GV-R577SL-1GD = = = why so hard to find?

So I'm slowly going about getting my bearings on current hardware after several years away form OC'ing & system building (last cared when the rig in my sig was current. . .)

I *LOVE* the idea of replacing my ancient x800 w/ something in the ~$100 range that is passively cooled, but can still deliver "okay" gaming performance on the odd chance I get an itch to try a game from this decade.

I see the GV-R575SL (5750) @ NewEgg, but it looks like the 5770 would be a worthwhile upgrade (or am I wrong?) Apparently G-Byte announced the GV-R577SL-1GD last fall & nobody cared. . .whas up with dat!?

Also - am I an idiot for considering a passively cooled card? Should I be sticking to low noise w/ FDB fans, etc?

If the card comes with a decent stock cooler you shouldn't see much difference from a passive card really other than better selection. It'll be noisier than silent of course, but you won't need the same level of case cooling as you would with a passive card so it'll probably offset that (passive cards still need indirect cooling so it's not a good compromise if you also require some measure of performance). The 57XX series is pretty decent and would likely work well with your CPU. I don't know if I'd spend more for a higher-power card with that platform.

If the stock cooler ends up being too loud for you you can always get an aftermarket cooler, even a massive quasi-passive version, later on.

Ah, sorry, should've mentioned - the card would be for my new rig. 2500k, UD4, 4Gb of Ripjaws, C300 SSD, etc. Not bleeding edge, but quite a bit quicker than the old one in my sig! Its all housed in a big-old Lian-Li PC75 w/ several 120mm Panaflos on a Sunbeam, so I've got some decent CFMs w/ more "woosh" than "whirrrr". . .

I run 2 Gigabyte HD5770SO gpu's. The SO's are a "superclocked" series. I like the 5770's and would recommend them if you are not going to upgrade in the near future. That said, I see a price decrease in the 5000 series cards in the near future. AMD is coming out with the new Zambezi cpu and Northern Lights gpu, and so we will see a depression of prices for older generation AMD cards. Sounds like an analyst huh? The Gigabyte HD5770SO are the same exact price I paid almost a year ago, so they are due for a drop. Otherwise I like the Gigabyte 5770's fine. You are not crazy to want "silent running." MSI Afterburner allows fan control of the 5770's and other video cards.

Hmm,. . .good stuff to chew on. Sounds like maybe a good time to wait. Am I correct that at this price point the 5770 still has an edge on some of the newer low-end 6xxx cards?

A good idea would be to check some reviews for the 5770 and see if it measures up with what you're looking to do with it. Also you can check GPUreview for some direct reference card comparisons for fill rate/memory bandwidth/etc.