Sapphire X1950 Pro AGP is LOUD

[Schadenfroh]

Suggestions on after market cooling solutions in the $35 range to quiet this thing down? I do not plan on overclocking, but I will still need active cooling. I am worried about how the AGP bridge chip fits into the HS/Fan layout and if the PCB differs from the PCI-E version to the point of after market coolers not fitting correctly.

thanks

 

[Stumps]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Suggestions on after market cooling solutions in the $35 range to quiet this thing down? I do not plan on overclocking, but I will still need active cooling. I am worried about how the AGP bridge chip fits into the HS/Fan layout and if the PCB differs from the PCI-E version to the point of after market coolers not fitting correctly.

thanks

just looking at my card, isn't the AGP bridge ship on the back side of the Sapphire AGP card, just above the AGP slot?

 

[apoppin]

neither of mine were loud

i stopped my NB fan and my CPU fan for a moment when it was working under load and it was not loud at all ... i can't even hear it over my CPU and PS fan though no doubt it "adds"
[forget the NB fan ... sometimes it is noisy, sometimes quiet]

do remember that you generally void your warranty when you replace the VGA cooler

i'd wait a bit to make *sure* your Pro is gonna work

 

[imported_thefonz]

zalman f700 or f900 are about 35 bucks, easy to install and very quiet, they should come with ram sinks. It will work with pretty much every vid card on the market today. Arctic cooling is another option, The X1 is for ati cards, but I'm not too sure about compatibility with apg cards. All the after market cooling is 2 slots.

Another thing I would recommend is to download ATI Tray tools and you can manually set the fan speed yourself.

Enjoy the new card

 

[Matt2]

My X1900XTX wakes the neighbor downstairs, so I'm not surprised at all.

 

[Zebo]

The Zalman arnt that quiet - Anything above 9V gets very whinny and audible.

nm should be fine with that card and zalman.. poppy I think you're right about sleep/add thought he had a 1950 for a sec

maybe?

 

[Stumps]

Originally posted by: apoppin
neither of mine were loud

i stopped my NB fan and my CPU fan for a moment when it was working under load and it was not loud at all ... i can't even hear it over my CPU and PS fan though no doubt it "adds"
[forget the NB fan ... sometimes it is noisy, sometimes quiet]

do remember that you generally void your warranty when you replace the VGA cooler

i'd wait a bit to make *sure* your Pro is gonna work

same here, I can't hear mine over my Thermaltake Water pump...and that isn't very loud at all.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Zebo
The Zalman arnt that quiet - Anything above 9V gets very whinny and audible.

nm should be fine with that card and zalman.. poppy I think you're right about sleep/add thought he had a 1950 for a sec

maybe?

huh?


the AC link doesn't mention the x1950 series

and i'd *wait* ... if you fan is loud something *else* may be wrong
--it's a PitA to RMA a card that has been "modified"

 

[Steve]

http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=90

 

[Munky]

Accelero X2. I tried both Zalmans and the X2, and the X2 offered slightly better cooling while still making less noise.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: apoppin
and i'd *wait* ... if you fan is loud something *else* may be wrong

After what you went through, that is good advice, I will sit on it for another month.

 

[herbiehancock]

Gotta agree that the stock fan on the 1950 Pro is loud, esp. under load. But it depends on which brand of card you bought and what fan/cooler they put on it. I have a BBATI card and the fan was terribly loud. Went with a Zalman VF900 and couldn't be more pleased. Keeps temps way down from the stock cooler, looks better, barely takes up any more room (not quite another slot wide), The VFR700 also seems to be a very viable option as Gigabyte uses it stock on their cards. But I'd really think about switching over.

The reason I used the Zalman instead of the Accelero X2 was because I've heard the X2 is a complete bitch to get off if you need to. The Zalman, on the other hand, should be very easy to remove and to reinstall the stock heatsink if you had to. To remove the ramsinks, even if very stuck on, just use a single-edged razor blade, slice off the sink from the RAM module, the use isopropyl alcohol to loosen up what remains and remove. Or a little WD-40 put to the remaining goo on the chip will definitely loosen up the glue left from the RAMsink....don't spray it on, just dab it on using a cloth that's soaked with WD-40.....that stuff loosens up glue very well and let's you roll it off in a little ball of glue-goo....and the chip is clean.

 

[zodder]

I threw an Accelero X2 on mine and it's damn near silent now.

 

[postmortemIA]

Mine is silent most of the time, much better than my 6800Ultra that had annoyingly loud fan at all times.

If it is too loud, and you have hardware monitoring supported by ATITOOL, well put fan speed to lower duty cycle.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: munky
Accelero X2. I tried both Zalmans and the X2, and the X2 offered slightly better cooling while still making less noise.

In addition to this, the Zalman 900 was in over its head on my X1900XTX under load ... although the Pro undoubtedly runs cooler I'd strongly suggest going with the X2 over it, just make sure NOT to use the thermal adhesive pads included with it because they are nearly impossible to remove from the RAM if you need to swap it out. Either re-use the pads from the factory cooler or put a dab of thermal compound on the RAM chips before installing.

 

[Makaveli]

hey zoder did u have a problem installing the shim for the VRM on this card. I've heard conflicting reports of it not working well cause this card has dual molex connectors.

 

[zodder]

I actually didn't install the shim. I just put the stock Accelero on and monitored temps. It works great and overclocks great on mine without it. Are there compelling reasons to use the shim?

 

[Stumps]

Originally posted by: zodder
I actually didn't install the shim. I just put the stock Accelero on and monitored temps. It works great and overclocks great on mine without it. Are there compelling reasons to use the shim?

YES...the VRM's run really hot on the x1950 series cards...especially the AGP models.

many of the failures with the Sapphire and Diamond AGP x1950Pro's is a direct result of the VRM's over heating...usually due to poor contact with the HSF unit.

 

[zodder]

Damn. Now I'm struggling with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" dilemma

 

[zig3695]

huh? i always tought it was 'if it aint boke you havent tried to fix it'

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: zig3695
huh? i always tought it was 'if it aint boke you havent tried to fix it'

FORUMS > CPU/PROCESSORS AND OVERCLOCKING



they *live* by that code

 

[ronnn]

In my experience all video cards are loud, until you pay extra for fancy cooling. My x2 really worked great until it developed a vibration. Am getting a replacement this weekend, as I will be in Vancouver and can save shipping. Dancing at the Commodore is always worth the trip. Enjoy paddy's day.

edit: didn't read the thread, but assume all the deaf guys have pointed out how anal you are.

 

[Schadenfroh]

In retrospect there is a very good possibility that the loudness that I experienced with my Sapphire was that of my PSU's fan in its "final throws."

My Antec PSU still works, but the fan does not spin and the temp goes up accordingly. The failure could have been from added stress on the PSU from the new card and the fan could have given out due to having to run at higher RPMs that it was used to (I left it on 24/7).

We will know in two days when I have my new Antec Neo 550 watter installed (not taking any chances of underwatting it, last one was a 430 watt TruPower Trio).

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
In retrospect there is a very good possibility that the loudness that I experienced with my Sapphire was that of my PSU's fan in its "final throws."

My Antec PSU still works, but the fan does not spin and the temp goes up accordingly. The failure could have been from added stress on the PSU from the new card and the fan could have given out due to having to run at higher RPMs that it was used to (I left it on 24/7).

We will know in two days when I have my new Antec Neo 550 watter installed (not taking any chances of underwatting it, last one was a 430 watt TruPower Trio).

wow ...
:Q

i physically stopped my NB and CPU fan [for a few seconds] to see how loud my Pro was... and now my NB fan is finally simply disconnected ... my rig is finally QUIET ... uh .... [quiet]


i think skimping on a PS is silly ...

... now

 

[Schadenfroh]

i think skimping on a PS is silly ...

I did not skimp on my old PSU, the Antec TruePower Trio 430watt costed about $85, shame it died a young death or you referring to personal experiences?