Xtreme 7800GTX Air Cooling....

*note: I hope to borrow a camera this weekend to take some pics...

I had the stock cooler replaced by a Zalman 700LED but was far from impressed with the results... overall my temps dropped by 10C compared to the stock cooler... 44C idle 80C full load... so in short it sucked...

I had a spare Zalman 9500 since I bought myself a Typhoon some weeks ago.. yes you can see where this is going.... :D
After taking the GTX out I started measuring what needed to be cut and what could be left but above all if I was able to mount that huge cooler on the GTX using the default mounting holes and clips I had laying around...
Luckily the mounting holes aligned for 97% with the Zalman retention clip used for Pentium mobos... so I knew it was gonna fit :D

First off the cooler was almost 1cm too high to it needed to be shortened so I cut off a large portion of the top fins with a metal scissor..
Once that was sorted it needed to have a very large section of the side removed to avoid contact with the PCI slots etc....

After an hour of cutting I could finally mount the Zalman on the GTX.... AC5... the bracket and bolted it on.... clean fit...
Plugged it in the mobo... connected the wires and fired it up.... and I nearly wet myself... from joy and nerves LOL
Idle temps went from 44C to 38C... full load temps went from 80C to 46C :slobber:

Downside is I probably need to support the card due to the weight of the Zalman.... but it's not a major issue...

As said pics to follow hopefully this weekend.... :)

Update: pictures....

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman1.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman2.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman3.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman4.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman5.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman6.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman7.jpg


Update: Some more pics

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman8.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman9.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/jschalken/4400/zalman10.jpg

And just in case the pics don't show up you can look here.... http://www.nxsecure.org/NightCrawler/4400/

NC™

Holy crap I can't wait to see those pics. :D

wow, i have seen cpu coolers used on gpus before, but a zalman 9500 is really xtreme.

Besides that.... it looks totally awesome... :D

NC™

crazy dude in the house :)

Wow, I cant wait to see pics. Get that card overclocked!

I went from 475/1250 stock to 520/1365... this card needs more volts to take it any further... :(

Just ran a 3DM05 bench and got 9196... temps never went higher then 48C with these speeds...
It could also be my 12v rail as it dropped to 11.37 during the bench... :slapass:

NCâ„¢

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightCrawlerâ„¢

I... temps never went higher then 48C with these speeds...

NCâ„¢

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my GTX idle at 48C :stick: :slapass: :slapass: :slapass:

we need pix !!!! :woot:

Need pix!!! :D

Saturday I'll have pics up LOL

Just played Far Cry for 2 hours.... everything maxed... HDR patch..... the whole nine yards... 52C was my max temp... :D

NC™

:slobber: :slobber:

awsome dude!

i cant wait for pics!

Me want pics now, Some amazing temps there:D

hell of a mod, pics!!

Updated the post with pics as promised..... :D

NC™

oh yeah, that looks good. got any more pics on what you actually cut away from the 9500?

The fourth pic shows best what was cut away.... I could take a better pic if I got the card out of my case but it's a hell of a job... LOL

NC™

good thing you have that side bar to keep things stiff:clap:

Yeah that is what I was just thinking omga14, good thing because that Zalman cooler is quite heavy, at least for a graphics card anyway! Before I switched to water I thought about doing this but I didn't think it would work because of the weight of a CPU cooler so great job NightCrawler!

Actually the weight isn't that bad at all.... I tried to compare it to the vf700 and it felt like they were roughly the same weight..
I did however felt adding the support at the back end would give it some more support as my power connector is actually pulling it downwards.. not the cooler itself..

NC™

I can't see the pics.

Pics dont work here:mad:

Copy and paste the links in a new window.... I've enable hotlink protection on my server...

NC™

haha, thats some nice :banana::banana::banana::banana:! hope the card wont break! :D

Guess you won't be going SLI ;).

Good work NC.

Amazing job, what did you use to cut the fins?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Overconfidence

Guess you won't be going SLI ;).

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No.... :(

LOL :D

@CBLP... I used a metal scissor.. the scissor must be 25 years old at least but still did a great job :p

NC™

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightCrawlerâ„¢

Copy and paste the links in a new window.... I've enable hotlink protection on my server...

NCâ„¢

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Why not allow this web site access to hotlinks?

I run a very large forum and I need all the bandwidth I can get....

NC™

I looked at 2 pics...
I am getting annoys copying all the pics...

please, just post the pics like normal, instead of making a cheap attempt at inflating your traffic numbers by making us all visit your site.
theres better ways to get people to your site, then tricking them...

nice job on the work...
the rest, needs work.
just post the pics next time please, so we can just see them...

guys, you need to learn to find a way around. ;)

here's the link, without eating up bandwidth:

http://www.nxsecure.org/NightCrawler/4400/

hope you don't mind NC. :)

EDIT: oh, and i forgot... good job! :up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kunaak

instead of making a cheap attempt at inflating your traffic numbers by making us all visit your site.
theres better ways to get people to your site, then tricking them...

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I seriously fail to see your point.... Besides that if I felt the need to advertise my site I would have done so already... but I don't...

And not a problem high5....

NC™

Impressive temps from the mod. How about MB/case temps did they drop at all?

Nice job. What test did you run to see full load temps? The best I've found so far is ATI tool artifact scanning and rthdribl. They heat up card a lot.


Just to compare. I have gtx 256MB @1.55V, cooled by 512MB card heatpipe cooler and I am getting 38C idle and 55C load. If fan is @ full RPM then even lower load temps.

:toast:

I run Everest and have it put out a log file.... next I'll play a game like Far Cry for ~2 hours with all the eye candy maxed including HDR.
Far Cry utilizes the CPU and GPU to the max and thus gives a proper temp readout in a 2 hour cycle..

ATI's artifact scanning is what I used to use but I found out it's not pushing your GPU to the max... even running the 3D view without the scanning gives a slightly higher temp then when scanning for artifacts....

NC™

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightCrawlerâ„¢

I run Everest and have it put out a log file.... next I'll play a game like Far Cry for ~2 hours with all the eye candy maxed including HDR.
Far Cry utilizes the CPU and GPU to the max and thus gives a proper temp readout in a 2 hour cycle..

ATI's artifact scanning is what I used to use but I found out it's not pushing your GPU to the max... even running the 3D view without the scanning gives a slightly higher temp then when scanning for artifacts....

NCâ„¢

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how do you get everst to create a log file? this shows you your cpu, gpu temps and all that. I cant seem to find this option in everst.

File... preferences.. on the pop up window go to Hardware Monitoring (at the bottom).. expand that one.. click on Logging and select where to save your output file...

NC™

thank you very much sir:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Coroner Kyle

Impressive temps from the mod. How about MB/case temps did they drop at all?

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I'll second that, those pics made me cry. :D

Why not remove any extra PCI covers on the back of the case so that the Zalman can push it's air straight out of the case...or mod the case to accomadate the cooler and setup some kind of wind tunnel going from the cooler to the back of the case to help expel the heat.

The MB temp didn't drop a bit... the ambient GPU temp did by 4C and my chipset temp went down by 1-2C

I didn't remove the PCI plates as it didn't have much effect as the speed of the cooler is controlled with a Zalman fanmate to reduce the noise and therefor it doesn't really push much air out the back of the case...
My case has plenty of holes on the back to push the air out... :)

I also updated the first post with some more closeup pics... :)

NC™

NJ it looks great!

HOLLY MOTHER OF JESUS THE LANDSCAPER...... That looks awesome. Great temps. Do NV cards always run that hot with the stock cooler?

Alex

They're pretty hot yes... :(

NC™

does the top of the cooler extend beyond the edge of the motherboard?

Great mod! :toast: :thumbsup:
Looks powerful and the temps are cool!

Wow way to go!! Totally awesome set-up!!:)

I'm impressed it fit in so snugly, looks great. Well done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chinkgai

does the top of the cooler extend beyond the edge of the motherboard?

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Even further then that.... I had to take a bit of the top to fit it in the case.. LOL

NCâ„¢

Wow, very cool, definitely qualifies as 'extreme'.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightCrawlerâ„¢

No.... :(

LOL :D

@CBLP... I used a metal scissor.. the scissor must be 25 years old at least but still did a great job :p

NCâ„¢

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I won't neither

http://www.capoeirabrasil.free.fr/bo...l/Dscn0346.jpg

BTW, this is a Asus P5WD2 so... :rolleyes:

Damn that looks clean......!

Good temps?

NC™

dammit...if it didnt extend so damn far i'd consider trying it -_-

dont wana chop it up or i wouldnt be able to resell that expensive cooler...lol

nice job night crawler! thats just sweet.

nice job but i think it is going to damage your card.

That's a crazy mod. :) Nicely done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p00 p0wer

nice job but i think it is going to damage your card.

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How so...?

NCâ„¢

i think the weight over time will bend the card. will it happen i don't know but thats what i think. i could be totally wrong.

Wll as long as you have supports underneath it the cantilever effect shouldn't be too bad (I hope, otherwise that's gonna hurt).

Great job, I know what I'm going to do the next time I get a new heatsink....:p:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p00 p0wer

i think the weight over time will bend the card. will it happen i don't know but thats what i think. i could be totally wrong.

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If you look at the third pic you'll see I've added a support at the back of the card to prevent bending..
Besides it's not the weight of the cooler which causes the card to bend but the power cable..

NC™

Very nice man!

I modded my 7000alcu to fit my geforce 6600:
http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/909/videocard0lr.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/7...eocard29it.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/9...eocard31qy.jpg

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/1...eocard42pv.jpg

but your cooler is just awesome!:clap:

That fan is a joke.. nice mod though, both of you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nanometer

That fan is a joke.. nice mod though, both of you.

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hows the performance on the 7000?

It cooled well, but the gpu clocks wouldn't increase because the card needed a vmod. The vantec fancard below cooled it off. I called it the "Zalman Claw" lol. I switched back to the vf700 because I needed space to install my x-fi.

on topic: NC, your mod looks really great.:toast:

don't know if it's been mentioned but you should consider removing your pci slot covers to allow the air to exit.

This is Extreme..... Very Nicely done m8. :toast: :toast:

How much maximum have u got in OCing ????

i have to say this but dam your giving me ideas. I thought i had my rig perfect, just the way i wanted it but now i need a fat ass heatsink on my card.

Dam you i tell you, dam you into the fires of hell :stick: :stick: :stick: :slapass:




:D :D

Amazing mod! Really like it. My 7800GTx idles around 45, thats almost your load temp lmao!

Shame I sold that card months ago.... Never could be bothered to try it on my X1900XTX to be honest...
Maybe if I'm bored again I could give it a go..... :D

Do it & kill every other air vga cooler on the market :CTF:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shinuza

I won't neither

http://www.capoeirabrasil.free.fr/bo...l/Dscn0346.jpg

BTW, this is a Asus P5WD2 so... :rolleyes:

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Now This is Super Cool n Insane :slobber: . Any OCs.

INSANE! Nice Job!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ANP !!!

Now This is Super Cool n Insane :slobber: . Any OCs.

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i like it but i want everything in a case and that looks just a little 2 big

anyone here care to mod an infinity to fit his card ??

heheh kidding aside i wonder how much temp difference doing that CNPS9500 mod as compared to using a VF900Cu.. i really need to lower my videocard temps. it loads at 70~71c MAX on a hot day, 650/800 1.55v 7900GT.. idles at 50~52c

I chopped off 35+ degrees switching from a VF700 to the 9500CNPS... guess you could gain some 25+ degrees when switching from a VF900..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightCrawler™

I chopped off 35+ degrees switching from a VF700 to the 9500CNPS... guess you could gain some 25+ degrees when switching from a VF900..

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i see, i might try it if i have enough money for it.

based on the stock speeds/volts the stock cooler gave me 79c at full load, the vf900cu gave me 56c that removed 23c.. so im making a rough estimate it should give me about 10~15c drop if i change to a CNPS9500/9700

also is that the stock mounting clips and bolts you used ?

The stock clip of the 9500 yes... If I recall correctly I used the Intel bracket for it... The spacers were from the VF700....
Just make sure you mount the bracket correctly as there's only one way to get it to fit...

will it fit rotated 90 degrees?

So it will blow air towards the PCI slots...? I doubt it mounting wise and you would still need to cut off some of the fins to get it to fit.
The space between the core and the slots is only a few centimeters..

On the other hand... rotating it 90 degrees will screw up the airflow imo..

I dont believe it would mess with cooling performance at all by turning it 90 degrees, but likely improve it due to cutting fewer fins.

There is no cooling happening near the center so by having it turned how it is in your avatar pic you are relying almost completely on only one side of the cooler.

I can see your point... but if I turn up the fan the air gets pushed outside the case.... when you turn it 90 degrees the hot air is pushed against the mobo.. which can't be good..

My x1900xtx needs ones of those haha...

blowing warm air against PCI slots wont hurt anything (probably help any mosfets near the PCI-E slots), and your exhaust will be limited to how your case is set up anyways.

True on that point.. mine works well with the way I had it mounted...

Im now wondering if i can still keep my soundcard inside my PC if i plan to use a 9500/9700 CNPS for my 7900GT my motherboard is an Asrock Dual SATAII which only has 3 PCI slots.

I couldn't.... even with my Lian Li case I had to chop the top off the Zalman to make it fit... so the cooler took up all my spare PCI slots....

Great Job Night Crawler!
That is one sweet way to cool a graphics card.

wow, thread revival!

w00t.....! :ROTF: