Swiftech Releases Komodo HD5800 F/C Waterblock For ATI

We are pleased to announce that the HD5800 FC waterblock for AMD/ATI 5850 and 5870 is now released, and will ship to the channels next week.

Construction is Black Delrin housing, and Chrome Plated Copper base. Fastening to the board is by means of stainless steel standoffs, and pre-applied thermal pads for memory and mosfets facilitate installation.

Here are some pics:

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/imag...o-5800x800.jpg

The back plate shows the three alternate standoff locations allowing the change from HD5870 (stock config) to HD5850.

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/imag...0-baseX800.jpg

Cooling of the GPU is enhanced by Komodo's standard 0.6mm pin matrix:

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/imag...MATRIXX400.jpg

MSRP is $114.95, including a set of 1/2" chrome plated barbs.

Let me also take this opportunity to update members about a few more things:

- HD5850 and 5870 Heatsinks are due for release within a couple of weeks
- MSRP Price reductions are now in effect for nVidia F/C blocks, including Komodo series, and Epsilon.
- The AM2/AM3/XEON Mounting plates for Apogee XT are here. We just need a few more days to package them.

Wow, That is very cool Gabe. I love how you guys think about the end user when designing your blocks. Make it as easy as possible to install. Great work Gabe. :up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by millertime359

Wow, That is very cool Gabe. I love how you guys think about the end user when designing your blocks. Make it as easy as possible to install. Great work Gabe. :up:

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Thanks.. We do that whenever it's technically possible. Unfortunately, we couldn't for the heatsinks though.. but the heatsinks are inexpensive, so I guess we'll have to live with two separate models..

Good job, Swiftech. Really nice block.
All manufactures have made their 5870 blocks now. It`s time for some numbers :up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WaterFlex

Good job, Swiftech. Really nice block.
All manufactures have made their 5870 blocks now. It`s time for some numbers :up:

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SKINNEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :sofa:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WaterFlex

Good job, Swiftech. Really nice block.
All manufactures have made their 5870 blocks now. It`s time for some numbers :up:

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I published some performance numbers here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...&postcount=198

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WaterFlex

Good job, Swiftech. Really nice block.
All manufactures have made their 5870 blocks now. It`s time for some numbers :up:

---

I've been thinking about it, But it would rely on every manufactures support, as the card is pretty expensive itself before adding block prices. And thats before begin able to get hold of one.

Gabe - fantastic design, love the cross compatibility. Other manufacturers of full cover solutions should take a leaf out of your book.

I would go as far to say that Swiftech now manufacture the best full cover blocks on the market:

• Great performance
• Ease of install with the standoffs
• Great looks!

Quote:

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HD5850 and 5870 Heatsinks are due for release within a couple of weeks

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Is that the "unisinks" for MCW60?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mekrel

Gabe - fantastic design, love the cross compatibility. Other manufacturers of full cover solutions should take a leaf out of your book.

I would go as far to say that Swiftech now manufacture the best full cover blocks on the market:

• Great performance
• Ease of install with the standoffs
• Great looks!

---

Wow, thank you! The compliment certainly hits a cord here!

Looks awesome!

The combined mount for 5850 and 5870, and the pre-applied pads are really interesting. Don't they influence production costs much?

hummmmm, maybe ill buy one for my Ordered HD5850 :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bentleya

I've been thinking about it, But it would rely on every manufactures support, as the card is pretty expensive itself before adding block prices. And thats before begin able to get hold of one.

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That is the problem with GPU blocks, its just extremely expensive without manufacturer support, both blocks and a card now and then. Takes a long time to build relationships like that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gabe

Wow, thank you! The compliment certainly hits a cord here!

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Well it's true, I loved the look of the Epsilon block and that would have been my choice if I had bought a 295GTX.

I've never heard of any cases of a Epsilon/Komodo block not fitting.

I own a EK8800GTX block which doesn't have standoffs and I've fitted this block 100's of times since doing my PC343B build.

When I last redid the loop, I must have done something wrong and the card was getting artefacts.

Three remounts later and all is well - but it goes to show the error margin is quite small!

I always recommend standoffs now.

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/imag...TALLEDX800.jpg
HD5870 installed -Top side

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/imag...TALLEDx800.jpg
HD5870 installed - back side

You may have me sold on one. I was going to machine my own but considering this is interchangeable to 5870 and I planned on switching back to a 5870 eventually, it's sort of irresistable. I'm too damn busy lately anyways.

Looks great. Is a 5970 block coming soon as well?

Looks good Gabe. A+++ for Swiftech. A lot of great products coming from you guys lately.

There has been a lot of talk about water over the vrms lately. How does this card fair in that case? Maybe there's been pictures of it on this forum but can't remember seeing any of this block.

Happy to hear it's finally out. Keep up the great work with your Komodo line, definitely the best full cover solutions available. Good looks, high materials & finishing quality, excellent GPU cooling, an eye to VRM cooling (since before the recent fuss about it), all at a price competitive to clearly lesser quality blocks. :toast:

@woffen: iirc, water flows almost directly above VRMs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gabe

http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/imag...TALLEDx800.jpg
HD5870 installed - back side

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Wow, you where even able to reuse the spring loaded ati screws, nice touch. :up:

gabe

do you have the picture of the underside of the pom top? i wanna see hoe the water flows thru the pin matrix...i'm guess its like the single 295 block that you have...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by woffen

There has been a lot of talk about water over the vrms lately. How does this card fair in that case? Maybe there's been pictures of it on this forum but can't remember seeing any of this block.

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i would like to see the difference between water over, or nearby the VRMs, i cant see 40C vs 60C vrms making too much of a difference

Nice job swiffy :)

Very nice! Fantastic job Gabe!:up:

Gabe,
could you please give me accurate dimension of this part:

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/7200/sizekomodo.jpg

I'm afraid it may be hard to fit this nice block in my cube case
(I have PSU hanging just above graphic card)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CthulpiSS

Gabe,
could you please give me accurate dimension of this part:

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/7200/sizekomodo.jpg

I'm afraid it may be hard to fit this nice block in my cube case
(I have PSU hanging just above graphic card)

---

0.97" (24.7mm)

Gabe

First off, thumbs up for the excellent service rendered by your staff, Michelle, on my recent purchase of the Komodo 5800.

I would like to share some feedbacks on the actual product.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/komodo3.jpg
I love the chrome plating for that polished look. Factory installed standoffs and thermal pads are additional pros for hassle-free installation.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/komodo4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/komodo5.jpg
That said, the finishing of my block can definitely be better. For starters, the base is not as smooth as I hope. Furthermore, one of the inlet/outlet holes is chipped with loose bits of acetal. Lastly, you may like to consider throwing in the allen key in the package as standard, too.

This is about the first time I encountered such an issue after using Swiftech products since the Apogee days. Hopefully, this is just an isolated case.

I do sincerely hope that the cost cutting measure of shifting production to China will not hurt the quality, as well as reputation of your offerings. Please take my feedback positively as I really like Swiftech watercooling components.

Phil

This looks like the Chinasyndrome Philwong - seen it happen on numerous occassions before when the western world companies moves their production to third world countries. These countries always use time to sort out their qc sorted out - meanwhile the products are beeing shipped out and the owners are sitting there with crossed fingers hoping things is ok.

This whole mess is caused by customers that want to pay as little as possibly for the products, shareholders that wants to earn money and so on. It's pretty complex.

I would easily pay 2-3 times more for my cooling gear if I knew it was produced in a western country and beeing "Rolls Royce" products.

I would like to see watercooling blocks for dual GPU cards with possibility for separate loops, likewise small effective pumps aka C Systems pumps for these setups. And 140 mm quad,triple and quad radiators with four inlets and outlets - this will make my day :D

EDIT: I don't belive that the pinmatrix in the picture below is produced in a high end cnc mill :p

http://i50.tinypic.com/mb74ut.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Main

...
EDIT: I don't belive that the pinmatrix in the picture below is produced in a high end cnc mill :p

http://i50.tinypic.com/mb74ut.jpg

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Yeah, I was kinda surprised to see that photo up on their site.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by warriorpoet

Yeah, I was kinda surprised to see that photo up on their site.

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jupp I will call it a headshot :) - I work with these things and know wery well the Chinasyndrome.

But as said - Swiftech is one of my favorite producers - I would hate to see them go down the drain. IT MUST NOT HAPPEN !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Philwong

Gabe

First off, thumbs up for the excellent service rendered by your staff, Michelle, on my recent purchase of the Komodo 5800.

I would like to share some feedbacks on the actual product.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/komodo3.jpg
I love the chrome plating for that polished look. Factory installed standoffs and thermal pads are additional pros for hassle-free installation.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/komodo4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/komodo5.jpg
That said, the finishing of my block can definitely be better. For starters, the base is not as smooth as I hope. Furthermore, one of the inlet/outlet holes is chipped with loose bits of acetal. Lastly, you may like to consider throwing in the allen key in the package as standard, too.

This is about the first time I encountered such an issue after using Swiftech products since the Apogee days. Hopefully, this is just an isolated case.

I do sincerely hope that the cost cutting measure of shifting production to China will not hurt the quality, as well as reputation of your offerings. Please take my feedback positively as I really like Swiftech watercooling components.

Phil

---

I do appreciate the criticism, it helps us do better, but I'd also like to get some operational feed-back. Have you tested the board yet? Let's see some temps and overclocks!

Base finish: I've asked our CNC guy to modify the tool path on the surface finish operation over the GPU to a circular pattern. Hopefully we can start implementing this in the next production batches.

Thread burs: totally concur. Been asking my ppl to be careful with this, and it looks like I'm going have to yell louder this time.

Allen wrench: OK

Cost cutting measures: these days, most if not all of the components in our PC's are made somewhere in Asia. If we want to stay in business, we have no choice but to make things over there. The toughest part for small American businesses when shifting production to Asia is to create a quality culture within the organization. As usual, it boils down to picking the right individuals to do the job, train them right, and keep pushing for perfection.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

I do appreciate the criticism, it helps us do better, but I'd also like to get some operational feed-back. Have you tested the board yet? Let's see some temps and overclocks!

Base finish: I've asked our CNC guy to modify the tool path on the surface finish operation over the GPU to a circular pattern. Hopefully we can start implementing this in the next production batches.

Thread burs: totally concur. Been asking my ppl to be careful with this, and it looks like I'm going have to yell louder this time.

Allen wrench: OK

Cost cutting measures: these days, most if not all of the components in our PC's are made somewhere in Asia. If we want to stay in business, we have no choice but to make things over there. The toughest part for small American businesses when shifting production to Asia is to create a quality culture within the organization. As usual, it boils down to picking the right individuals to do the job, train them right, and keep pushing for perfection.

---

gabe,

I love what your company does. Y'all innovate like mad, listen to your customers and adjust according to end-user feedback in a way few others do. I also appreciate the realities of the modern design and manufacturing business.

Here's the way I see the perceived quality issue: you operate in a unique, high-expectation marketplace where perception is reality. to compound the problem, most water-coolers do it as a hobby or view it as a luxury. The problem is, even if your micropin bases perform like crazy (and all testing I've seen confirms this), the visual flaws bring up quality concerns that may or may not be warranted from a performance standpoint.

Where far-East manufacturing is concerned, I've seen some AMAZING machining done, so the country of origin is absolutely a non-issue. I've seen about a dozen companies move to Korean or Chinese manufacturing, and they all start the same way- substandard visual defects. Where they go from there, and the level of success ultimately attained is generally directly related to the amount of defects the design firm is willing to accept. The successful ones I've seen solve the visual issue within one or two product shipments.

Best wishes to you and Swiftech on your transition. I hope to see the rapid improvement I'm sure you expect, and look forward to purchasing more product from you within the next generation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by warriorpoet

gabe,

I love what your company does. Y'all innovate like mad, listen to your customers and adjust according to end-user feedback in a way few others do. I also appreciate the realities of the modern design and manufacturing business.

Here's the way I see the perceived quality issue: you operate in a unique, high-expectation marketplace where perception is reality. to compound the problem, most water-coolers do it as a hobby or view it as a luxury. The problem is, even if your micropin bases perform like crazy (and all testing I've seen confirms this), the visual flaws bring up quality concerns that may or may not be warranted from a performance standpoint.

Where far-East manufacturing is concerned, I've seen some AMAZING machining done, so the country of origin is absolutely a non-issue. I've seen about a dozen companies move to Korean or Chinese manufacturing, and they all start the same way- substandard visual defects. Where they go from there, and the level of success ultimately attained is generally directly related to the amount of defects the design firm is willing to accept. The successful ones I've seen solve the visual issue within one or two product shipments.

Best wishes to you and Swiftech on your transition. I hope to see the rapid improvement I'm sure you expect, and look forward to purchasing more product from you within the next generation.

---

you are right on the button. excellent comments. the human factor is the most critical. how many times do i have to tell ppl to pay attention to details? on the other hand, I push for high production to satisfy demand. so it's a balancing act.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gabe

...the human factor is the most critical. how many times do i have to tell ppl to pay attention to details? on the other hand, I push for high production to satisfy demand. so it's a balancing act.

---

I imagine that can get pretty frustrating, especially with something so low-tolerance.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

I do appreciate the criticism, it helps us do better, but I'd also like to get some operational feed-back. Have you tested the board yet? Let's see some temps and overclocks!

Base finish: I've asked our CNC guy to modify the tool path on the surface finish operation over the GPU to a circular pattern. Hopefully we can start implementing this in the next production batches.

Thread burs: totally concur. Been asking my ppl to be careful with this, and it looks like I'm going have to yell louder this time.

Allen wrench: OK

Cost cutting measures: these days, most if not all of the components in our PC's are made somewhere in Asia. If we want to stay in business, we have no choice but to make things over there. The toughest part for small American businesses when shifting production to Asia is to create a quality culture within the organization. As usual, it boils down to picking the right individuals to do the job, train them right, and keep pushing for perfection.

---

Thanks for listening, Gabe.

I'm still recovering from a nasty jet lag and will keep you folks posted on the performance soon. By the way, the inlet/outlet hole is chipped as well and is a bit out of shape at the opening so take note of that, too.

Actually, most products are made in China nowadays. But with tighter QC, the quality can be on par with just about any developed countries. This is a kink that could have been resolved by Swiftech before the blocks are shipped. You'll just have to crack the whip especially when it comes to these low-cost Chinese factories. That's the way things work there at the moment with no racism intended. After all, I'm also a Chinese.

Phil

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v97/tmwong/rig6.jpg
This is my current rig and the following is the revised loop configuration.

ST MCP655 -> ST GTZ (i7@4Ghz) -> ST MCW-NBMAX (NB) -> BI GTS120 -> ST Komodo 5800 (5870) -> ST MCW30 (SB) -> ST MCR220 -> BI GTS120 -> ST MCP655.

Fans will be swapped from Noctua P12 to AC F12 PWM thermal controlled via Rampage II Gene.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/komodo1.jpg
The Komodo is replacing my MCW60 rev. 2 due to high PWM temp during gaming.

Phil

Hi gabe any news on the heatsink covers for the 5 series as ill purchase it + mcw60 + my 5850/70 when it's out =)

Gabe

I'm facing the same no display problem encountered by another XS member here;
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=244152

It seems like the stock GPU cross bracket might be shorting the card without the springs as suggested by Swiftech's installation manual. Either way, the instruction "fasten gradually in a cross pattern until each leg of the bracket bottoms out" is obviously wrong according to your suggestion in that post.

I hope you're already investigating this issue and will be issuing an advisory on a permanent solution soon. Will the workaround solution suggested in the other post compromise the CPU and block contact and cooling performance, too?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ng/newloop.jpg
I just spent two days installing my tight loop and it's nothing short of a nightmare to correct this problem. Not only does this waste my precious time, my new coolant is probably going down the drain as well. Sigh.

Phil

you can access the screws from the backside of the card just back them off 1-2 turns this solved my problem.

Good luck and stellar install

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iboomalot

you can access the screws from the backside of the card just back them off 1-2 turns this solved my problem.

Good luck and stellar install

---

I tried, the screws are too tight. More importantly, there aren't sufficient space to even reach them.

How's your GPU temp after the correction? Thanks anyway.

Phil

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...GPUbracket.jpg
One of my friends snapped this photo of the cross bracket. As you can see, it does come with a thin layer of isolation film. That eliminates the short circuit theory, but I'm still not quite convinced the springs should be removed. They're there for a reason and possibly to prevent over tightening.

Phil

the difference in height is 1mm thus 2 turns

This equals the distance at stock tension.

When fully tightened it puts pressure on the GPU or some other part.

All i know is loosen your screws and it should work.


Might try a wrench on the end of the scewdriver to give you leverage to break them loose.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iboomalot

the difference in height is 1mm thus 2 turns

This equals the distance at stock tension.

When fully tightened it puts pressure on the GPU or some other part.

All i know is loosen your screws and it should work.

Might try a wrench on the end of the scewdriver to give you leverage to break them loose.

---

Will consider, thanks once again for the suggestion.

Phil

Where to buy one in EU?
Or, Gabe can I buy one directly from you?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Philwong

Gabe

I'm facing the same no display problem encountered by another XS member here;
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=244152

It seems like the stock GPU cross bracket might be shorting the card without the springs as suggested by Swiftech's installation manual. Either way, the instruction "fasten gradually in a cross pattern until each leg of the bracket bottoms out" is obviously wrong according to your suggestion in that post.

I hope you're already investigating this issue and will be issuing an advisory on a permanent solution soon. Will the workaround solution suggested in the other post compromise the CPU and block contact and cooling performance, too?


I just spent two days installing my tight loop and it's nothing short of a nightmare to correct this problem. Not only does this waste my precious time, my new coolant is probably going down the drain as well. Sigh.

Phil

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Technical Bulletin - Komodo HD5800 - Reprint from HD5800 Product Page (news and technical bulletins section) and Swiftech forums.

Date: 2-2-10

Issue:
No graphics display after installation of the Komodo HD5800 (black screen). This is a random occurence, and no permanent damage to the card is expected.

Cause:
Overtightening of the 4 screws fastening the stock spring-backplate.

Field/user resolution:
Uninstalling the block is not necessary.
Backing off the 4 screws by a minimum of 1 turn, and not to exceed 2 turns (an equal amount of turns for each screw is essential) resolves the issue, and restores graphics functionality.

Scope:
This issue may affect all water-blocks shipped between December 1st, 2009 and January 31st, 2010.

Production Resolution:
Effective February 1st, 2010, inclusion of a nylon washer between board and spring back-plate prevents the user from overtightening of the spring back-plate. Installation guide was revised accordingly (http://www.swiftnets.com/products/in...ultilangue.pdf)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

Technical Bulletin - Komodo HD5800 - Reprint from HD5800 Product Page (news and technical bulletins section) and Swiftech forums.

Date: 2-2-10

Issue:
No graphics display after installation of the Komodo HD5800 (black screen). This is a random occurence, and no permanent damage to the card is expected.

Cause:
Overtightening of the 4 screws fastening the stock spring-backplate.

Field/user resolution:
Uninstalling the block is not necessary.
Backing off the 4 screws by a minimum of 1 turn, and not to exceed 2 turns (an equal amount of turns for each screw is essential) resolves the issue, and restores graphics functionality.

Scope:
This issue may affect all water-blocks shipped between December 1st, 2009 and January 31st, 2010.

Production Resolution:
Effective February 1st, 2010, inclusion of a nylon washer between board and spring back-plate prevents the user from overtightening of the spring back-plate. Installation guide was revised accordingly (http://www.swiftnets.com/products/in...ultilangue.pdf)

---

Those nylon washers should solve this problem. Thanks for following up and offering a permanent solution.

Phil

i think gabe just told everyone to stop going hulk status on their backplates lol

Damn, I wish I could test my Komodo.

It is mounted on my GFX card in my case, but I can't do anything until I've received my AM2 mounting kit for the Apogee XT (Was shipped by Performance-PCs on the 5th of Jan, I think it is lost).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by irenedakota

Damn, I wish I could test my Komodo.

It is mounted on my GFX card in my case, but I can't do anything until I've received my AM2 mounting kit for the Apogee XT (Was shipped by Performance-PCs on the 5th of Jan, I think it is lost).

---

Did you bottom out all 4 screws for the GPU cross bracket according to the original Swiftech instruction?

Phil

I did, but after reading this and the other thread I have back turned by 1.5 turns. I think I'm going to unmount it and put some washers there (I have some lying around)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by irenedakota

I did, but after reading this and the other thread I have back turned by 1.5 turns. I think I'm going to unmount it and put some washers there (I have some lying around)

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Don't. I believe your card should be fine after the correction.

Remounting the block might affect the performance of your thermal pads since they're already compressed. This should not be a problem unless you can achieve the exact screw pressure again.

Phil

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Philwong

Don't. I believe your card should be fine after the correction.

Remounting the block might affect the performance of your thermal pads since they're already compressed. This should not be a problem unless you can achieve the exact screw pressure again.

Phil

---

Forgot about the thermal pads, thanks. Will have to wait for my CPU mounting kit to arrive to test it though :(

I unfortunately did not find this thread until I already installed my Komodo on my 5870, and I too ran into the same problem. I recognised the problem with the bracket myself once my initial installation came up dead because of the short, and backed it off- now the monitor gets a signal (no image- the monitor just picks up a signal for a few seconds and then goes black again). I am very confident I installed it properly and I didn't get anything wet so the most likely scenario is that this backplate short did permanent damage. I even tried taking the backplate right off and still dead.

I swore I'd never buy another swiftech block after the seal on my Apogee GTZ started leaking one day and killed two 260s- I don't know what I was thinking getting another one.

Very ticked off right now at Swiftech's shoddy execution of their products.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Babrbarossa

I unfortunately did not find this thread until I already installed my Komodo on my 5870, and I too ran into the same problem. I recognised the problem with the bracket myself though and backed it off- now the monitor gets a signal (no image- the minitor just picks up a signal) for a few seconds and then goes black again. I am very confident I installed it properly and I didn't get anything wet so the most liekly scenario is that this backplate short did permanent damage. I even tried taking the backplate right off and still dead.

I swore I'd never buy another swiftech block after the seal on my Apogee GTZ started leakeding one day and killed two 260s- I don't know what I was thinking getting another one.

Very ticked off right now at Swiftech's shoddy QA/QC.

---

You should try to reinstall the stock HSF and give your 5870 another go. Be prepared to RMA the card if necessary. Good luck.

Phil

Juste ordered a Komodo. Hope ill not have any issue !

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boulard83

Juste ordered a Komodo. Hope ill not have any issue !

---

You may like to check whether the package include the new GPU plastic washers.

Phil

I already have these on hand ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boulard83

I already have these on hand ;)

---

Have fun then...

Phil

Can somebody post a pic of what is supposedly being shorted? Is it on the backside of the card, where the X bracket sits? If it is how come it does not short by default then? I'm not sure I understood the problem from this thread and I'd be curious to see it before I decide to cool my cards with this block.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dejanh

Can somebody post a pic of what is supposedly being shorted? Is it on the backside of the card, where the X bracket sits? If it is how come it does not short by default then? I'm not sure I understood the problem from this thread and I'd be curious to see it before I decide to cool my cards with this block.

---

here is the explanation:

the stock heatsink standoffs go thru the pcb, and stick out on the back side of it by 1mm. when you tighten the stock X spring bracket, it sits on the standoffs and is therefore 1m above the pcb.

Since we are not using standoffs that go thu the pcb, when we tighten the x bracket, it comes to mate with the pcb backside. it's not a problem to touch the pcb, since these spots are grounded. but since we are bending the arms of the X spring bracket a tiny little bit more, the end of the arms might be sometimes slightly touching some surface mount components that are close to the grounded holes. it is very subtle, and doesn't happen systematically. It really depends on the height tolerances of said surface mount components. For example, we never had the problems during our validation testing, on several different ATI boards, including 5870, 5850's and 5970's.. this is the reason why it never caught our attention to begin with.

The fix to this problem was very simple: include washers that go under the X spring bracket so that it stays sufficiently above the board to never touch anything. the same result is achieved (without washers) by simply backing off the screws by a turn or two..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

here is the explanation:

the stock heatsink standoffs go thru the pcb, and stick out on the back side of it by 1mm. when you tighten the stock X spring bracket, it sits on the standoffs and is therefore 1m above the pcb.

Since we are not using standoffs that go thu the pcb, when we tighten the x bracket, it comes to mate with the pcb backside. it's not a problem to touch the pcb, since these spots are grounded. but since we are bending the arms of the X spring bracket a tiny little bit more, the end of the arms might be sometimes slightly touching some surface mount components that are close to the grounded holes. it is very subtle, and doesn't happen systematically. It really depends on the height tolerances of said surface mount components. For example, we never had the problems during our validation testing, on several different ATI boards, including 5870, 5850's and 5970's.. this is the reason why it never caught our attention to begin with.

The fix to this problem was very simple: include washers that go under the X spring bracket so that it stays sufficiently above the board to never touch anything. the same result is achieved (without washers) by simply backing off the screws by a turn or two..

---

Got it. Thanks Gabe. I have a lot of spare nylon washers anyway so if I do decide to go down this route I should be good then. Still waiting for my second HD 5850 :(

Just installed my komodo. Using MX-3 as thermal paste.

GPU temp : 39°c under OCCT gpu test after 30+ minutes

My Vreg are at ~70°c but i keept the stock thermal pad. I didnt removed it to use paste as contact and i think the temp are normal as this with thermal pad for the Vreg.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Boulard83

Just installed my komodo. Using MX-3 as thermal paste.

GPU temp : 39°c under OCCT gpu test after 30+ minutes

My Vreg are at ~70°c but i keept the stock thermal pad. I didnt removed it to use paste as contact and i think the temp are normal as this with thermal pad for the Vreg.

---

I read at the end of this thread that people were removing the thermal tape and using TIM and getting excellent results:
http://translate.google.com/translat...ate.google.com

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boulard83

Just installed my komodo. Using MX-3 as thermal paste.

GPU temp : 39°c under OCCT gpu test after 30+ minutes

My Vreg are at ~70°c but i keept the stock thermal pad. I didnt removed it to use paste as contact and i think the temp are normal as this with thermal pad for the Vreg.

---

70*C load temps on the vregs are still incredibly good temps. Have you voltmodded the card yet?

Bah I need my second HD 5850 to be shipped out and then I can put everything together and see what temps I would get on the VREG with the paste instead of the pads.

By the way, Gabe, the first Komodo I received is brand new but kinda beat up. There are scratches on the acetal, loose pieces of metal from machining, and part of the base is not even chrome plated. I do not have a camera handy right now to take a pic but that's pretty iffy QC. :shrug:

I've already cleaned up the loose metal pieces and the scratches on the acetal are not the end of the world, but the plating, I'm wondering how that one got missed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Razrback16

70*C load temps on the vregs are still incredibly good temps. Have you voltmodded the card yet?

---

Currently running at 950/1300 with 1.175v. Furmark takes my Vreg a lil high as i told but its still far from bad !

After playing GTA4 for several hours :

Single loop with Dual MCP655, 1x TFC360 and 3x SplitStream shrouded at ~1200rpm.

CPU : ~45°c ( coretemp )
GPU : ~37°c ( AfterBurner )
Vreg : ~55°c ( GPUZ, i think, ill check againg soon )

Ill be doind more testing but my PSU is currently RMAed so im stuck with an old CoolerMaster 650w.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dejanh

Bah I need my second HD 5850 to be shipped out and then I can put everything together and see what temps I would get on the VREG with the paste instead of the pads.

By the way, Gabe, the first Komodo I received is brand new but kinda beat up. There are scratches on the acetal, loose pieces of metal from machining, and part of the base is not even chrome plated. I do not have a camera handy right now to take a pic but that's pretty iffy QC. :shrug:

I've already cleaned up the loose metal pieces and the scratches on the acetal are not the end of the world, but the plating, I'm wondering how that one got missed.

---

We re-machined one of the cavities in a post production operation, reason why it is not plated.

BTW, I found a great product to erase minor surface scratches from the Delrin housing: brake cleaner.. it ever so slightly etches the skin of the Delrin, and gives it a very nice and smooth finish.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

We re-machined one of the cavities in a post production operation, reason why it is not plated.

BTW, I found a great product to erase minor surface scratches from the Delrin housing: brake cleaner.. it ever so slightly etches the skin of the Delrin, and gives it a very nice and smooth finish.

---

Brake cleaner is powerful stuff. For anyone who tries this, be sure not to get any on the rubber o-rings or any rubber seals. It's only safe on metals and strong plastics, such as Delrin.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EnJoY

Brake cleaner is powerful stuff. For anyone who tries this, be sure not to get any on the rubber o-rings or any rubber seals. It's only safe on metals and strong plastics, such as Delrin.

---

:nuts: am using brake cleaner now... :nuts: should also mention that ... :nuts: good room ventilation is needed... :nuts:

just kidding.. but here is the technique: spray some Brake Cleaner on cloth, and then wipe the Delrin the surface...

Heres my block.

http://www.infodupat.com/Cosmos/Komodo004.JPG

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

:nuts: am using brake cleaner now... :nuts: should also mention that ... :nuts: good room ventilation is needed... :nuts:

just kidding.. but here is the technique: spray some Brake Cleaner on cloth, and then wipe the Delrin the surface...

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Haha, yes. And you might want to wear gloves to as it can irritate your skin and you definitely do not want it in your eyes either. Then again, I probably have about a gallon of it in my blood stream from working on cars over the years.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boulard83

Heres my block.

http://www.infodupat.com/Cosmos/Komodo004.JPG

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..and you can see the cavity we re-machined and that is not plated on the left.

Im very happy with it Gabe. Install was EZ and straight foward. Ill try it with paste on the Vreg on my next Flush/Refill.

If i do this, i only remove the 2 tape on the extrem left and use paste ? ( MX-3 in my case )

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boulard83

Im very happy with it Gabe. Install was EZ and straight foward. Ill try it with paste on the Vreg on my next Flush/Refill.

If i do this, i only remove the 2 tape on the extrem left and use paste ? ( MX-3 in my case )

---

that's right. it's also documented in the install guide..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

that's right. it's also documented in the install guide..

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Just wanted to be sure. The contact gona be OK without the tape ( thickness ) ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EnJoY

Haha, yes. And you might want to wear gloves to as it can irritate your skin and you definitely do not want it in your eyes either. Then again, I probably have about a gallon of it in my blood stream from working on cars over the years.

---

almost forgot one more: don't smoke when you are spraying or :explode2: :zombie:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Boulard83

Just wanted to be sure. The contact gona be OK without the tape ( thickness ) ?

---

yes, according to our tests it is much better.

Thanks Gabe !

Thanks for the heads up. I was wondering how that one got missed :p:

Time to report Komodo's performance

Idle (rad fans throttling @ 1.1 to 1.2K)
GPU/MEM/Shader/VRM: 40c/40c/44c/44c

Furmark (rad fans @ 1.3 to 1.5K)
GPU/MEM/Shader/VRM: 52c/60c/65c/86c

I'm still using thermal pad for VRM because it's too troublesome for me to switch over to paste.

The high temp is not exactly a big deal since the VRM usually hovered around 60c when I play MW2 and Dirt 2.

Phil

I have similar VRM temp with the pads. But i barely brake ~41°c under furmark. Ambiant ~25°c and water ~31°c after 10 min of furmark at 950/1300 1.175c.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boulard83

I have similar VRM temp with the pads. But i barely brake ~41°c under furmark. Ambiant ~25°c and water ~31°c after 10 min of furmark at 950/1300 1.175c.

---

My ambient and water temps are 30+c and 42c, respectively. The cooling performance is also dependent on individual setup. Mine is far from optimal due to space and layout constraints.

Phil

Got my Komodo in today... Man what a sexy block!!!

Hey Gabe, I have a question for you...what length of Bitspower direct connect do I need for connecting two of these in CrossFireX on EVGA Classified E759 (NF200 version)? I measured things and it looks like I need the 25mm connector (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/bishg14simid.html), but I am not 100% sure. This also matches what you have printed here http://swiftnets.com/products/Komodo-gtx285.asp.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Well, I just put in an order for the 25mm direct connect fittings. I read your page, measured, then measured again, then calculated, then calculated again and I always come out to ~25mm. I really hope I got this right.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gabe

almost forgot one more: don't smoke when you are spraying or :explode2: :zombie:

---

I disagree. The fire is part of the fun. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gabe

yes, according to our tests it is much better.

---

Hmmm....well...

I recently bought two Komodo blocks and installed one on one of my HD 5850 card to do some overclock testing while I am waiting for my second HD 5850.

I went straight for the Advanced Thermal Utilization step seen on page 5 here http://swiftnets.com/products/instal...ultilangue.pdf because I did not even want to bother with the thermal pads but I am getting awful VRM temps and I think I know why...the block does not seem to be making adequate contact with the VRMs at all, but there is no way to screw in the block any further without cutting the fasteners to shorten them.

At 1.225V and 1000/1250 overclock running Furmark the VRM temperatures go over 100C. At 1.187V and 975/1250 overclock the VRM temperatures hit high 90s. I did not dare let it run to see what the max temperatures would come to, but all I know is that they kept on rising when I stopped the test. The stock air cooler kept the VRM temperatures to ~80C at these voltages and clocks. GPU temps themselves are excellent topping out in mid 30s.

Any ideas what to do? As it is right now I have no choice but to back down the overclock to get the temperatures on the VRMs within working range (i.e., below 100C).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dejanh

Hmmm....well...

I recently bought two Komodo blocks and installed one on one of my HD 5850 card to do some overclock testing while I am waiting for my second HD 5850.

I went straight for the Advanced Thermal Utilization step seen on page 5 here http://swiftnets.com/products/instal...ultilangue.pdf because I did not even want to bother with the thermal pads but I am getting awful VRM temps and I think I know why...the block does not seem to be making adequate contact with the VRMs at all, but there is no way to screw in the block any further without cutting the fasteners to shorten them.

At 1.225V and 1000/1250 overclock running Furmark the VRM temperatures go over 100C. At 1.187V and 975/1250 overclock the VRM temperatures hit high 90s. I did not dare let it run to see what the max temperatures would come to, but all I know is that they kept on rising when I stopped the test. The stock air cooler kept the VRM temperatures to ~80C at these voltages and clocks. GPU temps themselves are excellent topping out in mid 30s.

Any ideas what to do? As it is right now I have no choice but to back down the overclock to get the temperatures on the VRMs within working range (i.e., below 100C).

---

Something is definitely wrong, you might try a reseat or something...

My best I have got so far stable is 1081/1306 at 1.35v... My core maxed out at 35*C and my hottest VRM got to 65*C... I think I will stick with this overclock, I don't want to push my luck with BC2 coming out tomorrow hehe, its stable, and its a pretty respective overclock IMO.

It still isn't breaking a sweat yet, so i'm sure it will go further. :)

BTW, this is at 75.8*F ambient temps, and with my san ace 1011 fans at almost silent RPM's, but I have a pretty overkill watercooling setup.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Badfastbusa

Something is definitely wrong, you might try a reseat or something...

My best I have got so far stable is 1081/1306 at 1.35v... My core maxed out at 35*C and my hottest VRM got to 65*C... I think I will stick with this overclock, I don't want to push my luck with BC2 coming out tomorrow hehe, its stable, and its a pretty respective overclock IMO.

It still isn't breaking a sweat yet, so i'm sure it will go further. :)

BTW, this is at 75.8*F ambient temps, and with my san ace 1011 fans at almost silent RPM's, but I have a pretty overkill watercooling setup.

---

I took down the loop, removed the block and I was right, the contact with the VRMs is terrible. Only 1 VRM seems to have made good contact and all of the ones on the back (rear) of the card (5 or so) did not make any sort of contact really. I re-did all of the block fasteners/bolts to tighten them as much as physically possible, re-applied the paste, put everything together again and did not get any improvement in VRM temperatures at all. Running Furmark 1.8.0 in windowed mode at 1920x1200 with 8x AA on loads the VRMs to 100C in ~2 minutes. This is brutally bad. Check out the screenshot below...

@2 minutes hottest VRM is at 97C and climbing steadily...

http://img.techpowerup.org/100302/vr...er_remount.jpg

Gabe?

Did you clean the tape off really well off of the waterblock, along with the clear gooey leftover?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Badfastbusa

Did you clean the tape off really well off of the waterblock, along with the clear gooey leftover?

---

Yep all of the pad, all of the tape, all of it period. I've done it twice over, mounting problems are out of the question now. There is physically no way the block is gonna get any tighter to the graphics board.

I really want to get Gabe's comment on this but most of all I want to see what happens with the incoming Asus EAH5850. I am currently running MSI R5850. I know that there has been issues in the past with HD5970 cards where certain components on the cards sat higher/lower than usual. These did not happen to be MSI cards but still, I am not excluding anything at this point. I cannot believe that Gabe would have missed this in design so I want to get his comment...then again, who knows. I will have to measure the thickness of both blocks now too, the one that is mounted and the one that is in the box still.

I wonder if anyone else with the Komodo and paste instead of the tape would be willing to do some Furmark 1.8.0 action at 1920x1200 with 8x AA. Just to point out too that running Kombustor instead of Furmark is not the same thing. The electrical current (amp) load on the VRMs is much higher with Furmark 1.8.0 and above settings than that of Kombustor. At least that's what I have observed.

Edit: I powered down the system and measured the thickness of the mounted block with the standoff vs. the thickness of the block with the standoff that is still in the box. There is a total of 0.35mm-0.4mm difference in thickness between the two blocks. This could be the reason for such awful VRM temps. The mounted block is ~15.55mm thick measured with a digital caliper from the top side of the block to the top of the standoff, and the one that is still in the box measures ~15.2mm from the top side of the block to the top of the standoff. Considering that we are dealing with very fine measurements here this could make all the difference between the VRMs cooling or not. Also note that I re-did the measurements several times and they always come out to within 0.05mm so the difference of >0.3mm is definitely there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dejanh

Yep all of the pad, all of the tape, all of it period. I've done it twice over, mounting problems are out of the question now. There is physically no way the block is gonna get any tighter to the graphics board.

I really want to get Gabe's comment on this but most of all I want to see what happens with the incoming Asus EAH5850. I am currently running MSI R5850. I know that there has been issues in the past with HD5970 cards where certain components on the cards sat higher/lower than usual. These did not happen to be MSI cards but still, I am not excluding anything at this point. I cannot believe that Gabe would have missed this in design so I want to get his comment...then again, who knows. I will have to measure the thickness of both blocks now too, the one that is mounted and the one that is in the box still.

I wonder if anyone else with the Komodo and paste instead of the tape would be willing to do some Furmark 1.8.0 action at 1920x1200 with 8x AA. Just to point out too that running Kombustor instead of Furmark is not the same thing. The electrical current (amp) load on the VRMs is much higher with Furmark 1.8.0 and above settings than that of Kombustor. At least that's what I have observed.

Edit: I powered down the system and measured the thickness of the mounted block with the standoff vs. the thickness of the block with the standoff that is still in the box. There is a total of 0.35mm-0.4mm difference in thickness between the two blocks. This could be the reason for such awful VRM temps. The mounted block is ~15.55mm thick measured with a digital caliper from the top side of the block to the top of the standoff, and the one that is still in the box measures ~15.2mm from the top side of the block to the top of the standoff. Considering that we are dealing with very fine measurements here this could make all the difference between the VRMs cooling or not. Also note that I re-did the measurements several times and they always come out to within 0.05mm so the difference of >0.3mm is definitely there.

---

I am out of the country for 2 weeks travelling.. Will try to get back to you asap in between two meetings..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gabe

I am out of the country for 2 weeks travelling.. Will try to get back to you asap in between two meetings..

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Thank you sir :up:

Im also waiting for this Gabe ... im on thermal tape and the temp are so-so on the VRM ... i wish to switch to Paste but im afraid now ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Boulard83

Im also waiting for this Gabe ... im on thermal tape and the temp are so-so on the VRM ... i wish to switch to Paste but im afraid now ...

---

Don't do it. My card is now toast too. I'll show tomorrow that this does not work 100%(explanation + pics).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dejanh

Don't do it. My card is now toast too. I'll show tomorrow that this does not work 100%(explanation + pics).

---

Sorry to hear that, but the new 5850 and 5870 are supposed to have built in overheating protection against killer software such as Furmark. Plus honestly speaking you are pushing the card to its limit at such high resolution and AA settings.

One of the workarounds is to file the standoff to improve contact, but then it might warp the card in the long run as well. There's a reason why most full face blocks use thermal pad and that's to buffer for the different height tolerances.

Phil

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Philwong

Plus honestly speaking you are pushing the card to its limit at such high resolution and AA settings.

---

What is this, http://www.moderatesystems.org?

I doubt the card has protection in that sense since I doubt VRM would be allowed to hit 110C+. Anyway, what killed the card is the mounting, and remounting, and remounting in hopes to get data for Gabe and to solve this problem. Besides, nothing that is in the installation manual is out of line in terms of proper installation. Unfortunately, I have two Komodo blocks and now a dead card for which I can show that paste method does not work. The uneaven thickness of the block, height of stanoffs, etc., all play a part and when you are dealing with measurements as small as fractions of a millimeter something being off by 0.1mm or 0.2mm or more is significantly off. I will have the pictures up very soon with some data. It's unfortunate I had to sacrifice a card to get this. :shakes:

Bummer about the card, but good information to know.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dejanh

What is this, http://www.moderatesystems.org?

I doubt the card has protection in that sense since I doubt VRM would be allowed to hit 110C+. Anyway, what killed the card is the mounting, and remounting, and remounting in hopes to get data for Gabe and to solve this problem. Besides, nothing that is in the installation manual is out of line in terms of proper installation. Unfortunately, I have two Komodo blocks and now a dead card for which I can show that paste method does not work. The uneaven thickness of the block, height of stanoffs, etc., all play a part and when you are dealing with measurements as small as fractions of a millimeter something being off by 0.1mm or 0.2mm or more is significantly off. I will have the pictures up very soon with some data. It's unfortunate I had to sacrifice a card to get this. :shakes:

---

Dude, that freaking sucks to hear man, that is a ton of money wasted, and I am sure you are very unhappy, especially seeing as BFBC2 is out now and is epic and you can't even play it... However, I haven't had any troubles out of mine, and getting absolutely great temps... I followed the instructions to a T and everything has worked flawlessly... I ran furmark with the exact specs you wanted me to run it and my temps didn't ever get out of hand, so I don't know what to tell ya man...

It would be cool if gabe would throw his insight in on this and maybe give you a helping hand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dejanh

What is this, http://www.moderatesystems.org?

---

Unfortunately, the Komodo is not the most "extreme" block as far as VRM temp is concerned. It's all about expectation and you ought to be looking at EK for the lowest possible temp. Like I mentioned earlier, if Swiftech can bring down the temp by such a huge degree just by using paste, there's no reason why EK will not benefit from this tweak as well.

Phil