KVR Audio

GaryG · Post by **GaryG** » Mon Feb 03, 2025 9:15 pm

Hi, have a humble i5 pc (gen 12, iris xe gfx) which does all i need audio-wise and is additionally virtually silent (coolermaster silencio case, faintest hum from the fans if you get right down next to it). Not a gamer at all really (it plays UT2004 fine...) but realised recently the gpu ain't up to anything modern. So wondering if there's a quiet gfx card that would give a significant boost, thinking maybe a passively cooled one. Maybe something that could help with video editing too (not that the inbuilt gfx are bad at all for this). Maintaing near silence is a priority for me. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

uOpt · Post by **uOpt** » Tue Feb 04, 2025 12:17 am

No, there's no passively cooled card that would help you with video encoding.

Pictus · Post by **Pictus** » Tue Feb 04, 2025 4:02 am

The modern GPUs are semi-passive, they only make noise when doing 3D/gaming/video editing/AI.
You can check the impact of GPU models for Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve at
https://www.pugetsystems.com/all-articl ... ci-resolve
The TechPowerUp GPU reviews
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/?cat ... order=date
have Temperature & Noise Comparison
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/msi- ... oc/39.html
The price list
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video ... sort=price
You will need to check if your PSU has the cables and power to handle the GPU.
Can use the https://pcpartpicker.com/list/
IF you need a new PSU, check
https://hwbusters.com/best_picks/best-a ... e-busters/

Haptix · Post by **Haptix** » Tue Feb 04, 2025 11:53 am

You need to swap the fans on the gpu to proper case fans. I have 2 BeQuiet! 120mm silent wings 2 slapped on a 6650 xt and it is quiet af even in a cooler master nr200p .

Lerian · Post by **Lerian** » Tue Feb 04, 2025 2:31 pm

Any nvidia 40 series GPU will stay silent (fans off) under 50 degrees celsius. In normal desktop/daw operation my GPU stays around 35-36 degrees at room temperature of 20-21 degrees celsius on one 4k monitor @ 120hz. You can get a 4060 relatively cheap these days.

GaryG · Post by **GaryG** » Tue Feb 04, 2025 3:57 pm

Thanks all, have some reading to do, guess the passive route was a daft idea.

Haptix wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 11:53 am You need to swap the fans on the gpu to proper case fans. I have 2 BeQuiet! 120mm silent wings 2 slapped on a 6650 xt and it is quiet af even in a cooler master nr200p .

My PSU is a BeQuiet and pleased with how silent it is, something to consider, cheers.

DevonB · Post by **DevonB** » Wed Feb 05, 2025 5:42 pm

Someone undervolted a 4060TI to 65w and runs fanless. Might be an option for you. 4060TI cards right now while they last are $399.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-compone ... 60w-to-65w

Devon

rafa1981 · Post by **rafa1981** » Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:05 pm

This is modern and passive https://www.palit.com/palit/vgapro.php?id=5147&lang=en

AdvancedFollower · Post by **AdvancedFollower** » Thu Feb 13, 2025 9:52 am

Lerian wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 2:31 pm Any nvidia 40 series GPU will stay silent (fans off) under 50 degrees celsius. In normal desktop/daw operation my GPU stays around 35-36 degrees at room temperature of 20-21 degrees celsius on one 4k monitor @ 120hz. You can get a 4060 relatively cheap these days.

Same with my RTX 3060 Ti, this has been a standard feature for a while. And yes under light load such as DAW usage, it won't get hot enough to start the fans, even while rendering relatively complex plugin GUIs.

Passive GPUs, worth it?