Drat! oh well i'll just cross my legs and wait for your post.
-
Competitor rules
Please remember that any mention of competitors, hinting at competitors or offering to provide details of competitors will result in an account suspension. The full rules can be found under the 'Terms and Rules' link in the bottom right corner of your screen. Just don't mention competitors in any way, shape or form and you'll be OK.
This week 'Silent Cooling solution' 4870?
- Thread starter ssmacc
- Start date
Drat! oh well i'll just cross my legs and wait for your post.
Well I got a chance this morning to install the card before I left. Here's a comparison between my 8800gtx and the new card:
I removed the old nvidia drivers but didn't use driver cleaner - Vista would only load in safe mode! Worse still the fan on the 4870 was making a grinding noise as if one of the bearings had gone. Assuming this isn't a problem with my card, it's way noiser than the 8800 - so much for a silent cooling solution.
I removed the old nvidia drivers but didn't use driver cleaner - Vista would only load in safe mode! Worse still the fan on the 4870 was making a grinding noise as if one of the bearings had gone. Assuming this isn't a problem with my card, it's way noiser than the 8800 - so much for a silent cooling solution.
Associate
- Joined
- 23 Jan 2008
- Posts
- 157
- Location
- West midlands (Halesowen)
im hoping mine will come tomorow and this grinding noise is a worry now :S
Mine arrived Saturday morning, and I have to say the fan solution is very disappointing. At idle it makes a sort of grinding noise as well, almost like the fan is catching on the shroud, although it isn't.
Even browsing the internet the fan hunts up and down as you use the scroll wheel, which is very annoying.
Ok, so it's got a small factory overclock on it, but the cooler is pants IMO. It screams like a banshee running ATI tool, although it is stable.
Using the overclock profiles in CCC and manually setting the fan to anything more than 7% to my ears is annoying. And of course, at that fan speed it only lasts 5 mins on ATI tool before locking up.
One to avoid I think, unless you're going to fit an aftermarket cooler, but then you may as well get a regular card unless you see the extra £10 as worth it for the overclock.
Even browsing the internet the fan hunts up and down as you use the scroll wheel, which is very annoying.
Ok, so it's got a small factory overclock on it, but the cooler is pants IMO. It screams like a banshee running ATI tool, although it is stable.
Using the overclock profiles in CCC and manually setting the fan to anything more than 7% to my ears is annoying. And of course, at that fan speed it only lasts 5 mins on ATI tool before locking up.
One to avoid I think, unless you're going to fit an aftermarket cooler, but then you may as well get a regular card unless you see the extra £10 as worth it for the overclock.
. Thank you for the heads up. I'll be avoiding this one.No bother at all..I'll put up some benchmarks when I return home. @Tooks I'm sort of relieved to hear it's not just my card making a noise - it must be a design problem with them all. I was hoping that adjusting the fan speed manually would eliminate the 'grinding' noise but it would appear not?
Well, I noticed from the CCC Profile that on Automatic the fan is set to '2', which I take to mean 2% which is where mine 'grinds'. If I set that to '5' then it's very very quiet, inaudible in fact, although then it doesn't cool very well unfortunately! When I put it back to default, sitting in windows it starts to grind. And, as I said, I haven't had a card in a long time that spins its fan up and down so frequently at the slightest provocation! I can't live with that unfortunately.
I've just put a VF900 on that I had in the cupboard, and although temps aren't massively improved, the noise is!
I've just been looping the Crysis GPU benchmark for 20 mins, and core temp goes up to 95c. GPU MEMIO temp is more worrying at 105c+...
I'll check the mounting next, but it could be that the VF900 is a bit overwhelmed by this card. I'll try an Accelero S1 next I think.
Otherwise, it's a good card, same as any 4870 I guess, just a shame about the cooler which looked to hold so much promise. The 50mhz core/50mhz memory overclocks are something though I suppose.
The fan speeds are changeable in a fashion via CCC using profiles and editing them, but it's not advisable and anyway to get anywhere near the cooling the card needs you have to have the fan on high.
The cooler connects to the card, so connecting it to a fan controller would be difficult without some kind of adaptor.
So, is the cooling better or worse than the stock cooling?
Is it comfortable to use (not too noisy) when at full? I bought this originally because i thought it was supposed to be quieter than the stock cooling giving better temps..
Think the grinding noise might be grounds for an RMA if it comes to it?
Is it comfortable to use (not too noisy) when at full? I bought this originally because i thought it was supposed to be quieter than the stock cooling giving better temps..
Think the grinding noise might be grounds for an RMA if it comes to it?
I'm not sure the grinding isn't normal to be honest, it seems to be the way the fan is designed to work. Grinding is too strong a word perhaps, but in no way is it a 'silent cooling solution' I'm afraid.
It will cool the card though.
I've never owned a 4870 with a different type of cooler, but I'd say it's noisier than my 4850 with it's stock single height cooler. It's a different type of noise, but still noisy.
On the plus side, it's a nice performing card. 48fps in Crysis bench at 1680 x 1050 all high settings at stock isn't bad. My 4850 managed 36fps.
Well, me neither!
I think we all know the 'Silent' moniker is marketing speak, but I've never heard a GPU fan make this 'grinding' noise at idle before? The best way to describe is it like listening to water going through a copper pipe, like the feed to a toilet cistern??!
It's not grinding as such, just a really odd noise.
Once a few more people get the cards and report back, we'll know.
I've got an Accelero S1 on mine now, with the Turbo Module. The RAM already has a copper type strip on it for cooling, and the stock VRM heatsink is on too. So, I've not put the Accelero RAM sinks on, but I'll see how it goes.
It keeps the GPU a lot cooler (-20c), but the VDDC Slave# temps go up to about 140c under extended load using ATI tool. I forgot to check them with the stock cooler, so not sure if it's normal, but it's still a number that makes me raise an eyebrow...
Anyway, it's perfectly stable, so I'm not going to worry too much.
Just a quick update on this. The stock fan really is terrible IMO, so I've followed what a few have done on here.
Namely, strapped a couple of 92mm fans (@ 7v) onto the Accelero S1, removed the stock RAM and VRM heatsink, replaced the stock RAM heatsinks with the Accelero ones, applied AS5 to the VRM heatsink, replacing the chewing gum that was on there already.
GPU Core idle is now 50c, down from 72c with the stock cooler. GPU Core load is 74c, it was 95c with the stock cooler at full whack.
Best news is the VDDC Slave# temps which are down from 140c load to 85c load.
All that at way way way less noise than the stock cooler.
I'm now a happy camper, and with a bit of fiddling I've got a pre-overclocked card for £10 over a stock one that hopefully will now last a year or two. (Yeah, like I ever keep a card that long!!...)
Still, at least now I've got the cooling sorted, I can see how far it will overclock.
Namely, strapped a couple of 92mm fans (@ 7v) onto the Accelero S1, removed the stock RAM and VRM heatsink, replaced the stock RAM heatsinks with the Accelero ones, applied AS5 to the VRM heatsink, replacing the chewing gum that was on there already.
GPU Core idle is now 50c, down from 72c with the stock cooler. GPU Core load is 74c, it was 95c with the stock cooler at full whack.
Best news is the VDDC Slave# temps which are down from 140c load to 85c load.
All that at way way way less noise than the stock cooler.
I'm now a happy camper, and with a bit of fiddling I've got a pre-overclocked card for £10 over a stock one that hopefully will now last a year or two. (Yeah, like I ever keep a card that long!!...)
Still, at least now I've got the cooling sorted, I can see how far it will overclock.
cooling
Just a quick update on this. The stock fan really is terrible IMO, so I've followed what a few have done on here.
Namely, strapped a couple of 92mm fans (@ 7v) onto the Accelero S1, removed the stock RAM and VRM heatsink, replaced the stock RAM heatsinks with the Accelero ones, applied AS5 to the VRM heatsink, replacing the chewing gum that was on there already.
GPU Core idle is now 50c, down from 72c with the stock cooler. GPU Core load is 74c, it was 95c with the stock cooler at full whack.
Best news is the VDDC Slave# temps which are down from 140c load to 85c load.
All that at way way way less noise than the stock cooler.
I'm now a happy camper, and with a bit of fiddling I've got a pre-overclocked card for £10 over a stock one that hopefully will now last a year or two. (Yeah, like I ever keep a card that long!!...)
Still, at least now I've got the cooling sorted, I can see how far it will overclock.
Tooks.
I am thinking of getting the s1rev2 cooler,and doing what you have done,putting on 2 92mm fans,which covers a lot more area than the 120mm fan.
Could you tell me the name of the 92mm fans you have,and what decibeles(dbs) they are?
As i need them to be quiet,as well as getting rid of the heat.
Also do you have them blowing onto the cooler?
thanks.
I've used a pair of Xilence Redwing 92mm fans the same as these;
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...0&name=Xilence XPF92R Red Wing 92mm Quiet Fan
Specs are in the link.
I've connected the two fans using a y splitter cable same as here;
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...&name=Akasa AK-FY320 3 Pin Fan cable splitter
I've got them at 7v using a fan mate resistor cable similar to this one, although OCUK only seem to have the 10v one;
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...t=&name=Akasa 3-Pin Fan Speed Reduction Cable
To be fair, the fans aren't any more noisy than my 7v case fans even at full voltage.
Yes, the fans are zip tied to the Accelero blowing through the fins and onto the card.
cooling
Tooks.
Thanks for your quick answer,and the inf,and pictures,i will do that,and hopefully it works.
Have changed my gpus fans for arctic cooling fans before,but have had this 4870 for 3 days now,but havent put it in yet,as not quite sure about reading about the little heatsinks falling off,and what to use for sticking on the vrm heatsinks.
there seems to be different opinions as how to do this,thats why i have been a bit dodgy to put it in,until im sure.
If it goes wrong,it will mess up my warranty.
Tooks.
Thanks for your quick answer,and the inf,and pictures,i will do that,and hopefully it works.
Have changed my gpus fans for arctic cooling fans before,but have had this 4870 for 3 days now,but havent put it in yet,as not quite sure about reading about the little heatsinks falling off,and what to use for sticking on the vrm heatsinks.
there seems to be different opinions as how to do this,thats why i have been a bit dodgy to put it in,until im sure.
If it goes wrong,it will mess up my warranty.