SPCR

Which is quieter? I won't be overclocking.

Thanks!

EDIT: According to this site, the ASUS GTX660 TI-DC2-2GD5 is the quietest!

I am looking at both of these cards as well. The MSI seems much more popular but several sites have said the Asus is quieter. I can't figure out what makes the MSI more popular except for having some sort of reputation for overclocking better due to the extra voltage it's given from the factory. Since I don't care about that I think I'll be going with the Asus.

There's a lot of variation between review sites. I also think there's a fair bit of variation between the cards coming off the production line. My take: at stock fan profiles, the Asus is a bit quieter but runs hotter...and you can modify the fan profiles with their included s/w. I like MSI's TF IV solution for this card as it has decent VRM cooling, where the Asus board does not. Whittle some hours away on these reviews. I like HT4U's test setup for temp and sound testing.

If you would go for that Asus, would you go for the normal 660TI or advice the top version?

CA_Steve wrote:There's a lot of variation between review sites. I also think there's a fair bit of variation between the cards coming off the production line. My take: at stock fan profiles, the Asus is a bit quieter but runs hotter...and you can modify the fan profiles with their included s/w. I like MSI's TF IV solution for this card as it has decent VRM cooling, where the Asus board does not.

Is VRM cooling an issue if Asus considered it unnecessary?

An issue? <shrugs> I can't speak for Asus. I'd rather have a card with VRM temps in the 80's and not the 90's. Cooler VRM is more efficient, and I'd think the lower temps would maybe add some small bit to lessen failure rate over time.

Finding some small heatsinks to fit the VRMs is not hard, there are even heatsinks designed specifically for it.