I've just upgraded on a P4 from an old ATI card to a Radeon 9800 Pro. While the graphics overwhelm me - I never knew that Flight Simulator had such realistic and fast display! - the fan noise on the Radeon is noticeable. I had read that DDR memory requires a bit extra cooling, but is there any way (apart from moving the PC around the corner of the desk - which sort of works) to reduce the hum?
These high end vid cards run a lot hotter than older ones, ergo they require faster fans, ergo more noise. You can buy aftermarket hsf that will run quieter, go with water cooling, or line the case with sound absorbent materials.
I have the 9700 Pro which was rather noisy, so I installed the Zalman Heat Pipe Kit.... works fine. But I also have the Tt Xaser II case which has a case fan blowing on the AGP/PCI cards.
Thanks for your thoughts. I am off to muzzle my Radeon with the combined Zalman heat sink and quiet fan. Enough is enough for high-end graphics and low-end rumble!
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