Best Third Party VGA Cooler for 4870

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp
Take the 4870 use the profile function and run the fan in the 30% area and be DONE with it. Spending money on a new cooler IMHO is just pisssing cash away since the card runs WELL into safe temps with just a fan increase.

Anything above 26% was unacceptable on fan speed hence I purchased a Thermalright HR-03 GT with AC Turbo Module.

 

[AmberClad]

I'd have to agree with Elcs. I'm hearing people claiming that 40% is inaudible to them -- sorry, that might be the case if the rest of your system or ambient is loud, but I run a very quiet system. Those types of speeds (>25%) would easily make the video card the loudest thing in my rig. I'm not sure what the top speed on the stock fan is, but I have to assume it's quite high, and probably higher than most other video card fans.

Some of us just enjoy having quiet rigs, so it's well worth it for us to spend a little money to lower the noise level. To each their own...

 

[Fattysharp]

I have a diamond 4870, and while i love the preformance, the noisey fan drives me crazy.

I am currently running it at 38% in the profile, and it is by far the loudest part in my case.

I tested 100% and I could hear it going 3 rooms away clearly with the doors closed. However, i can blame the fact i do not hear my wife on the card

I am thinking of trying it on water, since I have never played with water cooling. I am also wondering how far it would overclock on water.

FYI - I spoke to the Diamond Rep and he told me a "fix" is coming for the fan control issues. I am suspect a CCC release with fan control. That will not change the noise level though.

 

[Krynj]

Heh, kind of off topic, but, on my old rig, during some cable organization, I accidentally broke the wire on the controller for the aftermarket Thermaltake heatsink I had, which, was set to high at the time. So for quite a while, I had to live with a hair dryer inside my case, until I decided to dish out 30 bucks on a new heatsink, just for the fan controller.

 

[digThisXL]

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp
Take the 4870 use the profile function and run the fan in the 30% area and be DONE with it. Spending money on a new cooler IMHO is just pisssing cash away since the card runs WELL into safe temps with just a fan increase.

What temps are you seeing at a 30% increase? How is the fan noise? Can you overclock?

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: lopri

Originally posted by: Dopekitten
The best 120mm fan for VGA cooling is this one:

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/de12tfexhisp.html

You don't even need a heatsink!

I think an HD 4870 will literally fly with that thing.

Originally posted by: Kharohz
Ok, I use a CM690 Case with two fans (Front/Back, I do not use the side panel fan). I do not plan overclocking the 4870, would a Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev2 work for me with no issues? (Without adding a fan)

Thanks

I have a CM 690 as well. The stock heatsink is quiet and doesn't heat up the case temp. I stuck my hands to the space around the card and it didn't feel warm, which means the video card is being responsible for the heat it generates. Try the profile mod for fan speed first, I'd suggest. Go up by 1% (like 24%, 25%, 26%, etc.) and see how loud and hot it gets. I keep mine at 28% and it's not whisper quiet but alright. Anything faster made me uncomfortable. At 28%, my card (oc'ed to 790/990) idles @54~56C and loads @84~88C.

I looked for after-market coolers for my 4870, but there wasn't really anything to choose. Remember that HD 4870's TDP is 180W. I don't think those Zalman-type of small heatsinks will cut it. Thermalright HR-03 would be more than enough but it won't fit in my configuration. (Just how many slots does it take with a fan? 4? 5?)
I've never seen that Gigabyte cooler before. It reminds me of 7900 GTX cooler which I liked very much. It's deactivated @the Egg, does anyone know who else carries it?

You can mount it upwards. With my case, Mounting it downwards took up all the slots (with 120mm fan)

Mounting it upwards is fine but the fan touches the NB heatsink

 

[Dashkatt]

Since the OP posted his question, there is more information out now on the 4870 Video Card/Blast Furnace.

1. Yes, the Accelero S1 V2 is a great VGA Cooler. Just make sure you sink the VRM! The sink included in the kit will not fit. A silent 120mm fan putting out 40 or 50 cfm is plenty.
2. Zalaman makes a nice cooler but when you use anything smaller than a 120mm fan, things get noisy.
3. Arctic Cooling is less than 2 weeks away from releasing their very good looking Accelero Turbo. (Not the crappy turbo with the dinky, noisy fans). It looks to be a formidable choice.
4. Thermaltake in September is releasing a new VGA Cooler that looks awesome. One note: Be SURE and check their site for a tiny link to motherboards that it will either fit or won't fit. Some high end Asus boards will not work, along with other brands. (Parts hit other parts.) But this thing looks like a great way to CF or SLI. Very, very thin profile.
5. The HR-03-GT is probably the class of the field right now. I have seen this cooler used on an ASUS board in Crossfire using 2 of the GT's both with Noctua 120mm fans attached. Crowded, but looks very cool.
6. For a simple fan speed fix, ASUS Smart Doctor is so easy it's embarrassing to ATI that they didn't think of it.

Main thing is making sure that you pay special attention to the VRM. The voltage regulator gets hot enough to melt things, and it will if left unchecked.

The 4870 is a very nice video card, but alas, it ain't your Daddy's video card. This thing can be high maintenance with the heat.

DK

 

[eagle101]

ive been looking at the gv1000 and the vf1000 and the artic twin turbo....i like this gv1000
im not oc the card that much,will this fit a his 4870 512?
thanks

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: digThisXL

Originally posted by: WaTaGuMp
Take the 4870 use the profile function and run the fan in the 30% area and be DONE with it. Spending money on a new cooler IMHO is just pisssing cash away since the card runs WELL into safe temps with just a fan increase.

What temps are you seeing at a 30% increase? How is the fan noise? Can you overclock?

I run mine at 33%, temps depending on my room temperature can be 55-60f at idle. Overclocked the card is maxed out in the CCC, noise I find its still every quiet, YMMV of course cause not all ears are the same. Apologies for not keeping tabs on this thread and not posting your answer sooner.

 

[sgrinavi]

I just ordered two of these Accelero TWIN TURBO

Looks like it should do the trick