Arctic Cooling S1

[anishannayya]

Wow! I have been out of hardware for way to long! They have separate VGA coolers? Holy shit, I remember the days when the only fan you had in the case was one lousy fan over the processor. No thermal paste, just the fan, or sometimes a graphite pad and a huge warranty sticker over the proc, so that even less heat gets transfered. Anyway, with that knowledge in mind. Man, still can't wrap my mind around that. And you didn't worry about the noise the fan made, but instead worried about the machine-gun fire noise that came from your hard drive. Anyway, is it possible to get better cooling for the EVGA 8800 GT 512 MB? How would you go about installing this new cooling device? If it is possible to install an aftermarket cooler, would the Arctic Cooling S1 fit in my case? I will have a Cooler Master 690. I should probably add that I am going to get the XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm CPU Cooler as well, and it isn't the smallest thing in the world either. I plan to get the GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L mobo. If not what would you recommend?

Here are the Newegg links if you need pictures:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...IGABYTE%2bGA-EP35-DS3L
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835186016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...k=XIGMATEK%2bHDT-S1283


Thanks. I know I am full of questions, but with all this damn cooling modern hardware needs, I am really confused.

-- Anish

 

[error8]

The Accelero S1 would fit just perfect in your case. But, be aware that that's a very large cooler and it will eat two slots under the card and three if you also add a fan on it (recommended).

But this is one of the best air cooling devices for your card. I have an 8800 GT with the S1 on it and a 120mm fan and it dropped my gpu temperature some 40 C, but I can't use my PCI ExpressX1 slot that is bellow the card.

 

[jdkick]

As error mentioned, the CM690 will accommodate the S1. Note that you may need to remove the intake fan on the side panel - I did as it was pressing on the edge of the S1 a little too much for my liking. I have my S1 installed passively, albeit on a 7900GS OC, and my GPU temps were 49/58c with only a front (intake) and rear (exhaust) fan in my CM690. I reinstalled the fan from the side panel in the top rear location (for more of an upward draft) and the GPU temps dropped to 46/51c. Best of all, the S1 noticeably reduced the noise from my PC... my power supply fan is now the loudest fan.

 

[Razorfist]

I also own a CM690 and an 8800GT, I was looking at doing the same thing you were doing, Anish.

I took the measurements from the Arctic Cooling website (of the heatsink) and compared them my own measurements in the case.

As JDKick said, it looks really tight with the side intake fan installed in the 690. It barely fits, however you can give yourself a lot more room by removing that side intake fan, perhaps placing an intake fan on the bottom of the 690 (there is a nice space for one there).

Placing this side fan on the bottom would help out your S1 cool your VGA card as it points almost directly at it (a little off the end but it gets air up there).

Also, you can attach a fan directly to the S1, but as error8 said, it isn't even needed because that passive cooler rocks the casbah.

About your Xigmatek S1283, I have the OCZ Vendetta 2, which is almost identical. The dimensions are very close. With this cooler installed on your CPU, you would not be able to install a case fan on the upper side panel. (However this is not needed)

The CM690 has a top vent where you can position your Xigmatek fan to blow out of.

Sounds like youve got a great system brewing!

I'm using the ASUS P5N-e and I don't have any problems, costs $120 CAN.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: anishannayya
How would you go about installing this new cooling device?

By following directions?

Basically, you need to remove the old cooler (usually uses little philips screws, so you need a "precision" screw driver kit), then clean the old paste off the GPU (tissues, q-tips and alcohol works). Also, clean the VREG and RAM if you are using RAMsinks (recommended, especially on factory overclocked cards). You may need to work harder at cleaning the RAM more than the GPU because I've noticed most RAM end up with some slick residue on them from factory heatsinks, which makes the normal stick-on RAMsinks just randomly fall off. Once card is cleaned, then stick on all the random heatsinks for RAM and VREG, and then assemble the new cooler onto it. Usually there will be mounting screws to use.

BTW as you do this, you'll want to be careful with the card - ground yourself before touching the card and hold it as much as possible by the edges. Also, be careful about bumping it because surface-mount components can be knocked off. As long as you're careful and take your time, you should be okay. Most people are successful at installing aftermarket GPU heatsinks.

BTW, if you really want that heatsink but are still feeling trepidation on installing it, either get someone more experienced to install it for you, or sell your EVGA card and buy an ECS card. ECS makes an 8800GT model and a 9600GT model with the Accelero S1/S2 preinstalled. Note that they make cards with the normal heatsink/fan, so you need to make sure you're getting the right version.

Newegg has this card in stock for $145 plus shipping right now. I actually have one of these ECS cards in my system right now. Works great, keeps cool and is very quiet (silent video card, very quiet overall system).

 

[anishannayya]

How about this: ECS GeForce 8800 GT? Link is here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814134035

It has the same S1 cooler. Seems to have great reviews and costs the same as the EVGA 8800, so I would not only be getting an S1 cooler, but will also have everything pre-installed for me.

There is also a review here: http://www.guru3d.com/article/...-gt-dual-turbo-512mb/2

 

[anishannayya]

This also seems okay: MSI NX8800GT 512M OC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

But I really wanted something really quiet.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: anishannayya
How about this: ECS GeForce 8800 GT? Link is here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814134035

It has the same S1 cooler. Seems to have great reviews and costs the same as the EVGA 8800, so I would not only be getting an S1 cooler, but will also have everything pre-installed for me.

There is also a review here: http://www.guru3d.com/article/...-gt-dual-turbo-512mb/2

For some strange reason all the reviews concerning this ECS card with the S1, are showing incredibly high temperatures of the card, with or without the fans on it. ECS is not using thermal paste or something...

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Nah, the ECS cooler tends to come a bit loose during shipping, and most people probably aren't checking. The MSI card is supposedly very quiet, the cooler is effectively a VF1000, which is Zalman's top cooler.

My experiences with the cooler:

Great performance... I used to idle at 30C and wouldn't break 40C on load with the CM 690's three fans and a 80mm fan strapped onto the Accelero. Now I lost one 120mm fan and I idle at 43C and load at 53C, no problem anyway. I can fit a fan on the side panel, but I think that's because my side panel pops/warps outward a bit.
Some advice: Get some extra RAMsinks because the ones that come with the Accelero don't stick. Unless you use a hammer and a blowdryer.
I don't mind the fact it takes 3 slots with a fan, I don't have any extra cards in here, but if I ever do, I have one or two slots left...