I do a lot of research before decide on this card . the main thing that make I decide to buy it be ; 1 . high quality component . this card be not a cheap version of a 6950 , it be a solid card with japanese make capacitor -lrb- the best -rrb- and great construction . 2 . quiet ! this card be 100 % quieter than my last card , a 4890 . my wife love it that my computer can not be hear in the other room now ! 3 . cool ! this card run extremely cool . the two fan configuration do a excellent job keep it cool -lrb- and be also the reason it be so quiet , the fan can run at a lower rpm and still provide more cooling than a single fan -rrb- . 4 . fast fast fast . this card , while not a reference design -lrb- for unlock shader -rrb- be still a very fast card . it blow away every game I throw at it , and I can finally run crysis at max setting ! one thing to remember about reference vs. non-reference card be that when you unlock the shader , you only get a 3 % performance boost , and that be at the cost of a hotter running and louder card -lrb- due to the single fan -rrb- . bottom line , if you be look for a great clard that be fast , quiet , cool , and have some overclockability , this be the one to get .