Cooling advice for a HD 4890

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Xolos

Weaksauce
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Sep 20, 2010
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Okay, let me say this. After considerable debate and thought I've decided to keep my XFX HD 4890 because frankly it still does the job. Which surprises me given the fact that it is now two generations old. It still surprises me to be honest. When I hooked it up to my 46" HDTV @ 1080p all the games that I normally play just fine. Just had to turn down some AA since my monitors are actually lower resolution. However, that will change when tax returns come around :)

Anyway, the problem I have with my HD 4890 is that I believe the fan is dying on it and would really like to get a better cooling solution on it. The current card I have is an XFX HD-489X-ZSFR. So, I'm unsure as to whether it has reference board (doubt it).

Now, I'm not against spending a bit of cash just not an obscene amount. I figure about $50 - $70 should be plentiful to get this sucker not only quieter but cooler. I happen to live in an area where I don't have AC during the summer so it does get hot. Had a very hot summer actually. Several days where it was 32C outside. Just imagine how hot that is inside a place where it is meant for winter, not summer ;)

So, what are some recommendations on cooling this sucker? Thanks in advance!
 
Accelero S1 Rev.2 would be my vote. I put one on my 4850 when it. I don't use air conditioning, too expensive. My card maxes out at 50c in the summer on the hottest days. Idles anywhere from 29c to 34c. I have one 120mm fan at the bottom of the case blowing at it. I did have to cut the VRM section of the original heatsink because the ones that came with the Accelero at the time didn't fit. Might have changed since then. Temps have always been stable and I haven't had to reseat since putting it on 2+ years ago, even through multiple motherboard and processor upgrades.
 
2nd tik's suggestion. A low rpm 120mm fan can keep it very cool, a 92mm or 80mm will also work perfectly fine. If you have one in the front of the case pointing at the card that'll be more than enough.
 
I used my Accelero S1 on my 4890 (sapphire, 950/1150 OC), and it stays under 75*C under gaming with a slow 120mm blowing onto it (a throw-away Lian-Li stock case fan through a fan controller).
The VRMs jump up to around 80-90 over time though, with the stock red plate heatsink.

The temps are pretty much what I saw with the stock cooler so Im not too worried. Its also 1000000x quieter than stock :D
 
I keep the 120 at the bottom of the case at around 600rpm, totally inaudible. The vrm's stay around 38c to 45c idle if I remember right.
 
tikiman2012 said:
I keep the 120 at the bottom of the case at around 600rpm, totally inaudible. The vrm's stay around 38c to 45c idle if I remember right.
Click to expand...

Really?? Mine usually top out at about 80*C after 4hrs of gaming (which is really where it counts, dont need my comp locking up when im right in the middle of some action!)

Maybe my VRMs are not getting proper contact? The thermal pads on my heatsink are fairly hard :(
 
Mine's a 4850 though, not a 4890. I would expect a 4890 to run hotter in every aspect. It was the race car of the series. Still, the Accelero should be enough to keep it cooled with a 120 at 1/2 to 3/4 speed.

As far as the vrm's, I'm not familiar with the stock setup on those cards. But you can get decent aftermarket ones by now I would imagine. The thermal pads on my card were new when I put the cooler on. I literally only ran it for like an hour with the stock cooler. It was just too hot, had Newegg send me the accelero and hacked the stock vrm off the original.
 
Hmmmm, so an Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 rev. 2? What do I do about cooling the VRMs on the card then? I imagine they cannot run that cool.

Another question too, how would I go about putting a 80 or 92mm fan on the thing? I cannot really conceive of a way to have a 120mm blowing on it in with my current case.

Thanks for the advice guys.
 
The accelero can only do one thing, and thats cool the core. It's ugly, over-sized, flimsy, and you'll have to zip tie a fan to it. However, it is only 25 bucks, so one can't really complain. If you go the accelero route, definitely buy an aftermarket VRM heatsink. Zalman sells the perfect heatsink for the 4870 and i'm pretty sure they'll fit the 4890 as well. Put the heatsinks from the accelero meant for the VRM's and stick them on the vitec chips. I get about 65C on the VRM's in furmark with the zalmans, while the stock backplate would push 90-110C. If you can't fit a 120mm fan on it, just buy the turbo kit which is two ugly plastic fans that clip on the top.

I'd probably ask XFX for a replacement fan though, maybe they'd be kind enough to ship one your way.
 
I would ultimately have to agree with Astronomica. XFX has a lifetime warranty. See what they say, you might get a newer card out of them, maybe.
 
All right guys, I took your advice and contacted XFX. Just waiting on a response. If they give me nothing I don't really mind. This card has been a really nice to me. Got it for a steal too ;)
 
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