New Video Card or New GPU Cooler?

burnsy · May 5th, 2008, 4:56 PM

i have a bit of a dilemma. my current card, ATI X1800XT, is starting to artifact a little, as i'm sure it's because it's getting too hot and i haven't cleaned it out in a while. it only has it's stock cooler on it, and it is extremely loud. i know that other manufacturers such as diamond or HIS have better coolers, but didn't know that at the time, and got an ATI branded one.

So, my question is, what do the FG members think i would need? Either a new, HD Series ATI card, or an ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 Rev 2 VGA Cooler with the turbo fan module to put on it. My system specs below, and games and stuff used on the system below that:

ASUS P5W DH DLX
Intel Core2Duo E6600 @ Stock speed
2GB OCZ (don't remember speed)
ATI Radeon X1800XT 256MB
ATI TV Wonder 650
650W Antec PSU
250GB + 500GB WD HDD's
Vista Premium

LFS (70-80% of time used)
GTA4 (not IV (not on PC yet ))
CoD4
Flight Sim X

stipulation: right now, the current video card is the loudest thing in the case. even the stock CPU cooler is far quieter than the GPU. so, if the recommendation is to go ahead and get a new HD Series card, the one you recommend has to be as quiet as possible, as this system is more of a Media Center than gaming system.

so please FG community, i can't decide, so please help me images/smilies/smile.gif

.

Lilleput · May 5th, 2008, 6:00 PM

Why don't you just clean it out then ?

Vette Boss · May 5th, 2008, 6:12 PM

I think his complaint is, that even when it is clean, the stock cooler is very noisy. Stock coolers usually have loud fans, especially with ATI cards.

Are you pleased with the performance of your current card? You mention it mainly being for media, gaming being a secondary activity. If you're happy with it, just pop the new cooler on and be done with it. images/smilies/smile.gif

jeffy777 · May 5th, 2008, 8:35 PM

I personally wouldn't invest any more money on an outdated card. I recommend an 8800GT. You'll get much better performance in games such as CoD4. And the stock fans on the 8 series are very good as far as cooling and noise levels.

MadCow809 · May 5th, 2008, 8:57 PM

Depends on how much you want to spend.

The cheapest video card thats worth your money should be well over $100.

A nice GPU cooler is around half the price, and it might even fit on your next card, if you decide to upgrade at a later stage.

its your call.

edit - i will post some nice gpu cooler choices up here later.

burnsy · May 5th, 2008, 9:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilleput

Why don't you just clean it out then ?

yeah, like stated below, just too noisy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vette Boss

I think his complaint is, that even when it is clean, the stock cooler is very noisy. Stock coolers usually have loud fans, especially with ATI cards.

Are you pleased with the performance of your current card? You mention it mainly being for media, gaming being a secondary activity. If you're happy with it, just pop the new cooler on and be done with it. images/smilies/smile.gif

yeah, the current card is ok. runs most of my games at max quality, except for FSX, and when i get myself an HD TV, it'll do 1080i nicely. but, there's always room for improvement, and some of the HD Series cards look nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffy777

I personally wouldn't invest any more money on an outdated card. I recommend an 8800GT. You'll get much better performance in games such as CoD4. And the stock fans on the 8 series are very good as far as cooling and noise levels.

in some ways, i agree with this too, but i'd like to stick with an ATI chipset, since i already have an ATI TV card, and just kinda prefer ATI more (not a fanboy images/smilies/smile.gif

). not that i have anything against Nvidia, but my dad has one, and he's always cursing upon it. also, ATI seems to do well for media centers and Nvidia doesn't do as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadCow809

Depends on how much you want to spend.

The cheapest video card thats worth your money should be well over $100.

A nice GPU cooler is around half the price, and it might even fit on your next card, if you decide to upgrade at a later stage.

its your call.

edit - i will post some nice gpu cooler choices up here later.

i already posted on my OP the cooler i would probably get if i stayed with this current GPU. mischief007 has it, says he likes it alot. but, if there are others, with similar, or smaller profile, then i'd take a look at them. (smaller profile because of the TV card, and maybe in the future a nice theater sound card).

MadCow809 · May 5th, 2008, 11:01 PM

Problem with the ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 cooler is that its a passive cooling unit, you might want to strap a 80/120mm fan on the side to help with the cooling.

Most of the 120mm fans are pretty inaudible, so yeah.. I'd say that artic cooling fan is quite a nice choice.

cvrefugee · May 6th, 2008, 12:51 AM

Don't get anything by Arctic Cooling if it has movable parts. I've had three different products of theirs and all three fans developed noisy fan bearings after a year. They claim to have a 6-year warranty, but good luck in getting anything replaced or repaired.

http://www.arctic-cooling.com/service.php

Yes, that is a flowchart.

Crazyjeeper · May 6th, 2008, 1:12 AM

I would get something like this if you are going to stick with ATI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121219

awdrifter · May 6th, 2008, 8:24 AM

Looks like quietness is important factor for you, this HD3870 is complete fanless, so it should be silent.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131089

jensked · May 6th, 2008, 9:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffy777

I personally wouldn't invest any more money on an outdated card. I recommend an 8800GT. You'll get much better performance in games such as CoD4. And the stock fans on the 8 series are very good as far as cooling and noise levels.

I'm with Jeffy, as always images/smilies/tongue.gif

View Poll Results: Which Option?
New HD Series card (specify series and specific manufacturer for quietness)	7	63.64%
Aftermarket Cooler	2	18.18%
Other Option (please specify in a post)	2	18.18%
Voters: 11. You must log in to vote in this poll.

May 5th, 2008, 4:56 PM	#1
burnsy Joined: Mar 25th, 2005 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Indiana, USA Age: 28 Posts: 698 Car: 2006 Ford Ranger FX4 LFS Status: Rep Power: 22	New Video Card or New GPU Cooler? i have a bit of a dilemma. my current card, ATI X1800XT, is starting to artifact a little, as i'm sure it's because it's getting too hot and i haven't cleaned it out in a while. it only has it's stock cooler on it, and it is extremely loud. i know that other manufacturers such as diamond or HIS have better coolers, but didn't know that at the time, and got an ATI branded one. So, my question is, what do the FG members think i would need? Either a new, HD Series ATI card, or an ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 Rev 2 VGA Cooler with the turbo fan module to put on it. My system specs below, and games and stuff used on the system below that: ASUS P5W DH DLX Intel Core2Duo E6600 @ Stock speed 2GB OCZ (don't remember speed) ATI Radeon X1800XT 256MB ATI TV Wonder 650 650W Antec PSU 250GB + 500GB WD HDD's Vista Premium LFS (70-80% of time used) GTA4 (not IV (not on PC yet )) CoD4 Flight Sim X stipulation: right now, the current video card is the loudest thing in the case. even the stock CPU cooler is far quieter than the GPU. so, if the recommendation is to go ahead and get a new HD Series card, the one you recommend has to be as quiet as possible, as this system is more of a Media Center than gaming system. so please FG community, i can't decide, so please help me . __________________ Team FinalGear.com \| CoRe Racing

May 5th, 2008, 6:12 PM	#3
Vette Boss Joined: Nov 14th, 2004 Last Online: 2:52 AM Location: United States, Britain, in time Age: 24 Posts: 3,806 Car: 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Rep Power: 82	I think his complaint is, that even when it is clean, the stock cooler is very noisy. Stock coolers usually have loud fans, especially with ATI cards. Are you pleased with the performance of your current card? You mention it mainly being for media, gaming being a secondary activity. If you're happy with it, just pop the new cooler on and be done with it. __________________ 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T. Das Auto

May 5th, 2008, 8:35 PM	#4
jeffy777 Joined: Feb 8th, 2005 Last Online: Yesterday Location: US Age: 29 Posts: 6,416 Car: '04 Toyota Sienna, crippled people like vans.... Rep Power: 102	I personally wouldn't invest any more money on an outdated card. I recommend an 8800GT. You'll get much better performance in games such as CoD4. And the stock fans on the 8 series are very good as far as cooling and noise levels. __________________ A man named Jeffy once said, "If laziness is craziness, then I've lost my marbles...and I don't feel like trying to find them." FG Fantasy Baseball League: Indianapolis Icicles

May 5th, 2008, 8:57 PM	#5
MadCow809 Joined: Feb 23rd, 2006 Last Online: 12:24 AM Location: Durban, South Africa & Los Angeles, CA Age: 24 Posts: 5,595 Car: 2007 E87 BMW 130i & 2008 VW MKV GTI 2.0T DSG LFS Status: Rep Power: 109	Depends on how much you want to spend. The cheapest video card thats worth your money should be well over $100. A nice GPU cooler is around half the price, and it might even fit on your next card, if you decide to upgrade at a later stage. its your call. edit - i will post some nice gpu cooler choices up here later. __________________ Supporting : Kimi Räikkönen \| Jenson Button \| Michael Schumacher \| Robert Kubica \| Sebastian Vettel \| Petter Solberg \| Mikko Hirvonen \| Andy Priaulx \| Jason Plato \| Mat Jackson Nokia N95 8Gb Nokia N97 32Gb RM-505 Unlocked v11.0.21 -> v12.0.024 -> v20.0.019 -> v21.0.045 09 VW MKV Golf GTI 2.0T DSG \| APR Stage 1 \| LHD FOR SALE 08 Honda Civic Coupé \| LHD 06 BMW 130i \| RHD ~~05 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS \| RHD~~ 05 Ford Bantam 1.3i \| RHD ~~95 Mercedes Benz E320 Sportline \| RHD~~

May 5th, 2008, 6:00 PM	#2
Lilleput Banned Joined: Jun 9th, 2005 Last Online: February 11th, 2010 Location: United Kingdom of Denmark Age: 26 Posts: 3,169 Car: Ford S-Max Titanium - 268hp Rep Power: 0	Why don't you just clean it out then ?

May 5th, 2008, 11:01 PM	#7
MadCow809 Joined: Feb 23rd, 2006 Last Online: 12:24 AM Location: Durban, South Africa & Los Angeles, CA Age: 24 Posts: 5,595 Car: 2007 E87 BMW 130i & 2008 VW MKV GTI 2.0T DSG LFS Status: Rep Power: 109	Problem with the ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 cooler is that its a passive cooling unit, you might want to strap a 80/120mm fan on the side to help with the cooling. Most of the 120mm fans are pretty inaudible, so yeah.. I'd say that artic cooling fan is quite a nice choice. __________________ Supporting : Kimi Räikkönen \| Jenson Button \| Michael Schumacher \| Robert Kubica \| Sebastian Vettel \| Petter Solberg \| Mikko Hirvonen \| Andy Priaulx \| Jason Plato \| Mat Jackson Nokia N95 8Gb Nokia N97 32Gb RM-505 Unlocked v11.0.21 -> v12.0.024 -> v20.0.019 -> v21.0.045 09 VW MKV Golf GTI 2.0T DSG \| APR Stage 1 \| LHD FOR SALE 08 Honda Civic Coupé \| LHD 06 BMW 130i \| RHD ~~05 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS \| RHD~~ 05 Ford Bantam 1.3i \| RHD ~~95 Mercedes Benz E320 Sportline \| RHD~~

May 6th, 2008, 12:51 AM	#8
cvrefugee Joined: Aug 16th, 2004 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Corona, CA Age: 29 Posts: 3,821 Car: 2005 Scion xB Rep Power: 91	Don't get anything by Arctic Cooling if it has movable parts. I've had three different products of theirs and all three fans developed noisy fan bearings after a year. They claim to have a 6-year warranty, but good luck in getting anything replaced or repaired. http://www.arctic-cooling.com/service.php Yes, that is a flowchart.

May 6th, 2008, 1:12 AM	#9
Crazyjeeper Joined: Nov 29th, 2006 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Dallas, Texas Age: 20 Posts: 5,622 Car: '85 CJ7, '97 F150, '84 VF500F Interceptor Rep Power: 213	I would get something like this if you are going to stick with ATI. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121219 __________________

May 6th, 2008, 8:24 AM	#10
awdrifter Joined: Aug 29th, 2004 Last Online: 12:33 AM Posts: 2,123 Rep Power: 59	Looks like quietness is important factor for you, this HD3870 is complete fanless, so it should be silent. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131089 __________________ TP

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