Suggestions on 6600 heatsink

[RelaxTheMind]

Ok i got a Chaintech 6600 256mb from newegg here for my girlfriends puter. It works much better than I expected as opposed to suggestions noted on here and other forums.

I currently have it clocked at 501/600 totally stable (i had to force flash the bios to turn on the temp sensor) and it idles at ~65º and hits ~85º when playing FEAR at mostly high settings (800x600) and likewise with a couple runs of 3dmark2001se. I have had the core up to 580 and the mem seems to have a limit at around 700 or so but the temps get up in near ~100º

I was thinking of getting this heatsink and here is a picture of the card for referenceHere

So is this ideal? not worth it? I just want to be able to flash and set it at a stable higher core/mem clock and not ahve to worry about it... and also if and when the computer ends up with her brother.

 

[blckgrffn]

That would be really nice but probably not worth the price...

I have had simlar luck with 6600's and have thought them wonderful for several budget builds

Nat

 

[RelaxTheMind]

hahaha in effect 6600gt or an ebay 6800 would have been about the same price... i think my head returned to earth. i got bit by the overclock bug.

 

[Concillian]

I'd say just leave the stock HSF, find the limit where it starts getting artifacts, down clock it about 5% from that to give yourself some margin, and call it a day.

You'll get higher by using a better HSF, but the cost isn't really worth it in the long run. Does 580 get you enough better performance from the 6600 that you can run higher resolution or better video settings?

 

[blckgrffn]

Originally posted by: RelaxTheMind
hahaha in effect 6600gt or an ebay 6800 would have been about the same price... i think my head returned to earth. i got bit by the overclock bug.

That's one of the side effeects of that particular bug, the loss of reason Been there, done that

 

[zagood]

Not worth the price? Hold on now...

Since you bought and installed the card, it's now yours. Yes, you could have a better card for the price of your current card + new heatsink, but if you're overclocking you should replace the majority of stock heatsinks anyway.

Main reason? Cooler temps provide longer life for the card. Also it'll be MUCH more quiet.

With the vf700 you can expect temp drops around 8c for the AlCu and 10c for the Cu versions. In my mind, unless you plan on replacing the card in the next six months anyway, it's worth the investment.

My 6800nu OC/UL maxes out at about 56c with the vf700-Cu and is at least 10dBa quiter than the stock heatsink fan.

Also that price is a little high. You can find them for 23-25 bucks at most places.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search.php?form_keyword=vf700&topcat_id=
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118117

-z

 

[RelaxTheMind]

Actually my gf uses it to play mainly Sims 2, vampire bloodlines, and somehow i won the lottery and she is getting into third person mystery games...it runs sims2 at highest settings with the OC it was a little jumpy when there was a bit of stuff going on when it was running its stock 300\500.

So im guessing since temps at current OC speeds stay below 80º i think im good. It just gets quite warm in the house during winter and the computer is running air.

 

[Rike]

I use that Zalman HS on my 6600GT (PCIe) and I'm totally stable at 570 core/1.21Ghz mem with the fan at it lowest setting on my fan bus. I can go up to 585 or 590 with the fan on full. Temps never go above about 55C. (Big case w/ many fans running on low.) Pic