Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.ati (
More info?)
I have a Radeon 9550 256MB made by ATI, NO FAN.
It plays all the games fine, I am enjoying Half life II on this card with
excellent results..
And it is Windows XP Meida Center Edition 2005 compatible! Recorded TV looks
fatastic both on TV and Monitor.
It is certainly the best choice in Canada right now since it is on promotion
at futureshop this week.
"ofn01" <netusr@internet.not> wrote in message
news:wLGdneyiOIulLdLfRVnyug@pipex.net...
> Bill Crocker wrote:
>> "ofn01" <netusr@internet.not> wrote in message
>> news:8fGdnTzwMNYhd9PfRVnyrQ@pipex.net...
>>
>>>Bill Crocker wrote:
>>>
>>>>How is gaming on the Radeon 9550 256MB? I know by today's standards,
>>>>it's an entry level card. However, concern of keeping the noise levels
>>>>low, I want to use a card that does not require a cooling fan. I'm
>>>>aware of the Zalman passive heat sinks, for higher-end cards, but you're
>>>>still generating heat, which builds up in the box, then you need a
>>>>better fan to vent the box, equaling more noise, again.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks,
>>>>Bill Crocker
>>>
>>>I have owned and have seen a number of 9550SE's that are passively
>>>cooled. The standard 9550's that I have seen do have a fan on though. The
>>>difference between the 9550 and the 9550SE is that the SE has a 64bit
>>>memory bus instead of 128. From what I saw in comparing my results to
>>>others on futuremark's ORB the 9550SE was about 30-40% slow than a
>>>standard 9550 which is slower than a 9600/9600Pro/9600XT.
>>>
>>>I was able to play call of duty pretty ok at 1024x768 on the 9550SE but
>>>trying to play the doom 3 demo it was pretty slow in places. Even on my
>>>9600XT to play it well I have it at high quality but only 800x600
>>>resolution.
>>>
>>>SO be sure of which 9550 you're getting if you're looking at a passive
>>>cooling solution.
>>
>>
>> This is at ATI's own web site, showing the Radeon 9550 with a heat sink
>> only, no fan:
>>
>>
http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9550/gallery.html
>>
>> Bill Crocker
>>
>>
>
> Check my post in the other thread - chances are this is an SE model.
> Main thing to be aware of is which card you're getting - the SE is fairly
> crippled compared to the standard. Also from what I have seen your 5700 is
> much more comparable to a 9600. If noise is a problem but your budget is
> not, you could consider the 'ultimate' range from sapphire which are
> passively cooled...
>
> They do a 9600XT ultimate which would definitely compete well with your
> 5600 (they do a 256mb version as well)
>
>
http://www.sapphiretech.com/vga/9600-xt-ult.asp