View Full Version : 4870 Waterblock on The Cheap!
HotGore
06-23-2009, 04:44 PM
Well I found a 4870 for $125 CDN. Since I am fresh out of school I don't have a lot of extra cash. I need a waterblock that is cheeeeaaappp and made of copper. Any ideas out there. I am open to your wildest suggestions that don't involve air.
In case you are interested why I don't want to go air it is because I have dual loops. Without a video card I would have one loop just cooling my northbridge. That just feels wrong :up:
Also I am in Calgary, AB Canada. Letting you know for the off chance that you might know how to get some sweet hookups here :D
faster3200
06-23-2009, 05:13 PM
GPU block with the stock for everything else?
That will run you about $40.
HotGore
06-23-2009, 05:19 PM
GPU block with the stock for everything else?
That will run you about $40.
I have plenty of RAM sinks so it isn't a worry. I am going to run to Home Depot soon to get inspiration.
the_dope_chaud
06-23-2009, 08:19 PM
I have a mcw60 on my 4870, around 32c idle, 39-40 load. Its the VRMs that get hot, I have some sinks on there, but need a slow fan too, or they reach 90-100c. The only cheap full cover block I have seen is the xspc razor and apparently, its not that great....
Looking to cut up a big chunk of aluminum heatsink or get a thermalright motherboard vrm cooler, and I believe it will not need a fan.
trueg50
06-24-2009, 04:02 AM
I used the MCW60, and it worked very well.
For the VRM's, it is real easy to cool them.
Disassemble the stock cooler, so you have the plastic shroud, heatsink, and red metal heatspreader. Then just install the heatspreader on the card, and add some heatsinks above the VRM's and memory area's, as well as on the exposed grey VRM. The MCW60 fits nicely in the middle of the spreader, and with plenty of clearance.
SNiiPE_DoGG
06-24-2009, 04:22 AM
Then just install the heatspreader on the card, and add some heatsinks above the VRM's and memory area's, as well as on the exposed grey VRM. The MCW60 fits nicely in the middle of the spreader, and with plenty of clearance.
this ^^^ :up:
except I dont put sinks over the vrm's on mine but instead chop the shroud and leave the fan on the card like so (without cutting the whole ram section of the red plate off if you want) http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/635/img0971ds2.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/635/img0971ds2.jpg)
Bradan
06-24-2009, 05:09 AM
Hmm, google found this.
http://carothers.info/matthew/Stuph/4870/withblock.JPG
Why bother to cut the red heatspreader? It seems to me it would be better than those teeny-tiny ramsinks!
--> Does the MCW-60 fit under the plastic shroud?
--> Is the fan connected to the shroud?
MomijiTMO
06-24-2009, 05:12 AM
Isn't the idea to not use that blower fan because it's INSANE.
SNiiPE_DoGG
06-24-2009, 05:15 AM
well on my other card I used enzotech forged copper sinks, those are better than the red plate ;) and when you put airflow over the ramsinks they benefit more than the red plate
Isn't the idea to not use that blower fan because it's INSANE.
you just keep it at like 20% maybe 25%
Bradan
06-24-2009, 05:21 AM
Can the red plate keep the VRM temps under control at 850mhz.. give or take?
MomijiTMO
06-24-2009, 05:24 AM
Yeah I can't hear it at 25% so it's all sweet :p:
SNiiPE_DoGG
06-24-2009, 05:26 AM
Can the red plate keep the VRM temps under control at 850mhz.. give or take?
as far as my experience goes the red plate does the best job of any cooling the VRMs save an FC waterblock. the thing is that most heatsinks you throw on 4870 vrms dont have enough mass the handle the heat they put out.
MomijiTMO
06-24-2009, 05:44 AM
This is partly why there were so many dead 4870s. People had next to no air flow over their heat sinks.
trueg50
06-24-2009, 07:30 AM
This is partly why there were so many dead 4870s. People had next to no air flow over their heat sinks.
The issue was ATI not better designing the VRM's. With ATI trying to drop prices as much as possible, quality can suffer, thus the reason for my, and many others to Nvidia, after trying some of ATI's recent offerings. As much as I want to blame people not giving the cards enough airflow, the designers should have factored in some tolerance for user stupidity and negligence.
Can the red plate keep the VRM temps under control at 850mhz.. give or take?
Yes.
At 800 mhz core, and 1100 mhz memory, the red plate (not cut up or anything) with some heatsinks was plenty to keep the VRM's and memory under ~70C.
SNiiPE_DoGG
06-24-2009, 07:51 AM
The issue was ATI not better designing the VRM's. With ATI trying to drop prices as much as possible, quality can suffer, thus the reason for my, and many others to Nvidia, after trying some of ATI's recent offerings. As much as I want to blame people not giving the cards enough airflow, the designers should have factored in some tolerance for user stupidity and negligence.
Yes.
At 800 mhz core, and 1100 mhz memory, the red plate (not cut up or anything) with some heatsinks was plenty to keep the VRM's and memory under ~70C.
actually thats not true - volterra digital PWMs are some of the nicest in the industry and they are very high quality. their only fault is that being digital, they run hot by nature.
MomijiTMO
06-24-2009, 03:58 PM
NEWSFLASH digital pwms run hot guys. So tired of saying this lol.
Just so you know, team green are using them too on upper end models. All you have to do is have a slow, silent fan at the end of your card circulating air over the vrm sinks and you will be fine. I'm not sure where the logic fails that because you have a core water block that you can neglect to cool the other heat generators. If you want no fans, shell out more money for a full cover block and shut up :D.
~ Peace out.
HotGore
06-24-2009, 04:08 PM
I have the perfect solution if I go with what you guys mentioned. I have some stock copper heat sinks from my old 7800 GTs I can slap on there.
Also the fact that I got a job offer today makes the cost easier to swallow.
MomijiTMO
06-24-2009, 04:10 PM
Congrats!
Yeah copper sinks sounds like the best solution.
EDIT : You could be extreme like this guy. I got a good lol out of his solution.
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5696/1000504i.jpg
shazza
06-24-2009, 04:42 PM
So, from what you guys are saying, it sounds like this config may not work too well ...
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/572096886_NhvyX-M.jpg
I can put the heat pipe on that came with the MCW60-4870, but I can't tell for sure if it will be enough ... it's a pain to take off the stock heatsink on this board. Hmmmnnn ... it will get decent airflow from the fans in my Torture Rack build, but maybe not in a regular case.
MomijiTMO
06-24-2009, 04:46 PM
It will be fine Shazza. That sink is HUGE compared to the normal ones that Swiffy have out.
So, from what you guys are saying, it sounds like this config may not work too well ...
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/572096886_NhvyX-M.jpg
I can put the heat pipe on that came with the MCW60-4870, but I can't tell for sure if it will be enough ... it's a pain to take off the stock heatsink on this board. Hmmmnnn ... it will get decent airflow from the fans in my Torture Rack build, but maybe not in a regular case.
the heat pipe is water-cooled so it will do a better job than any passive sink. it would be equivalent to a heat-sink+a fan, except that you don't need the fan :-)
shazza
06-24-2009, 06:56 PM
Thanks, Gabe - that makes sense. But, it looks like this card has two different areas being cooled, and the heatsink won't cover both. I could be wrong --- it's a pain to remove the stock heatsink cause it's connected to the board with pushpins. I'll try it in the next day or so, and see how it does before dismantling it further. BTW, I really like the MCW60-4870 - my first experience with a non-full cover block.