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NV Silencer 5 w/ Gainward Golden Sample 6800GT

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It was then that I searched around on the net some more and found an article saying that you should use more Artic Thermal 5 and apply a blob of it rather than spread it out. I figured I had nothing to lose and sure enough it worked great.

I certainly used more than a grain of rice worth - more like 4 or 5 grains of rice.

As for tightening the screws, I'm pretty sure that the latest NV Silencers don't have the same screw breaking problem that the first ones did. That being said, I tightened it down securely but I did not use excessive force.

Hope this helps. Swapping out the Gainward cooler for the Silencer will make your machine WAY quieter. I'm really loving this combo now.

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Cool. Thanks for the info.

BTW, is there anything on the box or in the manual about just exactly how loud the fan is is dBA? Or, is there a label on the fan that would have a manufacturer/model number than could be looked up?

Not that it is necessarily accurate, the Gainward stock fans claim around 34 dBA, and they are easily more like 44 or more. But I would be interested in what they say it is... I am hoping around 25 or less. Gainward doesn't actually publish this, I looked it up based on the labels on the stock cooler fans.

Also, do you still use the Expert tool with this cooler? Or do you just run it full-blast all the time because it is that quiet?

Thanks again...

Deformer
 
I believe Artic actually says on their site, but I don't even notice the fan (note that I've got 6 other cases fans in there, so I probably wouldn't), but I had a high profile fan in there before, and didn't notice any difference transitioning between the two.
 
This is kind of encouraging news. I have the NV5 sat here still waiting for the Bracket to arrive but had decided not to change the cooler. However, I may well just see the change though now. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: DEFORMER

BTW, is there anything on the box or in the manual about just exactly how loud the fan is is dBA? Or, is there a label on the fan that would have a manufacturer/model number than could be looked up?

Not that it is necessarily accurate, the Gainward stock fans claim around 34 dBA, and they are easily more like 44 or more. But I would be interested in what they say it is... I am hoping around 25 or less. Gainward doesn't actually publish this, I looked it up based on the labels on the stock cooler fans.

Also, do you still use the Expert tool with this cooler? Or do you just run it full-blast all the time because it is that quiet?

Thanks again...

Deformer
Click to expand...

Hmm, I don't think I saw anything written in terms of dBA for the Gainward fans, but I really didn't look that close. I think part of it is that the noise is of a fairly high frequency, which tends to make it even worse.

I am running EXPERTool, but with the NV Silencer there is no difference in noise whether the fans are at 50 or 100%, so I leave them at 100% in fixed mode. I keep that card clocked at 350/1000 for everyday use, but when I fire up a demanding game like Doom 3, then I go up to Ultra settings. I haven't bothered going higher than this, partly because there is no need at the resolutions I play at (1280x1024).

Since getting the Gainward, I've been playing more Star Wars:KOTOR than anything else. It was crashing a lot on me with my ATI 9800 AIW, so its great to be able to play it now that its stable. I crank the graphics to max, run max AA and AF, and it looks pretty good. This is definitely one of the best games I've played in a long time (I'm getting to the end of it now).

HTH.



 
(replying to multiple replies)

Ronin: whoa, looks like Arctic just re-did their website, before I didn't see these coolers there at all. But, wouldn't you know it, they list it's sound level at "0.9 sone"... What the hell is a sone? If this info on this website is correct (http://www.madsci.org/posts/ar...1/983649124.Eg.r.html) then it could be around 30 dBA, maybe. We don't know at what frequency. The fact that it has one fan running at 2500 RPM is promising compared to two fans running at 4400 RPM...

I have a dBA meter that I use for my home theater, when I go get my cooler I will plug it into a 12V power supply and see what the SPL is @ 1 meter. I don't have an ocillisope to measure the fequency though.

KutterMax: They don't have anything about the Gainward fans, I looked up by going to the site of the fan manufacturer. But yes, at 4400 RPM the frequency is pretty high. Thanks about the Expert tool, now I won't have to screw with it anymore.

I also don't bother going over 400/1100, why risk it? I play mostly UT2004, and I also play mostly at 1280x1024, and at the resolution I can crank everything all the way, ans it STILL never drops below 100 fps. I think you and I have roughly the same CPU speed...



After I get this done, I am going to look at my case fans and my hard disks. I found a company that makes vibration-dampening grommets for hard disks, just having trouble finding a supplyer who will sell less than 10,000 of them. They are used by DELL and others in their desktop systems. For case fans it looks like ThermalTake has the best one's by far. Especially the UFO series---if you dial them down they are only 17 dBA at the same CFM airflow as my current fans that are at 23 dBA---that's half as loud, and my case fans are not that loud now.

I already have the CPU and power supply covered. That Enermax is incredible, it is hard to tell that it is even on. Same goes true for the Zalman CPU fan--even in full mode you can't hear it. But, we will see how it goes after I upgrade to the NV5.

If all that doesn't do it I will look into the sound insulation. This was my plan in the first place, build a computer with the performance that I needed, then attack all the noise sources.

Let me know if anyone wants info on any of these things.

-Jeff


 
Nice mod KutterMax. Do you reckon you could get some pics up of the cutback?

I'm f*ing desperate to quieten down my gainward a bit.. dont mind modding it but actually hacking the metal to bits disturbs me a bit 🙂

What snippers do you have? Ive some oldschool ones.. strong, but they're not precision and would make a right botch on this job. I might get something like these , they look quality.

Wonder if its worth waiting for artics update (and having a 3 slot card 😱 ) or just going ahead and butchering my card..
 
Hello dudes,

OK, I think I can definately help you guys out a little now. I got my Arctic NV5 about two weeks ago, and I have really put it though it's paces. My assesment is that this is the cooler to get, hands down, especially for the money. The only trick is that I would be very careful about the installation.

Currently, here what I get for temperatures:

Ambient: 23ºC
Idle: 53ºC core, 35ºC board
UT: 56ºC core, 39ºC board
Nalu: 67ºC core, 46ºC board

This is running at 400/1100 all the time, yes, you can go even faster, but why? I play mostly UT2004, and I can't get it to go below 100 fps even with everything turned on @ 180x1024. As you can see, the only thing I was able to run that really got things warmed up is the nVidia Nalu 6800 demo, which has a huge number of poligons in it. All these temperatures are about 5ºC less than what I was getting with the stock cooler at similar or slightly higher (2-3ºC) ambient. I can give more exact details on the rest of the system if you guys want it.

The most important thing of course, is the noise. While the system was all taken apart, I took the two coolers and powered them with a 12V brick by themselves without the system. Putting them at similar distances from my ear, I would say the NV5 is easily 1/3 as loud as the stock cooler. This makes sense, because the stock cooler on the Gainward 6800GT GS is even louder than stock coolers on ultra cards out there, and the NV is quieter than those.

Put another way, I could now easily tolerate the computer sitting on my desk right next to me while I type a letter, it is that quiet, really. Let alone if you put it under a desk or something. Now, I do have other things in my computer to make it quiet. Now the loudest thing is definately my case fans, because my CPU fan is the Zalman 7000a, and my power supply is the Enermax Noisetaker 600, and they are so quiet that I think they are not working. The NV5 fades into the bakground. When I upgrade the case fans, maybe it will become the loudest thing again, but I could be happy now making no further improvements.

The fan management in the expert tool is completely unessessary, just run it full blast all the time. But it is good to see the temperature. I used alt-tab to get temps while running apps.

OK, now, here is an important detail about the installation. I spent about 4 hours doing this because I wanted to get it right, and I think it was worth it. Here goes:

1. Removed stock cooler (obviously)
2. Cleaned all surfaces with "Goof Off" (yes, had to go to three stores to find this, Home Depot)
> note1, when I was done, the GPU core was a shiny mirror surface
> note2, I went through more than a hundred Q-tips
> note3, I used eyeglass napkins as a lint-free cleanup after using the "goof-off"
3. Cleaned surfaces again using 91% alcohol, the highest I could find (removes goof-off)
4. Extremely carefully applied Arctic silver 5 to GPU core (the "rice bead" method)
> note, I was careful to "wiggle" the heatsink together and made sure I had good contact
5. Extremely carefully applied Arctic "Ceramique" (using the "full-coverage" method)
6. And finally, I tightented the screws down "all the way". This seems dangerous at first, but I used my experience rebuilding car engines on this. If you have ever replaced a head gasket on an engine, you know that you tighten each bolt in an opposing pattern, in this case 1/2 turn at a time in successtion until they are all the way down. I did not break the bolts, and that sucker could not go on any tighter.
7. The last step was to cut away part of the slot bracket, which the dremel tool took care of in short order.

You may say that this was crazy overkill (well, maybe), I resemble that remark....

I am happy though, I totally achieved or even exceeded my expections. I now have a virtually silent PC, and I have not even done anything to the case yet. I would say that with this mod, this card is now worth more than an ultra, because it can meet the performance of one, but with much less noise. And I have dual-DVI and so on.

Anyways, let me know if anyone needs more info on what I did. But basically, a little TLC goes a very long way. I think this is what modifying computers or having a good hobby is all about.

Regards

-DEFORMER


 
nice deformer. I do have the gs as well but I dont really want to mod the card. First of all I dont have dremel tool or something to cut the bracket, second I dont want to void my warranty and last but not least I always use computer non-silently (either games or mp3) so I dont really mind the fans. By the way, a friendly advice. DONT tighten the screws on gainwards copper base all the way. that would clearly bend your card, did that, take my word on this 😀 Frightening experience at least....

But just a though, how about some acoustic foam compound in the case ? A friend of mine installed some Akasa paxmate and he is pretty much impressed. They clearly cut-off high frequencies from fans (especially small ones like the 60mm gainward uses).Reviews are also very possitive. Only think that kinda concerns me about foam of this type is that they might lead to temp. rise inside the case.
 
Hello,

Yes, I was wondering about the board bending also. But, if you look at the design of this cooler and you look at the design of the GPU itself, both are spread out over a good area and the screws strategically placed. I just looked now and see no sign of bending. That being said, what I might do is loosen the screws 1 turn each a few times to see if I reach a point where the temperature starts to rise, and then stop.

I am courious, if you are not worried about any of these noise issues, and you don't want to mod your card, why are you following this forum? Just curious...

Yes, I have been considering acoustic foam, but it is last on my list. I am currently looking at replacing my case fans as well as installing those rubber gaskets for them. I am also looking into a keen hard disk vibration dampener solution.

After all that, if the case is still loud I would look at foam, but that stuff runs upwards of $100, and yes, you definately would get a heat increase. This could potentially cause the fans to notch up thier speed and noise to compensate, which would sort of defeat the foam.

I am using both AMD Cool N' Quiet, as well as the Asus Q-fan. They only help a little but it is noticable. They would probably help more in a nosier system.


Hey, looks like we have very similar systems too...

Talk to you...

-DEFORMER
 
Have you considered modding the original heatsink? Mabye you could take the cover off the heatsink and the fans out.

Then either do this: http://img.photobucket.com/alb...0Hardware/IMG_1846.jpg

He took off the top of the VGA silencer and put 2 80mm fans on insted

Or you can do what i did and unbent paper clips and put them around the hs (9800 pro tho) http://images.dr3vil.com/uploads/IMG_9479.jpg

I am sure there are lots of things you can do with the original heatsink and a few 80mm fans. Zip ties are also great.
 
Thanks to KutterMax and Deformer's comments, I just installed the NV Silencer 5 on my Gainward GT (dual DVI, non-GS). My NV Silencer included a single bracket for the cooler, so I also ended up cutting the gainward bracket. I had to use a dremel, since my tin snips were too weak. As KutterMax said, as long as you take some care when cutting, you won't see the cut edges from the back of the case. If you're good with a dremel, I think you can get a pretty nice cut. It's MUCH quieter than the stock cooler, with slightly lower temps. I have the ExpertTool set on 'Dynamic Speed' but it's quiet enough to leave it on 100%. I am MUCH happier now! This was $30 well spent!! Thanks guys! 🙂
 
Originally posted by: oakleaf00
Thanks to KutterMax and Deformer's comments, I just installed the NV Silencer 5 on my Gainward GT (dual DVI, non-GS). My NV Silencer included a single bracket for the cooler, so I also ended up cutting the gainward bracket. I had to use a dremel, since my tin snips were too weak. As KutterMax said, as long as you take some care when cutting, you won't see the cut edges from the back of the case. If you're good with a dremel, I think you can get a pretty nice cut. It's MUCH quieter than the stock cooler, with slightly lower temps. I have the ExpertTool set on 'Dynamic Speed' but it's quiet enough to leave it on 100%. I am MUCH happier now! This was $30 well spent!! Thanks guys! 🙂
Click to expand...

can you please post temps ? now and before etc ?
 
Originally posted by: Cawchy87
Have you considered modding the original heatsink? Mabye you could take the cover off the heatsink and the fans out.

Then either do this: http://img.photobucket.com/alb...0Hardware/IMG_1846.jpg

He took off the top of the VGA silencer and put 2 80mm fans on insted

Or you can do what i did and unbent paper clips and put them around the hs (9800 pro tho) http://images.dr3vil.com/uploads/IMG_9479.jpg

I am sure there are lots of things you can do with the original heatsink and a few 80mm fans. Zip ties are also great.
Click to expand...

Thats vey similar to my Giant IV !!!
 
Hey guys, I don't have a gainwood card, but I've got one of the eVGA limited edition ones that's basicaly like an ultra and an NV silencer. I've got an extremely quiet case with my vid.card being the loudest thing in there, even with the silencer on it. There is honestly no comparison between the stock ultra cooler and the NV silencer and apparently the ultra cooler is quieter then the gainwood one. Definitely some of the best $30 I spent.

The one thing I was not impressed about on the cooler was the finish on the copper plate. It is a very rough finish for a heat sink. I'm sure that is why you need to use so much thermal paste to make it perform well.
I ended up lapping it some before putting it on to avoid possible contact problems. I used the blob in the middle method for the ram chips and spread a decently sized layer of AS 5 on the gpu. I tightened it down until the rubber spacers were pretty squished, but not as far as it could go.
As for the double bracket, I just used a hacksaw to cut off half of it and filed it smooth again. A dremel would probably work better since I had to be careful not to bend it when hacksawing it.

As for results, the idle temps on the card are around the same as the stock cooler, 53-54 vs 54-55. The load temps are much cooler though 67 max vs 75. My hard drive temps are also much cooler (~5 degrees) since there is no longer hot air from the vid card being blown on them. It is also a TON quieter then the stock cooler.
I have it run at 60% in 3D mode and up to 100% in 3d. The fan is a bit buzzy at 60%, but noticeably quieter then when at 100. If you've got things louder then the silencer, you'd probably not notice the change in volume.
 
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