-
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.
Arctic Accelero for 7970?? Any good?
- Thread starter BS Dave
- Start date
Soldato
@Uncle Petey,
It isn't almost totally unnecessary, it's simply totally unnecessary.
By removing the included vram and vrm heatsinks on your Dual Fan edition, your probably going to raise temps on these hotspots(even by getting the Alpenföhn Passive heatsinks), if anything, you could probably add heatsinks on top of the vram plate.
By removing the shroud on the AC as well, you are going to cause higher noise levels as I doubt the 140mm fans will be as quiet too.
Your basket@£83(that still needs 2x140mm fans unless you already have some) isn't far off the price of the watercooled AC Hybrid either, which will cool the core better than any other solution available-unless you go proper water cooling of course.
It isn't almost totally unnecessary, it's simply totally unnecessary.
By removing the included vram and vrm heatsinks on your Dual Fan edition, your probably going to raise temps on these hotspots(even by getting the Alpenföhn Passive heatsinks), if anything, you could probably add heatsinks on top of the vram plate.
By removing the shroud on the AC as well, you are going to cause higher noise levels as I doubt the 140mm fans will be as quiet too.
Your basket@£83(that still needs 2x140mm fans unless you already have some) isn't far off the price of the watercooled AC Hybrid either, which will cool the core better than any other solution available-unless you go proper water cooling of course.
Soldato
Appreciate the input Tommy
I have thought about keeping the original heatsink plates. Still not sure tbh.
Maybe (probably) my understanding of how heat transfer works is flawed, as I don't see how thick pads and a flat plate could work better than using what look like decent sinks with a bit of thermal paste and a tiny dab of glue in the corner.
Not sure if there'd be space to mount sinks on top of the plate, but I think that the existing rear screw in vrm sink may be able to be kept. The Alpenfohn screw in vrm sink looks like it may be a little tall. We'll see.
Either way, the original spreader and sinks can probably be left as is if it looks viable.
Add in the extra airflow coming from a couple of decent 120mm fans (only need one extra unless I go for something different) which I've decided will work better than 140's (cba to go into it) and it should be pretty good.
These fans will also have about a pci slot's gap between them and the Accelero heatsink which should help with performance and noise levels.
Noise won't be an issue. Even if it was slightly louder than the Accelero (reviews have recorded no real difference), it'd still be quieter than the dual-x which isn't bad, but is still louder than anything else in my rig at full blast unless I turn the case fans up to silly levels.
As for the Hybrid, 7970/50 version is hard to find at the mo and I'd have nowhere to put the fans/rad in my case.
Even if I had the space for proper water cooling, all the gear including a gpu block would probably push £200.
I'm not rich or anything, but I'm not too concerned about the value for money here. I have a little spare cash and it's just a fun project for me at the end of the day
I'll admit, I'm tempted to just get the fan bracket and use that with the Sapphire heatsink...
I have thought about keeping the original heatsink plates. Still not sure tbh.
Maybe (probably) my understanding of how heat transfer works is flawed, as I don't see how thick pads and a flat plate could work better than using what look like decent sinks with a bit of thermal paste and a tiny dab of glue in the corner.
Not sure if there'd be space to mount sinks on top of the plate, but I think that the existing rear screw in vrm sink may be able to be kept. The Alpenfohn screw in vrm sink looks like it may be a little tall. We'll see.
Either way, the original spreader and sinks can probably be left as is if it looks viable.
Add in the extra airflow coming from a couple of decent 120mm fans (only need one extra unless I go for something different) which I've decided will work better than 140's (cba to go into it
) and it should be pretty good.These fans will also have about a pci slot's gap between them and the Accelero heatsink which should help with performance and noise levels.
Noise won't be an issue. Even if it was slightly louder than the Accelero (reviews have recorded no real difference), it'd still be quieter than the dual-x which isn't bad, but is still louder than anything else in my rig at full blast unless I turn the case fans up to silly levels.
As for the Hybrid, 7970/50 version is hard to find at the mo and I'd have nowhere to put the fans/rad in my case.
Even if I had the space for proper water cooling, all the gear including a gpu block would probably push £200.
I'm not rich or anything, but I'm not too concerned about the value for money here. I have a little spare cash and it's just a fun project for me at the end of the day
I'll admit, I'm tempted to just get the fan bracket and use that with the Sapphire heatsink...
Last edited:
Soldato
So do we think using the stock sinks/spreader would be better than removing it all and sticking Alpenfohn/Arctic ones on there?
Would higher airflow and card coverage significantly drop vrm temps?
Pic courtesy of MyBrains.
Would higher airflow and card coverage significantly drop vrm temps?
Pic courtesy of MyBrains.
Last edited:
So do we think using the stock sinks/spreader would be better than removing it all and sticking Alpenfohn/Arctic ones on there?
Would higher airflow and card coverage significantly drop vrm temps?
Pic courtesy of MyBrains.
is that a pic of the stock vrm heatsink ? if so it looks much better than the arctic or Alpenfohn ones it has much more surface area the ones that come with arctic are just basic tiny sinks without much surface area
I would just remove the stock fan and cable tie 2x 120mm to the stock heatsink if thats possible, does the plastic shroud and fan come off ? tbh I bet you get great temps just doing that it's worth a go just to see I bet cable tying 2x120mm to stock heatsink will drop at least 5c and probably more
I cant believe you are throwing so much money at a card that looks like it's got a decent cooler to start with
Last edited:
Soldato
You aren't going to get better vrm cooling than that plate.
The vram/chipset plate is important too as there are chips needing covered too, the one in the circle is by far the most important one though as it's in contact and directly cooled by the stock blower:
AS C64 pointed out, the best thing to do would be to mount fans directly onto the heatsink minus the shroud, but I would see if you can posibly get 140's onto to blow air over the big heatpipes too if the 120's don't cover it.
Or use the bracket above to mount fans to pass through it.
I have never seen that heatsink upside down, but it looks as if it can do a very good job in it's own right, just let down(apparently, having never used one) by it's loud operation/poor fans?
The vram/chipset plate is important too as there are chips needing covered too, the one in the circle is by far the most important one though as it's in contact and directly cooled by the stock blower:
AS C64 pointed out, the best thing to do would be to mount fans directly onto the heatsink minus the shroud, but I would see if you can posibly get 140's onto to blow air over the big heatpipes too if the 120's don't cover it.
Or use the bracket above to mount fans to pass through it.
I have never seen that heatsink upside down, but it looks as if it can do a very good job in it's own right, just let down(apparently, having never used one) by it's loud operation/poor fans?
Soldato
Yep that's the stock sink setup on this card (Sapphire 7950 OC 950mhz /7970 ref pcb). Doesn't look bad at all eh?
I actually did consider strapping a couple of fans to it or the Arctic lol. I think I'd prefer the fan bracket.
Thing is, I'd have to take off the whole thing to remove the fans/shroud and then replace the paste etc. If I'm gonna do all that, I'd rather stick a beefy cooler on there while I'm at it.
There's nothing wrong with the dual-x cooler unless you're pushing high OC's and/or running extreme AA in some games. While not as loud as a reference card, it isn't particularly quiet between 65-100% which you need to run when pushing 1100+ clocks.
From my own OC experiments, I'm pretty sure that VRM temps are the only thing preventing a solid, stable 1200mhz on the core.
Again, I accept that all this is a little ott But y'know, so is half of the stuff people do to their rigs.
It's a hobby after all and some of us enjoy playing about with their machine as much some enjoy playing on them
EDIT: So that's saved £12 on the Alpenfohn jobbies. Good stuff.
Btw Tommy, two 120's would cover the card perfectly.
With the Arctic cooler, two 140's would be better for heatsink coverage but 120's would give better concentration to the card, covering the pcb, but leaving the end of the Accelero that extends past the pcb uncovered.
I actually did consider strapping a couple of fans to it or the Arctic lol. I think I'd prefer the fan bracket.
Thing is, I'd have to take off the whole thing to remove the fans/shroud and then replace the paste etc. If I'm gonna do all that, I'd rather stick a beefy cooler on there while I'm at it.
There's nothing wrong with the dual-x cooler unless you're pushing high OC's and/or running extreme AA in some games. While not as loud as a reference card, it isn't particularly quiet between 65-100% which you need to run when pushing 1100+ clocks.
From my own OC experiments, I'm pretty sure that VRM temps are the only thing preventing a solid, stable 1200mhz on the core.
Again, I accept that all this is a little ott
But y'know, so is half of the stuff people do to their rigs. It's a hobby after all and some of us enjoy playing about with their machine as much some enjoy playing on them
EDIT: So that's saved £12 on the Alpenfohn jobbies. Good stuff.
Btw Tommy, two 120's would cover the card perfectly.
With the Arctic cooler, two 140's would be better for heatsink coverage but 120's would give better concentration to the card, covering the pcb, but leaving the end of the Accelero that extends past the pcb uncovered.
Last edited:
Soldato
Actually, having had a good look at some close up pics of the Alpenfohn Peter, I reckon it'd go into 4 slots.
Can you see a reason for not being able to move the fan bracket up one slot?
The 'wedge' on the bracket wouldn't interfere with the heatsink as far as I can see.
Would be nice to have matching CPU and GPU coolers eh?
EDIT: Nevermind, I've found a few pics that show it using 4 slots.
Kinda wanted to go with the custom bodgy route, but I can't resist more Alpenfohn goodness
Can you see a reason for not being able to move the fan bracket up one slot?
The 'wedge' on the bracket wouldn't interfere with the heatsink as far as I can see.
Would be nice to have matching CPU and GPU coolers eh?
EDIT: Nevermind, I've found a few pics that show it using 4 slots.
Kinda wanted to go with the custom bodgy route, but I can't resist more Alpenfohn goodness
Last edited:
Soldato
Tempted to get the Alpenfohn Peter
Soldato
I played with vitually every possible fan/heatsink configuration using the Peter. If you have any questions, let me know.
Soldato
Details please my friend
Does it really take up 5 Slots? Is it better than the Arctic Accelero? Which fan configuration is the best?
Does it really take up 5 Slots? Is it better than the Arctic Accelero? Which fan configuration is the best?
Soldato
Soldato
I can assure you that you absolutely can get better VRM cooling than with the stock Sapphire plate
Check the thread link below and look at 'The Spectre bodge' section for what happens when you mount fans to the stock heatsink
In default configuration (fans underneath), it takes up 4 slots. You'll need to have a slot's worth of gap below the fans to let them breathe though.
It'll cool the core about the same as an Accelero/MK26 and offer about the same VRM cooling performance in that configuration.
I found the best configuration to be a custom one. This is where the Peter comes into it's own if you're willing to put in the work.
Two 92mm fans cable tied to the bottom of the cooler with 2x120mm fans (could use 92mm if you wanted) exhausting heat from the side mounted on the PCI fan bracket. This setup (significantly) gives the best VRM cooling and drops a few degrees off the core too.
Pic:
More info and a lengthy write up can be found here.
I never got around to updating certain info, such as further lowering of the VRM's (to about 60c max) by using the big Alpenfohn heatsink and thermal glue.
Check the thread link below and look at 'The Spectre bodge' section for what happens when you mount fans to the stock heatsink
Details please my friend
Does it really take up 5 Slots? Is it better than the Arctic Accelero? Which fan configuration is the best?
In default configuration (fans underneath), it takes up 4 slots. You'll need to have a slot's worth of gap below the fans to let them breathe though.
It'll cool the core about the same as an Accelero/MK26 and offer about the same VRM cooling performance in that configuration.
I found the best configuration to be a custom one. This is where the Peter comes into it's own if you're willing to put in the work.
Two 92mm fans cable tied to the bottom of the cooler with 2x120mm fans (could use 92mm if you wanted) exhausting heat from the side mounted on the PCI fan bracket. This setup (significantly) gives the best VRM cooling and drops a few degrees off the core too.
Pic:
More info and a lengthy write up can be found here.
I never got around to updating certain info, such as further lowering of the VRM's (to about 60c max) by using the big Alpenfohn heatsink and thermal glue.
Last edited:
Soldato
Very impressive
I think I'll go for the Arctic Cooling route though, seeing as it's cheaper
I think I'll go for the Arctic Cooling route though, seeing as it's cheaper
Soldato
It's the most convenient and space saving solution, that's for sure.
Consider grabbing some of these
Consider grabbing some of these