Originally Posted by Mondak

So big "L" I have another angle for ya.

I want to spend about 300 bucks for a card when I build my new machine. I really have not been gaming in the last 2+ years or so, but I want a beast underneath so I can if I want to. Here is what I don't want: a bunch of noise.

I saw some 6600GTs that have passive cooling on them that I suppose were designed for home theatre use. I was thinking about setting them up in SLI for my machine, but then saw on Tom's VGA charts that a single 7800GT would blow it away and still be under $300.

So how about this: what is the fastest thing that I can do with roughly $300 (PCI-E) that does not involve me watercooling (I'll eff it up) or anything ridiculous like that? I am open to cards with fans, and I would sacrifice some speed for quiet. I just don't want to have some POS setup that sucks ass 5 minutes after I bought it. If it helps, I am getting a new case at the same time and I will spend up to $200 on that (although i would prefer to spend nearer to $100). I am doing this thing totally over here.

Good luck - and thanks