Graphics Card Cooling Question

[Quasimodo]

After looking online and thru the forum I see alot of cooling solutions that require you remove the stock heat sink and replace with the new heat sink and thermal paste, thereby voiding the manufacturers warranty.
I have an ATI AIW non-pro that I would like to add additional cooling to. Its not running extremely hot but I would like to make sure it is sufficiently cooled.

I have seen some fans that sit in a PCI slot next to the AGP slot.

Has anyone tried these, and if so what were there results like?

Additionally from my understanding this card does not come with a temp sensor on the card. True/False?

Whats the best driver set to use for this card? Omega, Atitools, stock ATI drivers?

 

[kyparrish]

is this a 9800 All in Wonder? or a 9600? If it's a 9600, you probably don't need to worry about cooling the card anymore as it runs pretty cool as it is, and if it's a 9800 AIW, then I know that the popular Artic Cooling series of VGA silencers supposedly doesn't fit on AIW models....

 

[Quasimodo]

sorry helps if i give you all the needed info.

Yes its a Ati 9800 nonpro All in Wonder.

 

[akira34]

Who made the card you have?? ATI doesn't list a non-pro AIW 9800 series. Looking on newegg shows only 9800 Pro AIW cards too. Are you 100% certain it's a non-pro card? To not void the warranty, the best you could do is install a PCI fan next to the video card to push/pull air over it. If your mobo allows, maybe put one above the fan that is pulling in, and one behind the card pushing out (to move the air away from the card faster).

As for the drivers... If you're not experiencing any issues with the ones that came with it, leave well enough alone. I was updating my card drivers and such for a while (9800 Pro) and had a pain of a time getting the new ones to work worth a damn. If you're having issues, download the new ones, un-zip/compress them, remove the drivers installed, and the card from the device manager (also easier if you remove the old drivers where they are put on your HD) and then reboot. Direct the installer to grab the new drivers and pray that they are no worse than what you had before. That's why I'd just leave well enough alone when it comes to video card drivers these days... At least, unless you're one of those having issues that the update fixes.

 

[kyparrish]

well, in the reviews for this cooler... this , a reviewer says it won't fit on AIW cards...

So, I don't know what other options you might have. Try searching the forums for "AIW cooling" and see if anything comes up. Also, maybe you should edit your topic title to say something like "Options for cooling a 9800 AIW." Might get some more replies that way.

 

[akira34]

Try this one, also seen here for a whopping $19.99... According to the AC site, it works with AIW cards....

"Application:
ATI 9500 - 9700 (SE, Pro, XT, AIW)
ATI 9800 (SE, Pro, AIW)"

Of course, ANY third party cooler that you replace the stock cooling with voids the warranty...

 

[Quasimodo]

I was hoping to avoid the removal of the heatsink and voiding of warranty. Doesn't seem to be possible w/o using a pci slot fan which from what ive found online doesn't seem to do alot for cooling a GPU.

 

[akira34]

If you really want to improve your video card cooling, you'll need to replace the stock cooler for a better, third party, model.

 

[Operandi]

I don't get it, there are two reasons to improve GPU cooling; decrease noise output or increase your overclock or both. Since your not doing either I don't see a point of changing anything on your card.

As for the voiding the warranty it?s not much of an issue really components with no moving parts tend to last forever.

 

[akira34]

Originally posted by: Operandi
I don't get it, there are two reasons to improve GPU cooling; decrease noise output or increase your overclock or both. Since your not doing either I don't see a point of changing anything on your card.

As for the voiding the warranty it?s not much of an issue really components with no moving parts tend to last forever.

Many of us usually want to get the card to be less of a leaf blower. That, and decrease the temp inside the case (venting the hot air from the GPU heatsink directly out of the case helps there).

As for video cards lasting forever... Usually it's heat that causes them to fail. As in, the parts warm up, as they get older they get warmer and warmer until they finally either pop or just fail. Of course, if the fan fails on your GPU, then the heat will build up a lot faster. So having a video card last forever is more of a pipe dream, unless you have a very low end card that you don't push much (if at all) inside a case with very little heat generation (low end processor or liquid cooling on acid).

I have had calls where video cards have just failed. There could have been a flaw in the manufacturing, or perhaps too much heat, that killed it.

Personally, I tend to upgrade my card before it fails, since I need the performance boost for games and such. I also tend to do what I can to remove heat from inside the system before it becomes and issue. I even upgraded the cooler on my 6800GT and I'm not overcocking it at all.

 

[Quasimodo]

Originally posted by: akira34

Originally posted by: Operandi
I don't get it, there are two reasons to improve GPU cooling; decrease noise output or increase your overclock or both. Since your not doing either I don't see a point of changing anything on your card.

As for the voiding the warranty it?s not much of an issue really components with no moving parts tend to last forever.

That was the general reason I was asking the question. I have had to repair way too many p.c.s that have died due to heat problems.
Was just a general question to know if it were possible w/o taking off the factory heat sink.

Q

 

[imported_umbra]

well if you don't want to repalce the heatsink get one of these http://xoxide.com/slotcooler2.html and stick it right under the card

 

[Quasimodo]

Thanks for the advice. Think i will get the 3 fan unit.