Radeon 9550 or 9600XT for HTPC/GamePC

[jaykchan]

I am thinking of getting either a Radeon 9550 or a 9600XT for a new PC
that I will build. My primary purpose of the PC is to use it as a HTPC
for watching TV shows recorded in the hard disk. The secondary purpose
is to play games. I am willing to sacrifice the performance for playing
games to provide a better experience in watching TV shows. I am
wondering whether Radeon 9550 or a 9600XT is a better choice:

Radeon 9550:
- It is fan-less. This means I will less likely to get noise from an
additional fan. This is good. But the problem is that the HTPC case
(SilverStone SST-LC01) has few fans (one in power supply, one case fan
in the rear, one CPU fan), and cooling "may" be a problem according to
what I read. Although I choose a AMD Winchester core CPU that probably
generates less heat, I am afraid that the fan-less video card may not
be cooled properly.
- If people think that this fan-less 9550 video card should do OK in
the HTPC case described above, I will likely get 9550 instead of
9600XT.
- If people think that this fan-less video card may overheat in the
HTPC case, I will likely get a 9600XT that comes with a fan.

Radeon 9600XT:
- It has a fan on it. I am afraid that it may make noise and may not
be suitable for a HTPC. The good thing is that it runs faster than
9550. But I don't play much games; therefore, the additional
performance may not do me much good.
- How quiet is its fan in a commonly available 9600XT card such as the
one from ATI or Sapphire or Rosewell? Will I hear the noise from the
fan in the video card if I am sitting 6-or-7-ft away from the PC?
Thanks for info in advance.

Jay Chan

 

[Tiny Tim]

I am thinking of getting either a Radeon 9550 or a 9600XT for a new PC
that I will build. My primary purpose of the PC is to use it as a HTPC
for watching TV shows recorded in the hard disk. The secondary purpose
is to play games. I am willing to sacrifice the performance for
playing games to provide a better experience in watching TV shows. I
am wondering whether Radeon 9550 or a 9600XT is a better choice:

Radeon 9550:
- It is fan-less. This means I will less likely to get noise from an
additional fan. This is good. But the problem is that the HTPC case
(SilverStone SST-LC01) has few fans (one in power supply, one case fan
in the rear, one CPU fan), and cooling "may" be a problem according to
what I read. Although I choose a AMD Winchester core CPU that probably
generates less heat, I am afraid that the fan-less video card may not
be cooled properly.
- If people think that this fan-less 9550 video card should do OK in
the HTPC case described above, I will likely get 9550 instead of
9600XT.
- If people think that this fan-less video card may overheat in the
HTPC case, I will likely get a 9600XT that comes with a fan.

Radeon 9600XT:
- It has a fan on it. I am afraid that it may make noise and may not
be suitable for a HTPC. The good thing is that it runs faster than
9550. But I don't play much games; therefore, the additional
performance may not do me much good.
- How quiet is its fan in a commonly available 9600XT card such as
the one from ATI or Sapphire or Rosewell? Will I hear the noise from
the fan in the video card if I am sitting 6-or-7-ft away from the PC?
Thanks for info in advance.

Jay Chan

Take a look at the Sapphire Radeon 9600XT Ultimate. It is a fanless 9600XT,
giving the best of both worlds.

 

[jaykchan]

Thanks for pointing out that there may be fanless 9600XT available. A
fanless 9600XT should be attractive. But this doesn't change the fact
that 9600XT runs hotter than 9550 and is even more demanding in term of
cooling that 9550. This means I still need to know if a fanless 9600XT
or a fanless 9550 will work OK in a HTPC style case that only has 3
fans (power supply fan, rear case fan, CPU fan). If neither one is
acceptable in the cooling department, I will have to get a video card
that has a fan on it; and that will likely be a 9600XT with a fan.
Jay Chan

 

[jaykchan]

Thanks for pointing out that there may be fanless 9600XT available. A
fanless 9600XT should be attractive. But this doesn't change the fact
that 9600XT runs hotter than 9550 and is even more demanding in term of
cooling that 9550. This means I still need to know if a fanless 9600XT
or a fanless 9550 will work OK in a HTPC style case that only has 3
fans (power supply fan, rear case fan, CPU fan). If neither one is
acceptable in the cooling department, I will have to get a video card
that has a fan on it; and that will likely be a 9600XT with a fan.
Jay Chan