9800 non pro overclock question

[tweakmaster420]

ok , i just took the stock heatsink/fan off my radeon, put a crystal orb with arctic silver.
i dont know if this was the best idea but i have to try, the fan is a lot bigger and has more pitch to it. ok so im using rage 3d tweak 3.9 to oc and the highest i got the infineon mem was 325. now the core i got runin at pro speeds and raised my 3dmark2001 score 1000 points . its stable too. but when i took the side off my case and felt the orb it was really hot.. im going from a ti4600 to this card so i dont know how hot this chip runs.. is this safe?? i never felt a cpu sink get this hot either so that orb must be soakin in some heat.
i remember when i oc'd my ti4600 the sink was barely hot as when i would put my finger under the gpu it felt hotter than the sink,, so this must be good heat transfer...
but this radeon runs HOTT. i mean its the same r350 chip in the pro so it should be normal i think. any tips are welcome..

 

[tweakmaster420]

oh yea,, im gettin 17245 3dmarks with this overclock runnin the system below -the old card
any body think this is decent? im pretty happy wit it...

 

[stardust]

#1 don't touch the backside of the GPU core, its got open transistors for those of u with moist hands BEWARE.
#2 yes all graphics card cores are hot to touch, at around 40-50 degrees, it will be unbearable to touch with your hands continuously.
#3 if your crystal orb is hot, it means its doing its job

hope that helps

The core should be as hot as the memory by touch during a 3D program.