x1950xtx are flawed

[Think]

Why do they use these pads for AGAIN:nono: . The theraml pad to heatsink for the RAM is just crap and if you take a look at these photos with the pads removed there is a significant gap between the heatsink and the ram. What the hell were they thinking!.

The gap is .84mm!

Now I'm thinking of soldeing a piece of copper from a ripped apart ram heatsink and soldering on the ATI heatsink to compensate for the gap.

Take a look!:

PIC1

PIC2

PIC3

This reminds me of the ATI gpu ring fiasco a few years back where the square piece around the GPU was too high and caused poor heat dissipation to the hsf - I believe it was the original 9800pros if I'm not mistaken.

 

[A5]

So there's gaps when you take the thermal pads off? How is this suprising?

 

[josh6079]

The ram chips don't get that hot anyway. I've seen phased cooled X1900's and one X1950 that was at 900+ on the core and 1145 on the memory and the memory chips didn't have any heatsinks on them.

They're not exactly ovens.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by: josh6079
The ram chips don't get that hot anyway. I've seen phased cooled X1900's and one X1950 that was at 900+ on the core and 1145 on the memory and the memory chips didn't have any heatsinks on them.

They're not exactly ovens.

QFT. If it was DDR2, etc, then the heat would matter.

The majority of heat comes from the GPU core itself. Thats why when some go to WC, they hardly use full cover GPU water blocks, because A) GDDR3 does not get hot, B) it just restricts water flow and C) too heavy.

 

[Pabster]

Except the X1950XTX uses DDR4 not DDR3. :laugh:

 

[Think]

Yeah but alot of gpu water block systems these days will at least use some sort of heatsink on the RAM. Some of the more extravagant waterblocks would even cover the entire surface, gpu, ram and voltage regulators.

The point is that some sort of heat dissipation is still important or they wouldn't of even bothered making this FLAWED heatsink in the first place.

If you flip it over, they went through alot of trouble to machine the areas that would dimple out to meet with the ram...but they screwed out during there design and made it too short.

This is still a production design flaw no matter how much you cut it up.

ATI screwed it up

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Think
Yeah but alot of gpu water block systems these days will at least use some sort of heatsink on the RAM. Some of the more extravagant waterblocks would even cover the entire surface, gpu, ram and voltage regulators.

The point is that some sort of heat dissipation is still important or they wouldn't of even bothered making this FLAWED heatsink in the first place.

If you flip it over, they went through alot of trouble to machine the areas that would dimple out to meet with the ram...but they screwed out during there design and made it too short.

This is still a production design flaw no matter how much you cut it up.

ATI screwed it up

in your mind only

if it runs cool . . . who cares?

 

[Munky]

They put the pads there for a reason. Why would you remove the pads and then complain about a gap?

 

[Jules]

Originally posted by: munky
They put the pads there for a reason. Why would you remove the pads and then complain about a gap?

LoL.

 

[josh6079]

Originally posted by: Think
Yeah but alot of gpu water block systems these days will at least use some sort of heatsink on the RAM. Some of the more extravagant waterblocks would even cover the entire surface, gpu, ram and voltage regulators.

The point is that some sort of heat dissipation is still important or they wouldn't of even bothered making this FLAWED heatsink in the first place.

If you flip it over, they went through alot of trouble to machine the areas that would dimple out to meet with the ram...but they screwed out during there design and made it too short.

This is still a production design flaw no matter how much you cut it up.

ATI screwed it up

That is arguably the best stock video card cooler ever made. I think they did an awesome job with it and addressed the issue they had with the X1900 HSFs. I don't understand why you're complaining about these pads when:

[*]The memory chips don't get nearly hot enough to warrant the amount of copper covering them on this design. (If anything this cooler is a little overkill for the ram, not underthought)

[*]Other aftermarket products such as the NV Silencer 5 Rev. 3 had pads for it's ram modules as well.

[*]You still have the fastest GDDR ram that is currently out.

Chill.

 

[Elfear]

A lot of the hardcore ocers over at XS don't use ramsinks when they go to watercooling. Like others have mentioned, ram doesn't get too hot and just needs some king of airflow over it to stay relatively cool. If the ram on the X1950XTX runs rock solid at the speeds ATI has designated with the current heatsink design, than how can you be mad?

 

[Zebo]

They use the pads because there is no such thing as a flat PCB and mem modules are distributed around the PCB. If they cut copper HSF to exacting specs any twist or turn in PCB and the HSF would lose all contact with the mem modules. Thats worse than pads.. a micrometer gap where no air can get into to cool

 

[JBT]

I wouldn't be suprised if having the RAM chips touch the heat sink actually increased the tempature of the RAM.

 

[Ulfhednar]

LMAO @ this thread.

My X1900XT 512MB has a VF900, and since I got the sticky bits of the Zalman RAMsinks dirty and unsticky when waiting for the new card, I decided leave the memory chips are naked.

This card is using GDDR3 memory, and if it doesn't get the slightest bit hot with the chips naked then your GDDR4 shouldn't as it's cooler memory.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by: Pabster
Except the X1950XTX uses DDR4 not DDR3. :laugh:

O yea, true that. Then.. GDDR4 is much more cooler. They suck less power than their GDDR3 brethen as well.

 

[Keysplayr]

Why did you remove the factory heat sink? Did you intend to AS5 everything? Only realizing after ripping the thermal pads off that the gap is too big to use AS5 and now your pissed off?
You need to live up to your screen-name.

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: Pabster
Except the X1950XTX uses DDR4 not DDR3. :laugh:

:laugh:

 

[jiffylube1024]

The pads are there for a reason, and removing them will create a gap. I hope you didn't turn it on like that - put the pads back or get some new ones!

 

[amheck]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
You need to live up to your screen-name.

too funny

 

[BassBomb]

I should remove my HSF off whatever video card I get next, and complain it is flawed and defective and/or crap.

 

[Bull Dog]

Are you sure you aren't akashat with new screen name?

 

[Think]

Nvidia makes a much better hsf then ATI. I recall the ramsinks hitting the heatsinks perfectley without any gap at all. I modified it and now it's nice an taut.

 

[Sable]

Originally posted by: Think
Nvidia makes a much better hsf then ATI. I recall the ramsinks hitting the heatsinks perfectley without any gap at all. I modified it and now it's nice an taut.

Great. ATI SUX AND NVIDIA ARE TEH WINZORZZZZ.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Think
Nvidia makes a much better hsf then ATI. I recall the ramsinks hitting the heatsinks perfectley without any gap at all. I modified it and now it's nice an taut.

Which is exactly why you created this thread in the first place. BTW, got of a picture of this X1950XTX? Here's how you create a link: link.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

all the graphics cards ive owned with coolers that cover the ram too have this set up. are they flawed too? yeah its probably not the best scenario for ram cooling, but it works just fine

hasnt stopped them overclocking (for the most part) and certainly hasnt stopped them functioning