Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme 8800 Cooler - My Review

[johnnyfiive]

Today I decided to make a pictorial review of the Arctic Cooling Accelero X8800 cooler. Why? Well, why not? User reviews are always interesting.

Here is how the story goes. I am currently borrowing a 8800GTX from a friend and for the rental fee I offered to buy a cooling solution for his 8800GTX. His original setup was showing signs of age and even the thermal pads looked tired. To resolve his issues I ordered this from NewEgg for $58 shipped:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186026

Here is the pictorial review:

The packaging






The Contents

















Size Comparison

Reference


X8800

Side by side




Reference cooler... ew.


Ready for some new clothes






Look Ma, I ate my vegtables.







The Results - Stock clocks, stock fan speeds, 3DMark06 only.
----- Reference cooler



----- X8800



3DMark06 - Stock settings
----- Reference cooler


----- X8800

No real big difference, but still a higher score and MUCH lower cool down temps.

Anyone looking to give their 8800GTX more life should really look into this product. Its not too expensive, its quiet, and cools very well. I've yet to overclock it because the card is not mine. I know this cooler will be able to handle the extra heat without a problem. The fans at the default 60% are very quiet, even at 100% it is tolerable.
AWESOME product for sure.

[mlee49]

Great job!!

How long did it take you to clean up that stock tim? Half an hour? Jeeez that was just caked on!

I see your applying for a reviewer position here, huh?! Also any room for fan control?

[johnnyfiive]

Originally Posted by mlee49

Great job!!

How long did it take you to clean up that stock tim? Half an hour? Jeeez that was just caked on!

Not too long, about 5 minutes. Used Q-tips. It came off really easy actually. They didnt mess around when they applied the paste!

[ShadowFold]

Nice review! I forgot how huge the G80 core is compared to my ATi.. Its crazy how fast this stuff advances!

[thebeephaha]

I have the same cooler on my 8800 Ultra.

Lets me have a massive overclock at great temps.

[dieselcat18]

Very nice job with your review on the AC x8800 cooler. The way you presented it, doesn't seem that difficult to install.
I have a FOXCONN 8800GTX Factory OC'ed that is just sitting in my previous machine which is idle at the moment. I've had a lot of temp problems with that 8800 when I was running that system.
I my look into trying to find one of those coolers and attempt an install on my GTX just to see if it can run at a more stable temp.

BTW...I noticed your memory....is that G.Skill ? and if so, what kind is it ?

Again...nice job on the cooler review.....

[johnnyfiive]

Originally Posted by dieselcat18

Very nice job with your review on the AC x8800 cooler. The way you presented it, doesn't seem that difficult to install.
I have a FOXCONN 8800GTX Factory OC'ed that is just sitting in my previous machine which is idle at the moment. I've had a lot of temp problems with that 8800 when I was running that system.
I my look into trying to find one of those coolers and attempt an install on my GTX just to see if it can run at a more stable temp.

BTW...I noticed your memory....is that G.Skill ? and if so, what kind is it ?

Again...nice job on the cooler review.....

Thanks! Installing the cooler is about a 5/10 skill level wise. The only thing I would add to the instructions is suggesting a hair dryer for the sinks. The adhesive on the sinks is not strong at all. You need some heat to make sure they will actually stick. I used a hair dryer on the low setting to heat up the sinks and that made em stay put. Keep that in mind if you ever get this cooler. The memory is G.Skill DDR2 6400. I got 4 gigs from NewEgg for $90 when they were damn cheap. Very nice memory for the price.

[dieselcat18]

Originally Posted by batmang

Thanks! Installing the cooler is about a 5/10 skill level wise. The only thing I would add to the instructions is suggesting a hair dryer for the sinks. The adhesive on the sinks is not strong at all. You need some heat to make sure they will actually stick. I used a hair dryer on the low setting to heat up the sinks and that made em stay put. Keep that in mind if you ever get this cooler. The memory is G.Skill DDR2 6400. I got 4 gigs from NewEgg for $90 when they were damn cheap. Very nice memory for the price.

Thanks for the tip with the adhesive on the heat-sinks.....I also bought a 4GB set of the G.Skill at PC-8500 and the price came down even more, so I bought a 2nd 4gig set. They run great but G.Skill changed the heat-spreaders on the 2nd set I bought. They removed the two SS U-clamps and installed a series of small holes running down the backside where the spreaders clamp together.....
Kind of pi**ed me off...now the two sets don't match up, which makes them look out of place when viewed....
Sorry about getting away from the topic of your thread...but I was just a bit curious on your memory....

Thxxxx for the heads up on the heatsinks...

[Polarman]

Good initiative to post your own review. This makes it easier sometimes for people to choose a vga cooler. It looked similar to my post when i did my Twin Turbo review.

When i saw the picture of your card with the stock cooler off, i was pretty shocked at how much they overdo it on the thermal paste.

[Smokemr]

Excellent review!!! I just upgraded my board, chip, and ram.... so I started looking into aftermarket coolers for my 8800GTX. I just ordered this cooler from Newegg the other day and await it's arrival tomorrow. I have the same exact PNY card, so after viewing your review I am really pumped to see what it can do with the new cooler. Wonderful job with all the photos batmang.

I got my shipping notice from Newegg... so I went to the item page to view it again... and it's on auto-notify now. Guess i got the last one.

[Jeffredo]

Just ordered one of these for my 8800 GTX. It idles low enough (about 50C), but touches 80C in a cool room while gaming. My five month old GTX 260 died and while I was RMAing it I noticed the 8800 GTX ran almost just as well with my older CPU (Athlon X2 6400+). I got the RMA replacement GTX 260 and am not happy with it (beat up, plus it has a weird stutter). While I'm wrangling with EVGA over it I'd like to have my 8800 GTX as viable as possible - and my only gripe with it was heat. This should help and I'm glad you posted this thread last month.

[Jeffredo]

Well I got it today - installation was pretty much a cake walk. Didn't use the hairdryer on the thermal pads - I did it with the sun shining on the table and they stuck fine.

I did notice that it is NOT quieter than the stock cooler as advertised. Its not obnoxious, but it is noisier in my Coolermaster Stacker Evolution 830 case (open mesh sides, so fan noise - if present - is noticeable).

The real surprise was 3dmark06. Using the same 182.06 drivers it jumped from 11,267 to 11,496. Plus it never topped 49C during the test. 229 point jump with the same setup. The CPU did run hotter - it hit 54C whereas with the stock 8800 GTX cooler exhausting from the case (somewhat) it only hit 51C. Still, for a 20C drop in temperature for the GPU that's a minor tradeoff. Looks good so far! Just wish it was a little quieter.

Edit: Just ran Fallout 3 for about a half an hour. It didn't top 50C. Last time I played it with the fan settings on auto it hit 79C! A 29C drop in temps!

[h3llb3nd4]

love the cooler, nice review!