i think the biggest issue is the design of the gtx 465's stock heatsink/fan situation; it's like the newer 9800s and the GTX 285s and stuff with the fan way down at the other end of the video card, unlike most of the GTX 460s that have the stock fan right above the GPU. i'm 'moving on' from an XFX 9800 GX2 that died on me after about a year and a half of use and this GTX 465 reminds me of that card a LOT performance-wise, but -especially- after taking the heatsink/fan off. only it just looks like an older model card, not like most GTX 460s, but rather like most GTX 260/270/275/285 and then the GTX 470 and slightly like the GTX 480.
i have a firm belief that the heat is the problem with the card when you start overclocking it even just a little bit. you can pump it up real high and have other fans directly blowing at the card's fan to get it to run cooler, and as long as you can keep it cool, it'll run fine. but once it starts getting into the 80s, that's a big issue and a lot of people are complaining about it. i mean the specs can say what it says about power consumption and i'm sure the specs of the cards are true when put together (i'm talking about the GTX 460 and the GTX 465) but most of the GTX 460s also come with better stock cooling than almost every one of the GTX 465s i've seen. if the cards were made more similarly and it had the fan right above the GPU instead of the 'old style' with the hole(s) in the PCB where the fan is about 2 inches to the right of the GPU.
also, once you take the faceplate off or whatever it's called, you have to take the heatsink with the copper pipes off first, then you can take the big plate that covers everything else (like the RAM and the mosfets and stuff). i don't like the fact that the RAM and mosfets as well as other parts that get really hot are underneath a metal plate, and the air just runs 'along' the plate in order to cool it. i'm more down with the fans blowing right down at the GPU, hitting the heatsink right above the GPU as well as the memory chips/mosfets surrounding GPU. i like that there's actually copper pipes in the heatsink, but i DON'T like how there are grooves in the heatsink on the part that contacts the GPU because that seems to defeat purpose entirely. there are three 'lines' that run through the GPU that are basically like crevices in the heatsink. aren't the faces of the heatsink that make contact with the CPU/GPU/whatever supposed to be perfectly flat and smooth, with almost a mirror-like finish? because this is nothing like that, in fact, it's actually almost scary.
i forgot to add that the XFX 9800 GX2 that i had before also ran way too hot, and i personally think that it was heat that killed that card. when i took it apart, there was very little thermal paste on the GPU of each card and there was this thermal tape covering the RAM, if you really want to call it 'covering'. on both of the cards inside of the 9800 GX2, the tape was only covering about 1/3rd of the last piece of RAM to the right of the GPU. when the tape was applied, it was applied slightly 'sideways' on the memory and that bothered me too. the more and more i think about it, the more and more this card reminds me of the 9800 GX2.
i have a firm belief that the heat is the problem with the card when you start overclocking it even just a little bit. you can pump it up real high and have other fans directly blowing at the card's fan to get it to run cooler, and as long as you can keep it cool, it'll run fine. but once it starts getting into the 80s, that's a big issue and a lot of people are complaining about it. i mean the specs can say what it says about power consumption and i'm sure the specs of the cards are true when put together (i'm talking about the GTX 460 and the GTX 465) but most of the GTX 460s also come with better stock cooling than almost every one of the GTX 465s i've seen. if the cards were made more similarly and it had the fan right above the GPU instead of the 'old style' with the hole(s) in the PCB where the fan is about 2 inches to the right of the GPU.
also, once you take the faceplate off or whatever it's called, you have to take the heatsink with the copper pipes off first, then you can take the big plate that covers everything else (like the RAM and the mosfets and stuff). i don't like the fact that the RAM and mosfets as well as other parts that get really hot are underneath a metal plate, and the air just runs 'along' the plate in order to cool it. i'm more down with the fans blowing right down at the GPU, hitting the heatsink right above the GPU as well as the memory chips/mosfets surrounding GPU. i like that there's actually copper pipes in the heatsink, but i DON'T like how there are grooves in the heatsink on the part that contacts the GPU because that seems to defeat purpose entirely. there are three 'lines' that run through the GPU that are basically like crevices in the heatsink. aren't the faces of the heatsink that make contact with the CPU/GPU/whatever supposed to be perfectly flat and smooth, with almost a mirror-like finish? because this is nothing like that, in fact, it's actually almost scary.
i forgot to add that the XFX 9800 GX2 that i had before also ran way too hot, and i personally think that it was heat that killed that card. when i took it apart, there was very little thermal paste on the GPU of each card and there was this thermal tape covering the RAM, if you really want to call it 'covering'. on both of the cards inside of the 9800 GX2, the tape was only covering about 1/3rd of the last piece of RAM to the right of the GPU. when the tape was applied, it was applied slightly 'sideways' on the memory and that bothered me too. the more and more i think about it, the more and more this card reminds me of the 9800 GX2.
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