Help: Quietest 4870 or GTS 250/260 that fits in a SOLO? :D

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:02 pm

EDIT: So i have decided to get either a 4870 or a GTS 250/260.. I just need help picking the quietest (at idle.. I don't care how loud at full load) one that will fit into a Sonata 550 or Solo Case :\

Never really gamed on a PC before. I have always been on consoles. Looking for something cheapish that is quiet and can run newer games decently. Basically a "best bang for your buck card" That isn't noisy.

Right now i have this in my cart..

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36682

Not sure if its fast enough for 1080p on newer games. Read a few reviews and i have no idea what an acceptable FPS is.

Can anyone help? lol

If it helps this is the system im planning on buying so far...

Antec Sonata Plus 550
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.5GHZ (hoping to get it up to 3.5GHZ)
Thermalright LGA775 BOLT-THRU Kit
Xigmatek HDT-S1283
Gigabyte EP45-UD3L ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 PCI-E 2PCI SATA2 HD
G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066
Gigabyte Radeon HD 4850 625MHZ 1GB 1.92GHZ DDR3

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:47 pm

A 4670 is more than fine, unless you want Ã¼bermaximumMOARdetail and 4xAA.

quest_for_silence · Post by **quest_for_silence** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:55 pm

Ollie` wrote:Can anyone help?

I don't think so, but in spit of all I've just said, I even bet that a 4850 can handle almost any games on earth (well, depending on the size of your monitor).

Just replace that E5200: it's cheap but an E5400 (the SLGTK, and not the SLB9V!) is also so, and goes surely better (the SLGTK has VT-x, mandatory for MS Windows 7). The E6300 also has VT but less overclock headroom.

A Q8400S in Italy would cost as two E5400, and would be a better choice for gaming.

Check also new AMD AM3 offerings: X3 705e or X3 720BE would give you some very good bang for your bucks.

Regards,
Luca

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:19 pm

I have a 27 inch 1080 Monitor. I will look at another CPU but i think the E5200 will be fine after i OC it.

I am willing to look at GPUs with fans as long as they are quiet at idle. I don't care how loud they are when im actually playing a game.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php? ... omoid=1078 ?*shrugs*

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 1:27 am

Wow! looks like that passive card gets HOT!!

http://www.casttv.com/video/d2tttg1/gig ... ssiv-video

quest_for_silence · Post by **quest_for_silence** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:03 am

Ollie` wrote:I have a 27 inch 1080 Monitor.

I don't understand what a "1080 monitor" means, anyway you may want to play likely at 2560x1600 with such a diagonal, don't you?

Ollie` wrote:I will look at another CPU but i think the E5200 will be fine after i OC it.

As I already own an E5200, I can say that an E8x00 or a Q8x00 are far better, even with a fairly high overclock (for gaming).

If you don't have already that E5200, buy the E5400: it overclocks better (2 more multiplier) and, as said, it supports the forthcoming Windows 7 (XP mode), while E5200 can't handle it. Here it costs 10-15$ more than the E5200.

Ollie` wrote:I am willing to look at GPUs with fans as long as they are quiet at idle. I don't care how loud they are when im actually playing a game.

From a pure performance standpoint, the best bang for the buck among fanned GPUs is undoubtedly the 4850X2 (due to huge price cuts: now it's almost at half of last November prices): I'd go for it, currently it's larger than life (it's even longer: in fact I dunno if it fits your Solo, or if your EA can handle it). You have to drop those fan speeds to run it quiet (ATI sets them to always high, and in fact it's the coolest card in the wild), or try a fan swap.

Here it costs as a good GTX260, so a bit less than twice the 4850, there +40% over the indicated HD 4870. You may also think twice over a CF 4850.

On the contrary, if you rather to take it easy, both a GTX260 or a cheaper HD 4870 would be fine. For large pockets, liquid cooling would spare a lot of noise even in a high performance environment.

Regards,
Luca

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:10 am

quest_for_silence wrote:
Ollie` wrote:I have a 27 inch 1080 Monitor.

I don't understand what a "1080 monitor" means, anyway you may want to play likely at 2560x1600 with such a diagonal, don't you?

No i don't hehe.. I forgot the "P" sorry... 1080p = 1920x1080 --> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824005127

I am trying to do this as cheap as possible as i was just laid off. I think the 4870 is as high a price as im willing to pay. I just don't want a noisy one

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:15 am

1) Don't get a quad-core for gaming.
2) Any of the cheaper dual-cores should be fine. You probably won't have to overclock as all, since most games are still limited by graphics performance
3) I'm not sure what games your aiming for, but the HD3850 seems a reasonable choice, unless you plan to maximise all settings for the latest first person shooters. Alternatively, a Geforce GTX260 may come handy. Less idle power consumption, more brute force, but also expensive. If I remember correctly, a card was reviewed here - check the main page.
4) Buy the Solo and a separate PSU.
5) PC6400 will suffice (see number 2).

mentawl · Post by **mentawl** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 4:27 am

Just a small point with regards to "4)" above - the GTX260 won't fit in a SOLO without modifying the standard drive cage (aka hacking it up).

lodestar · Post by **lodestar** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 5:16 am

The key factor here as you have already identified is that you are going to be gaming at 1920 x 1080 (or maybe 1920 x 1200), and having built a system to game at this res I think it is quite a tough call.

First of all the benefits of overclocking diminish as the res increases, and at that setting could be of marginal benefit. So its all about the graphics card.

Depending on which games you are going to play you can always reduce the level of details, turn down or turn off anti-aliasing etc. But this does not result in a particularly satisfactory gaming experience particularly on a flat screen monitor or tv.

So really you need to look at the most powerful card you can afford, and probably overclocking it. The usual disclaimers apply, but there are plenty of software utilities that will help you to do this.

One that I use and recommend is EVGA Precision, available from
http://downloads.guru3d.com/EVGA-Precis ... -2251.html which will work with any make of card.

Anyway back to the graphics card. The GTX 260 would be the obvious choice for about another $20 more but it is a long card, to the degree that you may need to modify your case to fit it. If you don't want to do that then I would suggest one of the 1GB GTS 250 cards. The 1GB cards feature a shortened circuit board, shorter than the 512Mb one, and should fit but measure up first.

So you could look at this one
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=36772 ... cture=eVGA
which is mildly overclocked. One of the pluses of the GTS 250 is that it does run fairly cool for a gaming card.

It is $15 more than the 4850, and for those they can fit it without hacking the GTX 260 at current prices is a better option.

In terms of its performance at your res, could I refer you to
http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/har ... 880_8.html

At 1920x1200 res, DX9, Call of Duty 4 the EVGA GTS 250 is less than one frame a second slower than the 4870, and significantly faster than the 4850. It is slower than the 4850 in Quake Wars (86 fps v 93 fps). In S.T.A.L.K.E.R it outperforms the 4870.

At 1920x1200 res, DX10, the EVGA GTS 250 is about 33% faster in Lost Planet: Snow than the 4850.

This is exactly what you would expect of any graphics card. In some games it is faster, in some slower. But in overall terms I think the EVGA GTS 250 is well worth thinking about in view of its compact dimensions and decent performance at your res.

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:06 pm

Cistron wrote:4) Buy the Solo and a separate PSU.
5) PC6400 will suffice (see number 2).

4. Any specific reason why?

5. 1066 is on sale. 4gb for 54 CAD .. I can just under clock it if need be no?

lodestar wrote:So you could look at this one
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=36772 ... cture=eVGA
which is mildly overclocked. One of the pluses of the GTS 250 is that it does run fairly cool for a gaming card.

It is $15 more than the 4850, and for those they can fit it without hacking the GTX 260 at current prices is a better option.

In terms of its performance at your res, could I refer you to
http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/har ... 880_8.html

At 1920x1200 res, DX9, Call of Duty 4 the EVGA GTS 250 is less than one frame a second slower than the 4870, and significantly faster than the 4850. It is slower than the 4850 in Quake Wars (86 fps v 93 fps). In S.T.A.L.K.E.R it outperforms the 4870.

At 1920x1200 res, DX10, the EVGA GTS 250 is about 33% faster in Lost Planet: Snow than the 4850.

Thanks a lot for all that info. I will take a hard look at the GTS 250. Though i had my heart set on a ATI HD card hehe. I guess my main concern is still noise. All of these cards look loud as hell.

EDIT: So i have decided to get either a 4870 or a GTS 250/260.. I just need help picking the quietest (at idle.. I don't care how loud at full load) one that will fit into a Sonata 550 or Solo Case :\

edan · Post by **edan** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:34 pm

Ollie` wrote:
lodestar wrote:So you could look at this one
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=36772 ... cture=eVGA
which is mildly overclocked. One of the pluses of the GTS 250 is that it does run fairly cool for a gaming card.

It is $15 more than the 4850, and for those they can fit it without hacking the GTX 260 at current prices is a better option.
Thanks a lot for all that info. I will take a hard look at the GTS 250. Though i had my heart set on a ATI HD card hehe. I guess my main concern is still noise. All of these cards look loud as hell.

EDIT: So i have decided to get either a 4870 or a GTS 250/260.. I just need help picking the quietest (at idle.. I don't care how loud at full load) one that will fit into a Sonata 550 or Solo Case :\

I'm still working the same problem. I want really quiet at idle and not too annoying when playing a game, and higher-end-ish FPS

I'm putting together an X58 system, which can do SLI or Crossfire, and I keep being tempted by dual HD 4770s, and I almost bought two Asus for $99 each at newegg two nights ago... But they are out of stock now, and here I am again, researching ... lol

Anyway, the Asus GTX 260 seems promising, since they reviewed it here measured it at 12db idle and 17db load. That seems pretty sweet. Newegg has it for $179.99 after rebate.

Sites like xbit labs test noise too, but starting at like 32db ... even so, graphs like this one make me fear cards like the 4870.

So now I'm leading back towards the GTX 260... seems like it is "good enough"

Whether it will fit your case--I guess it will fit your case if you hack it up

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:34 pm

Hehe.. building a quiet computer was SO much easier when i didn't have to think about gaming :\

rpsgc · Post by **rpsgc** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:01 am

This is the card I have. I can confirm that it's very quiet at idle, quieter than my HX-520.

On the other hand, a HD4870's stock cooler is pretty quiet too, as tested by SPCR.

mentawl · Post by **mentawl** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:52 am

Basically, any "standard length" 4870 should fit the Solo fine - they're usually 9.5" long, while a standard GTX260/GTS250 is 10.5". The 4870s have the power connectors at the end of the board though, so they can still foul the HD bays a little, although you can get around that with some creative wiring.

I'm not a huge fan of Tomshardware, but they do at least mention the length of any graphics board they test ( from what I can see ), and they test a lot of boards.

edan · Post by **edan** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:03 pm

mentawl wrote:Basically, any "standard length" 4870 should fit the Solo fine - they're usually 9.5" long, while a standard GTX260/GTS250 is 10.5". The 4870s have the power connectors at the end of the board though, so they can still foul the HD bays a little, although you can get around that with some creative wiring.

It looks like the new GTS 250's are shorter. I haven't double checked for accuracy, but a comment on Newegg said as much, and the card does look like the shorter style: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814121303. Oh, and the sparkle gts250 review here said as much, too. So they should fit without modification.

I don't know how you are going to pick a quiet GTS 250 though. The Sparkle review said it was quiet at idle (just a db or two over the system's base), although it had some clicking noises that were masked by the case. But under load it ramps up and gets "buzzy and whiny." Maybe a different cooler would work better; maybe Asus?

But OP doesn't need my kind of help, as I'm just going to suggest looking at the passive 4850 again

Or a HD 4770, they are cheap and it seems generally accepted (here and xbit labs) at least that they are not too noisy. XBitlabs tested an HIS HD 4770 (the open-air cooler design, not the ATI reference SPCR checked) and found it always ran at +2db over their ambient 33db reference, with occasional spikes to 50db.

Man, this is tough stuff

I just looked at the GTX 260 review here and since it was so quiet (<20 db), and people here in the forums say all the 55nm 260 coolers are the same... and the $184 EVGA 260 is now magically $135 in my Newegg cart (before $30 mail in rebate!!) ... I think that's where I'm going to go

edan · Post by **edan** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 6:09 pm

edan wrote: I don't know how you are going to pick a quiet GTS 250 though. The

FWIW, I noticed the "EVGA GeForce GTS 250 Superclocked 1GB" scored very nicely compared to a wide range of cards in a 4890 vs 275 review on Tech Report, one of the quietest at idle, load, and one of the lowest power users at idle and load as well. I'll post the idle chart here since that was your biggest concern.

Again, FWIW!

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:12 am

^Thanks^. That's still prolly a bit to loud for me though :\

I think i have everything worked out..

Antec Sonata Plus 550
Gigabyte EP45-UD3L ATX LGA775 P45
Intel E5200
Scythe Mugen 2
OCZ XTC Platinum Edition 4GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-18
Gigabyte Radeon HD 4870 750MHZ 1GB 3.6GHZ DDR5
Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev 2
Samsung SH-S223F Black 22X DVD Writer SATA
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
Yate Loon D90BL-12 92MM RED/BLACK X2

.. All that is only about $790 CAD (before shipping and TAX). Not bad and within my budget of $1000 including shipping and TAX. Gonna sleep on it see if i can pull the trigger tomorrow

Ollie` · Post by **Ollie`** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:43 pm

Ended up ordering a Sapphire Vapor-X HD 4890 .. I will let you guys know how it goes (if you care hehe)

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:52 am

Ollie` wrote:Ended up ordering a Sapphire Vapor-X HD 4890 .. I will let you guys know how it goes (if you care hehe)

I am looking forward to your opinion about that Vapor-X cooler ^^

1boredguy · Post by **1boredguy** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:58 pm

Please let us know what you think of that Vapor-X.

I just got mine. I got the 4870 2 gig model.

The fan is very quiet, and I might do Crossfire later on, but it is dwarfed by my 200mm fan, so I might be able to get away with a higher performing+louder graphics card.

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:42 am

33db at idle?

Redzo · Post by **Redzo** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 6:05 am

Matija wrote:A 4670 is more than fine, unless you want Ã¼bermaximumMOARdetail and 4xAA.

You obviously have not been playing newer games for a loooong time have you ?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 6:18 am

Redzo wrote:
Matija wrote:A 4670 is more than fine, unless you want Ã¼bermaximumMOARdetail and 4xAA.

You obviously have not been playing newer games for a loooong time have you ?

I can say that HD 4670 CAN handle Far Cry 2, even its not latest and mightiest game but still pretty demanding... @ 1650 x 1080 resolution Don't dream AA's or best quality graphics setting... But HD 4850 do not have slightest troubles until you start craking everything maximum and such at same resolution.

But HD 4670 can handle games... Questions are resolution and settings.

Help: Quietest 4870 or GTS 250/260 that fits in a SOLO? :D

Help: Quietest 4870 or GTS 250/260 that fits in a SOLO? :D

Re: Help: Never really gamed on a PC...