Good GPU cooling for 9700?

[sandmtrailboss]

Hello all , got another tech question :) . My 9700 runs pretty dam hot and I've been looking into gpu cooling fans for better cooling (also heatsinks for the ram but those are easy to find). All I've seem to find a the Ventec Iceberg (http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=370834). It doesnt seem to cool very well for newer cards. I'm also looking at the Zalman Heatpipe VGA Cooler (http://www.casejunkiez.com/reviews/cooling/zalman/zalman_zm80-hp.shtml) along with a case fan next to it. I was just wondering if there are any good gpu coolers out there that are made for todays video cards. Thanks for any help :thumbsup:

[Rbstr]

Thermaltake gaint 2 heatpipe cooler. This thing is able to keep my card in the 51 degree celsius range. before it would go to 65 even without the ocing
it wasn't that expensive either only $30 and it was verly easy to install (although a bit messy, that thermal grease is realy tricky. there was even enough left for me to grease the cpu hs and the northbridge)

Thermaltake is a good company altogether here's a link to there chipset and VGA cooling stuff http://www.thermaltake.com/products/chipsetMenu.htm

[sandmtrailboss]

Ok cool , yeah I'm probably gonna go with that. Did your version come with a fan mounted over the gpu or just heatsink over it? Either way when I get I'll stick a fan blowing horizontal over it. Thanx for the info though =)

edit: forgot to ask , which card are you running it on?

[Rbstr]

I comes with a very quiet fan on it. I've got it on a super oced 5600(possible a 9600 XT in the near future).
also open up the bay below it so cool air can get in faster(you know the little metal thing that you have to take out to install a card) it boostee the cooling potenial by dabout one degree for me

[EDIT] but it does not cool the memory at all so you may want to get some little heatspreaders for them that will fit under it

[EDIT2] i had to take of my northbridge cooler and move it up a little becuse it was to tall for me to fit the card back in, but it still works fine as long as its securely attached to the northbridge, If you northbridge cooler is shoter than the AGP port you won't have to do that(most of them don't get in the way my mobo ifa one of the few exceptions)

[sandmtrailboss]

Yeah I have my whole case side off so i can get some cooler air in there , I might have to move the north bridge cooler too. its about 2 inches from the top of the card, what was the distance between yours? I'm gonna need to keep the chipset cooler on becuase it actually gets pretyy hot. Did you put heat spreads on your memory? I'm pretty sure finned heatsinks wouldnt fit bettween there but are there other shaped heat spreaders? And thats all if it fits on a Ati 9700 :D

[Rbstr]

well i realy don't remember you just has to test and find out, but the other Heatpipe cooler will interfear to(the zalman).

Get a bit of thermal adhesive (about 3 bucks) remove the bridge coller put the VGA cooler on put the card back in, put the adhesive on the back of the bridge cooler and stick it cown so it is a close to the original positon as possible and you'll be fine, you could also do some measureing and cut off the part ot the bridge sink that would interfear and not deal with the moving.

It is compatable with the 9700.

I didn't put memory HS's on it but i might get some when i get the money. If ther card doens't has somthing covering them already you should not need to unless you are ocing the memory on it alot, mine is up 55 mhz over the original and the temps for me are fine and dandy
If i were to get them I would get some that are about and inch high and if they are too tall get out a small saw and cut them down to size.