What is the best HSF for a video card?

[Mloot]

I want to replace the passive heatsink on my AIW, but I would appreciate any insight you guys have on a good HSF replacement. Thanks in advance.

 

[BoomAM]

For what AIW card? 7500/8500/9000/9700?
How do you feel about noise as well?

 

[Mloot]

Woops, should have stated that from the start. It's for the AIW VE PCI. And noise is not a big concern for me.

 

[BoomAM]

VE? Dont know what sort of HSFs would work with the card. I think (dont quote me) that the old Zalman VGA cooler will work with it, if you epoxy it, or maybe the new one as well, if the card has hole in it for HSFs. I`d have a look at some of the Thermaltake ones as well.

 

[highline]

I can't tell you what is "best" but will tell you what I did with my Radeon 8500.

To improve the GPU cooling, I initially used an 80mm fan in a plastic fanholder with a slot cover attached and installed it below the Radeon blowing upward. This helped me a bit in overclocking the GPU but was loud.

In my junkbox I had an Intel hsf for a P3-800 that looked like it would fit the Radeon. I also picked up a hsf at Compusa that is similar to the Thermaltake blue orb just in case the Intel unit would not fit.

For reference, the stock hsf weighed 1 oz, the CompUSA hsf weighed 2.5 oz and the Intel hsf weighed 5 oz.

After removing the stock hsf, I found that the Intel unit would fit with no problems. I had no thermal adhesive so I used a generic superglue to attach it. The hsf is so tall it takes up the slot below the agp card and possibly the next one as well. This may matter to you.

This was quieter than the case fan, which I removed from service, and lets me overclock a bit more. I am running into problems at speeds above 301/295 at the moment.

Perhaps ram sinks would allow that second number to be increased a bit but I have not found any that I would buy. It appears that the sinks could be made from flat stock without much trouble but I see a potential problem with the ram chip leads shorting to any plate placed on the top. The clearance would be very small and I would like to see the sinks made so this could not occur. Unless I find something cheap and simple, I'm calling it quits on this card. It's fast enough for my needs as is.

A note of caution: While the stock hsf was easy to remove, I suspect that the Intel is there to stay. To test the glue before making the change, I mounted the hsf on a painted steel plate for a test and it was very hard to remove. Also, the glue can be melted but not at any temperature the card will produce.

A proper adhesive would be preferred and should be a bit more effective at cooling.