Gainward/Palit/Xpertvision 8800GS cooling options

[colmo]

Hello all, I recently acquired a Gainward 8800GS, which appears to be the same board as the Palit and Xpertvision branded ones. I've only powered it up briefly (there's an issue with my monitor preventing me using it atm), but was startled by the noise it made. I note the fan has a simple 2-wire connection, even though the PCB offers a 4-pin fan socket.

What I'd like to know is, does this card vary fan speed, once under the influence of nVidia drivers?

My second query is about alternative cooling - I could replace the fan, or the heatsink and fan, but would like suggestions for suitable replacements. Suggestions for passive coolers are particularly welcome.

I note the Accelero passive heatsinks seem to be popular, but there is no definitive information about which model (the S1 rev. 2 or the S2) actually fits this particular board - again, I'd like to appeal to anyone with particular experience of this combination.

Thanks.

[Pob255]

is this the card you mean?

[colmo]

The heatsink is gold-coloured, but apart from that, yes.

[colmo]

Ok, I have the card up and working, 3D works fine in Linux with Doom 3. The fan definitely doesn't vary in speed though, and is noticeably loud for desktop use.

So, any suggestions? I'm looking initially at a replacement PWM fan of some sort, or if I can find which Arctic Accelero unit fits it, I may go for that instead. I'm certain there are other options.

[colmo]

I took off the stock fan and attached an old 80mm case fan using cable ties. Noise is much improved - it still runs at a constant speed, but at a lower pitch.

Further improvements would be to use a PWM fan, maybe 80mm or 92mm in size, and put something (like silicone grommets) between the fan and heatsink to reduce vibration.

This will certainly do for now. I'm not going to waste a lot of cash on a card I didn't spend that much on.

[DanceswithUnix]

My first Gainward 8800GT had a constant 100% fan speed. Sent it back, and the replacement looks identical but works fine. The BIOS is enough to control the fan speed, it doesn't need drivers and should slow down shortly after the PC starts booting.

[colmo]

My first Gainward 8800GT had a constant 100% fan speed. Sent it back, and the replacement looks identical but works fine. The BIOS is enough to control the fan speed, it doesn't need drivers and should slow down shortly after the PC starts booting.

Could you link the precise card you have for reference? A photo would even do.

The card definitely did not throttle down under the influence of the non-OSS nVidia drivers for Linux. As the fan has only two pins, I don't believe it can vary speed.

I've since installed nvclock - it assures me the GPU is idling at 23-24 degrees C with the case fan on it - some 20 degrees lower than the CPU (with stock Intel cooler) is managing!

If I replaced the fan with a PWM equivalent, say the Arctic 92mm, I could either:
a) Plug it into the card's 4-pin fan socket, and control it via the driver or nvclock or
b) Plug it into a 4-pin fan socket on the motherboard and control in via BIOS?

[Pob255]

If you plan to replace the heatsink be careful that's not a stock layout board so an aftermarket may not fit.

zerotherm do a very nice one cooler the fan is automatically controlled by a tempture sensor on it.
This is the one http://www.zerotherm.net/eng/product/GX810.asp
GX810

Not sure where you can get it or how much it'll cost

Correction it says it no compataible with the 8800 bit anoying as this is the cooler used by powercolour on the ati 4850 and that's a far hotter chip.