Which silent video card?

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:25 pm

First of all: Hello, this is my first post.

Can you please help me choose a video card for my homerecording PC?
It has to be quiet but good also. I do play games from time to time. And I do some "postproduction" work. The computer stays in my home "studio", near the mic, so the video card has to be quiet.

Here are the parts that I already bought:
*Asus Commando mobo
*Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 processor
*Kingston HyperX 2x1GB dual,800MHz, CL3 memory
*Antec Solo case
*Be Quiet Dark Power P7 550W PSU
*2xSamsung 250GB HD's
*2xDVD-RW
*1xfirewire audio interface

Thank you!

cmthomson · Post by **cmthomson** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:13 pm

Buy any card you can get a good price on, then install an Accelero heat sink and a slow fan.

I'm partial to the Gigabyte 9800GT GV-N98TZL-512H because it is only 8" long and has a high-quality silent VRM. It's a mid-range card which may or may not meet your performance goals.

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:57 am

Thanks cmthomson.
Please tell me what do you think of passive cooling systems like Silentpipe.

KlaymenDK · Post by **KlaymenDK** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 3:52 am

What kind of output(s?) do you want?

I just bought an Asus EN8400GS, it's got VGA+DVI and a rather big passive profile. I'm still(!) waiting for parts so I haven't actually fired it up yet.

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 6:32 am

I need output for 1 CRT or LCD monitor. /Now I stiil have CRT but I will be buying LCD soon/.

What do you think about Asus 9800GT with Glaciator cooler?

Strid · Post by **Strid** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:01 am

I wouldn't recommend it to be honest. An Accelero S1 is so cheap, that there is absolutely no reason not to just get the card with the specs you need and then put on the Accelero. I wouldn't buy any card because of the heat sink.

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:33 am

Strid wrote:I wouldn't recommend it to be honest. An Accelero S1 is so cheap, that there is absolutely no reason not to just get the card with the specs you need and then put on the Accelero. I wouldn't buy any card because of the heat sink.

Why wouldn't you recommend it?
Isnt' it a good card overall?

Strid · Post by **Strid** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:41 pm

ds-ds wrote:Why wouldn't you recommend it?
Isnt' it a good card overall?

Sorry, maybe I didn't make myself 100% clear. It's a fine card, if you like it. But do get an Accelero if you get the 9800 - passive is so much better than a small stock fan that spins at way more than 1000 RPM under load.

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:47 pm

Strid wrote: Sorry, maybe I didn't make myself 100% clear. It's a fine card, if you like it. But do get an Accelero if you get the 9800 - passive is so much better than a small stock fan that spins at way more than 1000 RPM under load.

No, you made yourself clear. I'm just not native, so that's why I asked. The problem with this Accelero FOR ME is that I would probably lose my warranty. Anyway -
- what card would you buy nowadays to the PC I wrote about in my 1st post if you were to change the fan to Accelero? HD4850, 9800GT or other?

Strid · Post by **Strid** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:12 pm

Larger brands like EVGA, XFX and BFG won't void your warranty even if you swap the cooler, I would think that ASUS and Gigabyte does that, but I'm not sure.

I think it all boils down to how much you're willing to spend and what games you play (and of course at which resolution).

Personally, I'm a fan of Radeon 4670 cards, because they are low powered compared to how fast they are. But it may or may not be enough for the games you play. Only you can really know which card you need. Maybe you only need like an inexpensive 8400GS if you only play older games like Counter-Strike?

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:29 pm

Strid wrote:Larger brands like EVGA, XFX and BFG won't void your warranty even if you swap the cooler, I would think that ASUS and Gigabyte does that, but I'm not sure.

I think it all boils down to how much you're willing to spend and what games you play (and of course at which resolution).

Personally, I'm a fan of Radeon 4670 cards, because they are low powered compared to how fast they are. But it may or may not be enough for the games you play. Only you can really know which card you need. Maybe you only need like an inexpensive 8400GS if you only play older games like Counter-Strike?

ds-ds wrote: Can you please help me choose a video card for my homerecording PC?
It has to be quiet but good also. I do play games from time to time. And I do some "postproduction" work. The computer stays in my home "studio", near the mic, so the video card has to be quiet.

Thank for all your opinions.
I think I will buy the Asus 9800GT with Glaciator cooler or Palit HD4850.
Then I will probably swap the cooler to Accelero.
EVGA, XFX and BFG aren't very popular brands in Poland.

lechuck · Post by **lechuck** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:38 am

@ds-ds: Just consider how much heat 9800GT makes. To talk about passive cards make sense only if they don't make
a lot of heat in the first place. Look here:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/ ... 830_4.html

and you'll see that at the moment only 4670 is suitable for passive use!

Old rule was, that passive is possible up to about 20-25W. Then you must add ventilation. 9800GT is not suitable even
in idle, so you'll have to cool Accelero with a fan.

Max Dread · Post by **Max Dread** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:49 am

I'd have to agree with that. I think you would need amazing air flow and fans a plenty to get away with it. I think the same goes for the HD4850, although I'm sure there are a few around here who have got them to run passively......perhaps they could explain the whys and wheres and how?

The 9600GT OTOH is a more popular choice for passive cooling. I've just slapped an Accelero on mine. Idle/basic use = 40C. Stress tests = max. 63C.

Cheers

Max

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:52 am

Thank you guys. That's why I ask. To learn something about the video cards. And you really help me.

So - I will leave alone the passive cooling, because I want a better video card.

Now - I have to buy a regular video card which doesn't make a big noise. Because as I said - I won't be changing the fan now because I have to buy a card that has a seal on it (I think it's not a proper word

The sticker that proves that it's under the warranty

and the brands like the EVGA etc. aren't very popular here in Poland so they are expensive.
So - wouldn't Asus 9800GT with it's Glaciator cooling be good after these arguments?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:35 pm

Asus is good but glaciator is not SPCR quiet... You want to test that yourself though... Before getting AC S1 ^^

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:55 pm

thejamppa wrote:Asus is good but glaciator is not SPCR quiet... You want to test that yourself though... Before getting AC S1 ^^

So you would get any card that suits my needs and mount the AC S1 right? It doesn't matter if it would be 9800GT or HD4850?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:07 pm

ds-ds wrote:
thejamppa wrote:Asus is good but glaciator is not SPCR quiet... You want to test that yourself though... Before getting AC S1 ^^
So you would get any card that suits my needs and mount the AC S1 right? It doesn't matter if it would be 9800GT or HD4850?

Indeed... AC S1 is cheap and really good cooler.

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:10 pm

thejamppa wrote:
ds-ds wrote:
thejamppa wrote:Asus is good but glaciator is not SPCR quiet... You want to test that yourself though... Before getting AC S1 ^^
So you would get any card that suits my needs and mount the AC S1 right? It doesn't matter if it would be 9800GT or HD4850?
Indeed... AC S1 is cheap and really good cooler.

OK. So I will do it.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:45 pm

I believe this to be the fastest stock passive video card out right now.

ECS N9800GT 1gb

It comes stock with an AC S1 heatsink(one of the best aftermarket VGA heatsinks). If you factor in the price of buying an AC S1 aftermarket($30) your looking at a $130 price tag. Also since it comes stock with the passive heatsink, you dont have to worry about voiding a warrenty to put it on yourself aftermarket.

One other thing you need to understand about the 9800GT is that its basically just a repackaged die shrink copy of the 8800GT. The 256mb 8800GT only used 50w at load. The 1gb 9800GT uses around 115w, but that 60w difference isnt on the GPU, its all in the added memory, so its not pouring into the AC S1 Heatsink, they are being dissapated by the small ramsinks. So really there is no problem whatsoever in passively cooling a 9800gt with the AC S1, since only around 50w of heat is actually going into the GPU heatsink.

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:07 pm

T H A N K S !

So I guess that would be the best solution for me.
I found the 512MB version in Poland. With Accelero and Turbo Module installed. <<< Is it good?
PLEASE just look at the pictures and tell me if it's the same:
http://www.allegro.pl/item497421725_ecs ... 00_gt.html

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:07 pm

Aris wrote:The 256mb 8800GT only used 50w at load. The 1gb 9800GT uses around 115w, but that 60w difference isnt on the GPU, its all in the added memory.

The lower clockspeeds of the 256MB 8800GT allows lower voltages = much lower power consumption. The memory amount is not significant for power.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:19 pm

QuietOC wrote:
Aris wrote:The 256mb 8800GT only used 50w at load. The 1gb 9800GT uses around 115w, but that 60w difference isnt on the GPU, its all in the added memory.
The lower clockspeeds of the 256MB 8800GT allows lower voltages = much lower power consumption. The memory amount is not significant for power.

Wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_9_Series

i'll quote the important parts:

"The 9800GT is effectively a rebranded 8800GT, although some are being manufactured using a newer 55nm technology instead of the older 65nm first debuted on the 8800gt"

Taken from the nVidia product detail page[28]. (for the 9800GT)

* 112 Processor Cores
* 512MB Standard Memory
* 256-bit Memory Interface Width
* 600 MHz Graphics Clock (MHz)
* 1500 MHz Processor Clock (MHz)
* 900 MHz Memory Clock
* Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) 33.6
* Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec) 57.6
* DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0.
"

And then we go to the Geforce 8 Series wiki page:

"GeForce 8800 GT (G92)
G92
PCI Express 2.0 x16
65nm fabrication process
600Mhz Graphics Clock
1500Mhz Processor Clock
112Processor Cores
GDDR3
256-bit Memory Interface
1800 (900)Mhz Memory Clock"

Golly batman, those specs look an awfull lot alike. Same number of processor cores, same core clock rate, same processor clock rate, same memory clock rate, same 256-bit memory interface, same Pci-e 16x 2.0 bus interface.

And if anything, the 9800gt core produces less heat than the original 8800GT since its had a die shrink from 65nm down to 55nm. And for the record, i have an 8800gt with an AC S1 heatsink on it, with zero direct airflow blowing over it, and minimul case airflow from a single 120mm fan spinning at 700rpm. Never overheats during 8+ hour sessions of gameplay.

Here i found a review for you that has the two side by side, you can go down the list and see how alike they are:

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=14656&page=2

And then another review of the 256mb 8800gt version to verify that it is indeed identical to the 512mb 8800gt except for amount of memory.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/592/1/

And a review comparing a 256mb 8800gt side by side with its 512mb brother.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/607/1/

ds-ds · Post by **ds-ds** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:40 am

thejamppa wrote:Asus is good but glaciator is not SPCR quiet... You want to test that yourself though... Before getting AC S1 ^^

thejamppa, I see you have HD4850 with Accelero S1. /from your sig/
Is the whole video card quiet now? How hot is it? Do you like it overall?

EDIT:
Ah - I see it's for your "game rig".