If you are talking specifically about the fan control, I'm pretty sure it doesn't because Asus implements a different way of fan control than that of most other manufacturers.

Read this

grr..


btw - does this Rivartuner change something in hardware or does it only work when booted into windows?

I am asking as I would like the card to be quiet when working in Linux....

It works by sending information to the driver. So no, it does not do anything to the hardware. It relies on built-in features of the software driver and takes advantage of them.

Can't you use the NiBiTor(sp?) BIOS editor to change the fan speed settings in the BIOS on nVidia cards ? Haven't tried this myself, but if you change them in the bios they would apply without any form of software/driver communication.

Ofcourse as always when modding BIOS's with third party tools.... You're on your own if things go up shit creek.

I don't have experience either, but this would work. In fact, just be sure to dump the original BIOS in case you need to revert. As long as fan settings are the only thing you change, you shouldn't have any problems. But again, I've never done this myself, so I can't vouch for its success and safety.

NiBiTor is brilliant. I used it to make my fan settings "permanent" as I use 3 seperate user accounts on my PC at home and RivaTuner is account specific. Just make sure you download the correct BIOS revision from MVTech.

In fact, warriorpoet likes NiBiTor so much, he is willing to provide a straightforward tutorial on changing fan speeds in his next post .......

actually, how about an incredibly detailed guide of the whole mess

Expectation=Exceeded

Back from another month under the hood of my PC, now housed in a sleek new P180 (merry Christmas to me...).

The x1900xt comes out this week, so I don't believe I'll be testing this particular cooler much longer.

I'm happy to report that there is still no clicking, vibrating or other dirty noise evident in operation. Because I know how cynical we all are here at SPCR, I checked it at 25, 30, 35, 45, 50, 75 and 100% speed, both at system startup and after an hour of ATiTool artifact scanning. Fan noise remained smooth at all speeds and temperatures.

Now to find a cooler to keep an x1900 quiet...review pending.

LOL, you are a sad case; yet, you are my hero




That's great news. Can't wait to hear what you have to say about the next card.

Wow, I'm someone's hero

I assume you're referring to the 7800GTX Top that's fitted with the Arctic Cooler. I haven't tried Riva with it but the latest edition of Asus Smartdoctor 4.80 (remember to install the new driver as well) has given me access to all the options (the version I installed in December would only give me access to CPU and RAM speed). Using the default Smartcooling temperature boundaries I'm getting 42C at idle with 20% fan speed ramping up to 59C/40% after an hour or two of Quake 4. The Arctic Cooler is now inaudible

You said you removed the RAM thermal pads on the NV 5.3, did you use any thermal paste to apply them to the chips or just firmly affixed them? Excuse me for being a newbie, but I'm keen to mod my Aopen 6800 GT (it's so noisy!).

No, not at all n00bish. I should have worded it better.

What I did was remove the thermal pads from the AC cooler's base where they had been haphazardly affixed and pressed them firmly on the RAM chips themselves, ensuring a better fit and more accurate placement when the cooler was installed on the card.

Hope that helps

Ah yeah of course that makes a lot more sense.

Cheers

Great review warriorpoet! Im getting one for my system and was wondering about how rev. 3 performed.

I have a AC VGA Silencer rev. 3. It's retired now, it developed a very annoying clicking sound.

I've been through a couple of Silencers, and 3 AC fans. Price considered, they seems to be nice products. But chances are great, that they degrade fast.

If they dont degrade, you'll probably find them pretty noisy, if the rest of the system for example is a case like P150/180, and let's say a a few Nexus' at max 7 volt, a Seasonic S12 and a well decoupled HDD.

In the end, noise is a very individual thing, and also related to what's else in the rig.

Dont want to risk it developing an annoying sound. Oh well, I just changed my order to a VF900 (my VF700 cant cool my 7800GTX at the lowest setting). If my case heats up Ill just have to pop another slow 120mm fan in there.

My Rev.3 did not click, it rattled like an unbalanced load in the washer

It lasted 1 month, now it sits in a box in my basement...

Update:

My card now resides in another's computer. The cooler is still whisper quiet (unlike some other users). I have found, however, EK full cover water blocks more effective at heat dissipation.

Moral of the story:
It seems a bit like the luck of the draw with this cooler, as it is to a certain extent with every mechanical device. However, there is more advanced technology out now. Be sure to research thoroughly!