Heat question: Video card and normal operation

[capone]

How much does the video card get used in normal GB operation? If it's a GB only system, assumign things like TV, pictures, ect?

I ask because I have a eVGA 5500 card w/ a fan, and it's the loudest fan in there. I can disconnect it, but I wanted to see if it's a big issue on a system that only does GB.

[wannabepvr]

I have a low profile fanless FX5200 and the heatsink gets much too hot to touch. (i.e. it really hurts - but dosn't actually burn - I would guess the heatsink is about 90C - 190F - which puts the chip itself even hotter!)

While I don't particularly like this - it works flawlessly.

If it wasn't such a cheap card (USD $30?) I would probably have done something about it, such as a fan as insurance.

You could always run the fan at 5V or 7V to quieten it down but still move some air.

[capone]

I decided to live w/ it for now, until it a) drives me nuts, b) my wife can actually hear it and mentions it, or c) it dies or misbehaves. If/when it does, I found some good <$50 6200 options that have heat sinks.

[wannabepvr]

Sound like a good plan. I have found that AGP 6200 are becomming a little hard to find - although the price is nice.

I really don't think AGP cards are going to be around very much longer at all.

[gEd]

edit: You could try gluing an 80mm fan onto the heatsink, possibly modding the cable to run at 7v instead of 12v

[capone]

Really? I'm not sure, personally. People got some pretty beefy systems over the last few years, and at 2.8G on my main system, and even using it for work and games, I can't see needing to swap it out any time soon. There just isn't the rush there was to upgrade anymore. Same goes for switch to SATA.

Sound like a good plan. I have found that AGP 6200 are becomming a little hard to find - although the price is nice.

I really don't think AGP cards are going to be around very much longer at all.

[wannabepvr]

There just isn't the rush there was to upgrade anymore. Same goes for switch to SATA.

Agree with you here. My main home PC is still a P4 2.0G and unless you are in to gaming or hi-end graphics there just isn't any need for faster.

It used to be that software demanding continual advances in hardware and hardware was responding. Now I think the hardware folks are leading and trying to encourage the market with new technologies.....and discontinuing old (AGP)

I don't have SATA and I don't have PCI-ex. I don't need them.

But I suspect that PVRs and HD formats may be what leads the next charge!