Looking for a Downgrade

J

JamesL

Gawd
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
657
I haven't kept up with new video cards for a while, but I'm planning on getting a smaller
PC chassis, and installing cooler/quieter components.

Although I don't do any gaming, I purchased a hd3850 a year back because it had very acceptable
performance, and I thought it would last me a while.

Turns out it was overkill for anything I would ever need a gpu for in the next 4 years,
and the card runs a little hotter than I'd like.

I'm looking for low power consumption, large/slow fans(or passively cooled), and most importantly, stable.. -stable- drivers. Something that maybe I could get a fair trade on my 3850 for.

As long as the card can handle games like WoW on a 24" without a problem, Its good to go.

Suggestions will be very appreciated.
Thanks ~ james
 
A 3850 is pretty far down on the pecking order as far as video cards go.
Do you want to get some cash back or do you just want something cooler?
 
9600GT is pretty heat efficient, but even mor epowerful than 3850
stay away from 8600gt
you coudl downgrade to a very cheap x1900xt 512 or 7900gt those are still great and cheap cards

but nothing weill be passively cooled
again, the 9600GT is much more graphicaly powerful than the 3850, but consumes less power than the 8600 and there is even a low-profile card
 
I would suggest you keep your 3850 and put a silent aftermarket fan on it. Had good experience myself with Zalman VF900, very quiet and good cooling others recommend Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev 2, with that one you should be able to run passive.
Doubt very much you will find a less powerfull card that can still play some games on a 24", have a low powerdraw, exellent video encoding.
 
Thanks guys.
I think I'll consider the aftermarket fan, even though I didn't plan on paying extra.

One of the other reasons I want to replace the 3850 is the driver issues.
I've re-installed the drivers 4 or 5 times on a fresh windows XP install, and each re-install fixed problems, and introduced new problems.

The problems have nothing to do with the condition of the card, but
I'm kind of getting fed up trying to get the drivers to work properly.
The latest install fixed most of the problems, but the fan is stuck operating at around 100-300rpm,
and doesn't speed up even when I start up a Crysis demo.
The temperatures got extremely high without the fan doing its job, and I'm kind of worried that it might overheat if I stick it in a smaller case.
 
You should be able to trade it for a passively cooled 3650 or something. Should be enough to run WoW and I bet there will be people willing to trade a 3650 for a 3850 since that would be a pretty sweat deal for them, getting a much more powerful card.
 
cooler AND quieter generally don't walk hand and hand friend. :D

All teasing aside, the 9600GT passive cooled cards are decent lower end cards.
 
bigdogchris said:
cooler AND quieter generally don't walk hand and hand friend. :D

All teasing aside, the 9600GT passive cooled cards are decent lower end cards.
Click to expand...

yeah, but he wants a trade, who's gonna want to trade a 9600GT for a card that can be had for $60 after MIR...? it'd be a great deal for the OP, if he can find someone who'd do it...
 
The HD 3000 series was pretty efficient as far as power goes. I think a trade here wouldn't be much of a benefit as the HD3850 (now) is a great budget card. Look at it this way - you'll eventually need the horsepower for whatever game you'll be playing if you want to keep it for 4 years.
 
i originally was confused by OP stating he doesnt do any gaming, then mentioning WoW @ 24". then i realized the joke.
 
JamesL said:
The latest install fixed most of the problems, but the fan is stuck operating at around 100-300rpm,
and doesn't speed up even when I start up a Crysis demo.
The temperatures got extremely high without the fan doing its job, and I'm kind of worried that it might overheat if I stick it in a smaller case.
Click to expand...

Modern cards like the 3850 are perfectly fine at 80-90c. It will auto increase the fan speed automatically. I wouldn't worry about it unless it does start overheating in a smaller case - then RMA it. I doubt you will have any heat issues, though. I've seen people cram 9800GX2s and GTX 280s in SFF cases just fine, and the 3850 definitely puts out a lot less heat than those.
 
simply put u just got a good card in itself. accept the fact that you brought a video card and ended up getting more in your favor kiddo
 
JamesL said:
I haven't kept up with new video cards for a while, but I'm planning on getting a smaller
PC chassis, and installing cooler/quieter components.

Although I don't do any gaming, I purchased a hd3850 a year back because it had very acceptable
performance, and I thought it would last me a while.

Turns out it was overkill for anything I would ever need a gpu for in the next 4 years,
and the card runs a little hotter than I'd like.

I'm looking for low power consumption, large/slow fans(or passively cooled), and most importantly, stable.. -stable- drivers. Something that maybe I could get a fair trade on my 3850 for.

As long as the card can handle games like WoW on a 24" without a problem, Its good to go.

Suggestions will be very appreciated.
Thanks ~ james
Click to expand...


what server you play on for wow? just curious
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top