a hard hardware upgrade

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

I recently bought an inexpensive off-lease HP Small Form Factor
computer from Factory Direct:
  http://www.factorydirect.ca/catalog/product_spec.php?pcode=HP0515

Built like a tanks.  Unfortunately it has only Low Profile sockets (2 x 
PCI, PCIe x1, and PCIe x16).

It has DVI-D and VGA out.  But I need analogue video out for my 
application (HTPC with an old TV).

So I look for a cheap Low Profile video card with analogue out.

The only one I found was this:
  http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=017062&cid=999.243.390
According to the online inventory, I got the second-last one in their
system.  Cheap due to rebate.

It comes as a full-height card.  But there are two "plates" to replace
the full height one that is installed.  (By "plate", I mean the metal
bracket on the end of the card that sticks out the back of the
computer.)

I switch plates and try to install it.  It will not fit!  More
correctly, it will fit but it cannot be installed because there is not
enough clearance.

I end up removing the motherboard, installing the card in the
motherboard, and then installing the motherboard.  Or trying.  Even
that doesn't quite work.  I have to remove the plate, install the
motherboard, place the plate in its final position in the case,
install the motherboard, and finally attach the plate to the card.

When I've done that, I turn on the computer and find that it all
works!  Except that the card's fan is too loud for HTPC.  Oh well.

(With this card, glxgears using the nv driver gets about 240 fps.
With the proprietary driver, between 1900 and 2000.)

I thought that the proprietary driver might be able to throttle the
fan but that seems not to be the case.
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