Do you still replace your VGA cooler?

qubit · Feb 13, 2011

They've improved so much over recent years that I've not had to put a third party one on.

All the stock coolers on recent cards like the 8800 GTX/Ultra, HD4870 and GTX 285 have been excellent.

I'll soon be buying the awesome Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti SOC and certainly won't be replacing that one either!

EDIT: Another important benefit of not having to buy an aftermarket cooler for your VGA card, is that it doesn't reduce the value of your purchase. And by that I mean that the cost of the card + cooler might mean that you could have bought a higher end card that performs better. And if that needs a better cooler...

_JP_ · Feb 13, 2011

I was thinking about it when I bought mine, but since only now there are more than two coolers available for my card, it's still not worth it. Sapphire made a really good job on this cooler and the card isn't that hot. The worse I've seen it reach was 82ºC and this is with factory TIM, during the summer, with 32ºC inside my room.
I've noticed that the cooler has a headroom of 5mm, above the vRAMs, near the core. I can install some vRAM heatsinks if I want. So, I think this is enough.
The only con I see in the cooler is the fan being voltage controlled, instead of PWM. It doesn't give a RPM readout either. But, like I said, works anyway.

MRCL · Feb 13, 2011

I have a Scythe Musashi on my 4890, but only because the stock cooling easily outperforms a leaf blower.
That said I used to have two Gainward 4850s, and their cooling solution was excellent. Also, I left the stock cooler on the Sapphire 5850 because its nicely silent and does a good job. Too bad some coolant leaked on it while running :laugh:

AlienIsGOD · Feb 13, 2011

Stock 4850 single slots were atrocious for heat, so the 1st thing i did was grab a VF1000 for it. That being said, the HD5K and 6K all seem to have much better cooling than the 4000 series on the whole.

Frick · Feb 13, 2011

The card I have now had an atrocious cooler, so I replaced it. Depends on how they are, some stock coolers are pretty darn good actually.

chevy350 · Feb 13, 2011

I don't unless it runs warmer than I'd like. I usually just change the thermal paste and that takes care of it for the most part

qubit · Feb 13, 2011

Frick said:
The card I have now had an atrocious cooler, so I replaced it. Depends on how they are, some stock coolers are pretty darn good actually.

Oh yes, I remember those. Single slot, hot and noisy. One of the few exceptions, unfortunately.

happita · Feb 13, 2011

The only vga I replaced the cooler on was my 3870 and just for keepsakes, I've kept the old stock cooler so when I upgrade, it will be compatible with hopefully 7k series which is what I'm going to upgrade to. I have a 5850 right now on stock cooler and is doing a fine job, very close in terms of performance versus my third party cooler.

qubit said:
Oh yes, I remember those. Single slot, hot and noisy. One of the few exceptions, unfortunately.

Yep, that was my 3870

You could see why I had to buy another cooler for it heh.

qubit · Feb 13, 2011

I've edited the OP with the value argument, people. Take a look!

scaminatrix · Feb 13, 2011

Very good point. Unfortunately I've been out the loop of aftermarket coolers since I bought my Vapor-X.
Like chevy350, I only put on an aftermarket cooler if it gets too hot for my liking. For me, it's 65 deg. C. I won't let a card go over 65, even if it means keeping the fan at 75% speed.
Because of that reason, I go for the quiet aftermarket coolers. My old Akasa Vortexx Neo cooled my old X1900XTX adequately (within 65 deg. c) and was almost silent at 100%. For that reason, I didn't bother with a fan contoller, just kept it at 100%.

Now that we have choices like Vapor-X's and Twin Frozr II's, I don't think I'd ever buy an aftermarket cooler again; I'd just buy a card aimed at quietness with low temps.

Maban · Feb 13, 2011

The only card I have bought that didn't need aftermarket cooling was an IceQ3.

mastrdrver · Feb 13, 2011

Meh, adding a VF3000A to both my 5870s and now gaming is completely silent with my cpu passively cooled.

Thinking about taking off the fans on the Zalmans to see if they can run passive also but I don't have too much confidence for the vrms.

erixx · Feb 13, 2011

Absolutely wrong. Sorry.

In the past it was not so common as it is after the stock "small fan+exhaust tru slot+faster GPUs"... Years back I only changed it (fans basically) when they were broken. If I recall correctly, the Voodoo cards did not have fans, only headsink

theonedub · Feb 13, 2011

The 470 is the only fan where the temps and noise warranted a change- at least in my experience.

AsRock · Feb 13, 2011

erixx said:
Absolutely wrong. Sorry. In the past it was not so common as it is after the stock "small fan+exhaust tru slot+faster GPUs"... Years back I only changed it (fans basically) when they were broken. If I recall correctly, the Voodoo cards did not have fans, only headsink

Yes but some voodoos had fans too..

And yeah if there is a leaf blower on the card i am always on the look out for a good 3rd party cooler. And if there is a good cooler on it i would probably still change the fans on it lol.

http://www.3dchip.de/Grafikkartenmodds/Grafixmodds/voodoo56000.jpeg

I have one upstairs with fans to. If ya want a pic i could post one for ya lol.

Maban · Feb 13, 2011

You have a Voodoo 5 6000? Is it for sale?

erixx · Feb 13, 2011

well, haha, that was not the ordinary voodoo card for gamers but some freak niche product for designers...

I have my miro3D Voodoo card hanging on the wall like a Picaso, and not selling it no way

AsRock · Feb 13, 2011

erixx said:
well, haha, that was not the ordinary voodoo card for gamers but some freak niche product for designers...

I have my miro3D Voodoo card hanging on the wall like a Picaso, and not selling it no way

Wha? 3DFX was for gamers. And no mines a 3dfx Voodoo 5 5500. I wish i kept my other Voodoos from the past

.

Here's mine

pantherx12 · Feb 13, 2011

I always aftermarket, the closer the ambient my load temps are the better.

Best I got was 40c load on 4850 with t-rad2 and 2x92mm fans. I was pleased.

zhadlp · Feb 13, 2011

Do you still replace your VGA cooler?

As long as my universal VGA block fits on it, I will

erixx · Feb 13, 2011

AsRock said:
Wha? 3DFX was for gamers. And no mines a 3dfx Voodoo 5 5500. I wish i kept my other Voodoos from the past .

Here's mine

the constant posting at the same time makes some funny misunderstandings!

I wil have to check my home museum, but I can't remember cards before a certain year having fans! Of course I may be completly alzheimered!

LAN_deRf_HA · Feb 13, 2011

No, I won't be replacing stock coolers anymore. You know why? Cause I'm just going to buy cards with them preinstalled. Once you've had a frozr or ac type cooler you become very aware of how shitty the reference coolers are. And their is no value issue in that case, these cards no longer have a premium cost for these coolers. Look here.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187123
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162073
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

Prices are all in with the reference cards they compete with while having radically better, quieter coolers.

AsRock · Feb 13, 2011

erixx said:
the constant posting at the same time makes some funny misunderstandings!

I wil have to check my home museum, but I can't remember cards before a certain year having fans! Of course I may be completly alzheimered!

Never known a single GPU by 3DFX to have a fan. Early ones did not as i know of mines a later one near to the 3DFX EOL.

It was just that you said none of them had fans.. Or did i miss some thing too

...

Anyways i would like to see TT bringout more VRM coolers as well and finish of what the other 3rd party coolers fail on.

qubit · Feb 14, 2011

AsRock said:
Never known a single GPU by 3DFX to have a fan. Early ones did not as i know of mines a later one near to the 3DFX EOL.

My Voodoo 3 3000 didn't have a fan, but it ran so hot it was obvious it should have. All it had was a tiny piece of aluminium to stop it burning up. Definitely not how they design coolers nowadays.

yogurt_21 · Feb 14, 2011

chevy350 said:
I don't unless it runs warmer than I'd like. I usually just change the thermal paste and that takes care of it for the most part

this, even with my 480's good airflow aimed at the heatpipes had dramatically changed the temperatures to good levels without the need to buy 2 40$ + coolers. but definitely change out the thermal paste, why do they use such cheap thermal paste?

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Do you still replace your VGA cooler?

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit

_JP_

MRCL

AlienIsGOD

Vanguard Beta Tester

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

chevy350

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit

happita

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit

scaminatrix

Maban

mastrdrver

erixx

theonedub

habe fidem

AsRock

TPU addict

Maban

erixx

AsRock

TPU addict

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pantherx12

zhadlp

New Member

erixx

LAN_deRf_HA

AsRock

TPU addict

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit

yogurt_21

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