Zalman ZM80C-HP 9800PRO Install Experience

[NokiaDude]

Today, I went down to my local Fry's Electronics and bought the Zalman ZM80c-HP VGA cooler. Based on reviews this cooler runs much more efficently than the OEM cooling solution on the 9800PRO. So as soon as I got home I unplugged my computer and removed my 9800PRO.

Taking off the OEM cooler was a little difficult until I tried pulling on one of the pins. The back side of the push pin then popped out with little force. I was scared I was scratching the PCB so now I was a little nervous and shaky.

Since there was a good amount of thermal paste on the core I added a small BB sized drop more and proceeded to install the heatsink. It took a good 15 minutes to get the screws to come through enough on the back side so I could screw on two "needle" type screw extensions. That part I hated the most becuase I was worried to death about cracking the core of my brand new 9800PRO.

Once I got the back part of the heatsink installed I tightened all the screws and proceeded to install the heatpipe and heatplates. The heatpipe was a breeze, a little thermal paste on the back anf front heatsinks and slide the heatpipe into the grooves. Then a dab of thermal grease on both sides of the heatpipes and screw down the heatplates.

After that you had to affix two metal "supports" to keep the heatsink from putting too much pressure on one side. But before that I installed the slim fan which was easy enough. The two "supports" were a little harder but it was done. After looking over the card quickly looking for any damage, I then installed the 9800PRO back in my computer and booted up. I almost had a heart attack when I got a flashing message to connect a power cable to the card in order to boot, I thought I had broken the card!!

After booting into XP I quickly fired up UT2004 and played for a good 10 minutes to make sure there were no artifacts. None were detected. The cooler works excellently and this weekend I plan on removing it to do a "cleaner" install. Since I had left some thermal grease on the PCB. Overall it's worth the $30 and $10 for the fan.

 

[Czar]

I have the older zalman version with no fan on my 9700 pro, works like charm. A bit of a bother to install, takes a few minutes, but its not like you do that every week so it doesnt realy matter.

 

[KDOG]

Yup, I have it on my 9500Pro and its rockin as you can see in my sig...

 

[HardWarrior]

I installed a ZM80C yesterday too. Frankly, it was a lot of fun once I got over the idea that I was going to somehow damage my 9800p. Works like a charm here as well.

 

[Nebor]

I had it for months. The install is a bitch, for sure. You should have taken off all the old thermal paste and reapplied new stuff.

I eventually replaced it with a VGA Silencer, and dropped by case temps by 6c. That Zalman really pumps heat into your case.

Oh, and you don't really need the OP-1, although I had it.

 

[NokiaDude]

I re-installed my ZM80C-HP today. I cleaned off all the crap with 99% isopropyl alcohol and then applied AS3 in the right spots. I made sure the screws would not come loose and installed it back in like a charm. It's nice to know that during the summer my 9800P will not be overheating when playing UT2004 or Halo, etc. And once the cooler is on the 9800P, it looks so darn good! Now to get a case with a window. . . . .

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: NokiaDude
I re-installed my ZM80C-HP today. I cleaned off all the crap with 99% isopropyl alcohol and then applied AS3 in the right spots. I made sure the screws would not come loose and installed it back in like a charm. It's nice to know that during the summer my 9800P will not be overheating when playing UT2004 or Halo, etc. And once the cooler is on the 9800P, it looks so darn good! Now to get a case with a window. . . . .

Do you have good case airflow?

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Nebor
Oh, and you don't really need the OP-1, although I had it.

The instructions plainly state that you need an OP-1 for more muscular cards like the 9800P, Nebor.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: Nebor
Oh, and you don't really need the OP-1, although I had it.

The instructions plainly state that you need an OP-1 for more muscular cards like the 9800P, Nebor.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not. The only thing the OP-1 fan does is blow hot air off your card into another part of your case (towards the mobo\cpu). As long as you have good case airflow, it will be just fine. The OP-1 is unnecessary for most users. An additional case fan is a FAR better choice than the OP-1.

EDIT: But what the instructions don't tell you is that removing the PCI slot cover beneath your video card will greatly aid your cooling w/ the zm80c-hp. I never did that myself, but I recently read about it. Give it a try! That way your intake fan will carry the hot air from the GPU right out the back of the case.

 

[McArra]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: Nebor
Oh, and you don't really need the OP-1, although I had it.

The instructions plainly state that you need an OP-1 for more muscular cards like the 9800P, Nebor.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not. The only thing the OP-1 fan does is blow hot air off your card into another part of your case (towards the mobo\cpu). As long as you have good case airflow, it will be just fine. The OP-1 is unnecessary for most users. An additional case fan is a FAR better choice than the OP-1.

EDIT: But what the instructions don't tell you is that removing the PCI slot cover beneath your video card will greatly aid your cooling w/ the zm80c-hp. I never did that myself, but I recently read about it. Give it a try! That way your intake fan will carry the hot air from the GPU right out the back of the case.

The fan increases performance greatly and with good airflow that extra dissipated heat isn't a problem.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: Nebor
Oh, and you don't really need the OP-1, although I had it.

The instructions plainly state that you need an OP-1 for more muscular cards like the 9800P, Nebor.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not. The only thing the OP-1 fan does is blow hot air off your card into another part of your case (towards the mobo\cpu). As long as you have good case airflow, it will be just fine. The OP-1 is unnecessary for most users. An additional case fan is a FAR better choice than the OP-1.

EDIT: But what the instructions don't tell you is that removing the PCI slot cover beneath your video card will greatly aid your cooling w/ the zm80c-hp. I never did that myself, but I recently read about it. Give it a try! That way your intake fan will carry the hot air from the GPU right out the back of the case.

I wasn't at ALL rude in my response to you dude, yet your reply is phrased as if I'm your ignorant little brother. You should spend less time hawking coolers and more time learning to speak cordially with others. Not everyone needs "advice" to the degree you think they do. Also, the title of this thread is "Zalman ZM80C-HP 9800PRO Install Experience", not "My VGA Silencer is the best, because I say so".

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: Nebor
Oh, and you don't really need the OP-1, although I had it.

The instructions plainly state that you need an OP-1 for more muscular cards like the 9800P, Nebor.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not. The only thing the OP-1 fan does is blow hot air off your card into another part of your case (towards the mobo\cpu). As long as you have good case airflow, it will be just fine. The OP-1 is unnecessary for most users. An additional case fan is a FAR better choice than the OP-1.

EDIT: But what the instructions don't tell you is that removing the PCI slot cover beneath your video card will greatly aid your cooling w/ the zm80c-hp. I never did that myself, but I recently read about it. Give it a try! That way your intake fan will carry the hot air from the GPU right out the back of the case.

I wasn't at ALL rude in my response to you dude, yet your reply is phrased as if I'm your ignorant little brother. You should spend less time hawking coolers and more time learning to speak cordially with others. Not everyone needs "advice" to the degree you think they do. Also, the title of this thread is "Zalman ZM80C-HP 9800PRO Install Experience", not "My VGA Silencer is the best, because I say so".

On the contrary, I may be switching back to the ZM80C-hp because of the noise factor. It can run completely fanless without a problem, and frankly, no fan compared to a quiet fan is no comparison at all. The only thing holding me back is the pain in the ass of installing the ZM80C-HP.

I didn't mean to sound condescending or anything. Just imparting my knowledge as an experienced user of 2 similar products. And don't mind the opening line, that was just to give the post "zing" appeal.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Nebor And don't mind the opening line, that was just to give the post "zing" appeal.

Less "zing" and more courtesy would yield far better results, at least as far as I'm concerned. It would have been refreshing to continue this thread in the spirit in which it started. Oh well.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: Nebor And don't mind the opening line, that was just to give the post "zing" appeal.

Less "zing" and more courtesy would yield far better results, at least as far as I'm concerned. It would have been refreshing to continue this thread in the spirit in which it started. Oh well.

Far better results? I'm not looking to harvest a crop of noobs here. I don't need to use extra nice fertilizer to make them grow big and strong.

People without senses of humor don't belong here.

BTW, I provided a lot more information to this thread than you.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: Nebor And don't mind the opening line, that was just to give the post "zing" appeal.

Less "zing" and more courtesy would yield far better results, at least as far as I'm concerned. It would have been refreshing to continue this thread in the spirit in which it started. Oh well.

Far better results? I'm not looking to harvest a crop of noobs here. I don't need to use extra nice fertilizer to make them grow big and strong.

People without senses of humor don't belong here.

BTW, I provided a lot more information to this thread than you.

Better results as in not pissing people off for no earthly reason. If you value conflict for it's own sake then you're doing well.

People who think they know everything don't belong anywhere.

"Information" that's based on your experience elevated to the status of universal fact. In other words just more internet blather. Again, the thread title is "Zalman ZM80C-HP 9800PRO Install Experience". Instead we're faced with you kissing your own ass and trying to suck all the air from the room.

 

[NokiaDude]

Yes but the fan looks cool and I don't mind. I have a Sunon High-Output 80mm fan on the case exhaust and my CPU.

 

[kamper]

Take it easy there HW. Nebor may have sounded a little rough once but he quickly cleaned it up, even though you're still provoking him and pulling the thread farther off topic.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not.

He's not stating "universal fact", he's offering his experience which is more valuable than that of someone who's just read the instructions.

 

[HardWarrior]

Yeah, even my wife said it looked cool and she usually gives me the finger when I try to point stuff like that out.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: kamper
Take it easy there HW. Nebor may have sounded a little rough once but he quickly cleaned it up, even though you're still provoking him and pulling the thread farther off topic.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not.

He's not stating "universal fact", he's offering his experience which is more valuable than that of someone who's just read the instructions.

Read his "advice" again, cheerleader. Everything he says is presented as fact. But how can it be fact when he hasn't seen MY case? The OP-1 serves a purpose, you only need two eyes and an open mind to see that. Cleaned it up? Isn't that for ME to decide since his pompous BS was aimed at me? Besides, who the fock are you to tell me anything anyway?

Stay out of things you don't understand.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: kamper
Take it easy there HW. Nebor may have sounded a little rough once but he quickly cleaned it up, even though you're still provoking him and pulling the thread farther off topic.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not.

He's not stating "universal fact", he's offering his experience which is more valuable than that of someone who's just read the instructions.

Read his "advice" again, cheerleader. Everything he says is presented as fact. But how can it be fact when he hasn't seen MY case? The OP-1 serves a purpose, you only need two eyes and an open mind to see that. Cleaned it up? Isn't that for ME to decide since his pompous BS was aimed at me? Besides, who the fock are you to tell me anything anyway?

Stay out of things you don't understand.

It was all my opinion, based on my experience. That's all I ever offered. I'm sorry you thought I aimed my "pompous BS" at you. I've owned both coolers, and was offering my advice as to how to install the ZM80C-HP and what is and isn't needed.

Furthermore, I simply cannot envision the case in which the OP1 fan would actually help. The only thing it's capable of is blowing hot air off the heatsinks and onto the motherboard. You'd be better off removing the PCI cover in the back, and allow some case airflow to come direct from the front, over the heatsinks, and out the back.

You need to take a chill pill HardWarrior, I seem to remember you freaking out in another thread, once upon a time.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: kamper
Take it easy there HW. Nebor may have sounded a little rough once but he quickly cleaned it up, even though you're still provoking him and pulling the thread farther off topic.

And I am plainly telling you that in my experience, you do not.

He's not stating "universal fact", he's offering his experience which is more valuable than that of someone who's just read the instructions.

Read his "advice" again, cheerleader. Everything he says is presented as fact. But how can it be fact when he hasn't seen MY case? The OP-1 serves a purpose, you only need two eyes and an open mind to see that. Cleaned it up? Isn't that for ME to decide since his pompous BS was aimed at me? Besides, who the fock are you to tell me anything anyway?

Stay out of things you don't understand.

It was all my opinion, based on my experience. That's all I ever offered. I'm sorry you thought I aimed my "pompous BS" at you. I've owned both coolers, and was offering my advice as to how to install the ZM80C-HP and what is and isn't needed.

Furthermore, I simply cannot envision the case in which the OP1 fan would actually help. The only thing it's capable of is blowing hot air off the heatsinks and onto the motherboard. You'd be better off removing the PCI cover in the back, and allow some case airflow to come direct from the front, over the heatsinks, and out the back.

You need to take a chill pill HardWarrior, I seem to remember you freaking out in another thread, once upon a time.

Just like I remember you whining to a mod and in the the Forum Issues forum about how "combative" I was. I also remember you being told by both parties that you shouldn't start name-calling if you couldn't take it in return, and that not everyone takes kindly to being talked to like an idiot. You haven't learned anything I see. I don't know you and you don't know me. Telling me I don't have a "sense of humor" just because I don't take kindly to being insulted by perfect strangers doesn't win the battle. I asked you politely to treat me in the same fashion I treat you and the best you could offer was some lame nonesense about "noobs." I reiterate, you should try to learn conversational skills when dealing with others, no matter what the venue. There's no way for you to be sure who you're talking to and what they're about.

If you can't "envsision" the use of the OP-1 then you have no imagination and a very rudamentary understanding of thermal properties. Since you've had a ZM80C installed I'm sure you've noticed that the cooler has a "sandwich" configuration, yes? Two plates that increase the GPU cooling surface to 1200cm. Those plates are also positioned over other video card components including six BGA's, yes? This configuration does just what it's designed to in that it creates a much larger surface in which to dissipate heat, but it also focuses that heat between the plates, right onto an area that wasn't designed for it, the support hardware of the card. The OP-1 breaks up this concentration of heat quite well, especially for those who have less than optimal air-flow dynamics in their cases. Just like ZALMAN says. Also, you seem to be unable to "envision" the idea that MY case may be very different from yours. Take my word for it, for the first time I've been able to get just the case I wanted, with just the fans I wanted, positioned in JUST the places I wanted them. I don't need to "remove the PCI cover in the back, and allow some case airflow to come direct from the front, over the heatsinks, and out the back", whatever that means.

1. For hard-core gamers, of which I am, with component-rich cases and over-clocked cards, who can play for hours on end, over-cooling is needed for glitch-free performance.

2. I read extensively about VGA coolers before deciding which to buy. I decided against the VS rev. 3 because (it reviews well though) it looked cheesy and seemed to create another difficult-to-clean surface that I just didn't want to deal with.

3. I have no problem with noise.

Now, you can keep up with the silly sh1t (Now YOU calm down HW!!!). As if you have control here or something. Or we can discuss this like adults who just happen to be knowledegable about the same thing. Think about it before you reply, if you choose to that is.

 

[Nebor]

Exactly where did I insult you? Don't tell me that my phrasing "And I am plainly telling you...." was an insult to you. I was just saying that the fan is unneccesary. How was that insulting? You just wanted to start a fight, because seemingly, that's all you ever do.

1. For hard-core gamers, of which I am, with component-rich cases and over-clocked cards, who can play for hours on end, over-cooling is needed for glitch-free performance.

I played Delta Force Blackhawk down on my LAN earlier today for about 5 hours. CPU temperature was around 75c, case temp was at 36c, and video card was (and routinely is) so hot that the ramsinks will literally brand your fingers. I didn't experience a single glitch, slow down, graphical error, nothing.
As far as "component-rich" my main rig has 2 hard drives, an SB Audigy 2, and a Fusion HDTV II card. It's also adjustable down to near silence, in a case that's insulated for sound, but keeps in heat. I've never had any reliability problems, ever.

BTW, the other PC on my network is using a GeForce ti4400 with a Zalman heatpipe, and is cool by a single Panaflo L1A exhaust fan. It also ran flawlessly.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Nebor
Exactly where did I insult you? Don't tell me that my phrasing "And I am plainly telling you...." was an insult to you. I was just saying that the fan is unneccesary. How was that insulting? You just wanted to start a fight, because seemingly, that's all you ever do.

It's not what your intent is in saying something Nebor, it's how it's recieved. It was aggressively phrased where no aggression was required. You're old enough to know these things, yes? The fan may not be needed by YOU. I see it differently based on my situation and requirements, which is somehing you know nothing about, right? No, I don't want to fight, I THOUGHT I made that clear, but I don't want to help you kiss your own ass either. Your problem is that you seem to have gotten the idea that ANY disagreement to what you say is "fighting." Perhaps you aren't as old as I think you are.

 

[Nebor]

You're the one that views disagreement as fighting. Notice that part of my post that says "in my experience" the fan is unnecessary? I was just contributing to the thread. It was merely contradicting a contradiction.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Nebor
You're the on that views disagreement as fighting. Notice that part of my post that says "in my experience" the fan is unnecessary? I was just contributing to the thread. It was merely contradicting a contradiction.

You've got a problem dude, and I've handed you your ass, again.

Until next time...