Potential for quiet performance - Nvidia 7800GT
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Potential for quiet performance - Nvidia 7800GT
Hey. What are people's opinions about the potential for the 7800GT to be a quiet card when used with the right cooling. Does the Zalman VF-700Cu fit? Is the Arctic Cooling Silencer NV 5 Rev. 3 a good cooler? (I know it isn't really out yet except on Asus cards, but how was the predecessor, the Rev. 2?)
If anyone's got any thoughts/opinions, just blurt them out here.
If anyone's got any thoughts/opinions, just blurt them out here.
Simple answer: The potential is great.
I've run it fanless with the Zalman ZM80D-HP in the past, and I'm running it fanless with the Thermaltake Schooner right now. (I recommend the Zalman though.) Both of those are without any direct airflow on the heatsinks, just general case airflow from a single Nexus 120mm at the back of my P180. The Zalman needs a special mounting kit to fit though.
I've run it fanless with the Zalman ZM80D-HP in the past, and I'm running it fanless with the Thermaltake Schooner right now. (I recommend the Zalman though.) Both of those are without any direct airflow on the heatsinks, just general case airflow from a single Nexus 120mm at the back of my P180. The Zalman needs a special mounting kit to fit though.
you got a passively cooled 7800GT? what temps do you get?JonV wrote:Simple answer: The potential is great.
I've run it fanless with the Zalman ZM80D-HP in the past, and I'm running it fanless with the Thermaltake Schooner right now. (I recommend the Zalman though.) Both of those are without any direct airflow on the heatsinks, just general case airflow from a single Nexus 120mm at the back of my P180. The Zalman needs a special mounting kit to fit though.
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That's good confirmation.
I've researched the reported power draw from the various reviews.
As far as I can tell from this imperfect analysis, it is cooler running than a radeon x800XL by 10%.
I had already put my money where my analysis is and have my 7800gt passively cooled, running in a completely passive Pentium M mcubed HTPC case (Pics and a write up to come eventually).
I had to leave on a business trip right after completion so I have no idea how the whole thing will hold up yet but we'll see...
I've researched the reported power draw from the various reviews.
As far as I can tell from this imperfect analysis, it is cooler running than a radeon x800XL by 10%.
I had already put my money where my analysis is and have my 7800gt passively cooled, running in a completely passive Pentium M mcubed HTPC case (Pics and a write up to come eventually).
I had to leave on a business trip right after completion so I have no idea how the whole thing will hold up yet but we'll see...
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90 = suX0rZ
anything over 65 Degrees and you risk frying other things on the board. The chip might take it but the board could wear out faster.
if you are playing half life the game is blasting volume wise.
If the game is blasting you wouldnt be able to notice a fan at ~34 dba. This fan would also prevent your system from melting.
I cant understand the urge for passive when in gaming mode. even a 26 dba fan or less would put that 90C card down to 60's
anything over 65 Degrees and you risk frying other things on the board. The chip might take it but the board could wear out faster.
if you are playing half life the game is blasting volume wise.
If the game is blasting you wouldnt be able to notice a fan at ~34 dba. This fan would also prevent your system from melting.
I cant understand the urge for passive when in gaming mode. even a 26 dba fan or less would put that 90C card down to 60's
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I'd like to see a comparison of several 7800 GTs, from different manufacturers. In theory they should dissipate about the same heat, but reviews on Anandtech for 7800 GTXs showed differences. I believe the GPU voltages vary from one make to another, I suppose it's for overclocking purposes. It would be nice to know which 7800 GT dissipates the least heat, so it would be the easiest to cool quietly.
The ZM80D-HP has a non-adjustable mounting solution for the heatsink base, which doesn't fit the 6800 and 7800 series cards. The kit consists of a new mounting bracket and plastic back plate. (Weirdly enough, the kit also contains a second back heatsink, which is identical to the one that comes with the cooler, so I don't see a use for it.)Techno Pride wrote:what is it about the 7800GT that prevents the installation of ZM80D-HP without buying the additional mounting kit?
115C. I don't believe for a second that the temperatures I'm getting in real-world usage (65C) are anything to worry about.Out of interest what's the throttling temperature threshold in the drivers for the 7800GTX?
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uhh...still don't get the part about non-adjustable mounting solution. The ZM80A-HP had adjustable hands.
No way to install ZM80D-HP (crudely) like in this pic? Notice the hands of the heatsink base
http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic/6176dTHj1/491273.jpg
No way to install ZM80D-HP (crudely) like in this pic? Notice the hands of the heatsink base
http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic/6176dTHj1/491273.jpg
Ah, correction: The default mounting solution *is* adjustable, very similar to the ZM80A-HP in your picture. I just never looked at those default parts when I installed it originally, because I ordered the 6800/7800 mounting kit at the same time as the cooler, because QuietPC UK said it was needed.
I think I found the reason it won't fit on 6800/7800 cards, though. Look at Note 2 on this page. The issue is the hole size, not their position. The holes in the 6800 and 7800 cards are too small for the default mounting screws to fit, which is why you need the special bracket and its smaller screws.
I think I found the reason it won't fit on 6800/7800 cards, though. Look at Note 2 on this page. The issue is the hole size, not their position. The holes in the 6800 and 7800 cards are too small for the default mounting screws to fit, which is why you need the special bracket and its smaller screws.
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I put a VF700 on my eVGA 7800GT, the stock cooling sounded like an airplane inside my case.
Installation was flawless, except for the part where I was eating pudding and dropped some on the card...but we will ignore that.
I'm currently using the VF700 in the "silent" setting, and it's quite silent...completely drowned out by that awful, awful chipset fan.
Temps at idle are near 40C. Under normal gaming (WoW mostly) load, I sit at 52C. Under severe load, I saw it hit 62C once, but I haven't seen it go back.
Note: This is in an old case, with ZERO case fans and no side venting. Also, it's sitting next to an OC'd Athlon 64 3000+ (2.5ghz so far). I'm sure it will get cooler once I rig my new case up.
Installation was flawless, except for the part where I was eating pudding and dropped some on the card...but we will ignore that.
I'm currently using the VF700 in the "silent" setting, and it's quite silent...completely drowned out by that awful, awful chipset fan.
Temps at idle are near 40C. Under normal gaming (WoW mostly) load, I sit at 52C. Under severe load, I saw it hit 62C once, but I haven't seen it go back.
Note: This is in an old case, with ZERO case fans and no side venting. Also, it's sitting next to an OC'd Athlon 64 3000+ (2.5ghz so far). I'm sure it will get cooler once I rig my new case up.