Looking to upgrade my horsepower

[slash196]

So I'm still cranking away with my old-ass 6800GT...been a great card but lately the fan noise is driving me bonkers. Looking for something sub-200 dollars that will clock good frames in games, but above all that comes with an effective and QUIET cooler. Don't have the patience to do aftermarket cooling, I just want to plug and play. Who out there has a card that they're happy with and doesn't sound like a damn wind tunnel?

 

[myocardia]

I recently bought a 9800GTX+, and it's completely inaudible (compared to my case fans, which aren't loud), even while playing Crysis. They have really good coolers, that exhaust their air from the case. It was $200 about two weeks ago, but they've come down slightly since then (of course).

 

[Cookie Monster]

So im assuming that you use the resolution of 1280x1024. Buying a new card will definately give you some performance, but you will be cpu limited that might "cripple" the card. Maybe its best to save up for an upgrade.

However if thats not an option, then something like 9600GSO/9600GT/HD3870/HD4670 might be the cards to look for. Often stock cooling is loud, so look for a custom cooler.

 

[Pyrokinetic]

A 2-slot cooler is the way to go if you want a quiet stock card. The 9800 GTX+ that myocardia mentioned is a good choice on the Nvidia side; however, if you like ATI, HIS and MSI both make Radeon HD 4850s with some beefy 2-slot coolers for under $200.

Either card is a good choice and they have comparable performance.

My old-ass 6600 is slated to be replaced soon by a GTX 260.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
So im assuming that you use the resolution of 1280x1024. Buying a new card will definately give you some performance, but you will be cpu limited that might "cripple" the card. Maybe its best to save up for an upgrade.

I missed that A64 3200 in his sig. Yeah, I'm CPU-bound with my 9800GTX+, until I get my E7200 over 3.4 or 3.5 Ghz, and that's more than twice as fast (per core) as his 3200+, @ 1280x1024. Good catch, Cookie Monster.

However if thats not an option, then something like 9600GSO/9600GT/HD3870/HD4670 might be the cards to look for. Often stock cooling is loud, so look for a custom cooler.

He's still going to be CPU-bound with all of those cards, although less so with the HD4670 and 9600GSO, obviously. At least they're dirt cheap now, and are still much, much faster than his 6800GT.

 

[slash196]

Actually I run 1600 x 1200, and my sig is out of date, I've got an athlon X2 now...not a huge leap I'll admit but I have no inclination to gut my whole system and upgrade CPU, mobo, AND RAM.

 

[Foxery]

Update your sig

Generally speaking, the highest end products (*700 series for ATI, *800 series for nVidia) are the hottest & loudest, and midrange products (*600 series for both) are very toned down. On the ATI side, I know HIS has their own fans for the *800 series called "ICEQ" that are noticeably quieter.

Beyond that... check some reviews on the main site to see what fits into your budget and performance needs.

 

[will889]

Asus 9800GT with a nice quiet fan - 25.00 MIR knocks it down to 109.99 and has free shipping.

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[slash196]

I found an HIS 4670 with an ICEQ cooler for 90 bucks...two slot but so is my current card. It should whip the hell out of my current card and do it with less fuss to boot.

 

[coolpurplefan]

Look at the Zalman VF1000 reviews on newegg.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by: will889
Asus 9800GT with a nice quiet fan - 25.00 MIR knocks it down to 109.99 and has free shipping.

Text

This is quite a nice deal. A 9800GT should be much more faster than the HD4670.

 

[slash196]

I checked, the 9800 GT won't fit in my case, it's like 9 inches long. It'll run right into my hard drive.

 

[will889]

Originally posted by: slash196
I checked, the 9800 GT won't fit in my case, it's like 9 inches long. It'll run right into my hard drive.

Can you move the HD?