The 5800 series aftermarket cooling thread.

[The Sauce]

Hate the fan noise I get when the stock cooler gets any higher than about 35%. I was wondering if anyone here has done any aftermarket cooling and has any tips.

 

[nitromullet]

5800 series cooling is legendary.

 

[RockinZ28]

Well this got rid of that annoying fan noise completely:

 

[The Sauce]

Perhaps I should have mentioned that I am overclocking. Have my clocks up to 950/1300...so passive cooling is out.

 

[SparksIT]

here are some:

Thermaltake ISGC-V320:
http://www.thermaltake.com/product_...01446&id=C_00001447&name=ISGC-V320&ov=n&ovid=

Artic Cooling Accelero TWIN TURBO PRO:
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2_&mID=379

Thermalright T-Rad2 GTX:
http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/vga/t-rad2_gtx/product_vga_cooler_t-rad2gtx.html

Scythe "MUSASHI" Twin-Fan VGA Cooler:
http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/vga/002/scvms1000_detail.html

 

[The Sauce]

5800 series cooling is legendary.

Mmm...ok. But that is not an aftermarket cooler.

 

[The Sauce]

here are some:

Thermaltake ISGC-V320:
http://www.thermaltake.com/product_...01446&id=C_00001447&name=ISGC-V320&ov=n&ovid=

Artic Cooling Accelero TWIN TURBO PRO:
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2_&mID=379

Thermalright T-Rad2 GTX:
http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/vga/t-rad2_gtx/product_vga_cooler_t-rad2gtx.html

Scythe "MUSASHI" Twin-Fan VGA Cooler:
http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/vga/002/scvms1000_detail.html

Thanks for the links. Looks like only the Thermaltake is compatible with a 5850, though. It looks sweet.

 

[Fayd]

Thanks for the links. Looks like only the Thermaltake is compatible with a 5850, though. It looks sweet.

huh? the musashi says right there it's compatible with the 5850..

 

[toyota]

Mmm...ok. But that is not an aftermarket cooler.

he is joking. that is an Nvidia 5800 which was known to be a noisy as hell card.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that I am overclocking. Have my clocks up to 950/1300...so passive cooling is out.

come on now thats a water block.

 

[RussianSensation]

Prolimatech MK-13
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=875&p=2

TRad2 GTX - $45 with 2 fans
http://www.svc.com/t-rad2gtx.html

Or Even cheaper for almost the same performance, TRad2 - $42 with 2 fans
http://www.svc.com/t-rad2.html

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Scythe SCVSG-1000 Setsugen VGA Heatsinks Compatible W/ NVIDIA GTX ATI HD5850 HD5870 - $45[/FONT]
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/scsc10vgaco.html



The biggest problem with all air based aftermarket coolers is VRM cooling. So make sure there is enough airflow and heatsinks.

I am quoting another user regarding TRad2 (and other such air coolers on 5870):

"There is a downside: it's hard to cool the VRM's with these sinks. A solution for this is using the plate from the stock cooler. Directly above the GPU is a copper block and on the rest of the card is an aluminum plate. You can use this aluminum plate that cools the RAM and the VRM's on the stock cooler with most other coolers too (you'd have to check this ). This worked with the 4870s the 4890s and with the 5850. The problem with the 5870 is that the copper block is soldered to the plate. So, for the 5870 you would have to come up with a different way to cool the VRM's."

You can always get 10 of these little guys for VRM cooling for $7.50:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/mipllch.html

 

[zagood]

Check out the two TR VRM coolers. Another $24 plus fan, but wow...
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/gpumeco.html

 

[The Sauce]

Check out the two TR VRM coolers. Another $24 plus fan, but wow...
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/gpumeco.html

You mean the Thermalright R3 and R4? I was wondering about that. Looks like it gets tricky. I think Thermalright recommends getting one of those as well which means about $75-$85 for cooling. That's a bit steep. The whole memory/VRM cooling thing is what makes this tricky. Wish there was a good guide out there.

 

[bradyapba]

to OP: Rockin cooling is not "passive".. thats a water cooling block

I also have a 5850. I also hate the fan. I just bought a Twin Turbo Pro for $38. I am planning to leave the stock plate on to cool the VRMS. Those 2 92mm fans should cool that plate and the VRMS very well. The cooler is near silent. So i dont think you can beat the price. My cooler should be here Fri or mon.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Which cooler cools the card the most? If it's the Scythe ones, is the Setsugen or the Mushashi the better? And also, regarding the Thermalright R3 and R4, how is that protruding heatsink positioned? Would it fit in a case with the side on? Thanks.

 

[bradyapba]

There has not been enough reviews to know what cools best. The setgen just came out.

THE r3/r3 protrude out over the top of the card. Case should close, if its of standard size.

The best review I have seen was a german site that reviewed like 8 GPU coolers on a 5850.

The Twin Turbo Pro came out on top over all because:

1. It was one of the top 2-3 coolers of the 8.
2. It was the cheapest price of the top coolers.
3. It cooled the VRMS best, because you can leave the plate on, and those 2 big fans cool the stock plate very well.
4. It was near silent, and you didnt have to buy another fan to make it more silent.
5. It plugged right into the fan header on the 5850.

If you buy a setgen, and a VR4, your looking at like $80. I got the Twin Turbo Pro for $38.

 

[Dorkenstein]

So the twin turbo pro does indeed fit the 5850 reference card? I read elsewhere that it was in doubt. Thanks.

 

[Maximilian]

I found the original cooler to be quiet + cool enough At least compared to some other cards ive had.

 

[bradyapba]

It does with a little modding. Its made for the 5870, whose GPU sits a few MM farther away from the DVI connector than the 5850, which sits a few MM closer. WHat does this mean?

It means roughly 9 of the 48 fins will hit the connector, or overlap slighty with them. So you need to either bend the fins, or simply snip a few mm's off the end of those 9 fins.

Not a big deal really. Doesnt effect the coolers performance at all.

 

[bradyapba]

I found the original cooler to be quiet + cool enough At least compared to some other cards ive had.

THe stock cooler is quiet, if it never goes over 35-40%(which it wont on general use and general gaming). But if you over clock, or push the card, it will sound like a jet engine, literally unbearably loud. Go into your ATI tool, and turn your fan up, and you will see what im talking about.

 

[bradyapba]

heres what im talking about. Im going to try to keep the stock VRM cooling plate on though, they say it can be done.


http://translate.google.com/transla.../Arctic_Cooling_Accelero_Twin_Turbo_Pro-3.htm

 

[bunnyfubbles]

heres what im talking about. Im going to try to keep the stock VRM cooling plate on though, they say it can be done.

Yeah, the base plate of the stock cooler will cool the ram and vrms well enough, better than dinky stick on heat sinks which actually almost killed my card (I originally tried stick on heatsinks but pushed too far before realizing my error - the GPU was extremely cool but my VRMs were getting raped).

I had to remove the thermal padding for the vrms and replaced them with dabs of Arctic Silver Ceramique.

BTW I am using an Accelero S1 + 120mm fan

 

[The Sauce]

Is anyone using the T-Rad2 GTX? I am confused about something. Do you have to get an R3/R4 with this? The reviews show pretty good VRM cooling with the T-Rad alone, but the Thermalright web site lists this as "Conditional" compatibility with the 5850 and suggests that you have to get an R3/R4 as well for full compatibility.

 

[sch10]

i'm getting a t-rad2 for my brand new 5870 in on wednesday. i bought an r3 just to be safe, as all reviews of any aftermarket cooling for 5xxx series cards mentioned poor vrm cooling without something more substantial.

 

[bradyapba]

5870 is a different animal than the 5850. The 50 you can leave the stock plate on and get good VRM cooling, the 70 you cant.

I would be interested to see how the t-rad2 works on the 50 with the stock cooler plate on, its gets pretty tight fins on the t-rad2, not sure how good it will cool the VRM plate, as say the arctic cooler pro, with the better spaced fins, and the 2 92 fans.

if i had to buya t-rad2 with fans ($52) and a r-3($20), then your talking about a price range, where i should of just bought a more expensive card

 

[The Sauce]

if i had to buya t-rad2 with fans ($52) and a r-3($20), then your talking about a price range, where i should of just bought a more expensive card

Yes, except what you fail to realize is that if I had bought a 5870, I would still have been pissed about the noisy cooler and replaced it too.