cantankerous
06-10-2007, 07:15 AM
Hi guys. I have a few questions if anyone wouldn't mind taking a moment to sort me out. I briefly asked about this in another forum but feel it wasn't answered with any certainty and has become lost among the other posts. I think a seperate thread should grab more attention so I apologize to anyone who already read/contributed to this topic.
To avoid being long I will get to the point.
I currently have a DFI NF4 Ultra-D as in my sig which I plan to keep as I am in the air on what to upgrade to and feel waiting till this fall for the new X38 chipset and/or Barcelona may be a wise thing to do. I am in the mood for a new video card now however and do not wish to wait till the fall to pick one up. I am trying to decide on one for the very near future. The problem with the NF4 Ultra-D is the placement of the SATA ports which sit right under where the long 8800 would sit.
see picture here where the card would overhang over the chipset fan right on top of the SATA ports.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/D...es/chipset.jpg
I MUST have all 4 ports available for use so this makes it tough to fit a card on there. The regular 8800 is hard enough to fit but doable. I have had my eyes on the EVGA KO ACS3 model but disregarded it as the shroud that covers the entire card would definitely get in the way of the SATA ports. With the Ultra coming down to prices where the factory overclocked GTX cards were at not too long ago this is seeming like a nice option. The problem is the Ultra cards all seem to come with the shroud covering the entire card like the KO ACS3 model has. I then came across this. The PNY version of the Ultra has no such shroud! The regular heatsink is present with the fan further up like the Ultra. See pic here.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...+Card+-+Retail
What I have been wondering is this now. I would love to take advantage of an Ultra, now, if anyone knows whether or not it would be possible to remove the shroud temporarily to allow the card to fit with my current setup? If so will temperatures be affected at all or is the shroud a gimmick anyhow as many were saying it was when it pertained to the KO ACS3? I would keep the shroud safely in the box and when I got my new setup in the fall I would reattach the shroud to use as intended where space constraints won't be an issue. The problem I am having is this. If the shroud was removed would the underneath heatsink be whole and complete like the PNY one or would it be bare like it is on the KO ASC3 when the shroud is removed. See pic please.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/E...es/cooler2.jpg
This obviously means a big deal to me. I cannot get PNY here in Canada and would rather have EVGA anyhow due to the perks offered from getting that brand. If I could remove the shroud and have the card not bare like above but instead like the PNY card WITH cooling not suffering than its perfect. I will put the shroud aside for now. If its bare than im SOL as there goes the whole exhausting the hot air out of the case method.
Speculation and guessing is fine for this question however if anyone has a concrete answer or a card to check for themselves this would obviously be much better and very greatly appreciated. I will take any answers over no answers however and will still be grateful for anyones time and effort in aiding me with this.
Thanks a ton guys, I hope for some good news.
To avoid being long I will get to the point.
I currently have a DFI NF4 Ultra-D as in my sig which I plan to keep as I am in the air on what to upgrade to and feel waiting till this fall for the new X38 chipset and/or Barcelona may be a wise thing to do. I am in the mood for a new video card now however and do not wish to wait till the fall to pick one up. I am trying to decide on one for the very near future. The problem with the NF4 Ultra-D is the placement of the SATA ports which sit right under where the long 8800 would sit.
see picture here where the card would overhang over the chipset fan right on top of the SATA ports.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/D...es/chipset.jpg
I MUST have all 4 ports available for use so this makes it tough to fit a card on there. The regular 8800 is hard enough to fit but doable. I have had my eyes on the EVGA KO ACS3 model but disregarded it as the shroud that covers the entire card would definitely get in the way of the SATA ports. With the Ultra coming down to prices where the factory overclocked GTX cards were at not too long ago this is seeming like a nice option. The problem is the Ultra cards all seem to come with the shroud covering the entire card like the KO ACS3 model has. I then came across this. The PNY version of the Ultra has no such shroud! The regular heatsink is present with the fan further up like the Ultra. See pic here.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowIm...+Card+-+Retail
What I have been wondering is this now. I would love to take advantage of an Ultra, now, if anyone knows whether or not it would be possible to remove the shroud temporarily to allow the card to fit with my current setup? If so will temperatures be affected at all or is the shroud a gimmick anyhow as many were saying it was when it pertained to the KO ACS3? I would keep the shroud safely in the box and when I got my new setup in the fall I would reattach the shroud to use as intended where space constraints won't be an issue. The problem I am having is this. If the shroud was removed would the underneath heatsink be whole and complete like the PNY one or would it be bare like it is on the KO ASC3 when the shroud is removed. See pic please.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/E...es/cooler2.jpg
This obviously means a big deal to me. I cannot get PNY here in Canada and would rather have EVGA anyhow due to the perks offered from getting that brand. If I could remove the shroud and have the card not bare like above but instead like the PNY card WITH cooling not suffering than its perfect. I will put the shroud aside for now. If its bare than im SOL as there goes the whole exhausting the hot air out of the case method.
Speculation and guessing is fine for this question however if anyone has a concrete answer or a card to check for themselves this would obviously be much better and very greatly appreciated. I will take any answers over no answers however and will still be grateful for anyones time and effort in aiding me with this.
Thanks a ton guys, I hope for some good news.