ATI AIW 9800 Pro - Best and Quietest Cooling?

tksuther · Post by **tksuther** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 12:34 pm

I'm trying to cut down the noise of my PC and the stock VGA fan is loud. I've read several bits and pieces in this forum on optional cooling but does anyone have experience installing a quieter fan on this board without increasing temperatures? Thanks!

Joudbren · Post by **Joudbren** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 7:32 pm

You have a couple of popular choices (and other less popular choices that may work for you as well!). VGA Silencer or Zalman 80C with an OP1 fan. You will also need the slot free next to your AGP card for either solution. Silencer is easier to install and usually cheaper to buy, also exhausts the heat outside of the case. You need to have at least version 2.0 of the Silencer for the AIW series but you cannot use the provided rear bracket and you will have to find a different spot to mount the Silencer speed switch. Silencer is virtually inaudible on slowest setting but on 9800 pro I found this to get extremely hot. On fast setting the temps dropped dramatically although at the expense of extra noise. (Still way quieter than the stock fan though!) Silencer also leaves you room for ramsinks if you want to use those.

Zalman 80C is more involved to install but personally I found it handled the temperature swings on the 9800 pro a little better when I'm gaming (and I'm using the OP1 fan with it on slowest setting). I should also mention that I'm overclocking my AIW to 9800xt speeds. Downside is heat ends up in your case so other factors such as airflow, heat evacuation, etc. become more of an issue as a 'total' solution. Reviews of both coolers can be seen on this website and as always, your mileage may vary. Good Luck with your hunt and do a search through these forums as there is already a lot of good info posted about both options here. Cheers!

tksuther · Post by **tksuther** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 5:24 am

Thanks for the feedback. I am seriously considering the Zalman 80C option. I don't overclock the VGA (I don't know how - How do you do that and is it worth it?) - I'm really after reducing the noise. I also have a Sonata case and I insulated it with the custom foam kit from Quiet PC http://www.quietpcusa.com/acb/showdetl. ... 27&CATID=6
It made a big difference and my temps didn't change much. Actually , the mobo temp went down and the CPU went up 1-2 degrees C. I'm planning to change the CPU fan and maybe add the 120mm intake fan if necessary. I have a 3.0 GHz CPU overclocked to 3.62 GHz. I'm thinking about getting faster ram and pushing it higher - thus the possible need for the case intake fan. Thanks again and if you can point me in the right direction to OC the VGA I'd appreciate it.

My system: Asus P4C800-E Deluxe, 3.0 GHz overclocked to 3.62 GHz, Corsair TwinX 1024-3200LLPT, ATI AIW 9800 PRO, 120 GB WD 8 MB, Plextor PX-708A, Lite-On CD ROM, 3.5 floppy with card reader, Logitech Z-2200 2.1 speaker system, NEC 1760-NX.

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 5:50 am

VGA Silencer version 3.0 fits the AIW 9600 Pro. Version 2.0 does not fit right out of the box.

tksuther · Post by **tksuther** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 8:05 am

Sizzle: You wrote version 3 fits the AIW 9600 PRO. Does it fit the AIW 9800 Pro too? Do you know if version 3 is available and where? Thanks.

Joudbren · Post by **Joudbren** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:09 pm

Sizzle, thanks for clarifying! I should have made a mention of that (dohh!). In regards to if it fits the 9800 AIW, the answer is yes. I believe ver. 3.0 has the bottom edge of the heatsink ground away as it interfered with the card seating in the AGP slot (9600 series). 9600 must have its gpu mounted a little closer to the bottom edge of the card I guess.

In regards to overclocking your card, it is very easily done with software utilities. I personally use Radclocker but there are a lot of choices available. Check out the forums on www.rage3d.com for info on your ATI card, overclocking and support. Overclocking can be tricky to play with however if you are not familiar with it and if you don't do any heavy gaming then it's a complete waste of time for you as you already have some serious horsepower and it becomes that much more difficult to silence.

You can't go far wrong with either solution but if you are leaning towards the Zalman, get the OP1 fan to go with it. It is virtually inaudible on it's lowest setting and provides enough airflow to really cool the heatsink down. It's also pretty cheap to buy so if you use it or not, at least you have the fan if required. Good Luck!

James

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:22 pm

Have not seen one single US online store carrying the Rev 3 yet. I came across one store in Australia that does not ship outside of the country who has it. The only difference is the notching of the heatsink. Same pci bracket etc as version 1 and 2.

tksuther · Post by **tksuther** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 6:33 am

Okay - so version 2 will fit the AIW 9800 - correct? Thanks.

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 10:55 am

It does. I just picked up a AIW 9800 Pro and will be putting a Rev 2 on it.

tksuther · Post by **tksuther** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 11:15 am

Thanks - I just ordered one too. I appreciate your help.

halcyon · Post by **halcyon** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 12:48 am

Make sure you check your "Rev 2" immediately upon receiving.

I also ordered a "Rev 2", but my 9800SE AIW was on back order so I didn't check it until I got the card.

Guess, what? Rev 1 and it doesn't fit :/

Argh!

crustamus · Post by **crustamus** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 8:50 pm

While you guys are on thins topic, will the Silencer V.2 fit on my ATI AIW 9600 Pro 128 MB card? Is this a good solution for my card?

David

Antec Sonata with acoustipack
Athlon 64 3000 CPU
Zalman 7000Cu
Nexus 3000 PSU
ATI AIW 9600 Pro
WD 120 GB 7200

Still too loud...

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 9:11 pm

crustamus wrote:While you guys are on thins topic, will the Silencer V.2 fit on my ATI AIW 9600 Pro 128 MB card? Is this a good solution for my card?

No, it will not fit the AIW 9600 Pro. Rev 3 will though. You can machine the Rev 2 a bit and make it fit.

tksuther · Post by **tksuther** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 4:43 am

I received my VGA Silencer, Revision 2 on Friday and installed it last night as part of a makeover to quiet my machine. I also installed a Zalman 7000A-CuAl CPU cooler and two 120mm Silenx fans. Anyway, the mounting bracket and grounding plate DO NOT FIT the AIW 9800 Pro 128, despite the fact many people said it does, including Quiet PC USA where I bought it. Since I had the machine taken apart, I went ahead and made it work. I used the existing bracket and cut the grounding plate to fit. Then I drilled a hole in the back of my Sonata case and installed the hi-low fan switch. ALSO - beware - after I carefully applied the thermal grease (included) and placed the cooler on the board I began to tighten the screws. The screw that passes through the heatsing wouldn't tighten. The threads were were not cleanly tapped. I had to take the cooler off the board and pass the screw through the hole several times to clean the threads. So before you place the cooler assembly on the board, make sure the screw holes are properly tapped!. Also, the cooler comes very close (actually touches) my Audigy 2 ZS sound card underneath it (2 slots below the VGA) but should be okay since the VGA cooler's housing is plastic. The result: Definitely MUCH quieter than the stock fan - basically silent on low and quiet but audible on high. I don't have a temp probe for the VGA so I really don't know the cooling effect - I was mainly trying to reduce noise. Yes, it's worth the investment (time and money). For what it's worth, by adding the Zalman CPU cooler and VGA Cooler, changing the existing (already quiet) case exhaust fan to a 14 DB Silenx and adding a case intake fan, also a Silenx 14 DB, my idle temps on the CPU and mother board both dropped about 4 degrees C (CPU 38, MB 25 at idle now). Under load, the CPU is about 4-5 degrees cooler and the mother board temp barely changed - up maybe 1 degree (CPU 55, MB 26 under HEAVY load now)! I have the CPU fan turned-up halfway and the VGA Cooler fan on low. I have a 3,0 GHz Pentium overclocked to 3.62 GHz, so theses are pretty good temps. I also foamed my case (Antec Sonata) and I now have the closet thing (sound-wise) to a passive/water-cooled machine! Plus, it was kind of fun putting it all together.