x1900xt + Thermalright HR-03 = :)

[Munky]

I recently switched the cooler on my x1900xt from an Accelero X2 to the Thermalright HR-03, and I'll post my results. On first impression - the cooler is HUGE. Good thing my mobo happened to have dual pci-e slots, and even so, it's a tight fit between the sound card and the SI-120 cpu cooler. Check out some pics:

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On a side note, removing the Accelero was a major PITA. I had to painstakingly cut the memory pads, because they're stuck like superglue. Then, I installed the HR-03 with a 92mm Vantec Stealth fan running at 1700rpm. I pointed the fan so it sucks air through the cooler and blows it upwards. That way it goes along with the overall case airflow. The fan is inaudible inside my case, and the temps are much better now. I tested the load temps by running RTHDRIBL for 30 mins, and the results below -

Accelero X2, 100% fan speed:
gpu die: 86C
gpu env: 67C
cpu: 45C
mobo pwm: 57C
mobo chipset: 61C

Thermalright HR-03:
gpu die: 72C
gpu env: 54C
cpu: 45C
mobo pwm: 55C
mobo chipset: 52C

So, not only did it lower my gpu temps dramatically, it also lowered the temps of other system components. Also, I can now OC the gpu on stock voltage to 675mhz, whereas before it could only do about 635. The cooler even has some headroom for overvolting - I bumped up the voltage to about 1.475, and the load temps remained under 80C.

This cooler wasn't cheap at $50 + $6 for the fan, but the performance is as good as it gets with aircooling, and keeping an OC'd x1900xt cool and quiet is no small feat. I just wish it was available when I first bough the video card.

 

[Corporate Thug]

WOW, that made a huge difference on the chipset!

and performs significantly better than the Accelero

:thumbsup:

 

[LittleNemoNES]

looks great, munky. However, your Accelero X2 temps are kinda high. Does your rig have sufficient air flow?

 

[Munky]

I have a Lian-Li PC-7 Plus case. It has a 12cm intake fan upfront, a 12cm exhaust in the back, and a 8cm exhaust on the top. The fans are 1200rpm, so the airflow is decent, but with emphasis on quiet operation. But since the Accelero blew hot air in basically the opposite direction I would have preferred, I can't blame the case airflow too much.

 

[Ayah]

That's very nice.

 

[Captante]

What did you end up using for memory cooling? Its hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like the space between the heatpipes & the bottom of the card is very slim.

 

[Munky]

The cooler comes with 2 kinds of memory sinks: the regular ones with tall fins, and slim ones with short fins. The short ones fit between the card and the heatpipes.