Help Me Pick LowProfile 4650: Powercolor/Sapphire/Apollo? Anyone own these?

[Tom80112]

I have a slimPC so I need a Low Profile Video Card.
I decided on ATI 4650 Chipset.
I have 3 choices: Powercolor Sapphire or Apollo

These are all on Newegg for about the same price.
There are lot's of reviews on the Sapphire but few on the other 2.

Has anyone bought any of these low profile 4650s?

My Concerns are:
1. Sharp Text
2. Quiet Fan (Don't want a loud fan at least)
3. Rich Colors

Some may disagree I see differences in Text Sharpness and Rich Colors
with certain cards. I bought a Sapphire years back that had poor text and
blah colors no matter how much I adjusted and the monitor or the ATI control
panel. I swapped it for a uber expensive "ATI made" card and it was super
crisp with text and very vibrant in color. Now I have a new PC with Integrated
Video and need a new card.

Thanks!

 

[Stoneburner]

Your experience is odd considering Saaphire makes the "built by ATI" cards. There should be no difference. I'd recommend in this order though.

Powercolor, Saphire, then apollo.

Assuming prices are the same. Otherwise, go for the cheapest.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I dont know about these cards, but I have a Visiontek HD4650. The fan is fairly quiet at lower settings but really loud at higher settings. However, so far I have not found it necessary to us a high fan setting.

Will a HD4670 fit? It might be a better choice if you can afford it and find one that fits. I thought I could overclock the 4650 to close to 4670 levels, but the 4650 does not overclock that well. I wish I had gone with the 4670 because of the DDR3 memory in contrast to the DDR2 in the 4650. However, it you are not into gaming, either card should be fine.

 

[Tom80112]

Stoneburner:

I was leaning towards the PowerColor personally but I was wondering if
you could share your rational as to why it's better than the other 2 brands..
Thanks!

frozentundra123456:

No one makes a lowprofile 4670 yet so that is not an option for my slimPC case.

 

[bluemax]

SAPPHIRE! Wihtout question! The other two (and I have the Powercolor - ick!) have LOUD, crappy fans.

Other than that, the technology is equal.