Passively cooled HTPC- Is this the future?

[mikeaitch]

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1295.html


I was looking for a new case for my HTPC and came across this. It's not cheap, but it looks well made and would be silent with the right components
Anybody have an oipinion?

[meansizzler]

Search the forum for it "HFX" alot of reviews on it, I heard it was very picky abut which ATX motherboard to use...

[springtide]

Mine hasn't arrived yet (been waiting for 4 weeks) and I still haven't managed to find a Motherboards/Graphics card combination that is in stock.

Anyone know for a passively cooled 6600 (or 6200) PCi-E graphics card without heatpipes over the top, TV out "and" in stock? Asus, XFX and a few others make then but not in stock? The only card I've found so far that fits the bill is a Gigabyte ATI x700 card from Scan!

[mikeaitch]

Thanx sizzler, will do


Sprigtide- Overclockers UK have a passive 6600 del 1-3 days

[springtide]

Still can't find it at Overclockers:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/6600.html
Were you looking at thh 6200? Or AGP?

Have you spoken to Overclockers? As this is the only place that sells the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum nForce4 Ultra - PCI-E - 4 PCI slots! Scan Comp have the non-Platinum but doesn't have Firewire!

I have now managed to find a XFX 6600 cards at Komplett :-)

[mikeaitch]

Originally Posted by springtide

Still can't find it at Overclockers:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/6600.html
Were you looking at thh 6200? Or AGP?

Have you spoken to Overclockers? As this is the only place that sells the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum nForce4 Ultra - PCI-E - 4 PCI slots! Scan Comp have the non-Platinum but doesn't have Firewire!

I have now managed to find a XFX 6600 cards at Komplett :-)

[font=Arial]XFX GeForce PCX6600 256MB DDR TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (PVT43PUDH7) (GX-022-XF) [/font]<FONT size=-1>
[font=Arial]Supercharge your gaming with the power of an NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GPU. The NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6600 GPUs deliver best-in-class performance and advanced visual effects for next-generation games. The only GPU in its class with support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 and with support for PCI Express, the GeForce 6600 delivers ultra-realistic effects, unmatched features, and rock-solid stability so you can play your game the way it’s meant to be played.

- GeForce 6800 features at midrange prices!
- Passive Silent Cooling System
- 2 Years Manufacturer Warranty - Call XFX UK on 08700 553366 or 09068354400 for technical support and RMA services.


[/font][font=Arial]Full Specification[/font]<FONT face=Arial>

[springtide]

I didn't spot the *passive* cooling - just saw the picture.

On XFX Website, only their 6600LE cards appear to be passive:

http://www.xfxforce.com/web/product/...gurationId=957

I'll drop OC an email to see if this is passive or not. Thanks for your help

[owain_thomas]

if you can't get hold of one elsewhere keep checking scan for the XFX one - just been ordering some stuff with my dad for his new HCPC and their in-stock/out-of-stock status seemed to change on a daily/hourly basis.

[springtide]

Cool Thanks very much. I shall keep looking/checking

[OneEleven]

Originally Posted by owain_thomas

if you can't get hold of one elsewhere keep checking scan for the XFX one - just been ordering some stuff with my dad for his new HCPC and their in-stock/out-of-stock status seemed to change on a daily/hourly basis.

It looks like mediaPC.tv have some XFX cards now too

[mikeaitch]

The HFX dont do the passive cooler for the 7800


The suppliers have suggested a Zalman flower with slow fan

What does anyone think? defeating the object?

[Skunkpipe]

Originally Posted by mikeaitch

The HFX dont do the passive cooler for the 7800


The suppliers have suggested a Zalman flower with slow fan

What does anyone think? defeating the object?

Not really. Choose the right fan and install it correctly and it should still be quieter than your HDD's

[matthew_hallson]

Hi,

My experience with passive VGA coolers has been mixed... They get very hot and if you put them under load (3d games) you are going to need a lot of active cooling in the chassis to stop them from crashing... which kind of misses the point, as you want a quiet pc, right?

I have a gigabyte x800 passively cooled card that was fine normally, but when playing games the GPU core temperature would go over 110 degrees, and eventually would crash. The only way to prevent this was to keep 2 x 120 mm system fans running flat out... which made just as much noise (probably more) as an actively cooled card.

In the end I switched to the reserator, and have not looked back. It may not be pretty, but it is sure quiet.

Regards,
Matt