Attention X1900XT(X) Owners

josh6079

Diamond Member
Mar 17, 2006
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So I was bored and saw my old stock Sapphire X1900XTX OEM Heatsink & Fan sitting by me and decided just to take it a part and see what makes it different from my NV5R3's.

First off, the fan on the stock ATI cooler is of course smaller and, therefore, louder. Secondly, the ATI's fan is not on a level airway like the Silencer. Instead, the fan has an opening beneath it which the air gets pulled up from and expelled through its exhaust (the rear of the case). The Silencer is much more effecient with its airflow since it is constantly pushing air through with a larger, more CMF fan rather than pulling it across and upwards with a smaller, less CMF fan. This is one of the major reasons I think the stock coolers got some higher temperatures.

However, when I took off the white plastic shell I was very suprised. Turns out the stock heatsink has two sizable heatpipes running under its fins.:Q I then disconnected it the grey, plastic base, (please note: anything that is grey, white, red, and clear on the unit is ALL plastic) and found out that they are not very visable. On the underside of the copper heatsink there is the exploded square which, when the unit is completely assembled, protrudes out from the otherwise flat and dense base. This exploded square is the only copper part you see when you initially remove your stock HSF from your PCB. Normally it is surrounded by the grey plastic HSF base.

As you can guess, I started thinking of a way to either improve the HSF or use its double heatpipe copper base to make another. One problem though is that because the GPU exploded square sticks out from the rest of the flat copper base, it would be difficult to get a flush mount without using the grey, plastic HSF base. The grey, plastic HSF just levels the copper unit to allow the flush mount.

If any of you get confused with what I'm saying, just take your stock heatsink apart if your not using it and you'll see what I mean. I'm not generally a modder, even though I've got a Thermalright HR-05 Chipset cooler on my DFI NF4 Expert with a dual slot cooling for my GPU, I don't have much experience with modding most other things, so I think I try something just for fun. Besides, my water cooling stuff is coming in the mail. So, modders, if you want to see if you can transform the stock HSF into some thing that may beat the Zalman VF-900, which is what I'm trying to do, then feel free to post any suggestions. As for me, I wish I had a digital camera so I could show some progress and samples.

UPDATE: OMFG! I've got the hot red head on the white covering too? The wierd Chrome-cyborg looking chick was just a sticker? Weird, but okay.
 

peleejosh

Golden Member
Dec 11, 2004
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I see what you are getting at, I am in the process of trying to use my stock x1900xt heatsink base and merge it with the fan and housing from a nv silencer that i had when i had a 7800gt.
 

josh6079

Diamond Member
Mar 17, 2006
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Yeah, right now I'm along those lines too, but I think I'll have to find another way of doing it because of my chipset cooler. I'll try a few things though.
 

nitromullet

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2004
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Originally posted by: josh6079
Yeah, right now I'm along those lines too, but I think I'll have to find another way of doing it because of my chipset cooler. I'll try a few things though.

The NV5 shroud/fan will slip over the stock copper insert quite nicely, but the insert isn't in the same postion relative to the length of the card as the NV5's insert so the Silencer won't fit on the card properly. It's too bad the Arctic Cooling doesn't sell the IceQ3 style cooler by itself. The Accelero X2 won't fit in my case without having to remove an exhaust fan, so that isn't an option. The VF900 itself works ok and it's quiet, but I can't get the ramsinks to stay on... I'm sure I could use some AS epoxy to glue them down, but then they will never come off, which isn't ideal either. I would prefer a cooler with 'integrated' ramsinks that is removable/re-usable like the NV5.
 

n7

Elite Member
Jan 4, 2004
21,281
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Pics for those of us who don't wish to rip apart our stock coolers?

 

nitromullet

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2004
9,031
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Originally posted by: n7
Pics for those of us who don't wish to rip apart our stock coolers?

Sorry, I don't have my defective X1900XTX anymore. My current BBA card is 100% stock, warranteed, and not clocked a tick over default - no pics of this card's HSF internals... I am not messing with this card (unless Arctic Cooling were to come out with an IceQ3 style cooler).
 

josh6079

Diamond Member
Mar 17, 2006
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Found out that probably the best solution is to keep the lower fixing of the regular ATI cooler (grey, platic base and the copper base). Discard the top, for now. Then take out the copper/alum. base of the NV5R3 and place the plastic shroud of the Silencer over the ATI base. It is almost a perfect fit, and some super glue would make the two join nicely. The only draw back with this is that the DHES of the Silencer isn't as complete since it can't extend all of the way to the back of the case. Still though, you're left with a NV Silencer with a copper dual heatpipe heatsink. I have yet to try it on my card though, and don't even know if I will since I'm getting my water cooling stuff soon. Oh well, it was fun to play around with and find out something new. I wish I had a digital camera. I'll try to take some pics of my rig and the new HSF with a regualr camera and see if I can get the pictures put on a CD-ROM for me or something. I've heard Wal-Mart can do that so I'll check into it so I can let others see what I'm talking about.
 

DerwenArtos12

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
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If one of you is willing to give it a try, on my 7800gt I installed a nv5rev3 but I wasn't completely happy with it so I took the fan and shroud off and screwed a 60x10mm fan directly to the heatsink and temps went down an additional 2degrees idle and 5 load. If you've already got it pulled apart, whats the wors that could happen, right?
 

Fraggable

Platinum Member
Jul 20, 2005
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I was thinking you could leave the ATI plastic base on it like you did, but forget the Silencer. Screw a 80mm fan to the top of the heatsink and I bet you'll get better temps.
 

nitromullet

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2004
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Originally posted by: josh6079
Found out that probably the best solution is to keep the lower fixing of the regular ATI cooler (grey, platic base and the copper base). Discard the top, for now. Then take out the copper/alum. base of the NV5R3 and place the plastic shroud of the Silencer over the ATI base. It is almost a perfect fit, and some super glue would make the two join nicely. The only draw back with this is that the DHES of the Silencer isn't as complete since it can't extend all of the way to the back of the case. Still though, you're left with a NV Silencer with a copper dual heatpipe heatsink. I have yet to try it on my card though, and don't even know if I will since I'm getting my water cooling stuff soon. Oh well, it was fun to play around with and find out something new. I wish I had a digital camera. I'll try to take some pics of my rig and the new HSF with a regualr camera and see if I can get the pictures put on a CD-ROM for me or something. I've heard Wal-Mart can do that so I'll check into it so I can let others see what I'm talking about.

IIRC, the maroon heatsink on the end of the ATI card also gets in the way of the nV Silencer. The Silencer almost fits, but really it doesn't...

The grey base on the ATI cooler is metal btw, not plastic.. At least mine were metal on my X1800XT and the two X1900XTX's I've owned.

edit: newegg pic added for reference to both points:
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/14-102-676-03.JPG
 

peleejosh

Golden Member
Dec 11, 2004
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the silencer looks like it will have enough clearance in regards to the red mofset heatsink. i will check it out tonight when i get home.
 

josh6079

Diamond Member
Mar 17, 2006
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Originally posted by: Fraggable
I was thinking you could leave the ATI plastic base on it like you did, but forget the Silencer. Screw a 80mm fan to the top of the heatsink and I bet you'll get better temps.

I thought the same thing too, but when I looked at the fins of the copper heatsink I noticed that the tops are bent over so that the surface of the top is smooth. This blocks any air that you may want to move up and away from it. Really, pushing air through the fins in the fashion the Silencer does, or the way the stock setup did, is the best way to get airflow through the copper. Unless of course, the fins get bent straight so they don't have a smooth top surface...

Originally posted by: nitromullet

IIRC, the maroon heatsink on the end of the ATI card also gets in the way of the nV Silencer. The Silencer almost fits, but really it doesn't...

The grey base on the ATI cooler is metal btw, not plastic.. At least mine were metal on my X1800XT and the two X1900XTX's I've owned.

edit: newegg pic added for reference to both points:
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/14-102-676-03.JPG

I see what you mean. Some OCZ BGA Ramsinks might be able to solve that however, since they have a pretty low profile.