Technical data

components,
it’s better to
play it safe,
bite the
bullet and
buy a brawnier
PSU.
Also, it should be noted
that a good 350 watt power supply
can deliver much more stable voltages
than a cheap 450 watt model.The specifications
of the PSU, such as the amperage at a certain volt-
age, can be of great help in making an educated
buying decision. Such information can usually be
found on the manufacturer’s website. If the manu-
facturer doesn’t publish any information, it’s usually
safer to choose a different model.You can find
more information on power supplies in this article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20040122/
index.html.
Power requirements of the
newest high-end models:
X800 XT PE: min. 350 watts and one additional
connector on an unshared cable
X800 Pro, 9800 XT: min. 300 watts and one
additional connector
GeForce 6800 Ultra: min. 350 watts and two
additional connectors; cable can be shared. 480
watts required for overclocking, with two unshared
cables.
GeForce 6800 GT und 6800: min. 300 watts.
One unshared cable from the power supply.
Smaller models are less demanding where the
power supply is concerned. A standard 300 Watt
power supply will usually be sufficient, at least as
long as there aren’t too many other components in
the system.
Looks & Cooling
Features that make a card stand out visually, such as
colored PCBs, classy materials or colorful fan
LEDs, should be considered gimmicks; after all, the
cards are currently installed into the motherboard
upside-down anyway. Often, such extras will only
make the installation more difficult. If, for example,
the card features a large heat sink on the back, the
result can be a cramped motherboard or, in the
worst case, conflicts with existing parts. Sometimes,
the cards’ length can also be a problem.
E v e r yday Life:
T h e
c a rd ’s spiffy fan is no
longer visible once it is
installed into the system. T h i s
will only change with the
upcoming BTX case standard , i n
which the cards are installed "right side
u p." Eve r y d a y occurre n c e : the inside of a
PC is a dust magnet.
M o r e important than its looks is a cooler’s efficien-
cy and noise leve l . T h a n k f u l l y, most manu f a c t u r e r s
h a ve picked up on the trend towa r ds quieter PCs and
h a ve begun equipping their cards with ve r y quiet,
t e m p e r a t u r e - c o n t rolled fa n s . The re f e r ence fan (i.e.
the cooling design suggested by the chip designer) is
often a good choice.You should only choose a
graphics card with a different cooler if the card m a k e r
in question also offers detailed information on the
d i f f e r ences in noise level and cooling efficiency com-
p a r ed to the standard cooling solution.
On entry-level cards that usually feature graphics
chips running at low clock speeds, a passive cooling
solution is often sufficient.The advantages: no noise
and absolute reliability.
M a ny companies needlessly equip their entry -
l evel cards with cheap and simple fans that are
usually loud and short - l ive d . O f t e n , a passive
cooling solution would do just as we l l , and last
l o n g e r.
In the case of slower graphics cards, it’s a good
move to chose a model that features passive cool-
ing, since the fans found on cards in this price cate-
gory are usually more loud than helpful.The high-
end segment features passively cooled cards as well,
though. However, the computer case needs to have
good airflow for them to work well.
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