.
super_rip
04-11-2005, 03:41 PM
Video card fans aren't that loud...
Video card fans aren't that loud...
The poster was specific about wanting recommendations for FANLESS cards. Do you have any alternatives to my reply to suggest?
goodstuff
04-11-2005, 05:37 PM
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-305&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-342&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-299&depa=0
The $75 9600 should be powerful enough unless you really want better game performance. The 9800 Pro has a preinstalled Zalman. I don't know what that rig is on the 9600XT.
Thanks for those links, the 9800Pro is exactly what I was looking for as the Zalman heatpipe config is exactly the same type as the one I built for my much less powerful FX5200.
As far as the video card noise goes, I spent a considerable amount of money on Zalman CPU fans & heatsinks, silent power supply and Panasonic L1 case fans, so the rig was virtually silent except for the screaming GPU fan on the video card. Once that was removed and replaced with the heatpipe system the noise was reduced to a whisper.
Yuanji
04-11-2005, 06:52 PM
gigabyte has a bunch of fanless solutions and they work pretty well if your case circulation is good.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-179&depa=0 that's a 6600GT
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-142&depa=0 that's a 6800Nu
those are the cards i'd recommend if you don't go with the 9800Pro
goodstuff
04-11-2005, 07:44 PM
Thanks for the additional links! These are damn nice cards for a fanless solution. Prices aren't too bad either! I was thinking I was gonna have to stick with a 9200 level card.
goodstuff
04-11-2005, 09:35 PM
On that 6600GT, the systems requirements state a Prescott or higher. I purposely picked the 3.2 P4 Northwood over the 3.2 P4 Prescott to reduce heat output. Am I screwed with this option? I was actually leaning towards this one. :(
shadowbreaker513
04-11-2005, 09:38 PM
On that 6600GT, the systems requirements state a P4 Prescott or higher. I purposely picked the P4 Northwood over a Prescott to reduce heat output. Am I screwed with this option? I was actually leaning towards this one. :(
No, that is just marketing trying to make people think that Prescotts are faster than Northwoods. Hell, you can put the thing in a PIII box no problem.
goodstuff
04-11-2005, 09:43 PM
Thanks shadow! The 6600GT looks like a pretty good deal compared to the 6800. I'm gonna give that guy a shot.
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