X800XL Temperature Problems

[AnnoyedGrunt]

Hi all,

I built a new computer in march or so with an X800XL.

A64 3200+
Chaintech VNF4 Ultra
X800XL

Everything has been running great until yesterday (nothing is overclocked).

I was playing WoW and my video card locked up and the VPU Recover dealio came up. It reset the card and I was back in the game without restarting the comp or any apps. However, the screen was showing graphical corruption (tearing, lines flashing across the screen, UI Text would flash, etc.).

This evening the same thing happened, so I downloaded ATI Tray Tool and monitored the GPU Temp and Fan Duty Cycle. I found that the GPU would hit about 70 C during use, and the fan speed would top out @ about 80%. I opened my case up and that helped, and I also used the ATI Tray Tool fan speed controller to boost the speeds bit. So, with those changes everything has worked (max temp was about 66 C), but now I would like to put my case back together and just use the fan speed control.

So, has anyone else had problems with overheating in the stock config? I'm pretty bugged about the crappy HSF design and the crappy stock fan speed settings, but I was thinking of getting a Zalman or Arctic Cooling GPU cooler anyway so now I am that much closer.

Just curious if anyone else has run into this.

Thanks,
D'oh!

 

[Gloryfieldzi]

which X800XL?

but yes, zalman 7700 (or was it 7000) cu would be good

 

[mauri]

I have X800XL, made by Connect3D. The stock heatsink was crappy and extremely noisy. Mine would idle at around 40-43C and while gaming it went about 75C, sometimes even bit higher.

Mine worked well in the beginning, but started crashing after 2 months of use (random lockups while gaming). I also noticed slight rise at temperatures, both idle and load went up about 3-5 degrees (celsius). Always at stock speeds.

To solve the problem and to lower temperatures I installed Zalman VF700-CU and temps came down to 32C while idling and load topping at 53C. No crashing anymore, and the Zalman is quiet. I was surprised how poorly made the stock heatsink was when i removed it, and especially how light it was. Even with 100% fan speed it couldn't cool the GPU enough in my taste.

 

[AnnoyedGrunt]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

My card is an ATI Brand, which probably has the same crappy heatsink as the Connect one (I don't see how the heatsink could be much worse, actually).

Anyhow, increasing the fan speeds seems to have helped, since I didn't crash at all tonight. Temps were about 70C max (which IIRC was about the same as before, but maybe before they were still climbing or something).

Anyhow, I like the Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 5, as well as the Zalman. I'll probably go with the Zalman since the AC one only seems to be available @ Newegg (which I do not like, since they charge crazy prices on shipping). I do like the AC;s method of exhausting air out the back of the comp, and I wish more graphics card people would adopt that approach. I guess the bad press from the NV 5800 has made MFG's hesitant to do a dual slot cooler though.

Mauri, it sounds like I am going through a similar experience as you did. I have a Zalman 7700 CPU cooler, and I really like it, so I am strongly considering the Zalman cooler. Are you running your GPU cooler in the "silent mode" or in the "normal mode"? Maybe I'll just go for the Zalman and let my case fans take care of the video card heat.

I work near this store (Central Computers - and they have been very good on other things I've purchased), so I'll probably stop by and check out both coolers and see which I like better. Best of all, I get free, same day shipping (as long as the commute isn't too bad).

http://www.centralcomputer.com/products.asp?pline=HFANZ


-D'oh!

 

[mauri]

Originally posted by: AnnoyedGrunt

My card is an ATI Brand, which probably has the same crappy heatsink as the Connect one (I don't see how the heatsink could be much worse, actually).

I agree. The stock heatsink is the worst i've ever seen, and in my opinion it does a poor job even at full speed.

Mauri, it sounds like I am going through a similar experience as you did. I have a Zalman 7700 CPU cooler, and I really like it, so I am strongly considering the Zalman cooler. Are you running your GPU cooler in the "silent mode" or in the "normal mode"? Maybe I'll just go for the Zalman and let my case fans take care of the video card heat.

I forgot to mention that I'm running it now in the "normal mode", but I'm planning to try it in "silent mode" next weekend.

I have no personal experience with Arctic Cooling Silencer (never seen/heard it in use), so I can't say anything about it. It seems that the AC Silencer might be nicer if you don't have much of a airflow in your case, but with good ventilation you can go either way, in my opinion. I've been very satisfied with my Zalman, and it seemed to fit better with my motherboard/Video card -combination than AC Silencer when I bought it.

 

[Megatomic]

I bought an ATI Silencer 5 Rev. 2 from Newegg and the thing failed after the first boot up. The fan went to 100% and never came back down even after I ended RTHDRIBL. To correct this I rebooted and the fan never turned back on. I couldn't even force it with ATI Tray Tools. So I got an RMA for it. When I get it back from Newegg I'm gonna sell it and buy the Zalman cooler instead.

Anyways, my X800XL runs warm too but I've never had a lockup even with it overclocked while running RTHDRIBL. The GPU temp has approached 85C for me and not caused a crash. The only thing I can think of is that I've reapplied the noisy stock cooling system with good thermal compound and it has helped. I dunno, but I do know that I want to reduce the noise in my system, that cooler is the loudest thing in my box.

 

[dev0lution]

I have the BBA X800XL and I've never had temp related issues. It's been a while since I've logged temps while gaming via Rivatuner, so maybe I'll do that later and post some temps...

 

[CheesePoofs]

I've got an ATI X800XL also, and mine broke 70C playing BF2. I'm thinking of replacing the stock cooler also, but I might get Thermalright's new GPU cooler, it looks very nice.

 

[AnnoyedGrunt]

I'm not worried about the temperature itself, just about the crashing. If mine runs stable @ 70C, that's fine, but so far something has wrong so I'm guessing it's a heat related issue (allthough I could be worried about a simple coincidence). But, if I can use this a justification for getting something to quiet the comp, that will be OK with me.

I'll probably stop by the computer store on Thursday to see if seeing the heatsinks in person makes it easier to make a decision.

CheesePoofs, what is the Thermalright heatsink you are thinking of? I don't recall hearing about it.

Thanks,
D'oh!

 

[CheesePoofs]

The heatsink is the Thermalright V-1. It just came out this week. Here's a review of it.

 

[dev0lution]

**update** After some logging of a couple hours worth of CS:Source, HL2 and Farcry with RivaTuner it's showing 70.8 and 70.9 average with no stability issues. Of course the Prescott doesn't help, but I'm still thinking of upgrading to either the V-1 or Zalman. I'm going to hold up until I possibly switch over to a 3200+ A64 and Asus A8N-E though, since I'd prefer not to void my warranty by taking off the stock hsf.

 

[AnnoyedGrunt]

Just an update.

On Friday I bought the Arctic Cooling cooler, and it installed on my X800XL just fine. However, the video card wouldn't fit into the Mobo because the passive chipset heatsink interfered with the RAM cooler on the back of the GPU cooler.

So on Sunday I returned the Arctic Cooling product (paid 15% restocking fee since I had used the thermal paste) and got the Zalman V700 AlCu instead. I installed it sunday night and found that the little bracket on the back also interfered with the chipset cooler (but just barely). So today @ work I made a new little bracket and now have the card and the cooler installed.

I played a bit of Halo and the card seems to top out @ 55C with the case covers off and the fan @ 5V (silent mode). I'll try it again with the case back on, but so far this cooler is MUCH quieter than stock and keeps the card much cooler as well. I'm very pleased.

-D'oh!

 

[mooncancook]

I never bother using the stock cooler. The first thing I did when i got it was to replace the stock cooler w/ VF700 AlCu and i'm very pleased w/ it as well