I have a computer that acts as a file server and quiet general purpose machine. It's on non-stop, runs Ubuntu, and I need a graphics cart that can stay powered on 24/7 without borking, while being passively cooled. I don't do any 3D work on it, and all it needs to do it serve two screens (1680*1050 + 1280*1024) for general desktop use - internet, text, IM, music and video reproduction, that sort of thing. Now, that might not sound like a complicated thing, but I've had a passively cooled Radeon 2400 in it that died after about 3 months, and now it seems the Radeon 4350 I have in it is about to die as well (random artefacts, lines and noise) after about 4 months of use. Now, is it just ATI being incompetent at making a passively cooled card? Or am I just asking for too much? Would going with an nVidia card give me something that lasts at least a year? Specs include a C2D E6300 (the old 1.86GHz one), intel's DP965LT and an OCZ 500-and-something W modular PSU (don't think the rest matters in this case)...
Any card with a large cooler, will allow easy 24/7 operation for 3-4 years. If you want a passive cooler card, you better have excellent case air flow... and having 200 fans, doesn't make is a good case air flow.. it's all about having the fan directing the fresh air in the case touching the component and warm air out of the case.
i got one of these for my home server: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159711 as with any passively cooled card - you still need to have some sort of airflow to get rid of the heat from the heatsink.
The airflow isn't the problem, I think. I've made sure it's good since it houses a sizeable amount of hard drives, and the case isn't too shabby either (A CM Centurion 500-and-something, not sure of the exact number). I'm just getting the impression that the lower-end ATI cards have horribly inefficient cooling when it comes to voltage regulation (the heatsinks on the cards were never hot enough to seem too high), and that the constant operation is what's killing them. Anyone know if something like an nVidia 9500 or such could run 24/7?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0C3KV7F4HTMPJKENXQHS Is what I use, I have two quiet 120mm fan blowing through the case, but it maintains a decent temperature, and I can't hear a peep out of it, it'll run just about anything bar high end games, perfect.
