Want to custom air cool my 4870x2 any ideas ?

[jamieuk23]

I just cant afford to fully water cool it. There is one 4870x2 air cooler out in the USA but not here. My 4870x2 is running really hot all the time and makes my room feel like a oven!

Am just thinking of taking the plastic fan part off and some how sticking 2-3 fans across it which should do a decent job of reducing the high temps.

Any ideas what size fans to use and a way of them holding on the card etc ?

It may look ugly as hell but I am not bothered!.

[Mithrandir]

I saw someone use two Zalman VF900s (I think) for a dual gpu card.

[r_j_k_p]

i have heard the accelero 4870x2 xtreme does a VERY VERY good job with cooling it down, and is also very quiet.
However installation is a PITA

[The Asgard]

i have heard the accelero 4870x2 xtreme does a VERY VERY good job with cooling it down, and is also very quiet.
However installation is a PITA

Agreed. Good review on Guru3D although they did manage to kill their X2.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/accele...2-review-test/

[shaithis]

My 4870x2 is running really hot all the time and makes my room feel like a oven!

A different cooler will not help with your room temps unless it funnels the heat out of the room

[The Asgard]

A different cooler will not help with your room temps unless it funnels the heat out of the room

I'm pretty sure his room is not 80-90 'c

It's all about temp differences and removing heat. If there is a temp difference betweeen his room and the heatsink assembly the heat will be transfered to the room.

[sammorris]

The dual VF900 approach only works on the 4850X2 not the 4870X2, due to its larger size.
Asgard: I know what shaithis means, the X2 dumps so much heat out of the case that the room gets really hot and needs cooling too - open window and desk fan isn't enough.

This review of the Accelero xtreme is exactly what I was looking for - it seems Arctic still can't design GPU coolers, as this is exactly what killed my HD3870 during the install process of the Accelero S1. I think I will wait and see if Thermalright ever come up with anything.

[ashikamlani]

Try this review:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/coo...870x2-review/1

[kalniel]

I'm pretty sure his room is not 80-90 'c

It's all about temp differences and removing heat. If there is a temp difference betweeen his room and the heatsink assembly the heat will be transfered to the room.

That was his point - if heating the room is the problem then the OP needs to look for a worse cooler, not a better one. Or, as pointed out, duct it out of the room

[sammorris]

IMO the bit tech review was a bit naff, the Guru3D review was much more thorough about the installation and problems, and even the cooling performance. It looks like a fabulous cooler, but I can't justify the expense of importing it, nor the potential expense of ruining the card.

[shadowmaster]

Agreed. Good review on Guru3D although they did manage to kill their X2.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/accele...2-review-test/

Originally installation was a pain, however you can get arctic to send you some longer screws for free which make the installation much much easier.

http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalo...ath=2_&mID=244 (See bottom left)

[sammorris]

I'd like to see the long term proof of that. As someone who's had first hand experience destroying a card with a poorly designed AC cooler (thankfully not an X2), I'm not taking any chances.

[The Asgard]

That was his point - if heating the room is the problem then the OP needs to look for a worse cooler, not a better one. Or, as pointed out, duct it out of the room

If you say so.

[sammorris]

A bit of an old bump for not much purpose...

[jamieuk23]

Well as the Arctic Cooling Xtreme 4870X2 has 3 x 92mm fans on it, I plan to buy 3 of these fans and glue them to each other in a straight line so it should fit nice across the card.

I am sure I will find some way of getting it to fit nice and tight around the card, even if I have to use string lol - hay I am not joking !

Would you recomend I fit some thermal pads or copper heatsinks or something as well ?

All 3 fans will be controled via my fan controller so will just turn it up when gaming.

I will post some temps when done

[DDY]

This thread makes me chuckle, but it has given me a great idea. We should replace all those AC units in server rooms and install custom heatsinks and fans instead!

On a more serious note, there is no point in changing a stock graphics card cooler unless it's too noisy or doesn't have offer enough cooling potential for overclocking. I can't stress enough to the inexperienced what a bad idea it is, although it's occasionally worth the risk for silence or overclocking.

Graphics cards in my experience and from what I've read are very easy to break, more of a problem especially after the warranty has been voided.

My soloution for those who can't afford AC is this:

Notice the metal mesh that keeps the mozzies out