New here Questions

[kg_wolf]

OK, I ran through an hours worth of Call of Duty 4, frequently checking the video card temp. I also ran 3 different video stress programs that are, by design, supposed to load the video card with all it can handle. I ran all tests at 1680x1050, 4x aa and all settings on high. None of the tests, so far, is a match for the 4870. It is an awesome video card.

The results were all the same. Rarely did the 4870 exceed 49.5 Celsius. A couple of times it hit 50, but only stayed at that level for a matter of a few seconds. This is a drastic change from the 52C idle and 70 load temps I was seeing with the stock cooler, (@40% fan).

As far as I'm concerned, the Thermaltake HR-03-GT is worth every penny I paid for it.

I have one more test to run and that is Crysis. I anticipate that the temp may rise a bit more than I've seen so far. But nothing like the temps I was seeing before I installed the vga cooler.

[LuxZg]

wolf - do try Crysis. I've actualy only done testing with it so far, cos I've found out by an accident that it loads card very much.. What's interesting, it loads it a lot especialy in 1680x1050, and if you tweak crysis for "ultra high" (see this posting for more details, scroll to the picture with table..) you'll get even higher temperatures.

I could have seated my S1 wrong, but when overclocked to 800/1100 and after 1h of running around one level blowing stuff up all the time, on above ultra-high settings 1680x1080 - I got 95C GPU (110 memio!) and 100C VRMs. That's S1, with 2x 120mm fans, although only one has pretty fine CFM, other is avarage fan..

As a comparision, non-overclocked, and on "just" high, in DX9, and 1280x1024 I get 60C GPU (67 memio) and 73C VRMs.

Also, so you know what to expect, on stock clocks/stock cooler, and 60% fan, I was getting 68-70C GPU and 75-77C VRMs after only 3 runs of Crysis benchmark on DX9/high/1680x1080 .. which last like few minutes only

I'm yet to try other games, so far I'm still setting up my system, but Crysis sure is a very good testing tool

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by LuxZg

wolf - do try Crysis. I've actualy only done testing with it so far, cos I've found out by an accident that it loads card very much.. What's interesting, it loads it a lot especialy in 1680x1050, and if you tweak crysis for "ultra high" (see this posting for more details, scroll to the picture with table..) you'll get even higher temperatures.

I could have seated my S1 wrong, but when overclocked to 800/1100 and after 1h of running around one level blowing stuff up all the time, on above ultra-high settings 1680x1080 - I got 95C GPU (110 memio!) and 100C VRMs. That's S1, with 2x 120mm fans, although only one has pretty fine CFM, other is avarage fan..

As a comparision, non-overclocked, and on "just" high, in DX9, and 1280x1024 I get 60C GPU (67 memio) and 73C VRMs.

Also, so you know what to expect, on stock clocks/stock cooler, and 60% fan, I was getting 68-70C GPU and 75-77C VRMs after only 3 runs of Crysis benchmark on DX9/high/1680x1080 .. which last like few minutes only

I'm yet to try other games, so far I'm still setting up my system, but Crysis sure is a very good testing tool

Lux, I hope to have the Crysis testing done by this evening, tomorrow at the latest. I was really hoping to use SpeedFan to graph the temps so that I could go back and get a good reading. Having to stop, alt-tab to get back to the desktop to see what the temps are is frustrating. SpeedFan will read VGA temps in XP but apparently not in Vista 64. It does everything else, but vga. I am expecting some higher temps with Crysis, that's for sure.

If you do re-seat your cooler, try Ceramique instead of the usual Arctic Silver type products. Did you use the Arctic Cooling heat sinks they include with the cooler?

Thanks for the numbers Lux!

kgw

[LuxZg]

I did try with Ceramique, but it was no better.. I did change my fans in the meantime, maybe I?ll give it a try, but so far I haven't got very good opinion about that paste.. maybe it's just too greasy for my likings, so I don't put it on right.. but I get better results with some old paste from thermaltake, like 5-6y old

As for heatsinks, I gave up for now, cos VRM one is for X800 and I couldn't make it to stay on VRMs.. so I've just used the plate.

And for monitoring, you can use Ati tray tools, it has pretty fine monitoring tool.. Won't show you all the data that GPUZ has, but will shouw you GPU temp, load and fan speed. Also, I usually just let GPUZ run in background, with that option in sensors checked to poll even in bgnd, than I close game after 1h, and see what were the values for last minute or so cos it has those graphs you can read (just mouseover red lines).

Please, get back with the temps, i'm very interested in results If they'll be much better for you, I'll have to remount everything though I have done it 6-7x already :/

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by LuxZg

Please, get back with the temps, i'm very interested in results If they'll be much better for you, I'll have to remount everything though I have done it 6-7x already :/

Luxg, I have bad news. The test of Crysis didn't last long. I loaded up GPUZ's newest version that measures additional temps and then started Crysis. The CPU temp went up a few degrees which I expected. But what I didn't expect is the VDDC Slave #1, #2 and #3 temps to go through the roof.

I saw 145 DEGREES CELSIUS! This high temp was similar on all 3 slaves. I know they are supposed to get hot, but that's ridiculous. So, I shut things down and pulled the card. Thanks to Wizard I noticed from the picture he posted that I had forgotten to sink the tiny but very hot VDDC Slaves, (3 of them). So, I pulled out some spare sinks and installed them.

I haven't run Crysis again, yet. I did run COD4 and noticed that the VDDC Slaves were around 80-85C under load. I guess that's an improvement, but I won't know for sure until I run Crysis. I'm running the 120mm fan mounted to the cooler but that is obviously not enough to keep the VDDC's at least half-way cooled down. By the way, the DISPIO, MEMIO and SHADERCORE readings were from 5 to 9 degrees Celsius warmer than the GPU temp. Certainly not near the Slave temps.

Are these slaves supposed to get that hot?

I am tempted to pull the card again and re-think the sinking process I used and see if I can figure out a way to cool it down. I also will re-seat the cooler once again. Simply having a cool GPU doesn't mean your heat problems are all solved, at least with the 4870.

I think I hear my phone ringing. I think it's NVIDIA calling.

KGW

[nafets]

Heh, just noticed this whole thread is in the wrong forum, but what the hell...

I posted this in another thread, regarding proper heatsinking of an HD4870 with aftermarket cooling;

If you're looking for optimal temperatures and stability, here's my recommendations for proper additional cooling for an HD4870 using aftermarket cooling and/or water cooling...




RED - Needs to be heatsinked. Active cooling is necessary.
YELLOW - Needs to be heatsinked. Low airflow or passive cooling is adequate.
GREEN - Heatsinking is optional, but not necessary. Low airflow or passive cooling is more than adequate.

Utilizing copper heatsinks over aluminum is preferred, but incurs a larger cost. Go with what you can afford.

[kg_wolf]

Thank you nafets! I'm glad you posted in the "wrong" forum"

I appreciate your suggestions and I'll be pulling my card out once again. I agree completely on the copper over aluminum.

Thanks again!

KGW

[Mussels]

nafets - thats great info. If you made those pics you should contact wizzard and get it posted as an article, it will help a lot of people out.

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by Mussels

nafets - thats great info. If you made those pics you should contact wizzard and get it posted as an article, it will help a lot of people out.

I strongly second that suggestion! I would have killed for that information and the photos a couple of weeks ago.

Nafets is king for a day!

[annihilus]

Hi new here too and running a HD4850 passive (complete system is passive). What does the sensor GPU Temp.(MEMIO) stand for? Thanks

[LuxZg]

I have seen the above picture before, and have it bookmarked But no harm done if it gets posted as an article, for a better view on it..

@kg_wolf - I told you that Crysis is a killer Sorry for disturbing you this much, but better now than later when it could be late

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by LuxZg

I have seen the above picture before, and have it bookmarked But no harm done if it gets posted as an article, for a better view on it..

@kg_wolf - I told you that Crysis is a killer Sorry for disturbing you this much, but better now than later when it could be late

Until I got the latest version of GPUZ I wasn't seeing those VDDC Slave temps. Thanks GPUZ!

I ran quite a bit of COD4 last night and the worst it got was 84 C on all 3 slaves. That is acceptable I suppose but I don't like it. This was also after I sinked the Slaves. So I still need to run Crysis again to see if that helped at all. Doubtful.

I knew Crysis would stress it pretty good but that was ridiculous. I purchased a new 120mm fan today that sports a higher cfm and will do some further modifying.

Thanks Luxg

[LuxZg]

NP When you finish your setup, let us know what are the temps and what you've changed and added so we can copy

[kg_wolf]

OK, I spent most of the morning working on this 4870 trying to tame the heat problem. The GPU temps are great! Idle at around 42-43 C. It is the VDDC Slave temps that have me concerned. So I pulled the card this morning and installed additional heat sinks where I had not had them previously. It turned out to be kind of a hodge-podge of sinks using copper Enzotechs, aluminum Thermaltake, MC-21 Mosfet coolers and, oh yeah, another fan.

I spent quite a while on how to address the fact that not only does the vga cooler need air passing through the cooling fins and heat-pipes, but the other half of the card needs air too. So, I came up with what I thought would help get this done. Please don't laugh at my wiring, as I simply wanted to get the vid card hooked up, the fans running and see if any of this made any difference.

[IMG]<a href="http://s519.photobucket.com/albums/u351/Dashkatt/?action=view&current=twinfanpreinstall.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i519.photobucket.com/albums/u351/Dashkatt/twinfanpreinstall.jpg" border="0" alt="Twin Fan 4870"></a>[/IMG]


This is how it looked in the case:

[IMG]<a href="http://s519.photobucket.com/albums/u351/Dashkatt/?action=view&current=4870-HR-03-GTTwin-Fan.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i519.photobucket.com/albums/u351/Dashkatt/4870-HR-03-GTTwin-Fan.jpg" border="0" alt="Twin Fan Installed lighted"></a>[/IMG]

The results?

The idle temp is now from 39 to 41 C, about 3 or 4 degrees cooler I didn't expect a big reduction here since not much of what I added affected the gpu. The drop is probably due to a higher cfm fan.

The Slaves, #1, #2 & #3 were still quick to get hot under load but not as much. What was getting from 120 to 140 C was now running from 80 to 90 C. I did see a few temps above 100 C. I have not run Crysis yet but only did a video test on Furmark and ATI Tools.

I have both fans on a controller and will have to make some changes as I had to use a "Y" cable just to get them going. I've ordered another fan controller where I can hook up each fan separately. These are Thermaltake 120mm Smart Fans and they can easily run over 2500 RPMs. With the split cable they are probably only running around 1700 RPMS, so I hopefully can achieve additional drops in those Slave temps once I get them up to speed, (within decibel range that is).

I'm not sure what else I can do to keep those Slaves cool aside from some sort of liquid cooling and that is going to take a very custom-made sink to cover those specific areas of intense heat buildup.

Again, sorry for the crappy wiring job, typically my cases look a little more organized. If anyone has any additional suggestions, please post it here. I'm all ears...(or eyes).

kgwolf

[Mussels]

your image links failed.

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by Mussels

your image links failed.

OK, I kind of figured I screwed something up. See if this works:





I clicked on the wrong selection for posting on the forum... duh...

[Mussels]

those ones worked. your card appears very shiny

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

is there a heatsink kit designed for the smaller bits of the card (vrm etc)

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by Mussels

those ones worked. your card appears very shiny

Must be the lighting. It has that effect...

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by [I.R.A]_FBi

is there a heatsink kit designed for the smaller bits of the card (vrm etc)

Yes. It's called the "grab all the extra ram sinks, mosfet coolers, etc. from all the previous installs of stuff over the past couple of years"...

Just kidding, of course. I've searched quite a few sites known to handle the latest cooling devices and have found nothing except for those things designed for certain Nvidia cards.

I'm going to assume that the industry got caught flat footed on ATI's 4800 series cards and production of the types of kits you're asking about are not yet ready for distribution.

I hope I'm not violating a forum rule, but here is what I used:
For the VDDC's, (the tiny chips) I used:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swmcmohe.html

For the RAM sinks I used:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/enbcbmlowprf.html
(Keep in mind if you use the same VGA Cooler, 3 of the front RAM sinks have to be the special units furnished by Thermalright that are the thickness of a quarter, due to the position of the heatpipes.)

For all other sinking I used what was included with the HR-03-GT vga cooler, (which look like these)
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/th88pw.html
(Be sure and click on the picture of these sinks as there are 2 additional pictures of an ATI card using them. I believe it is a 4850)

I am continuing to see improvements since my last posting and the heat appears to be stabilizing, (if that is possible with a 4000 series video card). I followed Nafet's suggestions exactly. I noticed that once the system was up and running I put my finger on each of the heatsinks and trust me, they are doing their job. The smaller ones were the hottest, obviously, and were almost too hot to touch.

Hope this helps...

KGW

[Mussels]

the best ramsink/VRM sink kits are those designed to go with watercooling for the card in question - they tend to fit perfectly and still remain low profile. Of course, they can be hard to find.

[nafets]

Great job on the HD4870, KG.

Exactly how I have my HR-03 GT setup up, with two fans.

You should be good to go with lower temps.

[kg_wolf]

Originally Posted by nafets

Great job on the HD4870, KG.

Exactly how I have my HR-03 GT setup up, with two fans.

You should be good to go with lower temps.

Thank you, Nafets, your very timely posting made a huge difference in the way I was looking at keeping this thing cool. I am seeing the benefits now with lower GPU temps, idle and load, lower Slave temps, (as much as 60 degrees C in full load gaming situations), and much, much less noise coming from the case.

I am able to turn down the fans, (all of them), to their lowest level now and still maintain very adequate cooling, including the case temps.

I'm slowly becoming a happy camper again! Thanks again for your help, and others as well.


kgwolf

[LuxZg]

LOL! Closed the tab before submiting

Wanted to say - real nice job kgwolf, congrats

Could you just post a bit bigger versions of those two pictures above? Just post lins to pictures with higher resolution (or originals). Seems like you've sinked EVERYTHING that is marked in nafets picture, nice

And just to make sure, after you've sinked VRMs with these little fellows, you got 60C drop :-O Meaning you run 55-65C VRMs under load - HELL of a job! Too bad I can't buy these in local shops.. will have to find a way, or order from some nearby country .. :/