These days, the performance of a PC system is reliant almost as much on the video card as the main processor. As graphics performance has increased, so has the heat output of the graphics processing unit (GPU) chip, which in turn has lead to video cards being installed with more and more elaborate fan-based coolers. From a noise point of view, this is a disaster! The tiny GPU fan must spin very quickly in order to achieve reasonable airflow, and of course the higher the fan speed, the higher the noise level.

Naturally, the best approach is to avoid video cards with fans on them, but these days it is almost impossible to find a high performance graphics card without a fan. But there is no need to sacrifice performance for quietness; the following innovative products will put an end to the problem for good. Your VGA card won't be just "quieter" - it will be virtually silent! Extremely clever heatsink designs give a huge increase in surface area, and often gives better cooling than the standard item too.

After choosing a GPU manufacturer you will be presented with a list of VGA coolers which will fit cards based on chipsets made by that manufacturer. You will also notice a table which you can use to determine which coolers will fit specific card types.