Very Satisfied -- Zalman VF900 and 8800GT

[angry hampster]

I just got my VF900 and extra ramsinks in from Dell today. Installation was easy and quick, it looks great, and the fan is silent. Even at 100%, I can't hear it over my case fans. I overclocked to 702/1758/975 and it never got above 60*C under load. I'll tinker with it some more later. Just wanted to post this as a head's up to anyone looking for an aftermarket cooler for their G92.

 

[fluxquantum]

i am thinking about getting one myself. the temps look good too. right now my room is cool due to the winter weather but once it gets warmer, the stock cooler may not be sufficient. i assume since mine is an evga, this cooler will still work.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: fluxquantum
i am thinking about getting one myself. the temps look good too. right now my room is cool due to the winter weather but once it gets warmer, the stock cooler may not be sufficient. i assume since mine is an evga, this cooler will still work.

Yup it should fit all 8800GTs.

 

[angry hampster]

Just got done playing a few hours of Crysis -- still haven't finished yet. :laugh: ..anyway, my temperatures never got above 61*C according to Rivatuner. I still have yet to turn the fan on high.

 

[40sTheme]

Shoulda gone with the DuOrb. Not much more expensive and keeps my GT at 721/1782/950 at 50C at load (Many runs of Crysis benchmark/Long ATiTool/Rthdribl). Not to say the VF900 wasn't a good choice. I really need to vmod my GT... I could push it waaaaaaaaaay farther at 1.3V.

 

[nullpointerus]

Are the voltage regulators cooled?

IIRC, people burned out a lot of 7900 GTs by pushing the voltage regulators too far.

 

[angry hampster]

Yea i bought extra zalman heatsinks for the vregs.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: 40sTheme
Shoulda gone with the DuOrb. Not much more expensive and keeps my GT at 721/1782/950 at 50C at load (Many runs of Crysis benchmark/Long ATiTool/Rthdribl). Not to say the VF900 wasn't a good choice. I really need to vmod my GT... I could push it waaaaaaaaaay farther at 1.3V.

Dunno bout that.

I keep hearing very consistent things about the vf900, and inconsistent things about the DuOrb. Seems to work great for some people, horribly for others. Maybe installer error.

 

[error8]

One of the best coolers for 8800 GT I believe that is the Arctic Cooling S1. I'm running one on my Gigabyte 8800 GT and coupled with a low rpm 120 mm fan, I'm getting 38C idle and 48 C in full load, and this being totally silent. And also is a very cheap cooler.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: error8
One of the best coolers for 8800 GT I believe that is the Arctic Cooling S1. I'm running one on my Gigabyte 8800 GT and coupled with a low rpm 120 mm fan, I'm getting 38C idle and 48 C in full load, and this being totally silent. And also is a very cheap cooler.

But it's massive. It takes up 2 slots on top of the card. The VF900 only uses one. The S1 is also a bit heavier IIRC. As for it being cheap, you probably paid $~10-15 less than I did, including my VReg sinks.

 

[error8]

Yes , it is massive indeed. If you add a fan on it, it takes 2 slots, but is not heavier then your Vf900. In USA the S1 should be cheaper then Vf900, but in my country I have probably paid more on it, then what you've paid on yours.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: error8
Yes , it is massive indeed. If you add a fan on it, it takes 2 slots, but is not heavier then your Vf900. In USA the S1 should be cheaper then Vf900, but in my country I have probably paid more on it, then what you've paid on yours.

Yours is actually about 150 grams heavier than mine

http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/pr...w.asp?idx=192&code=013
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article793-page1.html

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Originally posted by: error8
Yes , it is massive indeed. If you add a fan on it, it takes 2 slots, but is not heavier then your Vf900. In USA the S1 should be cheaper then Vf900, but in my country I have probably paid more on it, then what you've paid on yours.

Yours is actually about 150 grams heavier than mine

http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/pr...w.asp?idx=192&code=013
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article793-page1.html

Yes, you are right. I stand corrected. Despite that the S1 is heavier, takes up more space, it does cool the 8800 GT a little better then VF900.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: error8

Yes, you are right. I stand corrected. Despite that the S1 is heavier, takes up more space, it does cool the 8800 GT a little better then VF900.

This is true

Both are definitely top-notch coolers. I value space inside my case though, so I've gotta love my Zalman.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Each to their own... My S1 is great... nothing about 50C even with only 1 80mm fan. I wonder what would happen if I put up a good 120mm fan... Of course, the Zalman is still leagues beyond stock...

 

[ja1484]

There's nothing wrong with the S1 at all, but for all that space, ~15C lower under load really doesn't mean that much in the temperature ranges we're talking about.

I think the Zalman strikes the best balance of cooling, quietness, and small size. I went with it because an S1 would've collided with my MB chipset heatsink which is a larger-than-typical all passive unit. The S1 is the undisputed bang-for-buck winner. It's performance is very close to the king of the hill Thermalright HR03 GT at less than half the price.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: ja1484
There's nothing wrong with the S1 at all, but for all that space, ~15C lower under load really doesn't mean that much in the temperature ranges we're talking about.

I think the Zalman strikes the best balance of cooling, quietness, and small size. I went with it because an S1 would've collided with my MB chipset heatsink which is a larger-than-typical all passive unit. The S1 is the undisputed bang-for-buck winner. It's performance is very close to the king of the hill Thermalright HR03 GT at less than half the price.

Thank you...this is what I was trying to get across.