GPU cooler

[twitchee2]

im going to be getting a X850 XT vid card. i was look ing at 2 differenet coolers. here are my choices

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-186-129&depa=0
and
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-118-116&depa=0

whcih would you choose? i mainly want it to be quiet but very efective. thanks

 

[airfoil]

The Arctic solution is the better of the two IMO. Probably more silent, and it exhausts hot air.

 

[twitchee2]

thanks. that what i was thinking too. anyone else got more ideas? hit up the poll

 

[twitchee2]

well so far looks like the arctic is a better choice

 

[bluewall21]

The Arctic is the better cooler.

 

[rise]

i had the silencer for a 6800gt but sold it with the agp card to get a pci-e. now i'm trying to decde which to get as well. i wasn't overly impressed with it until i got this card today and the stock cooler has me at 62 idle.

i want to try the zalman because i love their cpu cooler but i don't think the GPU cooler has ram sinks, or at least not integrated like the artic.

 

[bigboxes]

Originally posted by: rise4310
i had the silencer for a 6800gt but sold it with the agp card to get a pci-e. now i'm trying to decde which to get as well. i wasn't overly impressed with it until i got this card today and the stock cooler has me at 62 idle.

i want to try the zalman because i love their cpu cooler but i don't think the GPU cooler has ram sinks, or at least not integrated like the artic.

I have the all copper version and they include aluminum ram heatsinks. Overclocking just fine.

 

[AtaruMoroboshi18]

Arctic is spelled wrong, just so you know...

BTW: I have no idea as to which one is better.

 

[MDE]

Zalman. Cools wonderfully and can probably be used on your next card.

 

[rise]

cool, so you attach them with as adhesive or something? how ,amy slots does it take up

 

[tr1kstanc3]

I have the ATi silencer on my x800xt and it has a terrible retention mechanism. If you were getting a 6800 I would recommend the NV silencer (I have both) but the ATi equivalent does not seat perfectly flat. Get the Zalman. This is coming from somebody who owns the x800xt with the ati silencer and a 6800 with the nv silencer.

=)

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: rise4310
cool, so you attach them with as adhesive or something? how ,amy slots does it take up

Takes up the same amount of slots as the Silencer, but is smaller so you don't have to worry about case clearance issues. The RAMsinks have thermal tape on them that you can probably easily remove down the road and reattatch with tape or epoxy to a different card.

 

[rise]

awesome, that's the one i'm going for.

 

[twitchee2]

wow all these reviewsim reading on the acrtic seem to be great but people that acually uise it say it doesnt fit absuoly perfect. very interesting. thanks i will go rtead more reviews on the zalman. thanks

 

[Cheesetogo]

What about the fanless zalman heatpipe cooler (the huge blue thing that covers both sides of the card) and it's optional fan attached? Silent, and highly effective. But still, why are buying an aftermarket hsf? The stock one is very good, runs quiet and still give good overclocks.

 

[hans030390]

just to ruin everything like usual, get a 6800ultra. more future proof.

 

[l Xes l]

yea.. artic usually gets better reviews on gpu cooling

 

[SilentZero]

I have always used zalman, and never had a problem and always great results.

 

[Blain]

I like the AC because it actually exhausts the hot air from the case. The Zalman just blows it around.

 

[twitchee2]

now its going back the other way....great even more confuseion. thanks for all the input so far

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: bluewall21
The Arctic is the better cooler.

 

[twitchee2]

thanks for the input i kind of like the arctic better but ims till ebaing between the 2. more opinons welcome

 

[n yusef]

I have an X850XT, had the ATI silencer, and now use the Zalman, so I'd say I'm qualified for this review. Temperature wise, the Zalman on NORMAL mode and the ATI Silencer are the same (one degree Fahrenheit difference (ATI Silencer is lower, and no difference in C), with the Zalman on SILENT mode 2C higher, and the stock ATI HSF about the same. The ATI Silencer was, for me, just as loud as the reference ATI solution, so I don't know where they got the silencer name from. I like the Zalman cooler myself because they both (it and the ATI Silencer) cool about the same temperature wise, just the Zalman is quieter. On the other hand, you don't really need an aftermarket cooler with an X850XT(PE) because the stock HSF is very good. It is a little loud, and that was bugging me, so I got an ATI Silencer. That did nothing for noise, so when I bought the Zalman thinking it would raise temps as a consequence of lower noise, I was very happy with the results. The Zalman also has the advantage of being transferable to other cards in the future.

 

[twitchee2]

ok so they cool about the same and zalman is quiter....thansk for that info

 

[Arcanedeath]

I'd say the zaleman just based on price and noise, it's a bit cheaper and makes less noise, the only downside is it doesn't move more of the hot air outside of the case like the Artic cooling unit does, both seem like good choices though compare to stock cooling.