Looking for the fastest and most silent VGA (HTPC purpose)

[yannis76]

Hi,

I am looking for the fastest and most silent VGA that can be fitted in this box:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=233&area=en

Right now I have installed a used EVGA GTX680 and when playing games, it is quite audible...

thx

 

[Sasahara]

Give it a massive underclock?

You will struggle to find a powerful silent card to go in a confined case like that, since it's not been made for high end gaming.

Maybe a GTX 750Ti is worth looking at, 60 watts isn't much heat to deal with.

 

[thefogo]

Reference 780.

 

[MagicBoy]

If it's an HTPC why do you need something as quick as a GTX680 in it?

Even a £20 AMD 6450 has more than enough grunt to decode High Def.

 

[EVGAdominik]

in this case it might be best to install a third party heatsink on the card. Generally is only basic thermal paste on the card, when you change this to high quality one it can already help to lower temps a lot. With the EVGA Precision Tool you can then setup a custom fanprofile. The best is to raise the speed right away to the max you feel comfortable with. The Auto fan profile do try to keep the card silent at the beginning but if there is load on the card this do not help if you want to keep it silent. If you raise the fan earlier the card will not get that high with temps and you can mostly keep the max rpm lower then the auto profile which will then also be little more silent.

 

[yannis76]

If it's an HTPC why do you need something as quick as a GTX680 in it?

Even a £20 AMD 6450 has more than enough grunt to decode High Def.

Its a gaming HTPC and while sound is not such a big problem (its 3m away from me) I do hear it, especially while gaming.

 

[yannis76]

in this case it might be best to install a third party heatsink on the card. Generally is only basic thermal paste on the card, when you change this to high quality one it can already help to lower temps a lot. With the EVGA Precision Tool you can then setup a custom fanprofile. The best is to raise the speed right away to the max you feel comfortable with. The Auto fan profile do try to keep the card silent at the beginning but if there is load on the card this do not help if you want to keep it silent. If you raise the fan earlier the card will not get that high with temps and you can mostly keep the max rpm lower then the auto profile which will then also be little more silent.

I think it is also a matter of cooler. The EVGA single fan solution is far inferior to multi fan solutions. I have also listened to Windforce in a Lian-Li case and in idle is very silent.