My adventure to properly cool a Visiontek HD 4850 with an Accelero S1.

[Golgatha]

Edit: 03/11/2009

Just wanted to update this thread with some new news. Firstly, I transferred the project referenced below to my HTPC recently, so I can get my game on in the living room. Nice upgrade from the 2600 Pro 256MB that was in there. My Antec Earthwatts 380w ran the system fine with the 4850 in there, but the fan did start to spin up quite a bit, which is a no-no in my HTPC. I purchased a 500w PC Power and Cooling Silencer to cure that problem though.

I purchased another Accelero S1 for my new 4870 1GB card. I'm running it at 790/1000 clocks with only passive cooling and I installed the S1 verbatim as outlined below for my old 4850 512MB. Idle temp is 48°C and load temp is 61°C for the 4870 project. The S1 has gotten a minor update from Arctic Cooling too. The two black plastic clips which hold the metal heatsink to the card's PCB are much more substantial than the last time I did this project. They now clip much more solidly in place. Also the copper interface for the GPU core now has a very thin film of adhesive to hold the plastic spacers in place while you put in the screws that hold the heatsink on. Arctic Cooling really went out of their way to make the installation tons easier and the final product is much more sturdy too.

Anyway, just thought folks would like to know about the improvements to what was IMHO a near perfect design, and updated temperatures for an overclocked 4870 1GB.


Materials List:

1) ZEROtherm ZH100 Heatsink Package - Pictured Here

Available on Newegg.com

2) Arctic Cooling Accelero S1, rev. 2 VGA Cooler

Another Newegg.com Link

3) Arctic Alumina Epoxy

Yet another Link to Newegg.com

4) Misc - Fine grit sandpaper, something to mix the epoxy on, Arctic Silver for the GPU core, and some precision screwdrivers.


The fun stuff:

Ok, I like permanence and good heatsink contact for my video cards. I just don't like the thought of pieces of metal coming loose and bouncing around my case. Hence, I removed the sticky stuff from my Accelero heatsinks with sandpaper and throughly washed them with water to removed any metal residue. I also removed the adhesive from the ZEROtherm heatsinks to ensure great contact. I chose Arctic Alumina Epoxy to secure everything since it is non-conductive and it works nearly as well as the Silver equivalent.

Warning: Explicit naked pic of a Visiontek HD 4850!

VRM heatsink layout close up.

Finished epoxying everything to the board.

I used the single green RAM heatsink because the Accelero heatsink is too tall to properly mount the main GPU heatsink, due to heatpipe clearance. I had to basically line the left edge of the RAM chip with the left edge of the green ZEROtherm heatsink (in the orientation shown here) to make it fit, and boy is it a tight fit. I let the finished board sit for 15 min after using epoxy to secure all the heatsinks. Since the epoxy takes around 5min to set up, I installed the VRM heatsinks first, made up a fresh batch of epoxy, and then did the RAM sinks. You need to be well prepared and quick to get everything looking nice, and I think I did a reasonable job of getting everything straight and looking good.

Now all that's left is to put the GPU heatsink on. This is fairly straightforward (Arctic Silver 5, line up spacers and screws provided in the Accelero package, and tighten everything down), so here is the result of my labors.

My case uses all silent fans, so my airflow is good but not exceptional. I get 40-42°C idle temps and I have yet to crack 55°C under full, long-term gaming load. Passive and powerful, which are rarely combined words when it comes to high-end video cards.

 

[mancunian]

I did something very similar here in the 5th post down.

Those are great results for passive cooling, very nice indeed!


Good work


:thumbsup:

 

[child of wonder]

Nice work!

 

[error8]

Good job, but I wonder why did you use epoxy? The adhesive that the heatsink have on them is enough.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: error8
Good job, but I wonder why did you use epoxy? The adhesive that the heatsink have on them is enough.

The RAM/VRM sinks need to be glued on - no mounting screws or anything else to hold them on.

OP, how far does that heatsink extend over the top of the card?

 

[imported_Scoop]

You left a couple of chips uncovered. http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11fo8jw1.jpg

The reference cooler doesn't cover these either and many people think that's a fault in the design. Did you even consider putting sinks on them?

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: error8
Good job, but I wonder why did you use epoxy? The adhesive that the heatsink have on them is enough.

The RAM/VRM sinks need to be glued on - no mounting screws or anything else to hold them on.

OP, how far does that heatsink extend over the top of the card?

No, I don't think they need to be glued on. I have the same PWM heatsinks on my 8800 GT and the adhesive that comes with it it's more then enough to keep them in place.

Anyway, if he doesn't think of selling the card, then there is no problem.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: error8
Good job, but I wonder why did you use epoxy? The adhesive that the heatsink have on them is enough.

The RAM/VRM sinks need to be glued on - no mounting screws or anything else to hold them on.

OP, how far does that heatsink extend over the top of the card?

No, I don't think they need to be glued on. I have the same PWM heatsinks on my 8800 GT and the adhesive that comes with it it's more then enough to keep them in place.

Anyway, if he doesn't think of selling the card, then there is no problem.

Well, if you want to chance frying your card, then no, they don't need to be glued on

 

[yusux]

if u add up the additional cost u can almost get a 4870 which doesn't need all this work and will be faster too

 

[sgrinavi]

Originally posted by: yusux
if u add up the additional cost u can almost get a 4870 which doesn't need all this work and will be faster too

Still would have the heat issue.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: error8
Good job, but I wonder why did you use epoxy? The adhesive that the heatsink have on them is enough.

The RAM/VRM sinks need to be glued on - no mounting screws or anything else to hold them on.

OP, how far does that heatsink extend over the top of the card?

About 1.5-2 inches above the card. Far enough it would probably interfere with some side mounted fans if they overlapped.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Scoop
You left a couple of chips uncovered. http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11fo8jw1.jpg

The reference cooler doesn't cover these either and many people think that's a fault in the design. Did you even consider putting sinks on them?

No, I just put heatsinks on everything the reference design interfaced with.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: error8
Good job, but I wonder why did you use epoxy? The adhesive that the heatsink have on them is enough.

The RAM/VRM sinks need to be glued on - no mounting screws or anything else to hold them on.

OP, how far does that heatsink extend over the top of the card?

No, I don't think they need to be glued on. I have the same PWM heatsinks on my 8800 GT and the adhesive that comes with it it's more then enough to keep them in place.

Anyway, if he doesn't think of selling the card, then there is no problem.

This will eventually make its way into my HTPC when my inevitable video card upgrade happens in the future, so I don't plan to sell it for a very long time. I'll probably keep my current setup for quite awhile too.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: yusux
if u add up the additional cost u can almost get a 4870 which doesn't need all this work and will be faster too

True, but the noiselessness was worth it to me. However, I got my 4850 for $150 at Best Buy when they had that 25% off Visiontek promo the week these cards came out. Spent $35 for the Accelero at Microcenter and ~$20 shipped on two sets of the ZEROtherm heatsinks from an Online retailer; so I've got about $200 invested in this card, which isn't too bad IMO.

 

[imported_Scoop]

Originally posted by: yusux
if u add up the additional cost u can almost get a 4870 which doesn't need all this work and will be faster too

But if one doesn't have a PSU for cards like 4870, this is the fastest GPU out there.

 

[Golgatha]

Bump cause I'm proud of my work.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: Golgatha

Originally posted by: Canai

Originally posted by: error8
Good job, but I wonder why did you use epoxy? The adhesive that the heatsink have on them is enough.

The RAM/VRM sinks need to be glued on - no mounting screws or anything else to hold them on.

OP, how far does that heatsink extend over the top of the card?

About 1.5-2 inches above the card. Far enough it would probably interfere with some side mounted fans if they overlapped.

Yeah, in my case I have a fan right next to the card, and it rests on the side of the stock cooler, so I don't think I could make the passive sink fit heh.

 

[grohl]

Just bought a 4850 and found this thread. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: Golgatha
Bump cause I'm proud of my work.

Go for a volt mod now! Make all the work you did worth the trouble.

I did the same thing months ago, changing the stock cooler of my 8800 GT with a S1 cooler and got 40 C lower. Wow, amazing, incredible and everything, but that was all. Money spent on a cooler that, well....just cooled the card better and nothing more. It really felt like I really done something, after the volt mod. That gave my S1 a run for its money and really increased the performance of the card.

 

[loox]

My case uses all silent fans, so my airflow is good but not exceptional. I get 40-42°C idle temps and I have yet to crack 55°C under full, long-term gaming load. Passive and powerful, which are rarely combined words when it comes to high-end video cards.

OK... I am about to double-post, but I wanted to throw my hat into this ring as it seems to be the best solution for those of us who, well, simply don't want that heat on our card. Now I know that hardwarecanuks first tried this a day or two after the card first came out and then a few other posters also used the acellero/4850 combo but I always found the details on how to get it done sketchy... or at least, I thought it was clear from the messag boards and pictures until I actually got the parts together and began the project. It's not what I would call an easy task... or, rather, its more accurate to say its not a *mindless* task.

A brief warning to add to the original poster's guide, which, by the way, is the best one out there by far. If you decide to do this, and I recommend it with the one caveat I will discuss in my next post, use the original poster's instructions, epoxy and all. [Note to OP, figuring out to use epoxy was a stroke of brilliance... kudos].

So, while a few other posters on this, and other boards may jeer at this mod a little because the heat generated by the 4850 is within acceptable limits and because it is quiet when idle, those two things being tightly related by the way, those posters are totally correc: The 75-85 idle and the 100+ CELSIUS (just to be clear, this IS CELSIUS), are technically "OK." Good for them.

But we all know that heat does not disappear. If the 4850 maintains that temp, then you can be sure the air around it is not far behind. And what's next to the air around the card? you name it... Hard Drives, other cards, MY CPU AND MEMORY are damn close. So in my case (literally), through the use of some well placed Noctua Fans, I have GPU temps at 35-37C Idle and mine also never break 55C under load. The sheer magnitude of this temp reduction is like nothing I have ever seen on air (btw, I have the 10 US Dollar Arctic Turbo Fans that clip on to the Accelero and they are dead silent). Remember 75-85C Idle and 105C load. So... on AIR, I have cut my temps in HALF. Without the turbo cooler, I'd have to add 10C to my Idle and Load temps... Still... if a solution came along in the CPU forum that cut temps by HALF at idle and under load, those guys would be Bonkers!!

So enough fan-boying, My first real point is to get the word out that I seem to be another success story:

Point 1: I have been using this solution for almost 3 weeks now, maybe more... and my graphics stability gaming, encoding, blu-raying, and idling, has been rock solid. So, I highly recommend you try this solution if, like me, you simply don't want that heat in your case, and certainly if you want to overclock

...and not just your graphics card, but your CPU as well... because, and this is just physics, if ATI Control Center says your card is 75C, then no matter how much air or water you're pushing out of your case, it you've got a 75-100 degree Celsius hotplate in your computer (maybe even two!) that is heating up your mosfets, NB, Memory, CPU, you name it.

Point 2: I, too used a third party kit of heatsinks to complement the heatsinks supplied with the Accelero (they're super inexpensive), from Microcenter (two actually), one red (generic) and one by Zalman (purple) to the VRM's. Importantly, as the OP noted, the shorter Zalman was necessary for the front-most memory chip on the right in order to avoid contact with the heatpipe of the Accelero S1. At this time, Accelero does not supply a heatsink that will clear that one particular chip and the main cooler... so you'll have to do something. I preferred to buy the inexpensive (and nice looking) zalman kit for this purpose rather than use blunt objects in my house to shorten the heatsink or bend the heatpipe. Past attempts to turn my kitchen into a workshop were not pretty.

Point 3. Accelero has always provided two sets of heatsinks with their S1 cooler. One set of 6 (or 8, I forget b/c I used the Zalman), and one large, elongated one that *would* equal six smaller heatsinks if it weren't all one piece. The first set of pieces is fine, except for the one mentioned above that doesn't clear the cooler. The second set can be problematic. It is designned to cool the VRM's on previous Radeon boards and is much too long for for 4850. Whats more, is that the 4850 has two small sets of 4 chips behind the VRMs that were being cooled by the stock cooler and the Accelero's one-piece strip of heatsink simply isn't going to cut it. After spending hours trying to cut it with a steak knife and razor blades, I went back to Microcenter to find a set of generic heatsinks that would fit the VRMs. They're working just fine. HOWEVER, beginning about 2 weeks ago, Accelero S1's are being shipped with the problematic 2nd VRM heatsink modified: it is split up into pieces so that it can cover the VRM's and those 4 chips behind them, leaving you with only one problem remaining: the inability of any accerelo VRM to fit the front-most left memory chip.
SO... why am I telling you this... to save money, time, and steak knives, take a close look at the Accelero S1 that you purchase to see whether the 2nd set of heatsinks comes from the new S1 rollout, and ensure that you don't buy an older one with the 2nd set of heatsinks in one piece. It simply won't work to cool the VRM's.

Point 4. I agree that the VRM's and 2 sets of 4 chips behind them should be fitted with heatsinks. After all, the card can cook, heck, its impossible to touch for more than a second!!

Point 5. I am not sure that the epoxy is absolutely necessary as I have had no heatsinks fall off. Although I did NOT use the thermal pads that came with the Accelero. Zalman's an Microcenters were MUCH better. Rember, in most cases, the top of the graphics card will be pointing downward, and the accelero thermal tape didn't seem like it would be enough to fight gravity. The Zalman and Microcenter tape, however, did seem stronger. However, I was able to slightly twist the Microcenter heatsinks after they were placed on the two sets of 4 chips behind the VRMs. The Accelero heatsinks simply just fell off the VRM's until I learned to use different thermal tape. And that is even after I tried to affix them with a blow-drier.

SO... can it work without epoxy?... well it seems to for at least 3+ weeks. But its funny the original poster mentioned that he'd rather not worry about metal parts falling into the bottom of his case... because there has not been a day that has gone by when I couldn't help but to look in my case to ensure that its' not raining heatsinks (remember, they're facing upside down). So I wish I had thought of it and if I had to do it again would use epoxy in a heartbeat.

But... with fingers crossed... lets hope that the the tape I used will suffice. But for any future modders, I'd go with the epoxy.

And that's it... a long-winded addition to the list of users of the 4850/ Accelero S1 combo. Hopefully with the info that's now out, it will become more common because, as I mentioned, 20, 30, or even 50 extra dollars for an inaudible 4850 WITH a 50% reduction in heat at the GPU core if properly expelled from your case, is bleeping fantastic!!!

The OP has the best guide for how to do it, but as I demonstrated there are other ways to get it done depending on the resources you have available and you avoid the pitfalls I mentioned... namely, (1) do NOT get the old Accelero S1 with the single-piece VRM heatsink, (2) avoid the Accelero S1 thermal tape at all costs, blow-driers are no help here, and (3) know going into it that you *are* going to have to do something about the clearance issue vis-a-vis the Accelero cooler heatpipe and the front, right memory chip.

(I know I said left memory chip a half-dozen times, but its the front memory chip on the RIGHT).

 

[loox]

Originally posted by: Scoop
You left a couple of chips uncovered. http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11fo8jw1.jpg

The reference cooler doesn't cover these either and many people think that's a fault in the design. Did you even consider putting sinks on them?

Scoop:

I didn't do this either!!! But I can. And will, especially if I should. As it is there was another post on another site that mentioned the ill effect heat can have on the two tiny exposed chips on the reverse side. I chalked that up to over-reaction on the part of the poster, but I have read second-hand posts, here and there that say the early 4850/Accelero modders were frying their boards and that the original heatsink is necessary. However, this was never confirmed in any review where the mod was done and never confirmed by anyone who it supposedly happened to.

So if you have any details/data regarding any ill effects caused by lack of a heatsink on those two chips, or the smaller chips on the reverse side of the 4850, please post back and let me know where I can follow-up so I can remedy things now. I'd hate to have what I think is the perfect solution only to end up with a fried board.

Thanks in advance. Again, all the negative about this mod I have read relates to either users who think we're silly to care about heat or second-hand posts with urban-myth type stories of how it won't work, although I can't see how it wouldn't, especially when used with the Arctic Turbo silent fans (or any other fan, silent or not) as backup. I mean, seriously, there is very little air cooling left to do once you are already at 35C.

Still, any feedback you have would be appreciated! At the very least, it seems simple enough, even if just as a precaution.

 

[Golgatha]

TTT for a minor update.

 

[Schmide]

I've modded a few cards. With those little chip sinks. I just stick a small screw driver between the pins and bend them out of the way. Angling them all in one direction or the other. It may effect the cooling a bit but I'll bet not by much.

bendchipsink.jpg

 

[TidusZ]

I did this on my 8800gt bout a year ago, rather than use epoxy I used a bit of waterproof heatproof non conductive glue mixed with a lot of MX-2, it had enough glue to keep them on there forever and enough mx-2 for the heat transfer to be awesome. Macguyveresque to boot.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: TidusZ
I did this on my 8800gt bout a year ago, rather than use epoxy I used a bit of waterproof heatproof non conductive glue mixed with a lot of MX-2, it had enough glue to keep them on there forever and enough mx-2 for the heat transfer to be awesome. Macguyveresque to boot.

That's kind of what Arctic Alumina/Silver Epoxy is, a mix. You can actually make it a bit less permanent by adding a bit more thermal compound to the mix.