Linux-compatible very slender PCI vid card?

April 16, 2008 8:40 AM

I need a skinny, possibly fanless video card for a 1 U server. Linux drivers, PCI Express, very little room for it to live.

Currently, we are using a Palit 8500gt (pic), and the fan is big enough that it is pressing against one of the server's CPU heat sinks. It can spin, and so far no disasters, but we want something else.

Is there a mid-range video card made that is either fanless or has a very tiny fan, with Linux drivers, and fits a very narrow PCI express slot?

posted by everichon to computers & internet (7 comments total)

Have you looked on newegg? I was going to search for you, but this seems like something you should be able to find easily yourself.
posted by thomas144 at 9:04 AM on April 16, 2008

I have combed NewEgg and CDW; I only see thick, fanned and thicker fanless (big heat sinks)--I guess I am hoping there is some long-tail niche hardware out there that might not be available at the usual vendors. Or something.
posted by everichon at 9:19 AM on April 16, 2008

newegg search for fanless pci express cards. I don't think that fanless cards are necessarily much thinner than cards with fans,
posted by jepler at 9:28 AM on April 16, 2008

What do you need this card to do? Just show a Linux X11 desktop? 'Cause there's a ton of low-end cards with passive heat sinks out there. I'd look through this NewEgg search for fanless PCI Express cards to find something. I would steer towards Nvidia as ATI's Linux drivers are miserably bad.
posted by zsazsa at 9:29 AM on April 16, 2008

I'd 2nd nVidia, until very recently, I'd never owned anything but ATI video cards. But after switching to 100% linux a couple years back, ATI's abysmal linux drivers drove me to nVidia.
posted by jjb at 9:45 AM on April 16, 2008

I'd call up Newegg and CDW and talk to a sales person. They've always helped me in the past when I've had questions like this.
posted by rhizome at 10:17 AM on April 16, 2008

Do you need graphics? If not, try a serial console.
posted by eriko at 1:09 PM on April 16, 2008