SPCR

Hi,

I believe the Hercules 9800 (I would get the non-pro version) can get pretty hot, so I was wondering which silent VGA cooling solution from Zalman works best with this card and if it will make much of a difference with the Hercules 9800 NP card?! Anybody has experience with this? Will the temperature stay the same with these silent coolers?!

Is the best choice I can get there ZM80C-HP with the ZM-01P or FB165 or something else?! Also, are ZM80C-HP with ZM-01P (or FB165) compatible with the Hercules 9800, since this card has a RAM heatsink I believe?!

In order to keep a 9800 non-pro cool, can I run the ZM-01P or FB165 in "silent mode" or will I need to use "normal mode" which is much louder?! Which is recommended?! In the end, will a Zalman cooling solution be much more silent or is the Hercules 3D Prophet 9800 on its own already the most silent you can get without risking any overheating, instability problems, etc.. I don't have the Hercules 9800 NP yet, but would like to know in advance before I order it. I believe some say it's much louder then the 9600 cards, so therefore I am worrying and was wondering if a Zalman cooling solution on this card would be much better or is the Hercules 9800 NP not that loud afterall.

Anybody has experience with this?! Thanks in advance for your advice!

Mike.

The problem with Hercules 9800/9800pro cards is the heatsink on the back of the card. It is somewhat risky to remove and may damage the card if not done very carefully, and you have to remove it to mount a Zalman ZM80C-HP or Arctic-cooling VGA Silencer on the card.
You need to decide if you're willing to take the risk of removing the heatsink.

I see, then my question would be if the Hercules 9800 non-pro is on its own silent enough, like will you hear it over other things in your PC or is it rather silent. Is it true that the Hercules 9800 NP is louder then there 9600 Pro, cause the 9800 cards need more cooling?! I would like to buy the 9800 NP for games, but only if it is not too loud, like how would it compare to a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 120GB drive in idle mode for instance to get an idea, or perhaps give an estimate of db (most people say everything below 30db is considered silent).

Thanks for all good feedback!!

Mike.