I'm building a system with a Sandybridge 2600k processor and the p67 chipset (no integrated graphics). I need a good video card to go with this sytem. I am not a gamer, although I will probably play at most 1 game over the next 3 years. I do want a good quality video card for excellent video playback and the occasional encoding/transcoding job. My monitor will probably be a 23 inch monitor (not sure of the resolution yet)
I want it to be as quiet as possible, of course. What would you recommend?
I need a new video card.
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
-
- Posts: 422
- Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:44 pm
- Location: Seattle
Re: I need a new video card.
I use a Sapphire 5670 Ultimate. Has a fanless cooler that doesn't fit in all cases, but it does play StarCraft 2 at maximum settings at 1440x900 resolution and I never saw any stuttering.
-
- Posts: 2198
- Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:20 am
- Location: TN, USA
Re: I need a new video card.
I'd look for a 5670 or 5750 fanless card for complete silence. Powercolor, Gigabyte, and Sapphire all make fanless 5xxx cards.
Powercolor 5750 fanless is $150-180 depending on which version you get (green or scs3) and who you buy it from.
Sapphire 5670 fanless is $100 - $120 depending on who you buy it from.
Gigabyte 5750 fanless is $150.
There are tradeoffs pros and cons to each of these four cards but to get something faster it takes more money.
Gigabyte makes a 5770 fanless that is about $170 but beware it doesn't fit in all cases that the smaller cards fit in.
Powercolor has announced a 6850 SCS3 that will be fanless but it isn't out yet or at least my price search didn't find it. I would expect it to run in the $250 to $300 range and it's heatsink extends above the card so it may also not fit in some cases.
but if you aren't a serious gamer the 5670 would be a cheap option and a 5750 would be a nice middle priced option that would more than handle any concerns so long as you get one that has a displayport connector (not all 5750 cards have displayport).
Powercolor 5750 fanless is $150-180 depending on which version you get (green or scs3) and who you buy it from.
Sapphire 5670 fanless is $100 - $120 depending on who you buy it from.
Gigabyte 5750 fanless is $150.
There are tradeoffs pros and cons to each of these four cards but to get something faster it takes more money.
Gigabyte makes a 5770 fanless that is about $170 but beware it doesn't fit in all cases that the smaller cards fit in.
Powercolor has announced a 6850 SCS3 that will be fanless but it isn't out yet or at least my price search didn't find it. I would expect it to run in the $250 to $300 range and it's heatsink extends above the card so it may also not fit in some cases.
but if you aren't a serious gamer the 5670 would be a cheap option and a 5750 would be a nice middle priced option that would more than handle any concerns so long as you get one that has a displayport connector (not all 5750 cards have displayport).
Re: I need a new video card.
I forgot to mention that I'm willing to spend up to $200 for the card. I don't want to waste money on power I'll never use, but I also don't want to buy something that will struggle to keep up with my needs...
Re: I need a new video card.
This sounds like an excellent option. I'll look into it. My case will be an Antec P183.dhanson865 wrote:
Gigabyte makes a 5770 fanless that is about $170 but beware it doesn't fit in all cases that the smaller cards fit in.
Re: I need a new video card.
Sandybridge is supposed to be fine for playing HD video, and can assist in transcoding. I don't get why you need discrete graphics.