What's the quietest 8800 card?

[Guest]

I had a Albatron 8800GT which was quite enough but it broke and it was replaced by a TwinTech 8800GT. The TwinTech is quite noisy and I need to replace it with something quite. I have a antec p182 case but still the twintech card is clearly heard it a moderately quite room. So my question is this - What is the quietest 8800 series card? be it a GT/GTX/GTS what ever.

 

[col-p-todd]

There is a 8800gt card that is cooled passively, but I don,t care tomuch for that brand.
http://www.sparkle.com.tw/product_detail.asp?id=57&sub_id=152

But otherwise this card with a Fanmate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150280

 

[pauldh]

Ah, you beat me.

 

[pauldh]

You could just replace the stock cooler instead of the card. Many of us here are running Zalman VF900 CU coolers on ours. There are lots of other options too though.

There are passively cooled 8800GT cards if you are running stock speeds and have good airflow. I'm a bit leary of a passive cooled 8800GT and would prefer to at least having a low rpm fan on it (like a quiet nexus fan running 5v)

The reference 8800GTS 512MB cooler is pretty quiet, maybe some people who own them can comment more.

 

[col-p-todd]

Yes that is also an option to yust replace the cooler with another. I just order 2 of the XFX cards because It is by far the cheapest option. because now for the price of a 8800gt I also get a zalman cooler for free, saves me spending 40 buck on another zalman cooler and the trouble of mounting it to the card.

 

[DatmanII]

I'm happy with my Gainward 8800GT Golden Sample, dual slot cooler, cool and quiet.
Full load only gets to 55'c.

But the Zalman cooler would be a cheaper option.

 

[Guest]

What's the quietest card out of the box?

 

[pauldh]

What's the quietest card out of the box?

Passive 8800GT would be silent. Look at the load temps though.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3165&p=2

 

[jay2tall]

I have an XFX 8800GTS/512. You can't hear the fan at idle. During games it is still relatively quiet, I can't here it over the explosions and such. The stock 8800GT fan usually runs pretty high which generates alot of noise, but at idle should still be somewhere quiet.

 

[Guest]

are you sure about the XFX?

I had one in my computer for a few days and it was so loud I had to put in some crap 4 year old card until i got my twintech back.

Mind you it was a xfx 8800gt and not a GTS.

Should there be any difference? Was the card I had defective?

 

[pauldh]

Your XFX 8800GT probably had a single slot 100% fan cooler (2 wire fan) His 8800GTS is a dual slot variable speed cooler. (4 wire fan)

 

[Guest]

Do all the XFX 8800GTS cards have a 4 wire fan?

 

[pauldh]

Can't say for sure, I have never heard of anyone with a reference cooled 8800GTS that skimped on a 2-wire fan. XFX has done it to the reference cooled 8800GT (which to me is a lame move on their part) as well as their non-reference 8800GS style fan.

 

[jay2tall]

Can't say for sure, I have never heard of anyone with a reference cooled 8800GTS that skimped on a 2-wire fan. XFX has done it to the reference cooled 8800GT (which to me is a lame move on their part) as well as their non-reference 8800GS style fan.

I agree. I knew their GS was 2 wire 100% but I didn't know until now they did it to the GT. I just looked on Newegg and sure enough they have a few cheap GT models with the same cooler setup. They also have the original GT cooler that IS controller. Those I heard aren't bad until under load.

The GTS has a very nice stock cooler, I was impressed. Guess this is why you don't see any aftermarket coolers installed on the GTS like you see for the GT's. In my opinion the GT should have just had a better cooler. But I guess it was cheaper than the GTS cooler an XFX did it cheaper yet with the 2 wire cooler, which is very lame. Someone not knowing that could get a nice LOUD card.

 

[Guest]

So if I get a XFX 8800GTS 512mb will it be quiet?

I don't mind noise during gaming but when I'm just surfing the net I want it to be quiet.

 

[jay2tall]

So if I get a XFX 8800GTS 512mb will it be quiet?

I don't mind noise during gaming but when I'm just surfing the net I want it to be quiet.

Yes, unless you can hear squirrels in the tree scratching their nuts, you won't hear much at all. If you stick your head to the vent you may hear a slight whisp of air, but who does that. My CPU fan is louder. and its a Sythe silent jobber throttled with a fan control to 50%. It hovers around 39-42% duty on idle. But kicks on around 55C and then again at 60C and 65C. It's never reached 70C and only saw 66-67 once or twice now that it's warmer weather.

 

[pauldh]

I agree. I knew their GS was 2 wire 100% but I didn't know until now they did it to the GT. I just looked on Newegg and sure enough they have a few cheap GT models with the same cooler setup. They also have the original GT cooler that IS controller. Those I heard aren't bad until under load.

The GTS has a very nice stock cooler, I was impressed. Guess this is why you don't see any aftermarket coolers installed on the GTS like you see for the GT's. In my opinion the GT should have just had a better cooler. But I guess it was cheaper than the GTS cooler an XFX did it cheaper yet with the 2 wire cooler, which is very lame. Someone not knowing that could get a nice LOUD card.

Believe it or not XFX sold the 8800GT with the reference heatsink (not the 8800GS heatsink), but with a 2-wire 100% fan. I went back and forth trying to help someone here and in the end his XFX 8800GT was reference heatsink, 2-wire fan. I'll try to find the thread link. That was the lame move as you would think looking at it it was a reference 8800GT and the fan header is hidden from the pics.