Need to update a stock cooling solution for a GF2 - but I have a small problem that I need help with...

[SunnyD]

I have a VisionTek GeForce 2 Pro that I got early last year some time... or even older than that. Anyway, it's been a rock solid performer for me, and has only recently been replaced in my main rig by a shiney new red Gainward GeForce 4 Ti4200. The thing is, I'd like to "hand-me-down" this GF2Pro (it's got 4ns ram on it, so it OC's like a beast) to my other machine, upgrading slightly from a VisionTek GeForce 2 GTS-V (Another solid overclocker).

The problem is, the fan on the GeForce 2 Pro is weak. It has a year+ worth of dirt buildup on the bearings and occasionally fails to even turn, let alone ever run at full speed. So I need to upgrade the fan on this (yes, I've already tried to clean it, but it's all sealed). Here's where the trouble comes in - I believe the HSF is epoxied to the GPU. How do I remove the old heatsink, as well as all of the epoxy, without breaking anything?

Thanks.

SunnyD

 

[rogue1979]

I usually take a hair dryer and heat up the sink pretty good, the glue should get gooey and allow you to remove it. Since you have to go to all this trouble anyway, I might suggest lapping an old socket 7 heatsink and using that with artic silver to cool the core. Just carefully mark off on the bottom of the sink were the four holes around the gpu line up and drill holes. Then use four appropriate screws to mount the heatsink, careful, don't torque it down to much. Awesome cooling for a few bucks.

 

[FenrisUlf]

On my original GeForce I put it in the freezer for a few hours. This caused the glue to become brittle. Then I placed a regular dinner knife between the card and heatsink and twisted. The HSF popped off and I cleaned up the glue with alcohol. I put on a socket 7 heatsink and fan with some Arctic Silver, tacked it in place with hot glue at the corners and sealed it the rest of the way with some silicone sealant (there were no mounting holes and I didn't want to make it too permanent). It's still in service in a friend's computer. I would recommend the hairdryer mentioned above first since it doesn't require force, but if it doesn't work, try the freezer.

 

[dunkster]

I used the 'freezer' method to pop the heatsink fan, then just used Arctic Alumina to epoxy a Crystal Orb directly to the GPU.

The Crystal Orb has high airflow, and body is chrome-plated copper. It's a bit thick, and it will eliminate using the first PCI slot, but it cools very well.

Whatever you use, just be sure you don't epoxy the cooler too low on the card. If so, you may not be able to properly seat the card in the AGP slot.

Hope this helps!

 

[sep]

Subscribed to Post...Might need this when upgrade my G2 Pro to G4 ti4200 soon...Thanks!

 

[Brian48]

The heatsink should easily pop off if you gently pry it correctly. There's a more detailed set of instructions on how to remove the heatsink here: http://users.rcn.com/chinmonster

 

[SunnyD]

Okay, so seeing as how a lot of the replies included suggestions as to what cooler to use (I was just planning on tossing on an BLORB, but the crystal orb looks pretty too), do any of the aftermarket coolers actually use any of the 4 mounting holes around the GPU on the VisionTek cards? I'm trying to figure out which to order now.

SunnyD

 

[EdipisReks]

both the BLORB and the CRORB have pegs for mounting through the 2 mounting holes on a geforce reference board (which the vistiontek should be).