Solve this cooling puzzle, please

[imported_RedStar]

Ok ..I am trying to help out a friend. I gots the knowledge but not the practical experience of actually owning one of these ati beasts.

From everything i have read ...the card is loud...LOUD. and perhaps uses the most power of all the cards (throws off a ton of heat)

throw this in a light system of: a64 3200+, 2 hdd 120gb and 160gb, 1 dvd writer, 4x512mb ddr.
case would be either a sonata 2 or coolmaster centurion 5 or.....

stock cooling. This prolly equals toasty ...but then combine this with a californian 100 C summer and no air conditioning ...can this even be done?

how would you solve this problem?

I have tempted to go with nvidia instead ...except that the ati x1800xt 256 mb is only 210$ US. It is a great price/performance.

But i feel the sound would be too much --esp if he wants to use the computer 24/7

how noisy is it really? and is it quiet enough more or less idling (not gaming)..

So the puzzle:..every thing is set in stone --except the vid card (gotta be <=240$ and near same performance) and a case around 80$ or so.
(He really wants that vid card!

PSU would prolly have to be around 450 -500 w.


TIA for consideration/thoughts/solution =)

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: RedStar
Ok ..I am trying to help out a friend. I gots the knowledge but not the practical experience of actually owning one of these ati beasts.

From everything i have read ...the card is loud...LOUD. and perhaps uses the most power of all the cards (throws off a ton of heat)

throw this in a light system of: a64 3200+, 2 hdd 120gb and 160gb, 1 dvd writer, 4x512mb ddr.
case would be either a sonata 2 or coolmaster centurion 5 or.....

stock cooling. This prolly equals toasty ...but then combine this with a californian 100 C summer and no air conditioning ...can this even be done?

how would you solve this problem?

I have tempted to go with nvidia instead ...except that the ati x1800xt 256 mb is only 210$ US. It is a great price/performance.

But i feel the sound would be too much --esp if he wants to use the computer 24/7

how noisy is it really? and is it quiet enough more or less idling (not gaming)..

So the puzzle:..every thing is set in stone --except the vid card (gotta be <=240$ and near same performance) and a case around 80$ or so.
(He really wants that vid card!

PSU would prolly have to be around 450 -500 w.


TIA for consideration/thoughts/solution =)

1. the card isnt as loud as the 7900GT stock solution. These little punks scream when its on full blast.

2. Dont even concider stock cooling, get a FreezerPro for 21 dollars and watch it kick the stock hsf and even come close to the giants like scythe ninja.

3. The sonota2 really BLOWS at cooling. Its primarly based on negitive pressure and i have found out in a high temp dishing system, negitive pressure doesnt work as well as positive pressure, however in negitive pressure u have less air to vibrate hence less noise. But Noise and Cooling are two opposites, u need to sacrifice a bit of one to get better in the other. Or pay a incrediable amount of money like going water.

4. U can get a 7900GT at newegg for $202, for a EVGA factory refurbished. I dont know if these offer EVGA stepup, i highly doubt it, and i have no idea on how long the warrenty is, but im kinda sure it has to be longer then ATI's brand.

5. Ummm unless he lives in some weird location in cali, its not going to be 100C at night so hence leaving it on is a feasible idea, plus the computer might keep his room comfortable during winter when it gets cold.

6. Make sure u get a good psu, there pwr output is highly dependant on the temps the psu runs. So if uget a crappy 500 watt where the max performance is around <55C , you would of been better off getting a 450 at <70C for more info ask the pro's here, galvanized yankie is a good source and so is rallymaster.

7. Lastly, id rather get a P4 D805 then a A64 single core. True they run hotter, but the lifeline of the 805 is greater then the dying single core line. And i have new respect for even the 65nm prestler lines. I Built a make shift media center out of the Asus board and 930 cpu b4 i got my conroe, oc'd it to 3.8ghz and it was pwning my AMD X2 at 2.6ghz in superpi by almost 2 sec. It wasnt til i hit 2.8ghz that i got slightly ahead of the 3.8ghz, but then i added water to it and watched it go to 4.2ghz and it was game over. Now im on a Conroe E6600 which pwns both the old intel and my AMD. BTW my AMD now turned into a really nice NAS server

8. Are u located in CALI? id say go out to frys during a weekend and see if you can get a cheap combo sale, sometimes there sales are just rediculous. I got the old 930cpu with a ****** and utterly crappy ECS board, but! i only paid 169.00 (this was back in June) for the entire setup, so hence i got the cpu on sale and a free board with it.

9. just looking at the add for last week, you could of picked up a X2 3800+ with a WOW CRAPPY ECS RX480 board for 119.00 You could probably find the X2 chip cheaper now, and get a semi decient board for it. If you have the ram u save money on the ram, since its not DDR2 and just regular DDR.


Try to get a dual core. If your desktop cant even keep up with laptop technology, thats kinda sad. :X

 

[RallyMaster]

Originally posted by: aigomorla


6. Make sure u get a good psu, there pwr output is highly dependant on the temps the psu runs. So if uget a crappy 500 watt where the max performance is around <55C , you would of been better off getting a 450 at <70C for more info ask the pro's here, galvanized yankie is a good source and so is rallymaster.

Whoa now...the PSU guru here would probably be Howard...or was it? I'm the Raidmax X-1 guru

 

[aigomorla]

Ack ment howard. LOL i havent been on the forums because of work and school for 3 months and im already getting people confused.

 

[zodiak]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
4. U can get a 7900GT at newegg for $202, for a EVGA factory refurbished. I dont know if these offer EVGA stepup, i highly doubt it, and i have no idea on how long the warrenty is, but im kinda sure it has to be longer then ATI's brand.

EVGA offers step up on any, and all of their GPU's. They also offer a lifetime warranty for all but physical damage to the card.

 

[imported_RedStar]

thanks for your in depth reply.
So, as i thought..it will definately need a custom cooling solution on the x1800xt --but, if you guys think it will work after that then...
Is it easy to install a custom cooling solution onto a vid card?

I have a great fear of refurbished anything..so i think i will pass.

edit: and for air cooling you could only cool as far as the ambient temp anyways.


"The sonota2 really BLOWS at cooling"

they all "blow" for cooling Well, i guess some do suck also

 

[alpha88]

Computers really can heat up a room.

I've had my room get over 100F (when it was only 85F outside). You'll want a window fan, or maybe a homemade swamp cooler.

 

[Operandi]

For the PSU efficiency is probably the most important factor. High efficiency means less, heat; less heat also means high efficiency. The build quality also becomes a factor in higher heat environments since cheaper lower quality parts are not able to handle higher temps as well as higher quality components.

The Seasonic S12 is about as efficient as they get and use high-quality Japanese capacitors.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: RedStar
thanks for your in depth reply.
So, as i thought..it will definately need a custom cooling solution on the x1800xt --but, if you guys think it will work after that then...
Is it easy to install a custom cooling solution onto a vid card?

I have a great fear of refurbished anything..so i think i will pass.

edit: and for air cooling you could only cool as far as the ambient temp anyways.


"The sonota2 really BLOWS at cooling"

they all "blow" for cooling Well, i guess some do suck also

unless your getting the x1800xt for less then 180 id still go with the refurb'd 7900GT from evga. someone already confirmed that the card is backed with a lifetime warrenty. If the heat frys it and u didnt tamper with it in anyway, ur gonna get a new card for life. Thats something i have yet to see on a ATI card.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster

Originally posted by: aigomorla


6. Make sure u get a good psu, there pwr output is highly dependant on the temps the psu runs. So if uget a crappy 500 watt where the max performance is around <55C , you would of been better off getting a 450 at <70C for more info ask the pro's here, galvanized yankie is a good source and so is rallymaster.

Whoa now...the PSU guru here would probably be Howard...or was it? I'm the Raidmax X-1 guru

rofl...hahahahaaaaa....heheheee...help Im laughing so hard Im going to barf....lolol......rofl

 

[imported_RedStar]

"...someone already confirmed that the card is backed with a lifetime warrenty. If... "

wow that is unheard of --to me

Perhaps that is indeed the best option then!

I used the PSU calculator...and will need just under 450 watts if i account for a small dual core future upgrade.

So i am just off to look up PSU's in that range (starting with s12's

 

[PianoMan]

You'll need a big case w/LOTZ of fans if you're planning on doing everything in your first post.

Better yet - second the recommendation on going with the much more thermally efficient 7900 series - you won't need to put icecubes in the front air vents.

PM

 

[imported_RedStar]

is this the evga card you ment?:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130049

the reviews are not encouraging .

a new 7900 gt is an awesome card...so those comments on the refurbished are unsettling.
(but only 4 comments)

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: RedStar
is this the evga card you ment?:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130049

the reviews are not encouraging .

a new 7900 gt is an awesome card...so those comments on the refurbished are unsettling.
(but only 4 comments)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130050

actually ur looking at the 560 model. the one i was talking about in particular is the 563 model. I got one for my little bro and i'll tell you up front, my xfx oc'd about 55mhz higher then the evga. but i also paid about 100 dolllars more then my brothers and he doesnt game intensively enough for me to overclock the card higher then 550mhz.

You said your not going to majorly overclock due to heat issues so, this card should be fine. The flamers on the reviews are mostly little kids who couldnt get the 700mhz barrier with them and they are just pissed off.

EDIT: the guy that says lifetime warrenty is misinformed!!!! i just looked it up again and it has a 90 day warrenty.

Copy from newegg:
Other Thoughts: I emailed evga with a cople of questions; her arwe the questions and their answer; Question (8/2/2006 4:10:16 PM): I recently purchased a "recertified" eVGA 256-P2-N562-RX Geforce 7900GT from newegg.com. What exactly does "recertified" mean? Is there any warranty on this card other than the the one from newegg? Thank you. Answered (8/3/2006 6:00:27 AM): Recertified means that the card was sent back to us in excellent condition through step up and we run it through the same tests as the new cards to make sure that it is ok for the customer. You have 90 day warranty with that card.

 

[imported_RedStar]

my friend called evga and they told him they do not give a lifetime warranty on refurbished nor to they do replacement. so that ends that angle.



aigomorla: sorry didn't read your post first before posting.

 

[imported_fallen]

Also I noticed you asked about "Cooling the card". The above poster was recommending a CPU cooler, not a Video card cooler. A seperate video card cooler most likely won't be needed. Just get decent Case fans & a Good PSU. The Thermalright 120 is a good low budget cooler for your CPU.

 

[imported_RedStar]

i was only mentioning the video cooler in the context of reducing the fan noise.
I have read that the stock cooler defaults to 50% speed and the noise is tolerable. However, when the fan goes to max..it screams like a banshee.

So since we can't find any other comparable solution for the same price and warranty ... he is gonna buy the x1800xt and then see how it goes.