Originally posted by: IQJUMPuw
I'm starting to get worried about my 4850's temperature...
I know it has a lifetime warranty but it's too much of a hassle in case something happens to the video card. Not only do you have to ship the video card to them, you have to wait until they "repair" it or send you a replacement card during which you are left with no video card. I'm thinking about just returning it at BestBuy. 4850 gave me quiet a bit of an improvement over the 8800GT but the card idles at 82C and goes over 90C under heavy load. When I play Age of Conan, there are artifacts during certain scenes.
What should I do? I was so excited about this card and I was amazed at what $150 card could do but the heat problem is really bad. It's like having a heater in my room.
The tough part emotionally is that this is a mid level $150 graphics card. Many find it hard to spend aftermarket money money on a budget card. Defeats the whole bang for your buck thing. Overclockers in particular are looking for the cheapest solution that gets the job done. It's part of the process, part of the bragging right with this stuff is how much (or little) you paid.
That mental obstacle becomes less an issue when you're dealing with a $600 graphics card, an investment. The desire to keep it cool becomes a major factor. I was quite comfortable
investing in the most expensive cooler available for my old 8800 GTX.
You've already mentioned your first option. The second option, realize that this card is worth every penny you paid and then some. Is it worth investing in an aftermarket cooler? That's completly up to you. Lots of people will give you their two cents; but at the end of the day it's what makes you happy. Personally, I think it's worth the $25 bucks of an S1 cooler. I want a smaller profile cooler however and will probably have to pay a little more.
The final point to this heat matter is tricky to explain but here goes. When you put your hand near the exaust ports of the stock cooler you can feel hot air coming from it. That hot air quickly builds in the case at a rate usually quicker than most exaust systems can contend with. The result, warmer air being exausted. Take the same same card and impliment a highly efficient cooler, one that's able to make the heat exchange rapidly, effectively. The result is a cooler that feels almost cool to the touch, with much cooler air coming off it. No heat buildup you see, the improved cooling solution is more efficient. It can do it's job much more effectively than the stock solution.
You'll often hear people saying, "but I don't want all that heat dumping into my case." Here's what's tricky to understand until you've experienced it, the more effective cooler prevents a heat buildup so the air feels cooler coming off it. It's steady and even, given the case airflow is sufficient. What's sufficient? These days a case with at least three 120mm fans spinning at 1200rpm or better.
This card will feel like a different animal with a better cooling cooling solution. It may tolerate the temps associated with the stock cooler, but clearly with limitations. And for how long? Everything manmade that has moving parts or electronics lasts longer when kept cooler...