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The Official Graphics Card and PC gaming Thread
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 00:00 |
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@Rich
If you plan Quad Crossfire, I would really recommend Core i7. Any build like that is one of those extreme cases where i7 is truly useful. Not to say you wouldn't be just as happy with a high end quad like Sam's... it would save you some money. But i7 really has the horsepower to push 4 cards to the max. It would also be a bonus to find a compatible board with full 16x Crossfire. I'm sure there are some reasonable X58 boards with everything you're looking for. I personally like Gigabyte and DFI. Though it's already been made clear that Gigabyte is not especially multi card centric.
As to Leaving your stuff on 24/7... I do it. My machines are on almost all day and night. Mostly just restarts for Windows update and drivers and the like. The power bill isn't great, but not terrible seeing they're mostly idle when I'm not using them :P
And Windows 7... still mostly beta. It's pretty nice so far but I'm still keeping XP Pro till 7 hits a final release. It's pretty buggy yet but they're fixing it MUCH more quickly than any Windows OS I've seen before. If they keep it up, Windows 7 is looking to be spectacular :D
On another note. Anyone play Tom Clancy's HAWX yet? It's friggen amazing. The graphics are GREAT and even the 9600GT runs it maxed with 4xAA at 1920 res. Locked at 60FPS. Maybe going to 35 or so in a super intense explosion with artillery pounding the deck and debris flying everywhere :D
The ground detail is spectacular as well. They use a mix of satellite imagery and some clever bump mapping to make the game nearly photo realistic at times. The detail on everything is astounding given the size of the maps and the scale of the gameplay. We're talking World in Conflict style graphics for ground troops you can barely see. The game is that awesome.
And I can plug in my corded 360 controller and the game detects it instantly, full rumble and button mapping and everything :D
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 00:14
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Senior Member
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30. March 2009 @ 00:08 |
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I leave most of my computers on all the time to. But I set them to hibernate after a certain amount of time so that I dont waste too much energy. I would also agree that a core i7 will help alot with quadfire. If your not going to get core i7 then I would just stick with 2 gpus.
GAMING COMPUTER - Intel q9550 @ 3.4ghz | EVGA GTX 260 core 216 | Gigabyte ds3l | 6gb Gskill DDR2 800 ram | Silverstone 700 watt psu | WD 640gb hdd | Seagate 300gb hdd | LG dvd burner | Samsung dvd burner | Antec p182 case | logitech 2.1 speakers | logitech g11 keyboard | Samsung 25.5in 1900x1200 monitor | 19in 1440x900 secondary monitor | Windows 7 64bit | SERVER - Gigabyte 785g motherboard | AMD Phenom 9650 | 6gb ram | three 1.5tb hdd | Seagate 1tb hdd | WD 750gb hdd | two 300gb hdd | Maxtor 200gb hdd | Ark rackmount case | CentOS 5.5
Steam name = "krj15489" alias = Jordan-k
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 00:09 |
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Yah...my power bill averaged under 30$ a month in my apartment. I lived alone, and the only things I ran were the dish washer, my computer, the fridge kicked on every now and again, but otherwise I was a real stickler about keeping lights off where I didnt need them!
They better be on top of windows 7! The number 7...I hold HIGH regards to the number. As gold is to the average person, the number seven is to me. The number 7 stands out! Its my lucky number, and apparently many that work for M$ LOL
Well...I got my 8600GT running at a little OC! 540 stock is now running 594 with a 50mhz mem bump! Im gonna go pick up GTA IV and see how it runs!
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 00:16 |
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GTA IV is an odd duck. I've seen people with duals and 4870s getting single digits at parts. And I've seen people with quads and HD3850s getting awesome results. The game is bugged badly and is heavily processor dependent. Just some knowhow before you get it.
Also, read my edit above if you didn't catch it...
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 00:19
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 00:22 |
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Do you think that the new Phenom II can take it? I read on the box at walmart (LOL), that my card was bare minimum. So if it is supported, and my overclock runs well, I might be ok for a couple weeks anyway! GTA SA looks pretty good.
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 00:24 |
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San Andreas is a great game. I just played it all day today XD
And yes a Phenom II should be more than enough for GTA IV. In fact, the Phenom II is enough for most high end configs. I'm using the same chip as you, only OC'd 200MHz faster :P
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 00:29 |
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What kinda temps you seeing. People seem to think I have a stuck sensor in the low end. It averages 22-24C idle! Under load however it will hit 45-48C. I have the arctic freezer pro 64. Im kind of afraid to take it higher, if I have a bad sensor!
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 03:07 |
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You might have a stuck sensor or bad readings. Both my processor and cooler are properly lapped and I'm seeing 34C idle and 51C load with a Tuniq Tower 120.(though I could have the bad sensor, IDK)
What voltage are you running at and what program are you using for temps?
I'm using Speedfan BTW with auto fan settings.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 03:13
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 03:15 |
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I have the HAF 932 CM, Ive used Everest, Speedfan, the bios, another program I forget the name LOL. Each have shown same similar readings. Thats why both russ(theonejrs) and I believe it to be stuck in the low end temps. It doesnt come to life so to speak, til the hotter temps. Core temps average around 55-60C under EXTREME load(Prime95)! While the CPU is hitting 45-48C. Since the cores are showing close to Peak tolerance, I think im pretty happy with 3.5! Though I hear of people hitting 4.0! I dont need to hit that though :) Im sure 3.5 will make me happy atleast for a couple years. Though i'll probably underclock it for the summer LOL! Its semiarid here(almost desert)
Oh! Sorry, the voltage is 1.4
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 03:17
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 03:33 |
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Well your temps seem fine then. But I would consider Prime 95 as your true load temp. My 51*C load temp is in Prime 95 :)
Strange though that it's only stuck in lower temps as those idle temps are extremely cool, even for winter here in Wisconsin :P
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 03:40 |
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LOL, wisconney huh? I lived next door in minnesota not that long ago! Yes, it does get friggin cold their!!!
Im now living in oregon! Much more bearable temps! Also where I was raised.
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 03:40
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 07:25 |
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No resume from sleep is a really common bug with motherboards as well as Win7, so I never use sleep on that basis.
Omegaman: GPUs don't overclock like CPUs, nowhere near. To get more than a 10% clock speed increase stable is very unusual.
Much like Light bulbs and perhaps PSUs, HDDs also last longer if they run 24/7 than if they spin up and down all the time.
GTA4 PC is an absolute joke, an 8600GT can run it, but at 800x600 on all minimum settings, that's about it. The xbox and PS3 versions will look and run a lot better. With most roughly-made console ports the consoles roughly compare to the Radeon X1900 or 8600GTS in terms of what they can do. For GTA4 you need An HD4850 or 9800GTX to beat the consoles. Also, Quad cores are mandatory, and by that I mean real quad cores. ANY original Phenom, and any of the Phenom II X3s will have a hard time.
On another interesting note, Team Fortress 2 seems CPU bound for Quad CF, I can hear the second card doing something, but both cards sit at relatively low usage unless there's nothing going on. The lowest FPS I usually see in Left 4 Dead is 72-75, in TF2 it drops to about 48-53.
I have HAWX, but haven't played it yet, I'm curious to try it.
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 12:23 |
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Quote:
No resume from sleep is a really common bug with motherboards as well as Win7, so I never use sleep on that basis.
Yeah I've noticed the same. I've had 24 hour Orthos stable OCs freeze coming out of sleep mode. On a variety of boards too. No idea...
Quote:
Much like Light bulbs and perhaps PSUs, HDDs also last longer if they run 24/7 than if they spin up and down all the time.
That's mostly my point. Less stress on the hardware ;)
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GTA4 PC is an absolute joke, an 8600GT can run it, but at 800x600 on all minimum settings, that's about it. The xbox and PS3 versions will look and run a lot better. With most roughly-made console ports the consoles roughly compare to the Radeon X1900 or 8600GTS in terms of what they can do. For GTA4 you need An HD4850 or 9800GTX to beat the consoles. Also, Quad cores are mandatory, and by that I mean real quad cores. ANY original Phenom, and any of the Phenom II X3s will have a hard time.
I've seen original Phenoms handle it well enough. But my Q6600 is still faster in it. The Phenom II X3 is an interesting budget buy. You can squeeze a lot of performance out of them for relatively little money. GTA IV is definitely a fluke.
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I have HAWX, but haven't played it yet, I'm curious to try it.
Try it with an Xbox 360 gamepad. It's the only way to really enjoy it. The keyboard/mouse controls are nice, actually quite palatable, but the gamepad really gives you an edge :P
The graphics and performance are awesome. I was even able to get it quite playable with the onboard HD3300 on my 780G board. Lowered settings perhaps, but still fluid and enjoyable. And the detail on the planes and on the ground is insane. Ace combat 6's planes looked slightly better maybe, but HAWX is prettier overall. It is in my running for best graphics and GOTY for a Sim.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 12:41 |
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It was very tempting to track down a flight joystick for the game, but right now, funds aren't at their best, not now I've discovered PayPal payments are withheld from sellers until positive feedback is left. Means paying for postage and not getting paid for what you sent.
On your recommendations I will definitely be trying HAWX out. I heard there was some confusion about the camera angles though?
Though much different I'm sure, I did eventually fancy giving Flight Sim X a go, if it wasn't such an nvidia-only title. The difference in performance between manufacturers for it is astonishing.
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 13:31 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Much like Light bulbs and perhaps PSUs, HDDs also last longer if they run 24/7 than if they spin up and down all the time.
I guess im gonna find out. I told windows to shut the drives off, after 3min, before I went to bed, and when I woke up, all the drives had an addition of 7hrs running time!!! So obviously they didnt shut off! Unless the S.M.A.R.T. data is flawed!
Oh, dont worry. Im not buying GTA 4 until I upgrade my card. Alot of people are downloading it and complaining about how it looks. I laughed. They're probably grossly under equipped to run it! LOL. I wont be downloading it though. Game like that deserves some return! :D
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 13:32
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Senior Member
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30. March 2009 @ 13:44 |
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I have a similar problem with my computer not completely going to sleep or shutting down. Sometimes I will leave it and comeback and the fan controller is still lit up and I can hear the fans running but it is in sleep mode. Then it wont resume and I have to do a hard reset. Hopefully they get that fixed because so far I am liking windows 7.
I tried playing gta 4 and I couldnt get it to work right or run on my computer at all. But I dont really care that much. I played a liitle on my xbox and it wasnt as good as the older versions in my opinion.
GAMING COMPUTER - Intel q9550 @ 3.4ghz | EVGA GTX 260 core 216 | Gigabyte ds3l | 6gb Gskill DDR2 800 ram | Silverstone 700 watt psu | WD 640gb hdd | Seagate 300gb hdd | LG dvd burner | Samsung dvd burner | Antec p182 case | logitech 2.1 speakers | logitech g11 keyboard | Samsung 25.5in 1900x1200 monitor | 19in 1440x900 secondary monitor | Windows 7 64bit | SERVER - Gigabyte 785g motherboard | AMD Phenom 9650 | 6gb ram | three 1.5tb hdd | Seagate 1tb hdd | WD 750gb hdd | two 300gb hdd | Maxtor 200gb hdd | Ark rackmount case | CentOS 5.5
Steam name = "krj15489" alias = Jordan-k
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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30. March 2009 @ 14:00 |
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Shut off after 3 mins of use will only work if the drives aren't used for that period. This is impossible for the OS drive (especially if you use Windows Live messenger, as that seeks the drive once every second), and unusual for the secondary unless you never install any programs on it.
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 14:21 |
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I have 3 drives currently installed. All three of them continued to run. I chose 3 minutes because the math was easier that way LOL LOL!
My secondary drives are simply storage. I dont install anything on them!
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 14:25
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 14:22 |
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You have to have speedfan, everest and the likes closed. To monitor the temperature of a drive, it has to be spinning.
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 14:26 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
You have to have speedfan, everest and the likes closed. To monitor the temperature of a drive, it has to be spinning.
LOL!!! I cant believe it! Yes... I do believe it. I cant believe that didnt occur to me. OF COURSE! Thanks sam! Good grief OK ok...back on topic :)
Can you say *FACEPALM*
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 30. March 2009 @ 14:27
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 16:36 |
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OK, so whats the difference HERE
Does it simply amount to better cooling? Cause for that price, a person could go with the cheaper card, and cool as good or better for cheaper! 55$ is a pretty big difference. I suppose the heat pipes might just be worth that though huh?
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 16:38 |
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The 4870 Toxic is pre-overclocked from 750/3600 to 780/4000.
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 16:54 |
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Ok, I can see that being kind of worth it to an avid gamer. Though to one who knows how to overclock. They may find it a better buy to buy the non toxic. But then I'm pretty green, sooo...
Is it true that some sound like a blow dryer, or vacuum cleaner? Im looking at an asus http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121288 that people seem to think is loud! Man...im really in over my head on this one. I just want a powerful card thats not loud and will play games ALMOST effortlessly.
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 17:07 |
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Depends what the fan speed is. The Asus Dark Knight cooler is very poor though, which is why those cards are so cheap. The Matrix cooler is much better, but the stock cooler is less obtrusive than either noise-wise.
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AfterDawn Addict
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30. March 2009 @ 17:11 |
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OK. Heres a thought. I bought one of these a while back. How much do you think it would cool the asus card, while dropping the asus fan speed?
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