Which 4850 design is better?

[achangb]

I am trying to buy a used 4850 and am wondering which PCB / cooler design is better.

The old style that originally came on them, or the new ones, such as can be seen on the new diamonds and gecubes that have half the RAM on the backside. http://www.gecube.com/products..._id=244&prod_id=383628

Also, are do both have the same voltage regulator so their voltage can be software modified (as seen on this website)
http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...howthread.php?t=215521

Thanks!

 

[nemesismk2]

I have always favoured HIS video cards because the ICEQ cooler is very efficent and quiet.

 

[Phew]

I second the HIS recommendation. I wouldn't buy any ~200W video card that didn't have a dual-slot cooler.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814161244

 

[achangb]

Hmm, if I could use a dual slot cooler that would be the best but I'm trying to cram in the most powerful video card into my shuttle to be able to game with a 1080p projector.

 

[Modular]

I can tell you that the original HD4850 is going to be a tough one to keep cool in a smaller case. Heck, it's tough to cool in a normal sized case. The amount of heat it will dissipate is going to make other components run much warmer as well. There are fan fixes and so on that will keep the temps relatively under control, but will not reduce them to what I would consider appropriate or safe temps for reliable long-term usage. My MSI 4850 with the reference cooler on it was constantly at 60-70C idle with the fan at 80%. Under stress, it still hovered around 90C and sometimes topped 100C.

 

[nerp]

I got a Gigabyte 4850 with a Zalman cooler on it. Keeps it mighty cool and problem free. The one drawback is the fan on it is painfully loud. I stuck a Zalman Fan Mate II controller on it and ramped the speed down to minimum. Now it's silent and there doesn't appear to be _any_ impact on cooling performance.