I need a new video card.

They make noise, too.

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Ozkar
Posts: 179
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:22 pm
Location: Queens, NY

I need a new video card.

Post by Ozkar » Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:58 am

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?

Fire-Flare
Posts: 422
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:44 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: I need a new video card.

Post by Fire-Flare » Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:48 pm

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.

dhanson865
Posts: 2198
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:20 am
Location: TN, USA

Re: I need a new video card.

Post by dhanson865 » Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:44 pm

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).

Ozkar
Posts: 179
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:22 pm
Location: Queens, NY

Re: I need a new video card.

Post by Ozkar » Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:13 pm

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...

Ozkar
Posts: 179
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:22 pm
Location: Queens, NY

Re: I need a new video card.

Post by Ozkar » Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:14 am

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.
This sounds like an excellent option. I'll look into it. My case will be an Antec P183.

atmartens
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:52 pm
Location: Baltimore, USA

Re: I need a new video card.

Post by atmartens » Thu Jan 13, 2011 7:39 pm

Sandybridge is supposed to be fine for playing HD video, and can assist in transcoding. I don't get why you need discrete graphics.

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