Zalman VF900-Cu

If you'd rather not splash out on an entirely new, passively cooled graphics card, you could always cut the noise on your current model by fitting a new cooler. The Zalman VF900-Cu has an 80mm fan and comes complete with a manual speed adjuster and eight heatsinks for the graphics card's RAM. Fitting the cooler is inevitably a bit fiddly, but the results are indisputable. At the fan's slowest speed of 1,350rpm, our 7900 GT dropped from a peak of 67C in Far Cry with Nvidia's stock cooler to just 53C with Zalman's, and was much quieter too. Results with ATi's top-end X1900 CrossFire Edition were a little less impressive - 88C for the Zalman compared to 89C - but there's little arguing with this level of noise reduction for just £20. Most, but not all, cards are compatible - check here for the definitive list.

Author: Dave Stevenson