Zalman VF700Cu power connector question

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WhyYouLoveMe

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I've got a VF700Cu on my 7800GT. I've got a 7700AlCu on my CPU. Can I take the power cord from my 7700AlCu and plug it into one of the 5v connectors on the VF700Cu's power breakout connector without blowing one or the other to pieces? I've currently got the VF700Cu in the 12v but I want to plug it into the 5v connector and then plug the 7700AlCu into the other 5v connector. Will this cause general mayhem and world devastation with the pair?
 
It should work fine, both fans are the same size and load and max RPM (~2600)

I ran two VF700cu fans off that setup, (it has 2x low and 2x high speed plugs, btw, for SLI/Crossfire setups) with no problems using the black (full power) plugs. You should have no problem at all using the low power headers, though keep in mind that slows the fans down to ~1800-2000 RPM (2600 RPM at full power). Keep an eye on CPU and GPU temps after you do this.

Something else to consider if the VF700 is just too loud fulltime at 12v is to wire it to your video card...pretty easy reversable mod, and that lets the card (or tweak software of your choice, like Rivatuner or ATI Tools) control fan voltage.

If you have a two pin connector on your 7800, it's a simple matter of pulling the plastic socket off the card. Use a small screwdriver and pry it loose from the card a little, then use your fingers or (carefully, so as not to crush it) a pair of needlenose to pull it straight up and off. Plug that loose piece into your stock fan wire so you won't lose it (though even if you do the fan will still work, it just won't lock the connector into place, nor idiot proof the polarity.)

Then just plug the Zalman connector into the now exposed pins, being careful to match polarity, red to red and black to black (and look at your factory 7800 fan wiring to verify this). Don't worry about the third wire, that's just speed monitoring and it can overhang on one side.

If you have a three pin connector (though most Nvidia cards don't, this mostly applies to ATI cards), still no biggy, follow the steps above, but if the polarity doesn't match between the Zalman and the Nvidia fans, it's easy to swap the wires on the Zalman fan.

On the back of the Zalman connector are three slots, where you'll see part of the pins exposed...using the screwdriver, push down and back on the exposed metal, while gently pulling the wire from the rear...the pins should slide out. Swap them, making sure that the curly part of the pins is facing down (if the part with the exposed slots is top), and slide them back in, they should click securly into place, test tug gently on the wire(s) to make sure.
 
The reason I want this is simple: quiet.

I o/c my vid card and the difference in performance from 12v to 5v is almost nil so I'll just take the quiet. I have a very modest o/c on my CPU so I'll keep an eye on the temps but I'm sure it'll be fine. It idles at 38C now so I'm sure I'm good. The 7800GT idles at 42C so that'll be fine, too.

Thanks very much for the great info, I appreciate it!

BTW if no one has said so already... welcome to [H]! :D
 
Well after doing said suggestions I got these results:

3700+ w/ 7700AlCu ChipFan: 38C
3700+ w/ 7700AlCu 5v: 42C

7800GT w/VF700 12v: 42C
7800GT w/VF700 5v: 46C
(7800GT running @ 492\1.13 from stock 470\1.07)

(case ambient temp didn't change from 38C)

I cannot believe how much quieter my box is. It's insane! The only fan I can hear now is my front 14cm intake fan at LOW on the fan controller. Ahhhh sweet silence! :D

Not too shabby! I'll test loads in a bit...
 
Load temps!

CPU before: 47C
CPU after: 49C

Vid before: 66C
Vid after: 72C (yikes!)

I had to tone down the o/c more than I wanted so what I'll do is just flash the BIOS back to the updated stock one instead of the 0.1 over-volt BIOS. That way I'll run stock speeds but at cooler temps without the volt increase. Ahhhh the cost of quietness. I'll probably get a pricier, quieter, better cooling vid cooler to replace my VF700Cu. After seeing what's out there I'm gettin' envious. :D
 
I wouldn't sweat either one of them, particularly the CPU.

But try the connect directly to video card method first, it's free. Doing that allowed me to keep my VF700's instead of blowing another $100 on VF900's, and my noise levels are still way low.

I suspect your load temps are going up because at 5v the VF700 is just a bit too slow...let the video card speed it up some as the temps climb (it'll still likely be less than full 12v speed, and therefore quieter). and see how that works out. If the VC still doesn't spin it fast enough, try using ATI Tool and dynamic fan speed settings.

Finally, if you still have the FanMate controller that came with your 7700AlCu, use that inline on your VF700 (plugs right in) and dial in a speed that you can live with that still keeps load temps under control.

If none of the above work, then go get a new shiny heatpiped VF900.
 
Good suggestions, sir. Dude, I'm a clutz when it comes to doing small things to small parts so I'm skeert to try that pin mod. The CPU I'm not worried about at all like you said. The GPU is still well within safe operating range but I'd like to o/c it a bit. I'm gonna try pluggin the vid cooler into the 12v again to see if the PC is still quiet now that my CPU cooler is running 5v. Doesn't RivaTuner have a fan controlling aspect to it? Is ATI Tools compatible with my 7800GT?
 
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