Modding a Video Card with a CPU Heatsink

[awdrifter]

This idea is kinda inspired by these two thread.

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=172894&page=1
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=123423

I have a Zalman 7000AlCu cpu cooler laying around from my retired single core system and I have a X1950GT, right now it's running at 88c at max load. Is there anyway to mount the Zalman cooler on the X1950GT? Has anyone tried this before? The cooler is kinda heavy so I play to cut a piece of wood to support the card. Any other info appreciated. Thanks.

Here's a reference picture of the cooler I have.

[Fujimitsu]

You might be able to rework the mounting mechanism on the heatsink, it depends if its attached or not.

You'd have to relocate the screw holes and make sure the core contacts the GPU.

Is it possible? maybe.... but not worth the time at all.

You'd have to fabricate a new mounting mechanism & backplate, and probably cut the crap out of the fins so that you could squeeze in memory heatsinks... that cooler is going to cover a lot of the card, so everywhere there is memory there will probably have to be a hole cut out to it a heatsink into.

It'd be a lot of work to get it on there at all, and making sure it contacts evenly and with the right pressure would make it worse.

I'd say sell it and then save your change for a week or two so you can buy a real aftermarket cooler.

[awdrifter]

Thanks for the info. But I doubt I can sell this cooler for more than $5 anyways since it won't be enough to cool a dual core, so cutting it up is not a big deal. I do need to buy a few ramsinks though now that you mentioned it. (or maybe I can shorten ramsink's fins, they are aluminum, so shouldn't be too hard) I'll take apart the stock cooler and see how much room I got first I guess. I also have a 4 heatpipe stock AMD cooler, but I don't want to cut that thing up yet.

[Retro]

Back in the stone age, I saw some guy fit an old AMD cpu heatsink onto a 9800 Pro. Probably worked ok then, but I'd buy a good aftermarket cooler for that X1950GT. I had good results with an Arctic Cooling cooler on an ATI 1900XTX a couple years ago. Also see what Thermalright has for it, or Zalman

[STEvil]

7000 and 7700's are too big around to fit on a GPU.. i've got one of each

Also nothing wrong with 7*00's, they'll cool dualcore fine and even a quad.

[patrickadizzle]

Didn't some dude here put a Zalman 9500 on his, and cut like a quarter of it off?

[Ghost742]

well the main problem would be if the cooler is goint ot be to big, meaning is it going to stick out past the cards pci-e conection.

i did mounted a old cpu cooler on my Rd7200 and it works great but i had to cut it to size with a hacksaw.

mounting it would be hard to u would need to make a custom bracket

[RAW-Raptor22]

there is always this pic:

[Monkeywoman]

there is always this pic:

thats one sexy set up. what i would like to see is and IFX on a HD3870. it can work, just bend the heat pipes so they aren in the way like the guy did with the sonic cooler. IFX-14 on VGA, Xtreme.

[awdrifter]

I haven't got time to take apart my video card and test fit the cooler yet, but looks like it shouldn't interfere with my PCI USB card. Hopefully the holes on the cooler will match the ones on the video card, if not, I guess I can drill new ones.

7000 and 7700's are too big around to fit on a GPU.. i've got one of each

Also nothing wrong with 7*00's, they'll cool dualcore fine and even a quad.

It might be able to cool a Brisbane on stock voltage, but only my 90nm 4600, it hit over 60c on 1.55v.

[BeardyMan]

You simply mount it to your vga card

this silverstone NT05 turned out to be a small mofo 45$ OMG

Oh well

at least it has found it's purpose

[TheBeast1590]

there is always this pic:

nice

Whats the cooler on th NB btw...?

[dr4gon]

there is always this pic:

holy crap, that noctua looks very dangerous!

[awdrifter]

You simply mount it to your vga card

this silverstone NT05 turned out to be a small mofo 45$ OMG

Oh well

at least it has found it's purpose

Nice, what kind of card is that? did you just ran it without ramsinks? Thanks for the replies.

[Nazu]

Looks like a X1900XT/XTX.

[awdrifter]

That just gave me an idea, I can use the Zalman in my single core Sempron rig, and use the stock Sempron cooler for thie video card. If that small cooler is enough for an XTX, a stock K8 cooler should be enough for my 1950GT.

[TheBeast1590]

Looks like a X1900XT/XTX.

Last one?
х18хх/х19хх

[awdrifter]

Is it ok to run the card without ramsinks for extended periods of time (2-3hr of continuous gaming)? Thanks.

[TheBeast1590]

It's okey to run without heat sinks At All, but do not set hight voltage on them... They will survive otherwise

[STEvil]

It might be able to cool a Brisbane on stock voltage, but only my 90nm 4600, it hit over 60c on 1.55v.

Is that surprising really? a TT-BT would as well.

[BeardyMan]

Nice, what kind of card is that? did you just ran it without ramsinks? Thanks for the replies.

X1800XT 512MB

796mhz on the core with thise heatsink

[nike]

anyone remember putting NightCrawler a CNPS 9500 on a 7800GTX(i guess it was the card)? the mod was crazy, if i remember right his load temps were 43c

[NightCrawler™]

That would have been me.....

/points to avatar...

Edit: link to thread.. http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...ad.php?t=86526

[TheBeast1590]

yes, I remember this thread
are u still using this cooler on your GPU?
my friend wants to do this mod...

[NightCrawler™]

Nah.. I sold my 7800GTX and got myself an 1900XTX.. never got around to mount it on that card to be honest....