Which aftermarket cooler for 6950?

[funkatation]

The stock cooling on the 6950 is too loud for my tastes, what is the best aftermarket cooler for noise? I've been looking at the two Accelero coolers and the 3 fan one is pricey, but wondering how much better it is than the 2 fan one. Wondering if I would be better off selling what I have and buying a new one with a good cooler on it already. It is unlocked to 6970 speeds so not sure if they still allow that.

 

[WelshBloke]

badb0y on these forums has a TT Shaman that is probably the best cooler you can get.

Its huge though.

 

[badb0y]

I have the Thermalright Shaman on my HD 6950, very nice cooler but it might be too wide for some cases. Also it takes up around 3-4 slots so if you want to go Crossfire you might want another aftermarket cooler.

Tom's review of the Shaman:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/aftermarket-vga-cooling-shaman,2797-4.html

PM me if you need anymore information or post here and I'll try to help you out.

 

[funkatation]

I have a Silverstone FT02 case, any idea if it will fit in there? I don't plan on doing Crossfire. How hard is it to install?

Also, what did you notice in temp drops and noise vs stock cooler?

 

[funkatation]

I did some searching on prices (it does matter!)

Here's what I found at mwave.com (seemed to be the cheapest)

Thermalright Shaman = $79.68 with shipping

Arctic Cooling Freezer Extreme Plus = $57.89 with shipping (and I think its $10 for the right installation kit)

Arctic Cooling Twin Turbo = $38.89 with shipping

Zalman VF3000A = $47.72 with shipping from Directron.com

 

[SZLiao214]

Do you have any intention of going sli? I made the mistake of buying zalman v3000 for my 470 and it ended up covering the other pci-e slot.

I've read great things about the Thermalright Shaman. All those coolers you listed are great. Even the 39 dollar twin turbo fan you linked will make a huge dif.

 

[insurgent]

I have the Thermalright Shaman on my HD 6950, very nice cooler but it might be too wide for some cases. Also it takes up around 3-4 slots so if you want to go Crossfire you might want another aftermarket cooler.

Tom's review of the Shaman:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/aftermarket-vga-cooling-shaman,2797-4.html

PM me if you need anymore information or post here and I'll try to help you out.

Do you provide additional support for the end of the card (with the power connectors)? That cooler is huge and the card in SPCR's review dips down because of the card's overall weight.

 

[funkatation]

As an aside... my GPU idles at 55C (which seems to be very high to me) and will be about 80C at load.

 

[Joseph F]

Those aren't bad temps, man. Your idle temp doesn't matter as long as it's safe (and 55c is fine) and your load temp is very well in the safe zone. You only really have to start worrying around 100-110c.

 

[funkatation]

They are a little higher than I'd like I guess, but whats worse is the noise under load. By far the loudest fan in the system.