Almost all graphics cards come with an active cooling solution which consists of one or more fans and a heatsink. Most of the graphics cards come with only one fan, but higher mid-range or high-end overclocked graphics cards come with dual or triple fans. These fans help in faster cooling and keeping the graphics card’s temperature under control, especially during heavy gaming and overclocking. Graphics Cards fans can be very loud sometimes and can be very distracting for some users who want their PC to be silent in operation. So, for a noiseless PC, you will need a graphics card with a passive cooling solution i.e. only a heatsink and no fan. You can also call these passive video cards fanless graphics cards or silent graphics cards.
There are not many graphics cards with passive cooling available in the market. You can find some entry-level graphics cards and low profile graphics cards with passive cooling, but it is very difficult to find a decent powerful, or mid-range passively cooled graphics card. This is because, the more powerful the graphics card is, the more heat it will generate, which is difficult to be cooled down by a passive cooler with a heatsink only. There are a couple of powerful graphics cards that are passively cooled, but they have bigger heatsinks with copper heatpipes, and they may occupy more space inside your PC case. Also, these passive graphics cards with bigger heatsinks are quite heavy, so you may require a graphics card brace bracket support to hold it and prevent it from sagging, especially if your motherboard lacks a reinforced PCI-E x16 slot e.g. Asus Safe Slot, MSI Steel Armor PCI-E slot, etc. Passively cooled graphics cards are great for building Home Theater PC (HTPC) because noise can really spoil the whole movie viewing experience. Also, these cards are great for building a silent work PC for sound recording, audio recording & editing, etc.
So, for everyone who is looking for a passive video card, here in this post I am going to list down the best passively cooled video cards or passive GPUs for users who want to build a quiet and silent PC. You can expect to see a good number of low profile graphics cards in this list because they generally consist of less powerful GPUs that can be cooled down easily using a passive cooler i.e. only a heatsink.
Advantages of Passive Graphics Cards
- Completely Silent in Operation (0dBA noise)
- Maintenance-free because of no moving fan
- Best for building HTPC & Work PC
Disadvantages of Passive Graphics Cards
- Can have large & bulky heatsink
- Not suitable for overclocking
- Difficult to find powerful GPUs
- Not meant for gaming (light gaming is OK)
Check out these Important Resources:
- Best Small Form Factor Graphics Cards for Mini-ITX Cases
- Best Passive CPU Coolers for Building a Silent PC or HTPC
- Best Fanless PSU for Building a Noise Free PC for Work & Gaming
Best Silent or Fanless Graphics Cards from Nvidia
Here are the best passively cooled graphics cards from Nvidia that are super quiet in operation.
Zotac GeForce GT 710 2GB DDR3 Low Profile Passive
Geforce GT 710 is an entry-level graphics card that is more powerful than your integrated graphics. Here we have Zotac GeForce GT 710 which is a low-profile graphics card that comes with 2GB DDR3 memory. It is not a gamer’s card but you can do casual gaming on it and can play older games on decent graphics settings and resolution comfortably. You can even play the latest games like GTA 5 on low settings at 720p resolution. The card comes with 192 CUDA cores which I think is decent enough for a budget graphics card.
Even with the passive cooling, the card’s temperature remains well under control. You can also do a fair bit of overclocking but do not push it hard because there is no fan and passive cooling is not designed to handle overclocking. It is a great budget card if you want to upgrade your PC’s onboard graphics to something better. It is also a very good card for multiple monitor setup. The card has lower power consumption and requires only a decent 300W power supply for its working. It includes VGA, DVI, and HDMI as display output ports. You can get this graphics card under 50 dollars.
| Zotac GeForce GT 710 2GB DDR3 Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 192 |
| GPU Clock | 954 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1600 MHz |
| Memory Size | 2 GB DDR3 |
| Memory Interface | 64-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 2.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 |
| Output Ports | VGA, DVI, HDMI |
Buy Zotac GeForce GT 710 2GB DDR3
Other Good Passive GeForce GT 710 Options:
EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB GDDR3 Low Profile Passive
GeForce GT 730 is also a budget graphic card but is more powerful than GT 710. Here we have EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB GDDR3 Low Profile graphics card with passive cooling. This is the 64-bit DDR3 version of GT 730 and it comes with 384 CUDA cores which are double what is present in the GT 710.
This is a fairly powerful card and you can play the latest games at low settings at HD resolution. Games like CSGO, Far Cry 2, Skyrim, etc. should run fine on decent graphics settings and with playable frame rates. The card has a bit larger heatsink and it can occupy two slots on your motherboard. This card is great for casual gaming, video editing, photo editing, Full HD (1080p) playback, and running multiple monitors. It does not require external power connectors and needs a 300W power supply for working. Connectivity options include DVI, HDMI, and VGA ports. You can get this graphics card under 100 dollars. Another good passive GT 730 card that I recommend is Zotac GeForce GT 730 2GB Zone Edition.
| EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB GDDR3 Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 384 |
| GPU Clock | 902 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1800 MHz |
| Memory Size | 2 GB DDR3 |
| Memory Interface | 64-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 2.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 |
| Output Ports | VGA, HDMI, DVI |
Buy EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB GDDR3
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition 1GB GDDR5 Passive
This is one of the most powerful passively cooled graphics cards on this list. GTX 750 is a mid-range GPU that sits in between the GT 740 and the GTX 750 Ti. Here we got ZOTAC GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition 1GB GDDR5 graphics card that is passively cooled. The heatsink on this GTX 750 is quite big and it spreads all over the graphics card PCB. There are two copper heat pipes that I think are in direct contact with GPU for better heat dissipation. This is the Zone Edition of Zotac GTX 750 which means it has been slightly overclocked. The card is built on the Maxwell GPU architecture.
The card has a dual-slot design which means it will occupy two slots of space on the motherboard and PC case. The memory on the card is only 1GB which may seem a little low for some users but the powerful GPU and faster GDDR5 VRAM makes up for it. You can play the latest games at medium graphics settings on a decent resolution. This card does support 4K resolution and you can hook it up with your 4K monitor without any issue. It has all the required display connectors that include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. This is a good card for high-end HTPC (4K) where you don’t want any unwanted noise due to fans. It supports Nvidia G-SYNC technology for eliminating display stutter or tearing of the screen. in games, It has a power consumption of 55W and does not require external power connectors from the PSU. The recommended PSU for this card is 300W. The exact model number for this card is ZT-70707-20M.
| ZOTAC GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition 1GB GDDR5 Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 512 |
| GPU Clock | 1033 / 1111 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 5000 MHz |
| Memory Size | 1 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 128-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 |
| Output Ports | DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort |
Buy Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition 1GB GDDR5
ASUS GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 CSM
GeForce GT 1030 is an entry-level graphics card from Nvidia in the Geforce 10 series graphics card lineup. This budget graphics card is based on the Pascal GPU architecture from Nvidia. GeForce GT 1030 comes with 384 CUDA Cores and on this card, you can play eSports titles at good graphics settings with comfortable frame rates. GT 1030 offers better performance than the older GeForce GT 710, GT 730, and GT 740 graphics cards.
Here we have the passively cooled variant of GeForce GT 1030 graphics card from Asus that comes with 2GB GDDR5 memory having a memory interface of 64-bit. This is the CSM or Corporate Stable Model variant of the GT 1030 card which means it offers rock-solid stability in gaming and other graphics-related work. This card generates 0dB noise and is completely silent in operation. This graphics card is best suited for casual gaming, video editing, watching blu-ray movies, HTPC, running a 4K monitor, and normal day-to-day work at home and office. The heatsink on this card is a little bit taller which makes the card occupy two slots in your PC case or on your motherboard. This is also a low-profile graphics card which means it can fit into low-profile or slim cases too. On the connectivity front, it comes with DVI and HDMI ports. This card has very low power consumption and does not require external power from the PSU. It comes bundled with a year license of XSplit Gamecaster which is a very popular game recording and live streaming software. MSI also offers a similar low profile and passively cooled GeForce GT 1030 graphics card.
| ASUS GeForce GT 1030 CSM 2GB GDDR5 Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 384 |
| GPU Clock | 1506 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 3004 MHz |
| Memory Size | 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 64-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 |
| Output Ports | DVI, HDMI |
Buy Asus GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 CSM
EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC Passive Low Profile
This is a low-profile and passively cooled GeForce GT 1030 graphics card from EVGA. The card comes with a massive heatsink that is quite effective in keeping the card’s temperature to safe levels. It comes with 384 CUDA Cores, 2GB GDDR5 Memory, and is built on the Pascal GPU architecture from Nvidia. This is a great card for building an HTPC, silent workstation, or a silent budget gaming PC.
EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC Passive Low Profile graphics card is an overclocked card and it comes with higher frequencies compared to the stock GT 1030. This translates into better performance than a reference or stock GT 1030 card. The power consumption is on the lower side as it draws a maximum of 30 Watts of power from the PCI-E x16 slot. Connectivity options include one HDMI and one DVI port. A low profile bracket comes bundled with this card and you may get this graphics card under 200 dollars.
P.S. – Another good passive and silent Geforce GT 1030 card that I recommend is the Gigabyte GT 1030 Silent Low Profile 2G.
| EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC Passive Low Profile Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 384 |
| GPU Clock | 1290 / 1544 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 6008 MHz |
| Memory Size | 2 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 64-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 |
| Output Ports | DVI x 1, HDMI x 1 |
Buy EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC Passive Low Profile
MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC
Here we have another passive GT 1030 card but this one is different from other passive GT 1030 cards. This is because it comes with HDMI and DisplayPort while other passively cooled GeForce GT 1030 cards have got DVI and HDMI ports only. Also, it is a bit more compact in size compared to other GT 1030 cards.
It is an overclocked GT 1030 card with a GPU Boost clock speed of 1518 MHz and comes with 2GB GDDR5 memory @ 6008 MHz. It has got a black painted heatsink for better heat dissipation, and it covers the GPU, Memory and spreads over the entire PCB of the card. The card is low profile in design and has a lower consumption figure of 30W only. You can use this card for building a budget gaming PC, HTPC, SFF PC, and setting up multiple monitor 4K setup.
| MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 384 |
| GPU Clock | 1265 / 1518 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 6008 MHz |
| Memory Size | 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 64-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 |
| Output Ports | HDMI, DisplayPort |
Buy MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC
Palit GeForce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX 4GB GDDR5
Palit GeForce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX is one of the fastest passively cooled graphics cards. It is based on the GTX 1050 Ti GPU which is a high-performance mid-range GPU from Nvidia. The card is built on the latest Pascal GPU architecture and comes with 768 CUDA Cores & 4GB GDDR5 Memory. This passive graphics card features a dual-slot design.
It has a huge heatsink with copper heat pipes for better dissipation of heat. This card is a treat for gamers who want to build a silent as well as a relatively powerful gaming PC. The card is way too powerful for an HTPC but if you want the best silent graphics card and have the required budget then you should get this one only. It can run the latest games on high settings on 1080p with playable frame rates. The temperature of the card also lies within a safe range and it does not get very hot, even during hours of gameplay. The card’s availability can be an issue because these cards don’t have that much demand. It has a power consumption of 75 Watts and does not requires external PCIe power connectors. The recommended power supply for this card is 300W only. Display connectivity options include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.
| Palit GeForce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 768 |
| GPU Clock | 1290 / 1392 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 7000 MHz |
| Memory Size | 4 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 128-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 |
| Output Ports | DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort |
Buy Palit GeForce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX
Palit GeForce GTX 1650 KalmX
[One of the Fastest Passive Graphics Cards]
Palit GeForce GTX 1650 KalmX is the second most powerful consumer graphics card that you can get for gaming and work. GeForce GTX 1650 is a budget graphics card in the GeForce GTX 16 series and is based on the new Turing GPU architecture. The card comes with 896 CUDA Cores and 4GB GDDR5 memory having a 128-bit interface. It is around 70% faster than the GTX 1050 and up to 35% faster than the GTX 1050 Ti. The card is great for eSports gaming, and you can play most of the latest AAA games on very high to ultra graphics settings at 1080p with 50 to 60 FPS on average. It is a great card for setting up a powerful HTPC and for building a silent work/gaming PC that packs a good amount of graphics processing power.
Palit GeForce GTX 1650 KalmX is the passively cooled version of the GTX 1650, and it operates at stock speeds only. The card uses a massive aluminum heatsink with copper heatpipes, and the heatsink does a very good job of keeping the card cool, even at high loads and gaming. Due to passive cooling, overclocking should be avoided on this card, and your case must have good airflow to keep the temperatures in check. It is a dual-slot card but is a bit wider because of the large heatsink. It has a power consumption of 75W, and it does not require supplementary PCIe power connectors. The recommended PSU for this card is only 300W. Connectivity options include two DisplayPort and one HDMI port.
| Palit GeForce GTX 1650 KalmX Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 896 |
| GPU Clock | 1485 / 1665 MHz (Base/Boost) |
| Memory Clock | 8 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 4GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 128-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| Output Ports | DisplayPort 1.4 x 2, HDMI 2.0b x 1 |
Buy Palit GeForce GTX 1650 KalmX
Palit GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB
[Fastest Passively Cooled Graphics Card, Low Power Consumption, HDMI 2.1 support, PCIe 4.0 Support]
Palit GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB is the most powerful passively cooled graphics card. The card is based on the Ampere GPU architecture and is built on the 8nm manufacturing process from Samsung. The card uses the GA107 chip and comes with 2304 CUDA Cores, 18 RT Cores, and 72 Tensor Cores. The card comes with 6GB GDDR6 memory that has a 96-bit interface and runs at a speed of 14Gbps. The card is around 30 percent faster than the RX 6500 XT and way more powerful than the GTX 1650 (more than 50 percent).
For cooling the card uses a large aluminum heatsink with two copper heatpipes. The card is 166mm in length and has a dual-slot design. The maximum power consumption of the card is at 70W and it does not need 6-pin/8-pin PCI-E power connectors and draws power from the PCIe x16 slot only. The PSU recommendation for this card is 300W. Display connectivity options include one HDMI 2.1 port, one DisplayPort 1.4a port, and one DVI-D port for older monitors.
| Palit GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 2304 |
| GPU Clock | 1470 MHz Boost |
| Memory Clock | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 6GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 96-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 (x8) |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | None |
| Output Ports | HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4a x 1, DVI-D x 1 |
Buy Palit GeForce RTX 3050 KalmX 6GB
Best Silent or Fanless Graphics Cards from AMD
Here are the best passively cooled graphics cards from AMD.
ASUS Radeon R5 230 2GB DDR3
AMD Radeon R5 230 is an older entry-level graphics card that comes with 160 Stream Processing Units. Here we have ASUS Radeon R5 230 with 2GB DDR3 Video Memory having a 64-bit interface. The card is passively cooled using a smaller heatsink only. Also, it features a low profile and single slot design and can be used in almost all small form factor and slim low profile cases. This is not at all a gaming card and is best suited as an integrated graphics replacement for setting up a multi-monitor setup. The performance of this card can be compared to the GeForce GT 710 from Nvidia.
The card supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1 APIs. The power consumption of this passive graphics card is on the lower side (up to 75W max) and it does not require PCIe power connectors. It includes VGA, DVI, and HDMI as display connectivity options. So, if you are looking for a budget silent graphics card having a small form factor for your older PC, cheap PC, or HTPC then this is a very good option. The exact model number of this card is R5230-SL-2GD3-L.
| ASUS Radeon R5 230 Silent Low Profile Specifications | |
| Stream Processors | 160 |
| GPU Clock | 650 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1200 MHz |
| Memory Size | 2GB DDR3 |
| Memory Interface | 64-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 2.1 |
| DirectX | 11 |
| OpenGL | 4.1 |
| Output Ports | VGA, DVI, HDMI |
Buy ASUS Radeon R5 230 2GB DDR3
Club3D Radeon HD 6750 CoolStream Edition 1GB GDDR5
To be frank Radeon HD 6750 is a much older graphics card as compared to the others in this list, but for AMD fans I am mentioning it here. Despite being an older card, it is a fairly powerful card that is perfect for HTPCs and for setting up multiple monitors.
This card has got a big heatsink with four copper heat pipes for better cooling. It has a dual-slot design and comes with four output ports that include two DVI ports, HDMI, and DisplayPort. This card does have higher power consumption and you will need a 600 Watt power supply for it.
| Club3D Radeon HD 6750 CoolStream Edition 1GB GDDR5 Specifications | |
| Stream Processors | 720 |
| GPU Clock | 700 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 4600 MHz |
| Memory Size | 1 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 128-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 2.1 |
| DirectX | 11 |
| OpenGL | 4.1 |
| Output Ports | DVI x 2, HDMI, DisplayPort |
Buy Club3D Radeon HD 6750 CoolStream Edition 1GB GDDR5
XFX Radeon RX 460 2GB Heatsink (RX-460P2HFG5)
XFX Radeon RX 460 is the most powerful passively cooled graphics card from AMD. Radeon RX 460 is a budget mid-range graphics card from AMD that has performance similar to that of GeForce GTX 1050 but has lower performance than GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Radeon RX 460 is capable of running latest games on high-medium settings @ 1080p.
This passively cooled RX 460 from XFX comes with 896 Stream Processors and 2GB GDDR5 memory. The top of the card is covered by a large heatsink that has two copper heat pipes for better dissipation of heat. The card is a bit longer compared to standard RX 460 cards because of the extended heatsink and dual-slot design. It does not require an external power connector from the PSU and has relatively lower power consumption. Connectivity options at the rear include DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. So if you want the best passively cooled silent graphics card from AMD then you won’t find anything better than this. There is also a 4GB version of this card which you can check out from the link given below.
| XFX Radeon RX 460 2GB Heatsink Specifications | |
| Stream Processors | 896 |
| GPU Clock | 1220 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 7000 MHz |
| Memory Size | 2 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 128-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 |
| Output Ports | DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort |
Buy XFX Radeon RX 460 2GB GDDR5 Heatsink
Buy XFX Radeon RX 460 4GB GDDR5 Heatsink
Passive Graphics Card Cooler
If you want to cool down your existing graphics card passively or convert it into a passive graphics card then you can use the below-mentioned passive graphics cooler.
ARCTIC Accelero S3 Passive Graphics Card Cooler
ARCTIC Accelero S3 is an aftermarket passive graphics card cooler to cool down your graphics card without the need for any fans or active cooling solution. It supports a number of Nvidia and AMD graphics cards that you can check in the specifications below. This Passive VGA Cooler comes with a large aluminum heatsink with four copper heatpipes that are connected to a copper base contact for the GPU. This passive graphics card cooler also comes with a backplate or backside cooler for VRMs and Video RAM (VRAM) for overall better cooling performance.
The cooling capacity of this graphics card cooler is limited to 135 Watts passively and if you want to use it on up to 200W high-end graphics cards then you have to use Turbo Module or Fans with it. This passive graphics card cooler is completely silent in operation and working (0dBA noise). This passive VGA cooler can be installed without thermal glue and it does not support low profile graphics cards and graphics cards with extended PCBs (such as ASUS DirectCU II R9 290 or others).
It is only compatible with graphics cards using standard PCBs having a width of 98mm. For installation, it comes with a proper kit that includes mounting plates, screws, thermal pads, clips, washers, nuts, graphics card holder, instruction manual, etc. This passive graphics card cooler is a bit on the heavier side as the main Heatsink weighs 410 g and the Backplate at 305 g. Also, do not try to overclock your graphics card on passive heatsinks or coolers because they are not designed for it.
Check out: Best Aftermarket Graphics Card Coolers
| ARCTIC Accelero S3 Passive Graphics Card Cooler Specifications | |
| Compatibility | NVIDIA GeForce: GTX 1070** (Ti**), 1060, 1050(Ti), 960, 760**, 750(Ti), 680**, 670**, 660(Ti**), 650(Ti*,Ti boost**), 560**(Ti**,SE**),,550 Ti*, 465**, 460**(SE**), GTS 450*, 250**, 240(OEM)*, GT 740, 640, 630, 440,340, 330, 320, 240, 220
AMD Radeon: RX 580**, 570**, 480**, 470*, 460, R9 370X**, 280**, 270**(X**), R7 370*, 360*, 265**, 260(X*), 250(X), 240, HD 8870**,8760* ,8740, 7870**(XT**,GHz**), 7850*, 7790*, 7770*(GHz*), 7750, 7730,6950**, 6870**, 6850*, 6790**, 6770*, 6750, 6670(LP), 6570, 5850**, 5830**,5770*, 5750, 5670, 5550(OEM), 4890**, 4870**, 4850*, 4830*, 4770, 4730,4670, 4650, 4550, 4350(LP), 3870*, 3850, 3690, 3650, 3470, 3450, 2600 XT, HD 2600 Pro, HD 2400 XT, HD 2400 Pro, X1950 XTX*, X1950 XT*, X1950 Pro*, X1950 GT*, X1900 XTX*, X1900 XT*, X1900 GT*, X1800 XT*, X1800 XL, X1800 GTO, X1650 XT, X1650 Pro, X1600 XT, X1600 Pro, X1550, X1300 XT, X1300 Pro, X1300 |
| Cooler Type | Passive Heatsink with Copper Heatpipes + Backside Cooler |
| Cooling Capacity | Up to 135 Watts passively, Up to 200 Watts with Turbo Module |
* recommended with properly ventilated case only
** use with S3 Turbo Module only
Buy ARCTIC Accelero S3 Passive VGA Cooler
See also: Best Silent PC Cases to Build a Quiet PC for Gaming and Work
Final Words
Passively Cooled Graphics Cards are less common and are few in number, especially the powerful ones. Here I have tried my best to list down the best passively cooled graphics cards that are completely silent in operation. If you have any queries then you can ask me in the comment section below.
(*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site!)
There is also the _Palit GTX 1050 Ti KalmX_ now, which i will probably buy. ^.^
Palit GTX 1050 Ti KalmX is definitely the fastest and latest passively cooled graphics card. Its availability might be an issue but if you can find it then definitely buy it.
There is also a 4GB version of the above XFX card: RX-460P4HFG5 Other than the increased VRAM, the specs are the same it seems. Available for ~ $20 more.
Yes i agree with you.
Thanks for the roundup.
I can only see one thing missing.
You should mention if it is HDMI version 1.x or 2.x
Due to the fact that many people buy them for HTPC and use the HDMI (myself incl.)
ps. That XFX RADEON 4GB DDR5 1220MHz RX 460 Heatsink seems so yummy for me that buying mostly AMD stuff (Kinda obssesion or something) and it comes with HDMI 2.0b according to amazon, sweet.
You are welcome Magnus af Berg and thanks for your suggestion.
Great works, thanks!
I think you should at least mention the many excellent passively cooled cards made by Matrox.
I don’t think Matrox graphics cards are that much popular and they are relatively expensive too.
Good references. Is using gt 1030 GDDR5 still worth to build low power pc (not for gaming) ? or any recommendation?
Thanks for the good information.
Yes GeForce GT 1030 is totally worth for building a low power PC and you can also enjoy quite a bit of gaming too on this card. You can check out some good GT 1030 cards at https://graphicscardhub.com/best-geforce-gt-1030/
I’m researching silent pc ideas for a home audio recording studio – and – i’d like to use the same PC for gaming when I’m not recording. 1.) Does anyone know if the GeForce GPU fans run all the time or shut off when not gaming. Perhaps when recording – i could turn off my gaming monitor and not need a passive heat sink at all for my two difference noise level requirements? I specifically would like to use dual monitors with recording, and i think some mother boards have on-board dual outputs. Perhaps if i use only the on-board display outputs when recording -> that tactic would not engage and heat the GeForce cardsand the fans would stay off. Well I like my ideas anyhow. Unless some one can spare me a rude awakening.
&Thankx! I was looking for days and this silent pc and extra coverage of silent graphics helped temporarily healed my aching system tweaking brain disorder i suffer every 5 years or so. 🙂
Some graphics card models such Asus STRIX series graphics cards have this functionality where their fans turns off when the load is very less and they automatically kick back in action during gaming or during GPU intensive tasks. Moreover, you can also turn off the fans in any graphics card with the help of GPU overclocking utilities (https://graphicscardhub.com/graphics-card-overclocking-softwares/) but make sure that the heatsink is big enough to handle the cooling when fans are turned off.
I wouldn’t recommend trying to game on a recording studio computer that needs to be silent. You’ll have compromise in both directions because while the card itself is passively cooled, you will need fans and proper case airflow to get that hot air out of the case–and that can also generate noise which almost any studio mic will pick up.
I’m getting a silent GPU to drive two 4k monitors, I don’t play any GPU-intensive games.
Then I would suggest you to go for GeForce GT 1030. In MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC you will get HDMI and Displayport, and in EVGA GeForce GT 1030 SC Passive Low Profile you have DVI and HDMI port.
Akshat, thank you for this article, it is quite useful.
I am considering getting a 4k monitof for my PC, but my motherboard only has PCI 2.0 16x, is there any PCI 2.0 card with passive cooling that would be able to drive 4k monitor with at least 60Hz through HDMI 2.0? Or am I facing a motherboard upgrade in such case? Or would PCI 3.0 card (like GT 1030) still work on PCI 2.0 motherboard with some limitations? I would rather get something kind of future-proof and maybe upgrade other parts later.. Changing MB means changing 70% of the setup with CPU, ram 🙂
Hello Michael,
Yes PCI-E 3.0 card will work perfectly with your PCI-E 2.0 x16 motherboard and the performance difference will be non-existent especially with a budget graphics card. I suggest you to go for MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC (https://graphicscardhub.com/best-geforce-gt-1030/). If this is unavailable then you can go for other passive GT 1030 card too, but make sure it is a GDDR5 one because the DDR4 variant is just crap (https://graphicscardhub.com/gt-1030-gddr5-vs-ddr4/).
Akshat, thank you very much for your response and for the advice. I have one more question. Do you know how does playing high quality 4k videos compare to games in terms of demand? In other words, is GT 1030 LP OC more than enough for 4k content? If yes then I would follow your advice, but if getting GT 1050 Ti KamlX would give me any advantage in playing 4k video, then I would maybe get this one.
Once again, you are doing a great job with your articles, they are very informative and transparent at the same time! Thank you
Hello Michael,
First of all thanks for your appreciation. GT 1030 or MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GH LP OC is capable of 4K @ 60Hz and can play most of the 4K content, but it can be a limiting factor for some 4K content such as 4K UHD Netflix content that requires at least GTX 1050 with 3GB of VRAM. So, to fully support all kinds of 4K content, I think you should opt for KalmX GTX 1050 Ti, which is a much powerful card compared to GT 1030.
Hi
I have KalmX GTX 1050 Ti around 10 months now.
It’s a beast!
I have 1440p monitor but i’m happy with playing games in 1080p and to give some reference i get average of 47 fps in Far Cry 5 benchmark in 1080p with all setings to “Ultra” and does that don’t have ultra are set to “high” in benchmark the lowest fps it goes is 37 fps.
With same settings and 1440p resolution it does average 30-something fps (don’t remember exactly) but the lowest it goes is 24 fps.
So it is very capable silent card that doesn’t require external power.
I paired it with a silent PSU to make a silent pc.
I have 4x12cm fans connected to cpu fan socket and they work only when they are needed to cool all components and help the GPU to stay cold so i can have it working at full speed.
Today i was encoding 4K 25ps movie from camera with x265 with a cpu and playing at the same time in Far Cry 5 without any hiccup, until i run out of ram and the game died.
But this graphic card is very impressive and i have no doubt that it will serve me few more years.
And don’t forget that this card has also hardware x264 and x265 in 10bit encoding.
You can play game, record with hardware encoder at the same time.
It’s money well spend.
That’s my setup:
https://ibb.co/mNr25bM
Thx
Yes KalmX GTX 1050 Ti is a great card for silent systems and great setup buddy.
Akshat, thank you again for your help, I will definately consider the KalmX in that case! Keep up the good work.
Pawel, dzięki for your input as well 😉 nice setup, must be also easy to clean the dust 😉
It’s allways better not to play game when you converting video.
Hello Michael C.
As a matter of fact it’s not only easy to clean with dust blower but fan’s don’t accumulate any dust, so it’s a nice setup, it’s my first like this and i don’t see myself going back to chassis hehe 🙂
Thx
Pawel
Maybe a GTX 1650 KalmX soon ?
I don’t think there will be a one.
Palit GTX 1050 Ti uses “integrated ramdac”… is it a disadvantage? Which card could you take as an alternative?
Every card has Integrated RAMDAC.
Thanks for fast reply!
Hello I just want to ask about the compatibility of the accelero s3. Is it really compatible with the rx580? Can’t find it at their website.
Note sure but someone has used it on a RX 480 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=arctic-accelero-s3&num=2
Since two months I own a KalmX too, and I am very happy with it. My eight years old PC died before christmas. I wanted again a silent PC for Office stuff and occasional gaming, and bought individual components to build my own PC. For all the rest of components I followed a recommendation provided in a computer magazine, but for the graphics card I choosed the KalmX instead taking the low budget recommendation from the magazine.
Well done, my Windwos 10 PC now is overall very fast, and gaming as well fits my needs.
Just to mention for Office users: my old PC was an original i750 with passive Radeon 6750 card, and when I wanted to move a large Excel 2019 spreadsheet-window on my desktop, it started so stutter massively, almost impossible. I had to switch off all Windows Visual effects for best performance (!)
With the new Ryzen 5 and KalmX it works now smootly like a charm.
Great to know that you are happy with the KalmX.
Bought the 1650 KalmX now as a secondary graphics card in my system, but I am a bit disappointed in Nvidia that they don’t virtualisation on a hardware level for their consumer gpu’s. Hopefully there will be some stronger passively cooled amd cards on the market soon.
Iorsch,
Can you comment where you got your card? I can’t find it anywhere and Palit says they have no US distribution (I don’t know where you are). Thanks.
I’m from Germany and I bought it from Mindfactory, I don’t think they ship to the US unfortunately. Good luck on finding your GPU!
You can get a passive GTX 1650 for cheaper from Fully Silent PCs than from Palit:
https://www.fullysilentpcs.com/product/nvidia-1650/
Hi Elias, this link is very expensive. It looks like the guy modified his own card with a different heat sink and the price is nearly twice as much because of it. At least you were able to get one though.
I have been desperately trying to find a way to buy the 1650 KalmX card. So far been unsuccessful. I did just find this and will see if anyone ships to the U.S.: https://geizhals.eu/palit-geforce-gtx-1650-kalmx-ne5165001bg1-1170h-a2227819.html#offerlist
Many sellers say they ship to other countries on request. I will see if they really mean it.
Should only cost about $200 (Euro exchange rate is super low right now and the card is around 175 Euro). Shipping shouldn’t be a fortune. Hopefully will work out.
I think I will not buy a fanless card anymore, I tried RDR2 and the temperature reached 75 degrees celsius … I got scared.
I have asked Palit (in Germany), they say Palit is no longer manufacturing the KalmX cards, as they have reached EOL (end of life) status.
Just thought I’d let You know. If You can find a source for NEW Palix KalmX cards, I’d be grateful to know about it.
Kind regards!
For those of us who want a Radeon instead of a GeForce, the “Club3D Radeon HD 6750” is no longer available, however, the “VisionTek Radeon 7350 SFF” is still available on Amazon, is fanless, supports dual-link DVi and three monitors. For now this meets my needs to continue to drive my old-school PLP setup until I finally give in and get an ultrawide. Linux workstation, no gaming.
Cannot find ZOTAC GeForce GTX 750 Zone Edition anywhere.
I’ve just bought the second-hand Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX 2GB GDDR5 card, it really works just fine, under Debian 11.
Thank you very much for your passively cooled cards review