Sapphire X1950GT in sheeps clothing?

[Vowo]

I've just purchased an ATI Sapphire X1950PRO 256MB gfx card from ebuyer ,http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119203...rb/28441318325 however, upon admiring this new lovely, it appears to have X1950GT Fan/HS assembly, but says X1950pro on it and the fan is the opposite way around than a X1950pro (same as X1950GT).

Can anyone enlighten me on this please, as I feel slightly concerned :

a) its a rip off copy/back street job? dont be silly

b)If it is actually an X1950PRO, will the Fan/HS be able to cope with the heat etc?

Let me know what you require to answer these questions and allow me to achieve a big sigh of relief (i hope)

(P.S. already posted in ATI@care bit http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=109777 , however, more ppl likely to read here.)

[Vowo]

My gfx card X1950PRO (looks like an X1950GT)



Actual X1950GT on Newegg


just found this on Newegg site on the left, the right handside pic is the "normal" shot you see of the X1950pro....now is this the a 512MB card?

[chuckskull]

Put it in, install the driver and it will be able to identify the card. Many graphics cards companies swap and change coolers.

[No.72]

Most cards have the name of the card on a sticker on the back or the card.

[excalibur2]

Well mine is fitted different to the ebuyer pic, the fan is near the monitor sockets.

[Vowo]

Well mine is fitted different to the ebuyer pic, the fan is near the monitor sockets.

Indeed, mine also!

about to upload pics....(try to in any case )

^ uploaded pics above.

[Vowo]

I've had a "crazy" thought and wondered if the X1950pro picture you normally see is that of the 512MB card and not the 256mb?



(not having much luck with x1950 products recently purchased )

[kalniel]

Nope, normal 256mb ones also had the cooler that way around.

Changing the fan around is nothing new though - if sapphire call it a x1950pro then it will be one - infact it's much better to have the fan the new way around as it'll keep the vrm cooler.. which is probably the cause of a few 1950pro problems.

[Vowo]

Nope, normal 256mb ones also had the cooler that way around.

Changing the fan around is nothing new though - if sapphire call it a x1950pro then it will be one - infact it's much better to have the fan the new way around as it'll keep the vrm cooler.. which is probably the cause of a few 1950pro problems.

Ok, I'm not convinced about the position, as its hot air blowing over the vrm and not the actually fan doing the cooling, IMO.

Also, if its a fan for a GT, thats not gonna be adequate for a PRO, maybe?

(btw, thanks for your help clarifying the swap around)

[kalniel]

Ok, I'm not convinced about the position, as its hot air blowing over the vrm and not the actually fan doing the cooling, IMO.

The old fan has no air moving over the VRM at all. As long as the VRM is hotter than the air from the rest of the card it will be cooled. From what I remember the VRMs are getting to something ridiculous, well over 90C, possibly over 100, whereas the core is more like 70 at most. Air coming off the core will be about 40-50C by the time it hits the VRM.

Then it's just a question of whether moving air at 40-50 cools something at 90-100 better than still air at 25-35.. I think it does but don't know the calculations of the top of my head.

Also, if its a fan for a GT, thats not gonna be adequate for a PRO, maybe?

The fan is going to cost exactly the same to make and put on, looking at it, so why would you change the fan (design costs again) in order to create something less efficient? More likely they just evolved the design and applied it to more than one cooler.

Companies do change things, sometimes based on quite accidental discoveries - I had a Leadtek 6800GT (now happily in a SFF system) which when it arrived looked like the fan had broken and was off centre compared to the picture on the box - it hadn't at all, leadtek had just discovered that offsetting the fan cooled a lot better!

[Vowo]

Okey doke, I wasnt aware there was an old and new HS/Fan arrangement, I was curious due to the capacitors etc. being in the same position as on the GT.

Excellent response Kalniel, muchly appreciated

[kalniel]

Then again.. if the speeds are only GT speeds.. let em have hell!

[excalibur2]

Then again.. if the speeds are only GT speeds.. let em have hell!

erm how do we know what is the difference, in speed, between pro and gt on our computers?

[Queelis]

Then it's just a question of whether moving air at 40-50 cools something at 90-100 better than still air at 25-35.. I think it does but don't know the calculations of the top of my head.

I suppose still air barely cools at all, as there should be a 'cloud' of warm air over the hot components, and the cloud prevents the components from being cooled, just the reason it feels warm when it's -5 outside with no wind and cold when it's ~0 and windy.

[dave g]

is it worth buying an aftermarket cooler for one of these cards..im not wanting to overclock it or anything but i get my new mb/cpu/mem and same card tomorrow..last thing i want is to start giving me problems with overheating

dave

[Queelis]

It shouldn't overheat, although it may be noisy, then check out Arctic Cooling's Accelero X2, Accelero S1 or Thermalright's some heatsink which 'name' I don't remember atm, there was a thread about graphics card's coolers recently.

Edit: it's this thread.