6800GT was getting too hot... (pics)

C

ChingChang

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Messages
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EDIT: actually this is a 7800GT... also sorry if host is being slow!

built a computer for a friend about a year ago. He is now having overheating problems with his video card. Temps were around 90C under load. I find a ton of dust inside the heatsink, clean that, regrease GPU, and temps go down to about 80C.

Couple months later he says he's getting more artifacts in Counter Strike and WoW. I check out the video card... heatsink feels way too hot to the touch, and it's at 85C under load. Heat transfer is great, so I just check to clean out dust (wasn't much)

My solution was to attach a $1 80mm case fan with zip ties and copper wire...
6800mod1.jpg

(two more pics here)

Well I tested again, and I think it was only down to about 80C after putting that fan on.. seemed like fan was obstructing the flow of air or something.

So I prop it up with paper clips:
6800mod2.jpg


And stabilize with copper wire and zip tie:
6800mod4.jpg


Saved the cover and screws just in case :)

and doesn't look bad installed in computer:
installed2.jpg



more pics here (sorry if host is being slow)

results before:
idle ~ 70C
load ~ 85C

after:
idle ~ 60C
load ~ 70C

and the guy just brought it back to his house, guess his room is a lot colder cause he says it's saying 45C idle! :eek:
not bad for a $1 mod huh...
 
ROFL wow. Have you tried to replace the Thermal paste? It could be dried out. I did somethime similar when the fan on my Arctic Cooler died.
 
firewolf said:
Why would propping up the fan help, I'm curious.
Click to expand...
cause when it was flat against the heatsink, the air would not have enough space to flow over the heatsink. I thought it would at first since there are a lot of fins, figured that would be enough room. But the fins are pretty close and are too short for that air to be directed out of the heatsink. Kind of hard to explain... basically the air didn't really have anywhere to go (and it didn't help that the normal GPU fan was blowing air in the opposite direction the 80mm fan was blowing, although I could have unplugged that or reversed it...

So installing it on an angle, that allowed the air to travel in one direction across the heatsink (the other fan was blowing in that direction too) at a higher speed than when it was set up before. Also now that I think about it, I should have taped cardboard or paper to the sides of the fan (front and back sides, connecting the paper clip and the heatsink), sort of like a duct. But it doesn't really matter, temps are great anyway.


ReDgUaRd008 said:
ROFL wow. Have you tried to replace the Thermal paste? It could be dried out. I did somethime similar when the fan on my Arctic Cooler died.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I did that the first time he had me look at it. Put on some AS5. Thermal paste only helps transfer heat and doesn't help dissipate the heat (although greater heat transfer implies greater dissipation, but heat would still be on the heatsink without good enough airflow to remove the heat).

The heatsink has very good contact with the GPU and the thermal paste is doing a good job transferring the heat to the heatsink. If you can feel that a heatsink is very hot, then you know it has good heat transfer. If it is cool, either you have good dissipation, or the heat transfer is not great, or the chip is not producing much heat.. or a combination of the three :)
 
Adidas4275 said:
man just get a used artic cooler for it.... they work really well
Click to expand...
I have one on my system and it works great

but this guy didn't want to pay for it heh.
 
I have a fan propped up like that with qtips on top of my x1800xt because even the top of it gets hot as shit and will burn your finger if you touch it. :p

Lowered the idle temps by about 4c and the cpu temp by 1c.
 
Now make a cardboard duct for it so the air is force through the fins and not wasted, and a second duct to suck in fresh air from the pci slots.
 
Bbq said:
Now make a cardboard duct for it so the air is force through the fins and not wasted, and a second duct to suck in fresh air from the pci slots.
Click to expand...

ChingChang said:
Also now that I think about it, I should have taped cardboard or paper to the sides of the fan (front and back sides, connecting the paper clip and the heatsink), sort of like a duct. But it doesn't really matter, temps are great anyway.
Click to expand...
:)

I would have done the cardboard thing, but I don't have the computer here anymore and it doesn't matter really.
 
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