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ATi X1900, VGA Cooling Question

N

Noirel

n00b
Joined
Sep 20, 2006
Messages
28
I was wondering if anybody could lend me a bit of wisdom.

I have a Sapphire X1900XT 512MB video card and I have been thinking for a long while now about replacing the stock cooler. This is because I have read on numerous forums that the stock coolers, well... just ain't good enough. Oh, yeah the noise is bad too.

I have been looking at three coolers, two active coolers and one passive, (Im not overclocking.)

1. ZALMAN VF900 – CU 2 Ball VGA Cooler (It's the same as Fatal1ty FC-ZV9)

2. ARCTIC COOLING Accelero X2 Fluid Dynamic VGA Cooling Fan with Heatsink

I think the Zalman is a bit more pricey, but that's not important. I am mainly concerned whether these coolers are actually as good (and better than stock) as they say the are.

Which one is better, considering the computer is stationed in a 22-26 °C room?

Which one is quieter?

I know the Accelero is a bit heavier 260g, than the 185g Zalman.

PS.

I live in Iceland and I havent found any retailers/netshop's which have the Accelero yet, but give me your thoughts anyway! :)

Thanks,

Noirel.
 
I can only comment on the VF-900CU (because I haven't used Accelero) and as I prolly stated on 5 other posts, the cooler is much quieter than the stock cooler and can keep an X1900XT under 75 degrees load. The fan speed can be manually adjusted using fanmate so if you are a silence freak you can turn it all the way down when you're not playing games. In my experience the stock cooler is a bitch to keep dust free and it picks up dust quite quickly whereas vf-900 is easier to clean and doesn't need to be cleaned frequently.
 
Two thumbs up for the VF900cu. My 1950XT was unusable with the original OEM cooler. Running ATI Tool I watched it hit 110C before putting an end to that test.

On went the Zalman and I've never looked back. Simple to install with great cooling results and it's quiet too. Computer upgrades are rarely this easy and this effective.
 
vf900 here as well on a 1800xt but still it doesn't go over 70c. Stock cooler went to 95. :eek:
I don't use the fanmate it just runs 100% all the time and I have never heard it. My schythe fans are louder than it is and they are like 20db.
 
I have no experience with the Zalman's, but I had an Accelero X2 on my X1800XT. The cooling performance wasn't any better or worse since I played with the fan settings in ATI Tray Tools when I used the stock cooler. However, the noise profile was a world of a difference! :eek: Even at 100% fan speed, the Accelero X2 barely made more than a slight (and I heavily emphasize the slight) whooshing or air with the side panel off. Once the side panel went back on, I didn't hear from it again.

Being that I was so satisfied, I ordered another Accelero (that should be arriving later today) for my new X1950XT! :D The only drawback though is that the Accelero blows the hot air onto your motherboard and therefore does increase your Northbridge temps by a few degrees. Just make sure you have adequate airflow going through your case and you should be set. :)
 
Thank for all your replies people!

I have ordered a Zalman along with a syringe of Artic Silver 5. And I do think I have a adequate airflow, just take a look at my sig,
it's amazing how they all are inaudible with the stock cooler on the ATI running in my case... heh.

And the stock cooler builds up dust? Yes it does! I had my computer sitting on the floor for about a month, and when I checked it
out last night it had a THICK LAYER of dust collected on the rear end of the card, the intake ofcourse. I am running the ATI Tray Tools,
so my temps were not going up but the whining aircraft noise was!

Thanks again everyone. :D
 
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