[Milehigh]

I want to put an ATI 9800 Pro the HTPC I'm building, and wish to install the Arctic Cooler VGA Silencer on it. Could anyone recommend a good 9800 Pro manufacturer/model that lends itself well to an AC?


The AC high points are great, quiet cooling while exhausting the hot air to the outside of the case... good stuff for HTPCs.

 

[Milehigh]

Wow, busy site, almost scrolled off the end of the first page I was looking at this one on Newegg:


CONNECT3D ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP


I'm not that familiar with the Connect3D brand, decent card with a fairly easy to remove stock heatsink?

 

[DFA]

When it comes to ATI knockoffs, I would base my decision on price. They all seem to pretty much follow the reference design for the most part. Some skimp on memory speed (nanoseconds) but that's all I've heard negatively on some non-ATI. Search for reviews for your particular candidate.


DFA

 

[Milehigh]

Thanks DFA, one thing I've noticed, some of the cards have a 128 bit path, and the one I listed has a 256 bit path which I assume is better. For a HTPC application, would a 256 bit card provide better performance?