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Can someone reccomend a good aftermarket cooler for a sapphire x1950 XT?

X

Xeonicfront

Junior Member
I have a sapphire x1950 XT card that is currently running a bit hot under load, for unknown reasons.

A bit hot as in over 93C(200F), where my Q6700 and other components hover about 30-35C(95F) under full load(temps measured after 20 minutes of Crysis), and the chassis temps aren't half bad. I can drop about 5 degrees by having a spare 120mm fan blowing directly onto the GPU, but it seems like the stock cooling just isn't doing the job(and leaving the side panel off my case seems inefficient as a long term solution), and after a few hours of gameplay, I do get random artifacts/lockups(this is stock clocks, btw.).

I'm assuming the cooler is the issue here and am looking to replace it with something aftermarket, but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on some alternative cooling solution knowing that the card is due for replacement in a couple months(as it is the only holdover component from my former Athlon X2 box). Admittedly, even though it's due for replacement, it will be handed down to a secondary system and thus heat will still be an issue.

With all that in mind, which coolers should I be looking at here?

I was looking at the Zalman VF900 in conjunction with a new 120mm side intake(which the case currently lacks), but I'm concerned that it won't be able to hold up to the heat producing capability of the card...
 
Accelero X2 by arctic cooling should do the job quite well. I used one on X1800XT before and have nothing but good things to say.
 
I had the zalman vf 900 on my x1900xtx for awhile and it didn't help much, still would heat up to 90-95 C under load. I know it is a little expensive, but the thermalright hr 03gt is a great cooler, dropped the same card 35-40 degrees under load, haven't seen temps over 55 C. It is huge, and takes 3 slots with a fan, but it's the best way to tame those flamethrowers.
 
Some quick advise to try before you buy another cooler:
Take the plastic shroud off of the heatsink block & check to see if it's clogged with dust. If so blow it all out with a mini vac (or failing that just blow HARD) and wipe the fins down with a dry clooth. This has worked a treat for me in the past on my old fx5900!

Let us know how you get on.
 
Seems like the heatsink is clogged or loose, 95C is not normal.

Anyways I have a Thermaltake Duorb on my X1950Pro and it's great. 50C max temps load, lukewarm when idle (Reports 36C but it feels barely warm and for some reason also reports 38C as ambient and it's not nearly that hot.)
 
I've already removed, cleaned, and reinstalled the stock cooler with artic silver 5, which did drop temps by about 5 degrees, but it's still running very hot.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into those today!
 
The thermalright HR-03 looks like my best bet here, I think. as my case does not have a side intake or exhaust for excess video heat, I can just situate the sink on top of the card(assuming it fits), and get my airflow moving towards my rear exhaust fan.

Admittedly, the Accelero S1 is $10-15 cheaper, but the flexibility of the thermalright really seems to cinch it for me. Will be ordering one of these tomorrow(and a fan of 120mm or larger for side mounting in either case, as I have no qualms about cutting into my case and getting my hands dirty. ;P ) Will post my results in a few days hopefully.
 
Go for the HR-03. It has the best performance and is usable on many other cards as well. I have an HR-03 Rev.A on my old X1950XTX and it keeps it nice and cool.
 
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