I have a passive HD4670 but I'd like something with just a little more grunt to run StarCraft 2 at max settings on 1600x1200.

I have a Nexus RS 120mm top fan controlled by my mobo acting as an exhaust and cooling the CPU HS. The fan ramps up if the CPU gets hot, which is never. I have a 120mm rear fan that's on a fan controller at 0V the rest of the time and 12V when I play StarCraft - but I need to remember to turn it up every time I play.

I'd like a card that when idle is effectively inaudible in a very quiet environment (P180 is under the desk but the door is always open to access the power button) so I don't need to keep remembering to turn up a case fan.

Powercolor 6850 passive, I have one with a 800 rpm Slipstream zip-tied:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... ubcat=1866
I keep mine at a constant 600 rpm for games, and max temps of 60-65C, but for Furmark I need 800 rpm.
The only thing I don't like about this card is that the VRMs have no heatsinks (the memory has).
The VRMs are supposed to be cooled by the backplate, which makes contact on the back through thermal tape.

Here's a gpu benchmark for Starcraft II at Techspot. Take a look and see what range of cards you'd like to get. Depending on how you like to set the picture quality and fps you'd like, at 1600x1200, you could go from an HD5750/6750/GTX460 and up.

Thanks for that, I'd seen it while back but it is quite old now. The 5770 or 5830 seems like good option and both are well under £100.

What are the current equivalent cards?




Thanks but I'd like to keep it this side of £100 (I'd hope this would buy a decent upgrade considering my card was only £60 a couple of years back). Sorry, I should have said that in the original post but I always think os this as a US site with a $ audience

Ok, going downward in price and framerate:

MSI cyclone HD 6850 @ £113. The cyclone series is a great cooler.
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6770 Vapor-X @ £100, or MSI R6770 Twin Frozr II
MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti

If your budget allows you to, then a passive 5770 (or 6770, which is practically the same). I believe ASUS makes a passive 6770. Zip-tying a fan to the heatsink reduces the temperatur tremendously!

Does those fanless video cards have fan controller?

I saw they have a video card PWM fan header but I don’t know whether it works.

I’d like to use the below accessory with a zip tied Slip Stream and let the video card controlling the speed according to temperature, like a common video card.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... s_id=33252

The PWM header on graphic card is smaller than the fan's plug -> adapter cable.

I already had posted this adaptor. I saw that the cards have a fan header. What I'd like to know is if they have a controller circuit on themselves. And more, if they can be configurable by software speed control.

If so, then we can use that Gelid to hook up a fan in the card e turn it an active cooled video card as whatever other stock active cooled.

However, it can be that fan header in those cards aren’t controlled. It can be that is just 4-pin to allow a standard video card fan but without a capability of auto adjust of speed.

I used the fan plug from my graphic card's original cooler's fan and attached it to a Scythe PWM 12cm fan. Worked great.
Except it came apart because I didn't put it together well. If the wires were fitted to header better it would still work. Lacking skills, not lacking general feasibility.

boost, what is your graphic card?

I have a Sapphire 4890 @ 930MHz with a Thermalright HR-03. Since the plug came apart I have used an unregulated 12cm fan with about 800RPM.
I haven't bought the adapter because it's 3€ + 8€ shipping. I'll buy one with my next order of some fans and other assorted parts.

Thanks.

So yours isn't a fanless video card. Obviously your video card DOES control a PWM fan. The adapter is only to convert the connector from large to small, since standard video cards use a small header.

What I wonder is if e.g. the header on the PowerColor SCS3 HD6850 works, and if its BIOS has automatic control of fan speed.