8800 GTS 512.. HR-03 GT will improve it, or not so much?

[undeclared]

I need to know, or not order..

Please help!

BFG 8800 GTS 512 OC
+
HR-03 GT (which seriously improves temps on the GT.. but the GTS?)

 

[Blazer7]

I don't think that you'll need the HR-03 GT. I'm running 2 x ASUS EN8800GTS TOP edition in SLI and had no heat problems so far. In fact the reference cooler seems to be able to handle the heat quite well. The TOP edition is running @ 740 core, 2070 mem & 1800 shader while the BFG OC is running @ 675 core, 1940 mem & 1674 shader. If the stock cooler is good enough for the ASUS TOP then I guess it's more than good for the BFG OC, besides, the GTS cards are known to work cooler than the GTs thanks to the better cooler so I don't think that you should worry too much.

The HR-03 GT does not extract the hot air from the case and you'll most probably need to add a fan on it to get some real cooling. Of course if you do that the card will occupy 3 slots and you can kiss your warranty good bye along with any thoughts for SLI.

I suggest that you go for the GTS as is.

 

[error8]

The GTS stock cooler is quite a good one, even for OC, if you need better temperatures, just crank up the fan speed. Take the HR-03 only if you plan on doing some volt modding, because like Blazer said, it will occupy a lot of space and you'll have to take out of the case a serious amount of heat generated by it.

 

[shabby]

Ya crank up the fan speeds, i got my gts down to 50c under load at like 65% fan duty cycle.

 

[undeclared]

Hmm, not a total answer..

I know it's supposed to be a _NEED_ for an 8800 GT (they seriously overheat), so GTS not so much?

 

[ther00kie16]

GTS's 2 slot fan vents out the back and is much better than GT's single slot cooler that circulates air back into the case so heat is not an issue.
You may see slightly lower temps with HR-03 GT and slightly higher overclock, but there's really no difference as the change in both will probably be less than 5%.

 

[Lithan]

My GTS doesnt even spin up gaming for several hours @ 740/1800/2200 with the stock cooling. Can't even compare the GT cooling to GTS. GT is unacceptable, GTS is good.

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[DerComissar]

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: