First and last time i use Zalman!

Foehammer2003

Foehammer2003

Foehammer2003

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OMG! just got my new VGA heatsink (Zalman VF700-CU LED) and so went to work, get to installing it, after taking the old one off, installing the RAM sinks to my card just to find that it does not fit! :eek:

Yep, i checked the compatibility of my card, Zalmans website states that the x1600 is compatible (all cards is exactly what it says under x1600!)

Can a company do that? say something is compatible when its blatently not, i mean the fitting was not even close, there are two differently spaced holes on either side, i'd need a hole bang in the middle of where they put them :confused:

Really quite gutted coz i ended up snapping off a bit of my card in the removal of the old HSF, seems to be fixed ( i hope) and wasted ages for nothing. I always take great care to make sure stuff is compatible.

What a waste of money!

Anyone else had this problem?
 
Unfortunately not, i thought maybe it was just the backplate too... but the actual heatsink holes match exactly to the backplate and are non adjustable. Well and truly gutted.
 
hmmm, i thought of superglue actually lol, but even epoxy would not be strong enough imo, the fan weighs quite a bit (270Grams) and to i would only want it screwed in. Also if anything should then go wrong, it would be my fault for bodging it on.
 
Dr Jones said:
Edit: can't you bend the backplate, so you get a "hump" and forcing it to fit?
Click to expand...

Yeah i could but i cant bend the heatsink itself, and thats the same, and non adjustable in any way.

EDIT: Raikiri, yeah i tried all angles and hole combinations, sat here for about half an hour just staring at it and trying different stuff, just wont fit, written to Zalman... guess i will have to wait and see what they say!
 
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squiffy said:
The screws on the cooler itself fit through the PCB, it's just the backing plate has holes at the wrong position? Couldn't you make a piece of aluminium?
Click to expand...

Nope. well i could but this still wouldnt change the heatsink itself, see the link... the screw to the left is in place (not screwed in) as you can just about see the other side is nowhere near!

http://www.foehammer.co.uk/images/Zalman2.jpg
 
Raikiri said:
Drill a new hole in the bracket it uses so it fits? Alternatively don't buy the x1600 in the first place :p :X
Click to expand...

lol as much as i would love an excuse to buy a new card, a badly fitting heatsink wont quite cut it with the little lady (apparently i have better things to be saving up for!?!)

Squiffy: yeah i will most likely get a refund, but just annoyed, and hope that i have not damaged my card in any way what with that bit snapping off, stuck it back on, but i imagine that it must do something, and must have a negative effect having broken off in the first place. Only time (and gaming) will tell on that score :rolleyes:
 
That may be my best bet 1) i do want better cooling so i can overclock higher 2) as you say the hassle of returning it 3) will lose money on postage both ways anyway.

May have to leave it a while until a mate gets back from holiday though, as i dont have the tools for the job.
 
tbh i dont really know, but im almost certain each model of GPU has a standard PCB which has to be used. I will have a look thorough the forum in a min... was too annoyed when i went on the Zalman site earlier, just ended up complaining lol.
 
Well perhaps the PCB may have different position holes after all then. All i know is that there is no way this will currently fit, just tried it again, to see if i missed something blatent, but no :(

Oh well, either way Zalman shouldn't say its fits all x1600's if it doesn't, even if they are 99% sure it will. Still, not the end of the world, just puts my plans on hold as far as my rig goes.
 
Foehammer2003 said:
lol as much as i would love an excuse to buy a new card, a badly fitting heatsink wont quite cut it with the little lady (apparently i have better things to be saving up for!?!)
Click to expand...

Other wise i would!

Although a stealth upgrade may be in order ;)
 
SiriusB said:
Just explain your new HSF doesn't fit so you need a new card...

If she isn't computer savvy she wont notice the iffy logic lol :D

SiriusB
Click to expand...

lol, i tried... she rolled her eyes (thats code for: stop, your not getting one... now go away and play nicely!)

Really observant too... and with a windowed case she'll notice, lol.

Gashman: i could try the 'i bought it cheap, to sell my old (better) one' Now that she may fall for mwhahaha :D
 
ichabod crane said:
does it not fit like this or have you tried sorry if im late :D

Click to expand...


You'd think so, but the holes need to be 100% to fit the screws in, i tried to see if i could screw them in 'sqiffy' like but just not happening, have had the card out three times to try it now lol. As Dr Jones says l337 skilz tho'! :D

Still to hear from Zalman, and untill then i have a nice but rather unique looking paperweight sat on my desk untill i either send it back or bodge it with a dremel :eek:

Elrik: lol, dam you good. Gonna have to save up for a X1900 me thinks and try that one. ;) but shhhh....
 
It's not just the backing plate, the actual heatsink itself is the same. Yeah i have emailed Zalman a couple of days ago and am waiting on an answer, or i may just mod it if it comes to it.
 
Hi! :D

Sorry for dragging up a truly dead thread but just wanted to cheers for all your responses, today a mate & I Modded the Zalman cooler and it fits like a dream now, have no idea if its cooling any better as my Gatewatch has gone hay wire on the VGA probe now.

Still its on and working so hopefully get a much better overclock on the 1600XT now, still disapointed that Zalman were/are so useless as far as customer support goes, still waiting on a reply from the emails i sent them! Three I sent too! :rolleyes:
 
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