Hey all... the fan on my 4850's just died, and I can't RMA it (2 weeks out of warranty) Instead of just getting a new card (too expensive) or getting a new stock cooler (well I don't want the same happening), I thought I mightaswell get a new aftermarket cooler Any recommendations? I don't particularly want to water cool, but if it comes to it I'm willing to get a 4870 block and water cool (I think the 4870 is the same as the 4850... cooling components wise) Thanks Sean
the thermalright coolers are pretty decent http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/product_vga_cooler.html
Thermalright might be a bit over the top. The Coolink GFXChilla might be more suitable http://www.coolink-europe.com/en/categories/9_19.html Or the Scythe Musashi http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/vga/002/scvms1000_detail.html
Akasa vortex, and if you get a move on you could grab one from PC World or maplin tonight, tho you'll pay a little more for it considering the outlet.
Sorry guys, I did forget to mention... It's a PCS+... it only takes up one slot (So I have no idea how much weight it can take without being damaged) I assume it can take a dual slot cooler, but as I say I'm not too sure, would any of the above work? (Or is there a PCI support bracket you can get for them)
Something from Artic Cooling? http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2_&mID=101 I have used their NVsilencer before, and its quite good, only its a bit bulky
I definitely like the look of the AC Accelero, the Mushashi, and the GFXChilla... Now, I know there are other coolers out there, but these are all around coolers, should fit my card, and are pretty good looking Any ideas what the weight limit on the card (before it bends) would be?
The Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 is probably the best one arround for the money (can be had for £19). Even keeps my 4870 cool. It is big however, and may need some figiting with the VRM heatsinks.
The ac accelero is the nads. I had it on my powercolo(u)r PCS 3850, I also got the turbo module which is 2 fan things that slot into it. They are basically silent, especially if you drop the volts and keep it very cool. I would say unless you are doing some serious hardcore gaming for hours on end and your case doesn't have good airflow then you could easily run it fanless. Just might get a bit toasty. BUT before you do anything. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_4850_PCS/images/contents.jpg Is that the cooler? If it is I have the exact one from my dead powercolor just without the screw mounting things. Which is why I got a 3rd party cooler as one of the mountings just popped off. Oh and I forgot to add, good luck getting a waterblock for the the powercolor cards, I they seem to use a wierd board layout, well atleast mine did. I had a few picture swapping sessions with a few block makers, and it looked as though the EK block would fit but the voltage reg cooler bit would have to come off the block.
I bought the thermalright HR-03 gt for my 4850. And it is overkill. I brought my idle temps down to 37 degrees (with a fan) I knew it would be overkill but I got it with the idea that I may have a 4870 some day and hopefully the next gen from ati will have the same dimensions for mounting. So I can keep using it and it will always be enough. I can also max the core clock to 700 and leave it there and the temps are fine. ram gets a little warm though.
That's the one Matticus. The thing is, I plan to use the card for photoshopping (CS4 is heavily GPU dependant) which I will be doing a lot of... so overkill is perfect. now, we've narrowed it down, which accelero should I get? the 2900 looks perfect but I have no idea if it comes with RAMsinks (which I'll need for sure), and no idea if it's too heavy
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2_&mID=105 That is the one I have, it does come with little stick on coolers, I never used them on my 3850 I just left the default copper things. People say that if you do use them, then rub/clean off the sticky pad and use some thermal adhesive, as they tend to fall off. And I have just noticed that the turbo module is now white, which looks awesome. It was fine on my powercolor card. It is still in the box atm, but it doesn't weight too much. It may look like it is pulling the card down a bit more than the stock cooler, but I think that is to be expected with any good large surface area cooler.
Can anyone recommend me a fan for the 4870 that's a bit smaller than the stock one? It's at and will stay at stock settings, extreme ones aren't really needed.
considering what your card is worth i'd seriously consider the Akasa Vortex Neo, its perfect for a 4850/8800GT (which is what i used to have mine on). very quiet and kicks the hot air out the back of the case (which im not sure any of the others do). is it really worth shelling out for an expensive cooler on what is essentially a budget card?