Just wondering if video card cooling is worth it. I'm looking at a Thermaltake Giant 3, or the newest Zalman cooler, I can't remember what it's called. Either one would require me to shell out $40. I can't stand the stock cooler on this 9800 pro, so I'm looking at alternative solutions. Any advice?

Video card cooling is a tough issue. There is a lack of good products on the market right now, therefore your best option is to make your own cooling setup. But... most people dont have the basic tools required to do so. If you are going for aftermarket, the thermaltake giant 3 looks decent. My two main concerns on that setup are RAM cooling and the height of the cooler (or when mounted in the case, the part that sticks out towards the SIDE of the case). I am not sure how good the flow is underneath that heatsink, but if you arent careful, it will bake the RAM. That is the main problem with the Zalman cooler. It cooles the GPU nicely, but doesnt cool the RAM at all.

If that Giant can keep enough air going over the ram, it is probably your best bet right now.

Otherwise, you can do a complete custom cooling setup like I did on my 9800Pro
My 9800Pro Cooling Mod
It isnt very pretty, but DAMN does it cool well!
Got mine clocked to 432/760 and it never gets much over room temperature. I am just limited by core voltage now. Not too bad considering it is doing XT speeds now...

Good luck!

-Plack

I'm running a GF FX5200, stock is 250 core, 350 RAM. I got it up to 330core and 465 RAM without breaking a sweat, stock cooling and everything. PS-- an FX5600 runs at 325 core, 550 ram, so I'm getting there.

COOLBITS rules! This program adds to the windows registry and you adjuct clock frequencies in the Display Properties under WinXP.

BTW, it adds a nice "Test" Feature that tells you if you're going to bake your card. Very convenient in my opinion (and useful!)

Thanks,
jkpq45

For ATi there is a nice tool called, well, ATiTool. Changes core speeds, memory speeds, checks speed, has a built in 3D window to check the settings, artifact scanner, max core and memory speed finder. Plus it also has profiles, so you can save your settings and easily pull them up from the system tray. No need for registry hacks.

Get ATi Tool from this site: http://www.ocfaq.com also has alot of good information about ATi cards. Also has a BIOS collection, and other software stuffs.

Yeah, I have ATItool, but I can't get that far. The stock cooler is really holding me back. Can't even get the core above 400. It'll be stable for about 30 min, but then all hell breaks loose.

maybe you need better case circulation... if it takes 30 mins for a problem to occur, maybe its just because of heat building up in the case

Try these options...my 9700pro was overheating and did all three:
1) Lap the heatsink to mirror finish. Replace paste with AS5 or AS3
2) Take the shim off with a razor blade
3) Get a PCI cooler/blower fan and place it just under the vidcard to suck hot air away from gpu. Also dremel off the guards on the exhaust of the fan...less air restriction.

I've got a Vantec IceBurq on my northbridge...they are made for vid cards though.

Edit: I lap with 440/600/1000/1500/Back of 1500 grits of wet/dry sandpaper from O'Riley

I don't think my case circulation is a problem. My CPU runs about 22C idle and 30C load, and my mobo temp is about 25 constantly. I may try one of those PCI card fans.

Seems like some pretty good cooling to me... Can't remember if you have active cooling or not, but water is always a good bet...

For those of us on a tight budget, take a piece of glass or mirror (something you KNOW is FLAT), mask some uber-fine sandpaper onto it, and lap gpu and heatsink so they match well. Lapping the hs is more safe if you don't want to mess with the GPU...

The added contact will cool your system down a LOT! You can definitely do this on your CPU as well.

-jkpq45

Whoa! Dont remove the shim on a 9800Pro! It is much better than the one on the 9700. The shim on the 9800 is a few thousandths shorter than the core height, just like a shim should be. Plus, the 9800 heatsink has a small pad where the core is. Just end up ruining the core if you try to remove it. But if you want to check it, put a straightedge on the core, and see if there is light between the GPU and the straightedge, or light between the shim and the Straightedge. You want light to shine between the straightedge and the shim (obviously means the shim is below the core then).

Dont lap the GPU, if yours is like mine, it has a mirror finish. But lapping the heatsink using the method lined out by snipermav is a good idea. that is true for any cooling system. Closer contact=cooler running.

I wouldnt overclock at all with the stock cooling, it is limited at best. Good way to ruin the card. Use the 'touchy-feely' method, and touch the heatsink and ram while the card is running (make sure to discharge static first!!!). Make sure to test it while there is a directX app running, otherwise it will seem cool. U will be suprised how hot it is already! To 'test' the GPU core temp, put your finger on the PCB on the backside of the GPU, since it is a BGA chip, most of the heat from the core is transferred to the back through all the pins, it will be roughly the same temp as the core itself.

Better circulation is always good. I hung a 80mm case fan to blow over mine. But then again, i have a crapload of those lying around. If you put a case fan up to it, mount the fan so that half of the fan is on top of the card, and half below it. Obviously will give circulation to the top and bottom sides of the PCB.

Summary:
1) Lap heatsink, not GPU, dont remove the shim
2) Add artic silver compound
3) Better circulation never hurt anything.

-Plack