fanless midrange graphics cards?

Question

What fanless decent graphics cards are there, in the mid range category that would run games such as GTA IV, and offer acceptable performance in CAD software such as 3Ds max?

Answer 1

Tom's Hardware's reviews of graphics cards ("Best graphics cards for the money") generally end with their "Graphics card hierarchy chart". From that, you can figure out what cards offer what you consider "acceptable performance." Then go to a retailer such as Newegg and look for fanless cards in your price bracket. Note that "fanless" might include "watercooled" as well, but that's not likely to match your "mid range" criteria.

Looking at today's offerings, there are GeForce GT 240 and 430 based cards at about the $100 level. If you prefer Radeon, there are 5550's for somewhat less, and 5570's for somewhat more.