What cooling solutions to use...

[BaneGrievver]

I've been digging aruond but there aren't any definite answers.

What will fit on an X800?

Giant III?
Zalman ZM80?
Artic Cooling Silencer?

Any of you folks have them on your X800's yet?

 

[incallisto]

I am running the Giant III on my X800 Pro (ATI Retail version). No fitment problems.

 

[HardWarrior]

Are you having issues with stock cooling, if I may ask?

 

[gordanfreeman]

similar question:

anyone know what aftermarket heatsink/etc would fit on my GF4 4200? the stock heatsink fan is dying i think. its probably not a problem as it doesnt crash or anything at all, but i have been trying to figure out what to do with it, as the fan makes more noise than most the other fans in my rig.

 

[HardWarrior]

This looks good for a GF4.

 

[incallisto]

In my opinion, the stock HSF isnt sufficient for long gaming sessions at high resolutions with all the eye candy on. The stock HSF gets so hot, you cant even touch it without melting skin off your fingers.

With the GIANT III, it idles close to ambient and after hours of playing FarCry or Quake3 at high resolutions with all eye candy on it stays around 57-60.

 

[BaneGrievver]

Great, thanks for the answers!

And no, not having any problems, I'd just like something to keep the temp down, for reasons that incallisto mentioned

 

[incallisto]

I can tell you that the Giant III's heatpipes work exceptionally well. Nearly all of the heat is conducted via the heatpipes aka "super conductors". What's also "cool" is the blower fan. In spite of some of the (poorly written) reviews, the blower does work. The catch is, it only works to push hot air pockets out of the massive heatsink area. This won't be a problem in a well-ventilated case (i.e. Lian Li, Coolermaster, Antec, etc), but in "quiet PCs", being able to occassionally run the blower for some additional airflow is a wonderful option.

I am impressed with the Giant III thus far. It does work MUCH better than the stock HSF and it also looks very cool (if aesthetics are important to you). Personally, I dont care about looks. I'm all about performance.

Off to work.

 

[Nickel020]

For a GF 4 Ti I would get a Zalman heatpipe (or the new Aerocool VM-101 heatpipe which is supposed to be considerably better). If you get a cooler with a fan sized similar to the stock fan you won't really notice any improvement noisewise (I have tried the Titan CUV 2AB copper cooler myself after the fan on my GF 4 4200 died and the cooler is only marginally better than the stock cooler).

 

[incallisto]

The Zalman is also a great cooler. The only reason I chose the GIANT III is the design will basically fit anything as long as you have room near the AGP slot and at least two holes in the PCB. I'm running the AeroCool HT-101 cpu cooler and there is about 3" of space between the two.

 

[tOiRb]

I put a Giant III on my Visiontek Xtacy X800. It fit perfectly. You don't even have to use the extender arms because to holes line up perfectly. Took the whining squirrel cage off. Worthless and way too loud. I have a side case fan the blows right where this squirrel fan mounts. I plan to replace the regular fan on the giant III also. I am going to put a 92MM fan there which will be quieter and push more air.

 

[FiberoN]

Why do you need more than the stock cooling? It's perfectly fine and it looks good

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: incallisto
In my opinion, the stock HSF isnt sufficient for long gaming sessions at high resolutions with all the eye candy on. The stock HSF gets so hot, you cant even touch it without melting skin off your fingers.

With the GIANT III, it idles close to ambient and after hours of playing FarCry or Quake3 at high resolutions with all eye candy on it stays around 57-60.

Really? You should call ATI and let them know that in your opinion, the heatsink fan design they've custom tailored for their video card is insufficient. They obviously have no idea what they're doing, or what their cards can tolerate.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: incallisto
In my opinion, the stock HSF isnt sufficient for long gaming sessions at high resolutions with all the eye candy on. The stock HSF gets so hot, you cant even touch it without melting skin off your fingers.

With the GIANT III, it idles close to ambient and after hours of playing FarCry or Quake3 at high resolutions with all eye candy on it stays around 57-60.

Really? You should call ATI and let them know that in your opinion, the heatsink fan design they've custom tailored for their video card is insufficient. They obviously have no idea what they're doing, or what their cards can tolerate.

Easy big fella...he did say "in my opinion". If he spent his money on the card, and he feels the stock HSF is not adequate, what's the big deal. It's not like video card companies haven't used cheesy HSF setups before that are barely adequate.

That card is not cheap, and if the heatsink is running as hot as he says, it sounds like to me extra cooling isn't a bad idea, and it's his perogative. Why the hostility?

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: incallisto
In my opinion, the stock HSF isnt sufficient for long gaming sessions at high resolutions with all the eye candy on. The stock HSF gets so hot, you cant even touch it without melting skin off your fingers.

With the GIANT III, it idles close to ambient and after hours of playing FarCry or Quake3 at high resolutions with all eye candy on it stays around 57-60.

Really? You should call ATI and let them know that in your opinion, the heatsink fan design they've custom tailored for their video card is insufficient. They obviously have no idea what they're doing, or what their cards can tolerate.

Easy big fella...he did say "in my opinion". If he spent his money on the card, and he feels the stock HSF is not adequate, what's the big deal. It's not like video card companies haven't used cheesy HSF setups before that are barely adequate.

That card is not cheap, and if the heatsink is running as hot as he says, it sounds like to me extra cooling isn't a bad idea, and it's his perogative. Why the hostility?

Yeah, why the hostility, Nebor? Find your Happy Place before you make us all uncomfortable.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: incallisto
In my opinion, the stock HSF isnt sufficient for long gaming sessions at high resolutions with all the eye candy on. The stock HSF gets so hot, you cant even touch it without melting skin off your fingers.

With the GIANT III, it idles close to ambient and after hours of playing FarCry or Quake3 at high resolutions with all eye candy on it stays around 57-60.

Really? You should call ATI and let them know that in your opinion, the heatsink fan design they've custom tailored for their video card is insufficient. They obviously have no idea what they're doing, or what their cards can tolerate.

Easy big fella...he did say "in my opinion". If he spent his money on the card, and he feels the stock HSF is not adequate, what's the big deal. It's not like video card companies haven't used cheesy HSF setups before that are barely adequate.

That card is not cheap, and if the heatsink is running as hot as he says, it sounds like to me extra cooling isn't a bad idea, and it's his perogative. Why the hostility?

I included the "opinion" part.

For all you know I designed the ATI reference cooler.

 

[chilled]

Giant III all the way...

 

[tOiRb]

For those critical of putting giant III on x800.....

1) Stock fan is wimpy...if I touched the stock fan it virtually stopped and would barely start back up, didn't trust it.

2) Stock fan is loud (so is the Giant III fan) so I put a 92mm fan on that I can"t even hear.

3) My card is running super cool and my benchmarks (62,256 aqua at stock speeds) really improved. My overclock limits went much higher. ATITool gets to 550/580 or so.

It does no use to be critical of "tweekers". We are going to do what we want, when we want to do it and if you don't like it, just keep your thoughts to yourself.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: tOiRbIt does no use to be critical of "tweekers". We are going to do what we want, when we want to do it and if you don't like it, just keep your thoughts to yourself.

:laugh: Hell yeah!

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Hi all.
Good info on getting stock hs off and installing aftermarket?

That's the only thing I'm wary is damaging a very good $400 card as it is.

 

[tOiRb]

Originally posted by: PhoenixOrion
Hi all.
Good info on getting stock hs off and installing aftermarket?

That's the only thing I'm wary is damaging a very good $400 card as it is.

OK..first of all decide whether you can afford another card. Taking off the original is a snap, just keep everything in case you want to put it back together.

I've done 2 Arctic Coolers (9800 pros) and 1 Giant III. The main things to do are:

1) Remain cool, don't down too many beers, six pack max, preferably IPA micro like "Speakeasy".
2) Follow directions, but they usually suck so go on some forums/reviews and you'll get better directions.
3) Lay the stuff out, be sure all parts are there before you start.
4) Use high quality thermal transfer, ie ceramique or Arctic Silver3.
5) Use care in putting things together, concentrate, take your time. That's $400 bucks your fooling with.
6) Careful insertion is necessary, the thing will be huge and it will be heavy. Make sure your AGP locking tab engages.
7) Enjoy the added effects and benefits of upgrading your video cooling.

_________________________________________________
Current System
Athlon 64 3200+ at 228 -- memlock at 166 (latest Foxconn bios only supports that high)
Mushkin PC3500 level 1 at 2-3-3-6, 2x512
Foxconn 75/760A01 mobo, also have Gigabyte K8NS Pro, just RMA'd
Visontek Xtacy X800 w/ Giant III sporting a 92 mm fan
Enermax Noisetaker 470W (excellent) 5 case fans
80 GB Samsung Sata
2 40 GB WD IDE's
Antec Soho II Server case
Winfast Tuner Card
Asus 52x CD, Optorite 4x dvd burner.
Lian Li Temp monitor

 

[tOiRb]

Addendum to above: re my quote: "OK..first of all decide whether you can afford another card."

The only way you can hurt your card is by cracking or chipping the core (I've done it), or not getting good contact between sink and GPU. Or not connecting power supply properly (you should get a warning).

If you are scared, don't do it. If you are satisfied with your present performance, don't do it. I prefer to seek the limits of my equipment and then back it off a bit for everyday use/gaming. For my own personal bragging rights I enjoy pushing the envelope (limited by my bank account). When I OC, I gain understanding about the system limits. Knowledge is power.

 

[PhoenixOrion]

tOiRb, what app did you use to oc your xtasy x800?

 

[tOiRb]

Originally posted by: PhoenixOrion
tOiRb, what app did you use to oc your xtasy x800?

I use everything I can get my hands on. But saying that, I also purchased a license from EnTch for Powerstrip. Unfortunately they had not caught up with X800 architecture. Crash/double vision. They have since come out with support for X800. PStrip is good for settting the clock. ATITool is great for seeking the limits of your card. I would caution against letting ATITool doing all the work for you. When you run it go in short increments. Then test on a bencmark program that will tax it, or a video game like UT2004 or Far Cry.

I've looked at Radlink and it seems difficult to master. If I need a manual forget it.

I'll have to say this is only my opinionText

Oh, almost forgot, clean your registry, shut down tray or startup progs and your benchmarks will improve.
______________________________________________________________________
Current System
Athlon 64 3200+ at 228 -- memlock at 166 (latest Foxconn bios only supports that high)
Thermaltake Venus 12, excellent but very heavy
Mushkin PC3500 level 1 at 2-3-3-6, 2x512
Foxconn 755/760A01 mobo, also have Gigabyte K8NS Pro, just RMA'd
Visontek Xtacy X800 w/ Giant III sporting a 92 mm fan
Enermax Noisetaker 470W (excellent) 5 case fans
Nokia 21" 445Xi, (will run 1600x800 at 120mz, not that I do it) Paid 450 refurb at least 5 years ago...a gem, so fast and clean.(but very big).
Logitech MX510, Belkin Nostromo N52,
80GB Samsung Sata
2 x 40 GB WD IDE's
Antec Soho II Server case
Winfast Tuner Card
Asus 52x CD, Optorite 4x dvd burner.
Lian Li Temp monitor
Audigy 2ZS
Logitech Z640 and my backup Creative Inspire 5300 5.1

(many other systems currently operating)


***play Team DeathMatch UT04/03 on the usual servers (Rad server is great) you'll see tOiRb there. ***