GIGABYTE 9800GT Silent Cell - anybody using this card?

They make noise, too.

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outbackyak
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GIGABYTE 9800GT Silent Cell - anybody using this card?

Post by outbackyak » Fri Jan 01, 2010 4:32 am

I'm currently speccing up a DAW PC dual booted for business/moderate gaming. My proposed specs are here viewtopic.php?t=56862

I'm considering the GIGABYTE 9800GT Silent Cell as the video card, which got a good review in AtomicPC here http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/Review/1548 ... -cell.aspx

I'm worried that it might run too hot in my system, forcing me to run the case fans at higher than desirable speeds for optimum quietness. The AtomicPC review gives an acceptable temp under load of 69 degrees C, but hey - they are gamers, they've probably got their fans running flat out :lol:

Has anybody got any experience with this card? What sort of temperatures can I expect in my system? Should I go with a different card? If so, what?

Thanks!

swift77
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Post by swift77 » Mon Jan 04, 2010 6:34 am

I use this card and I have no problem it is very silent :)
I use HTPC Luxa2 LM300. Didnt want the pro one since I have no use of touch panel and I have disabled the LCD on this HTPC since I hate IMON. The case is great with thick aluminium build almost Zalman GT1000 class(got A Zalmann GT1000 as my gaming rig). For those buying Luxa2 HTPC you will have to replace the 120 mm fan since it is very very noisy. I dont understand how Thermaltake can sell such nice case with such a crappy fan. I replaced it with a 120 mm Scythe 800 rpm fan and got no problem with heating running Asus P5E with Intel Q9550 and Gigabyte silent 9800 GT.
I will replace the cpu fan with Noctua NH-12CP, I tried install Zalman 8700 but it wont fit on my Asus P5E and Zalman 9500LED wont fit because he CD bay is blocking :? part of the fan in my Luxa2 LM300 case. Now I just need to replace my seagate HD for Kingston 128 GB SSD that I have already bought but reinstalling is :roll:

outbackyak
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Post by outbackyak » Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:08 am

What sort of temperatures are you getting under load with your 9800GT, Swift 77?

Cheers!

Ramses
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Post by Ramses » Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:51 pm

Lower-spec chip, but identical cooler: I've used the Gigabyte 9600GT Silent Cell [GV-N96TSL-1GI] for about a week. It was a warranty replacement for a fanless 8600GT. Not a top performer but still good for casual gaming with medium settings at 1920x1200. I was running it in a SPCR-level computer (Nexus 430 PSU, fanless Minja, SSD, 2x Scythe Slipstream 120 @ 6v, Antec SLK-3700 case with cut grills) and it was running along nicely with no coil whine. Didn't check the temps other than touching the fins after gaming: they were warm but not too hot since front fan was blowing lightly on them.

sleepygrad
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Post by sleepygrad » Thu Jan 07, 2010 1:36 pm

Newegg has both the 9600 and the 9800 as requiring a 450 psu. But you were getting away with your Nexus value 430? I ask because I have a nexus 430 and was thinking about this card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... ent%20Cell

2 other little things.

1) Im using a Antec SLK-3700 BQE as my mouse pad currently.

2) Do you think this card would fit into my new Antec Solo?
18.50" x 8.10" x 17.00"

Ramses wrote:Lower-spec chip, but identical cooler: I've used the Gigabyte 9600GT Silent Cell [GV-N96TSL-1GI] for about a week. It was a warranty replacement for a fanless 8600GT. Not a top performer but still good for casual gaming with medium settings at 1920x1200. I was running it in a SPCR-level computer (Nexus 430 PSU, fanless Minja, SSD, 2x Scythe Slipstream 120 @ 6v, Antec SLK-3700 case with cut grills) and it was running along nicely with no coil whine. Didn't check the temps other than touching the fins after gaming: they were warm but not too hot since front fan was blowing lightly on them.

Ramses
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Post by Ramses » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:04 pm

sleepygrad wrote:Newegg has both the 9600 and the 9800 as requiring a 450 psu. But you were getting away with your Nexus value 430?
Recommended wattage is always overkill. :) I played some Left 4 Dead with it (and a 45W CPU) and if I recall my APC Back-UPS's LCD was reporting below 300W usage with monitor, networking gear and an office laptop. Actually, I still have the card as a secondary in my system, trying to make it run in a hybrid ATI/nVidia setup for PhysX and F@H. Am still stuck trying to figure out how to do it, but wattage for the above system with a new 95W quad-core Phenom II and a Radeon 5770 as primary is 195W at idle and 290W at load.

Size: the card with its HS fins is maybe 0.5cm shorter than a regular ATX motherboard (using Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H here), but the power connector extends outside that zone. My case is an Antec SLK-3700AMB and while I removed the HDD case to rest a WD20EADS media drive on a piece of foam the 9600GT with the power connector does not enter the area where the HDD cage would otherwise be. :)

Since a picture would explain things *much* better, here's my current in-progress setup. Slipstreams currently run somewhere between 300 to 400rpms ...and that annoying AC PWM 92mm CPU fan is the main noise maker, even at medium speed. Still working on that.

Image

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:04 pm

post 1

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:04 pm

mattlach wrote:post 1
Post 2

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:04 pm

mattlach wrote:
mattlach wrote:post 1
Post 2
Post 3 (sorry)

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:05 pm

I am also considering getting this card.

I like my fanless XFX 9400GT, but it just isn't powerful enough to do anything but the basics. (really, the most intense gaming I do these days is play Civilization IV, and sometimes it is not sufficient for this task)

What has me nervous though is that the Newegg page for this card has someone complaining about it not fitting in his case, and being unable to return it.

I have one of these Shuttle SX58H7 cases.

Image Image


These are not my pics, just example shots of of another large card fitted in the same case.

I am obsessed with this system being quiet, (I actually just picked up an SSD to this end) and the 9800GT above is the fastest passively cooled card I have been able to find. I would prefer not buying it only to find out that it won't fit.

Does anyone have any idea?

My own guess would be if that monster GTX 295 fits, so - probably - will this board. It's really tough to tell - however - with those heat pipes on the top...

This is what my case currently looks like with the fanless XFX 9400GT in it: (Click for bigger)

Image Image Image

Any thoughts?

outbackyak
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Post by outbackyak » Wed Apr 07, 2010 7:14 pm

I can't help you with whether it will fit in your case - sorry.

Just an update on temperatures, in case anybody is wondering about the 9800GT Silent Cell for their own system.

In my Antec Solo the card idles at around 50 to 52C with my rear Nexus D12SL-12 120mm @ 390RPM and my front Noctua NF-B9 92mm @ 540RPM (this is my standard configuration, configuration 1), and it peaks at around 66C when playing Borderlands.

If I increase fan speeds to maximum (1080RPM and 1770RPM respectively; configuration 2) it idles at around 46 to 48C, and peaks at around 60C when playing Borderlands.

I'm just about to do the OCCT GPU test with these configurations, and I'll update this post when I've done them.

EDIT: I've just tried doing the OCCT GPU test, but it aborts as soon as I start it. I presume this is because I've got two monitors, as it worked fine when I did my original testing when I only had one monitor attached. I'll try disconnecting a monitor next time I shut down and see if this helps. END EDIT

2nd EDIT: OK, it was the two monitors that was the problem. Results for the OCCT GPU test, running full screen 1920 X 1080 @ 60Hz with 8 shaders, ambient temperature 24C:

Configuration 1 stabilised after 15 minutes at 93C

Configuration 2 stabilised after 14 minutes at 79C

From these tests, and considering the real world reduction of around 6C when playing Borderlands, I will be running Configuration 2 when playing games. Configuration 1 is fine when I'm using the computer for it's primary DAW role, or anything that isn't graphics intensive.

Configuration 2 is quiet enough for games, thought the front fan is quite loud - loud enough that I can't hear the rear fan at all, no matter what speed it is set to. When playing games the fan noise is masked by the game audio, enough so I don't notice it.

Cheers!

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:02 am

Cool test! Thank you for your review.

I am also considering one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814131300

Its a passively cooled Radeon 5750.

I've always been a Nvidia guy, but apparently this board is both faster than the 9800GT and uses less power (which should result in less heat), so I am considering giving it a whirl.

Has anyone tried it?

gescom
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Post by gescom » Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:25 am

It would be nice if Gigabyte re-released this card using the energy efficient 9800gt. From what i've read that version uses 10w less when idling and max around 70w in 3d (i think, i could be wrong), which would be a lot more suited to run passive. This silentcell's idle temp is just a bit too hot for my liking, especially for a sff pc.

The 5750 seems like a good card Mattlach. I know that the HIS 5750 uses an artic cooling hsf so would be quiet.

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:02 am

I did some more research, and I figured I'd share it here.

I looked up several fanless options available out there and how they compare performance wise (numbers from Toms Hardware graphics cards charts, all benchmarks high 4AA) and power consumption at full load (I couldn't find reliable idle power ratings).

The Geforce 9400 GT is here for my reference only as it is what I have in my box right now, and I am upgrading from, as it is quite inadequate performance wise. It wasnt actually rated in the most recent Toms hardware chart, but I was able to guesstimate the number based on other similar boards in older charts and how they compare to the newer chart, so take this number with a grain of salt.


GeForce 9400 GT
Performance: ~26
Power Consumption: 50W

Geforce 9800 GT
Performance: 196.3
Power Consumption: 105W

Radeon 4850
Performance: 244.10
Power Consumption: 110W

Radeon 5750
Performance: 265.5
Power Consumption: 86W


So it would seem of the boards that are faster than my 9400GT and still fanless, the Radeon 5750 is both the fastest and the coolest under load... I believe I may have to try it out!

I ahve two concerns though. The heatsink is hughe, I hope it fits my case. I have also heard that Radeon drivers are subpar for Linux (which is my main OS)

Image

outbackyak
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Post by outbackyak » Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:11 pm

If it will fit you'd be much better getting that 5750 over the 9800GT - cooler, much more powerful, and only US$20 more expensive. There's a review here (in appalling English - I think it's been Google Translated), which makes it sound fairly good.

I found the dimensions for that 5750 here, and if I'm reading it correctly the board is 2.25 inches thick including the heatsink, 8.5 inches long, and 5.25 inches wide (or approx 57.2mm X 215.9mm X 133.4mm).

The 9800GT Silent Cell is 37mm X 257mm X 112mm (so considerably thinner and narrower, but much longer than the 5750). In inches that's 1.46 X 10.12 X 4.41.

Hope this helps.

sibosdad
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Post by sibosdad » Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:16 am

This is indirect support to the 5750 over the 9800GT. For my HTPC-enclosed PC used by one of my kids, I had put the MSI custom-cooler 9800GT in there. For intense gaming, it shut down the PC as my case with slow fans couldn't get rid of the heat generated. I switched to the 4770 (not 5750, but both based on 40nm die) when it came out and problem solved, didn't have to game anymore with the case top removed! From what I read, the 5770 is cooler than the 4770 at idle due to drivers. I now use a 5850 Powercolor PCS+ and love it, powerful and very quiet

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Thu May 20, 2010 9:44 am

sibosdad wrote:This is indirect support to the 5750 over the 9800GT. For my HTPC-enclosed PC used by one of my kids, I had put the MSI custom-cooler 9800GT in there. For intense gaming, it shut down the PC as my case with slow fans couldn't get rid of the heat generated. I switched to the 4770 (not 5750, but both based on 40nm die) when it came out and problem solved, didn't have to game anymore with the case top removed! From what I read, the 5770 is cooler than the 4770 at idle due to drivers. I now use a 5850 Powercolor PCS+ and love it, powerful and very quiet
I did wind up getting the fanless Radeon 5750 and figured I'd report back with my findings here.

The card just barely fits in my compact Shuttle SX58H7 case. I had to take out all the drive bays (two simple screws) in order to install it, but one installed they fit right back in again without a millimeter to spare on top of the board.

Airflow was a concern of mine before installing it, but I have done some heavy stress testing (and by now played through almost the entire Half Life 2 series with high AA and AF on, last time I install an addictive game like that to "test my hardware" :p ) At an ambient temperature of 20 - 25C (68-77F) the card idles and does 2D work at about 40C, and under load, the hottest I have been able to get it is 76C, which is well below the maximum recommended operating parameter of 90C (they must use fancy solder)

Performance was a positive surprise. I am running this card in a system with an Intel Core i7-920 and 6GB ram on 64bit Ubuntu and 64bit Windows 7. In Half Life 2 with all settings on their highest, but with no AA, the frame rate kept bouncing off of the engine maximum of 300 FPS at my monitors natural resolution of 1920x1200. With everything set to max (including the AA) the game was reliably above 60fps. HL2 Episode 1, required me to drop the AA a little bit to remain above 60fps at all times, and with episode 2, I had to drop it a little bit more. Still very decent performance, especially since all I had planned on using it for were low end games like Civilization IV. I sure hadn't planned on getting back into FPS games. I hadn't played once since early 2004...

3DMark Vantage scores were as follows:
P8959 3DMarks
CPU Score 16693
Graphics Score 7760

3DMark 2006 as follows:
3DMark Score 14533 3DMarks
SM 2.0 Score 5611
SM 3.0 Score 6521
CPU Score 4704

So, certainly not high end by modern standards, but a lot better than I had anticipated, and perfectly quiet.

I only have two negatives to mention about this board:

1.) When the card gets hot, it does raise the case temps a bit, which causes the case/cpu fan to rev up a little bit causing a bit more noise. This is - however - only temporary during high load games, and is usually not a big deal at all, as the sound from the game (speakers or headphones) usually completely drowns out the fan noise anyway (I don't even have my volume up loud)

2.) AMD/ATI really need to improve their Linux drivers. I can't get the Open Source X drivers to work at all (though I am still trying). Instead I am using ATI's closed source Catalyst 10.4 drivers for Linux, and they are very unstable, causing all sorts of bugs on a regular basis. I am rather disappointed in this, but I have not given up hope in getting the open source drivers to work (as others with 5xxx series boards have succeeded). I just need to kick my half life 2 addiction so I can spend some time working on it. Hopefully when I finish episode 2 (pretty soon) this will be easier. :p

trxman
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Post by trxman » Thu May 20, 2010 1:28 pm

I have the same problem:

since I'm linux user, there's no ATI/AMD cards for me.
it's been like that forever.
ATI/AMD just doesn't care about linux, so my next upgrade will probably be 7900GS to some "green" GTS 250.

fwiffo
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Post by fwiffo » Thu May 20, 2010 2:18 pm

Believe it or not, so far my experience with ATI under linux so far has been *much better* than my experience with nVidia, though it could be due to a peculiarity with my setup... I have a dual-head configuration; a 30" plus a rotated 20". The nVidia drivers do not support XRandR, so I have to use Xinerama, and just getting that to work is a bear. And, oh yeah, 2D is unaccelerated and slow as HELL and crashes out of X periodically.

I'm WAY happier now that I've got an ATI card in there. Maybe some games are going to be unstable under wine, but I'm fine with dual-booting for windows games. It's worth it to have a functioning 2D setup, and native OpenGL stuff works just fine.

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Thu May 20, 2010 2:48 pm

fwiffo wrote:
I'm WAY happier now that I've got an ATI card in there. Maybe some games are going to be unstable under wine, but I'm fine with dual-booting for windows games. It's worth it to have a functioning 2D setup, and native OpenGL stuff works just fine.
I don't play games under linux.

With the latest closed source drivers ATI drivers I can't even get compiz to be stable, and there is excessive tearing, even if you try to force v-sync. Whenever a screen saver opens and I juggle the mouse, it doesn't clear the screen, freezing the screen saver in place, and making it near impossible to type the password to unlock the screen.

I have heard that the Open Source drivers are more stable for 2D/Compiz use, but I can't get them to work in compiz at all. It may just be a matter of messing around with xorg.conf, but I haven't spent the time yet...

Nvidia on the other hand just worked...

fwiffo
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Post by fwiffo » Thu May 20, 2010 3:03 pm

Huh, I haven't had any problems with the latest fglrx. I guess YMMV.

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Thu May 20, 2010 3:12 pm

fwiffo wrote:Huh, I haven't had any problems with the latest fglrx. I guess YMMV.
interesting. Just because I'm curious, which ATI chip do you have. As I understand, some are more stable than others.

fwiffo
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Post by fwiffo » Thu May 20, 2010 3:55 pm

I've got the PowerColor Go! Green Radeon 5750 which has been discussed around the forum. Allegedly the 5000 series have some missing features in the Linux drivers, but I've had no trouble. Granted, I've only had it set up for a week, but I've done overnight stress tests and whatnot without any instability, temperatures are quite acceptable, and Compiz works great (better than with my old nVidia card anyway).

Actually, I have one problem, but it's minor enough as to hardly be worth mentioning. Resizing windows is slowish because of the whole blackfill thing, and I haven't gotten around to trying to install the no-backfill or back-clear patch or whatever. But it doesn't affect minimizing or maximizing or moving windows or anything else. Allegedly you can work around it by enabling Direct2D with the current drivers, but I haven't bothered cause it just hasn't bothered me enough.

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Thu May 20, 2010 4:36 pm

fwiffo wrote:I've got the PowerColor Go! Green Radeon 5750 which has been discussed around the forum. Allegedly the 5000 series have some missing features in the Linux drivers, but I've had no trouble. Granted, I've only had it set up for a week, but I've done overnight stress tests and whatnot without any instability, temperatures are quite acceptable, and Compiz works great (better than with my old nVidia card anyway).

Actually, I have one problem, but it's minor enough as to hardly be worth mentioning. Resizing windows is slowish because of the whole blackfill thing, and I haven't gotten around to trying to install the no-backfill or back-clear patch or whatever. But it doesn't affect minimizing or maximizing or moving windows or anything else. Allegedly you can work around it by enabling Direct2D with the current drivers, but I haven't bothered cause it just hasn't bothered me enough.
Interesting.

I am amazed that it works so well for you considering the problems I have been having, on the same chip...

What distribution? Which kernel? What version of X? 32bit or 64bit?

(sorry for the thread hijack btw.)

fwiffo
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Post by fwiffo » Thu May 20, 2010 7:44 pm

Kubuntu 10.04 64-bit...

mattlach
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Post by mattlach » Fri May 21, 2010 7:18 am

fwiffo wrote:Kubuntu 10.04 64-bit...
Ahh, my thought was that it might have been a 32bit/64bit thing, but thats apparently not it (I use 64bit Ubuntu, and we should be on the same Kernel in that case...)

Maybe its a GDM not playing nice with the ATI drivers issue?

fwiffo
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Post by fwiffo » Fri May 21, 2010 8:52 am

That's the only thing I can think... I did have a problem where sometimes it was getting stuck on the bootsplash. I never tracked down what it was, it might have even been before I installed the binary drivers. But I am not a tender child who needs scary kernel messages hidden from me, so I just turned it off.

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