4870 Cooler help

[mode1ne]

The past couple of days i have been looking to get an aftermarket cooler for my 4870. The two im currently trying to decide on are the scythe musashi and the akasa vortexx.

Which would be the better buy of the two? I do not plan on overclocking it just yet. I have the scythe in my hands right now but want to know whether i should slap it on there or just go for the vortexx and sell it.

 

[JaYp146]

The Vortexx is supposedly very good (hard to find), but some have cited concerns about its ability to effectively cool the HD4870's toasty VRMs (or lack thereof).

TBH the best aftermarket solutions I've seen involve keeping the stock red heatsink attached to the card, removing the fan and shroud, and then installing an AC Twin Turbo, Xigmatek VD964, or Accelero S1 (with fan attached). That way you get excellent VRM cooling via the giant heatsink and a superb aftermarket GPU cooler with lots of surface area.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: JaYp146


TBH the best aftermarket solutions I've seen involve keeping the stock red heatsink attached to the card, removing the fan and shroud, and then installing an AC Twin Turbo, Xigmatek VD964, or Accelero S1 (with fan attached). That way you get excellent VRM cooling via the giant heatsink and a superb aftermarket GPU cooler with lots of surface area.

That is true.

Or, he can use this: http://www.zalman.com/ENG/prod...oduct_Read.asp?idx=335 with coolers that offer enough space bellow the heatsink.

But I don't see the need for an aftermarket cooler, when you don't overclock and don't volt mod your card. The stock one should be enough to run the card cool and quiet.

 

[mode1ne]

I got the xigmatik today but it didnt seem to fit the stock red heatsink, so i just put the scythe on for now.

 

[Krynj]

The stock cooler is fine, really. There's absolutely no reason to change the cooler. I leave mine around 37% all the time, that that works just fine.

 

[apoppin]

i don't like the coolers that dump the heat into your case

i have to keep my side off my PC Case to keep my q9550s at 4.0Ghz and CFX-3 with the ASUS "Dark Knight" now
- when i ran 4870's stock cooler alongside X-2 there was not such a heat issue

of course a brand new tower with a few 120MM case fans would solve my thermal issues

 

[Zapper48]

The stock fan on my 4870 just plain died so I installed the Scythe Musashi and it dropped temps nearly 10 degrees.