what *QUIET* GPU for £80-100

[ik9000]

Friend needs a new GPU. Primary machine task=music stuff and home recording, secondary task = gaming. He's just bought a 24" 1080p monitor so would like to upgrade his card to something that will let him enjoy the new screen. He has £80 atm, but could push to a bit more if it's sensible to do so. Was wondering about suggesting these to him but thought I'd post for any thoughts/suggestions.

XFX 6850 (but worried it might be noisy)
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-x...layport-2x-dvi

EVGA GTX460 (£103 on Today Only)
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-e...2x-dl-dvi-i-mi

[RichieLee]

I got a 6850 for £111 on ebuyer, which is more than the £108 you posted from scan but it comes with a free copy of Deus Ex if that's his sort of thing.

http://www.ebuyer.com/284386-his-hd-...card-h685fn1gd

[ik9000]

what are the noise levels like?

[RichieLee]

That I cant tell you sorry ik9000, mine hasn't arrived yet

[ik9000]

no worries, though do post once you got it and run it for a bit. I doubt he'll be buying this week.

[RichieLee]

Yeah no worries ik, I'll be sure to PM you or something, the bits should be coming end of this week early next week but I'm waiting on 2 different suppliers so we'll see when it all comes together. I dont really use any software to measure noise levels though so dont expect a technical report, more like "yeah quiet as a mouse" or "bloody ell I cant think!"

[ik9000]

that's fine, just after a ball park guide.

[DanceswithUnix]

Well that GTX460 looks pretty reference in terms of heatsink so probably the same for noise as mine. In a smoking battlefield with stuff flying everywhere it makes quite a bit of noise, but nothing offensive and frankly I don't tend to notice as in the middle of a firefight there are more pressing things than fan noise

At the desktop the fan slows right down and with the PC under the desk I can't hear it.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

HD6850 1GB under £100 on Ebuyer:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/powe...ebuyer-1110046

[ik9000]

I saw that one last night too. Do you think the cooler will be as good if not better than stock? The standard AMD 6850 faired pretty well for noise in tests according to the Anandtech bench.

[shakerist]

If your friend can put some more money together this might be an option
http://www.ebuyer.com/272570-powerco...50-1gbd5-s3dhg

Its a passive 6850 if you can somehow mount a 120mm with a fan controller it would still be very quiet

[watercooled]

Note that even high-end cards are relatively quiet while idling, it's only during a game they double as a hairdryer. My 5870 isn't audible above the rest of the sysyem at idle, although it's not designed for quietness, but I generally wear a headset for gaming so it's not noticeable then, but it does get noisy. The fan profile does seem quite aggressive though, never letting the card above about 60C, so if I played around with it it should be a fair bit quieter.

A decent GPU with a passive heatsink will still need some air moving over it, especially during gaming, although as shakerist says a decent 120mm fan will be much quieter than the standard high-speed centrifugal fans...

[OilSheikh]

Go for a MSI or GIGABYTE card with a non-reference stock cooler.

I love my MSI Cyclone HD6850!

[ik9000]

Go for a MSI or GIGABYTE card with a non-reference stock cooler.

I love my MSI Cyclone HD6850!

I run the Gigabyte GTX460SOC, it's whisper quiet, but you can't get them for £100

[Dilz]

HD6850 this is good card to get at a decent price!

[MiiCK90]

Got to recommend the Evga over the 6850