I have an 8800gts OC 512MB video card installed on my main computer. It was a nice card when I bought it, but unfortunately, I don't have time to game anymore. Now all it does is make a lot of heat and noise 24 hours a day. I want to sell it and buy a cheap used single slot card like a 256MB 7650 GS. I need a card that can drive two dvi monitors, play HD video without hiccups, is compatible with linux, and works reasonably well under windows 7. It also should be as cheap, quiet and cool running as possible. Will the 7650 GS do that or do I need something more modern?
7650GS is much much much too low, take a look at the 9400GT, it will handle all that and light gaming and can be had for £35 and I can recommend it personally cos I have one
Why not just downclock, and undervolt the card? it's what i do when i know i'm not going to be gaming for awhile. 9600 or 9800GT, don't know how much cooler they would be but you probably better of with one of those than a 7650.
Or better yet you could just shove a aftermarket cooler on that 8800 such as.. http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/AKAS...ith-two-HeatPipe-and-UV-reactive-BLUE-LED-fan For £11.47 Keep the performance but loose the heat and noise.
I'm not looking for a gaming card. Why can't the 7650GS handle two monitors and HD video? Not enough ram? What minimum specs should I be looking for?
And the warranty. How old is the card? If it's out of warranty, go for it, but if it's in you could get much more money for it I suspect
It's not that the card itself is too hot. It's that it's using 150 watts 24 hours a day doing nothing and heating up the room in the process. An aftermarket cooler won't change that.
It would change the heat thing. Another option is to underclock the card so it draws less power. Take you a couple min in windows and the job is done. That way the performance is there whenever you want it by just returning the card to it's stock speeds. If you are realy just set on getting a cheapo card a 9500gt wont cost much and will do what you wish without additional power needed etc. You just pop the stock cooler back on if you want to do a warranty return. You wouldn't send it back with the aftermarket cooler you purchased would you?
How about some free solutions. - My free tweak tool (NvGPUPro), allows you to enable Nvidia PowerMizer technology on desktop GPU's, which should help reduce heat and power consumption. See what other says about it on this very forum: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=166494&highlight=GPU+Pro - Alternatively, you can install Nvidia System Tools found here: http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_system_tools_6.05.html. This Nvidia Control Panel extension, allows you to overclock your GPU using a profile base system which you can load automatically or manually. But overclock, is not all it can do. It can also de-overclock, so you can set the GPU to minimum speeds while you don't game, and return the GPU to normal default speed on demand, when you do. For sure having a Geforce 9300 or 9600 might be the best in having a cooler system, but the above is free, and I think, it is worth a try.
I run an ATI 4650 with a passive heatsink. I have 2x23" monitors both running at 1920x1080 with no problems connected on DVI. Not tried it with HD video as I have a tv for that. lol
for two monitors I'd look for at least 512mb of onboard RAM, and your not telling us much what is your resolution(s) for the two monitors?
I think the very problem is the fan ,8800GTS is not so hot as you see,for more quiet,I suggest HD2600 Pro ,HD 2600 XT,1950GT or 8600GT like mine ,very quiet.
passive 9400GT, dont buy an old card like the 7 series, you may as well get something with a warranty
You're a bit on the old side now.. The HD4670 should be fine, and stay miles away from the HD2600XT, that thing is literally an oven.
They have a combined resolution of 3140x1050. The vram on a card is primarily for gaming and most games blank out the second monitor when running. Do I really need more than 256mb for non-gaming use?
The VRAM is for storing information for the production of images, 256 will be enough for 2 microsoft words, but if you try running a demanding tab in firefox and photoshop at the same time... EDIT: Oh and the 9400GT is far from a gaming card, it is a media card... it runs fairly cool depending on which one you get, - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/155626# - passive with a 5 year warranty for £37 ...
