Originally posted by: sundev
EDIT: Alternatively, would it be possible to run the 6800GT with the fans unplugged?
I would strongly advise against this, the 6800GT in the grand scheme of todays power horse graphics card is really not that powerful and probably doesn't produce as much heat. HOWEVER the stock coolers on most of them are designed to be as small as possible and so the fan is small and runs at a higher RPM, as they age the bearings wear out or the fins bend slightly and start to brush against the housing which gives them the signature ticking or whining sound. But seeming it's so small it depends on that tiny fan to cool it, if you unplug it even under idle the card will probably overheat and damage itself.
Now as for a passive cooler most people go for the arctic cooling accelero S1, you might think it's a bit large and overkill for the card you have BUT the cooler itself only takes 1 or 2 slots underneath the card. I'm almost positive with even mediocre case airflow this cooler would cool your 6800GT in passive mod sufficiently. And it's only $24 with $5 for shipping on newegg. Be aware that the cooler sticks out about an inch from the side of the card, so make sure your case is wide enough. Below I have the link to where you can buy it, a review of the cooler, and a youtube tutorial on how to install it. There is a program called
HWMonitor which is a light program to monitor pretty much all temperatures in your case including graphics. Install this to see what your temps are with stock cooler and then with the aftermarket cooler installed. Temperatures should range from 35-60C on the graphics, but some may reach 70 or 80 with passive cooling. Usually the system will shut down if anything gets too hot, the danger comes when the system is run with overload temps continuously.
all the best
-Ray
Accelero S1 $24
H Enthusiast review of S1
Video installation on ati card
Now this installation video is how to install on the ATI 4850 which is a newer card and will have different mounting points than your 6800gt. However if you read the instructions I'm sure you can figure it out, if I remember the 6800gt has far less mounting points than the newer cards. Just make sure not to overtighten the screws as it might bend the card, the cooler also comes with pre applied MX-2 thermal paste which will give you good results and less fuss. The general opinion is that the accelero S1 and S2 are the best passive coolers on the market right now, you can also add a 120mm case fan to bottom if you want further cooling with marginal noise. - Hope this helps
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