Originally posted by: ther00kie16
Originally posted by: DerComissar
You would see a lot more than 5% temp drop with a Thermalright HR-03GT and a good 120mm fan fitted to it. Try 15C plus. My previous card was an XFX 8800GTS 512 and the HR-03GT, fitted with a Noctua NF-P12 fan gave me a load temp reduction of 20C on average.
Having said that, if you run the fan at 100% on the GTS, (I did for a month) you will get fairly decent temps for a stock cooler. But nothing anywhere near the Thermalright.
But even with the stock heatsink, that 8800GTS ran one heck of a lot cooler than the beast I have now
Well, it's recommended for use either fanless or with a 92mm fan. Furthermore, the 8800gts fan isn't anywhere close to 120mm, or even 92mm. So part of the result is because of the fan, not necessarily the heatsink.
You are right that a 120mm fan really helps the temps on the HR-03gt. But there's actually a lot more to it than that. I wouldn't recommend running it fanless, very few enthusiasts do, except those who frequent the Silent PC Forums The temp reduction is far greater with a fan, and even though a 92mm is recommended, a 120mm can be fitted to it easily. You also apply included ramsinks to the memory chips on the card, and the slight overhang of the 120mm fan helps to provide airflow to these sinks, thus reducing the heat from the memory of the card.
It's really an incredible heatsink, providing a huge drop in temps. (With a fan fitted!) You also mentioned the heat not being exhausted out of the case with an HR-03GT. This is true, but with good airflow through your case it really is not an issue.
I am into overclocking and I also tend to try out new video cards more often then most sane people do. I had an 8800GTS 640, which ran hotter than the GTS 512, and I fitted it with an HR-03 (not the GT version) with the 120mm fan and experienced similar temp drops. I had an 8800GT 512 before the GTS 512, and there is a big difference in it's heat output with the single-slot cooler it comes with.
As for this 9800GX2 I have now, it's an oven and other than running the fan at 100%, there are no aftermarket heatsinks for it, other than waterblocks:beer: