my upgrade options? (nvidia)

[lanceuppercut]

i've not kept up with new pc tech for a long while, my gaming rig could do with an upgrade, well something to make it a bit quieter wouldnt go amiss and my current gfx has a stinking big fan on it.

have an 8800 (either gt or gts, cant remember off the top of my head) which is pretty ancient by today's standards, so what moderny gfx card is comparable/better in terms of performance than my 8800?

something passive would be preferable, i dont game all that often but if i do, it'll be for first person shooters, something like black ops or fallout new vegas so of course im not going to want something that is worse that what i already have but in the same vein, i want something that is better and value for money.

not a huge gamer so the fast and loud top of the range models are probably out of the question.

cheers.

[Pob255]

You'll not be able to beat it performance wise with a passive card, however their are few low noise options

The gtx460 1gb (stock) is about twice as fast as the 8800gt and the newer gtx560ti is about another 30% faster
The gtx550 is about 80% faster and is the cheapest option.
The gtx460 1gb was great value before but now the gtx560 is down to around £155 it's better much value.

So how much are you willing to spend?
The gtx560 £156 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-k...2x-dvi-i-mhdmi (this one is supposed to be fairly quiet under load)
the Zotac gtx550 £118 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-z...-dvi-i-hdmi-dp (is also supposed to be low noise, even with it's rather basic cooler)

Other option is to look at an aftermarket cooler, you'll still want air flow though so you'd probably want one with a fan, also then I'd sugest looking at an EVGA card as removing the stock heatsink does not void the EVGA warranty (as long as you don't physically damage the card when removing/fitting the heatsink) they are the only company to openly allow this.
Note: not all EVGA cards carry the 10 year warranty, so you need to check the model number if you want the 10year warranty.

[shaithis]

If you want quiet, look for the gigabyte cards with the dual fan windforce coolers. They are extremely quiet.

Whats your budget?

[lanceuppercut]

about £100? really dont know what the standard is theses days.

[shaithis]

The GTX 550 Ti and HD6790 trade blows around that price point.

[lanceuppercut]

decided to go for a (likely to be gigabyte) gtx560 ti.

cheers for all the advice.