Do i need this passive cooler?

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ryand88

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Oct 7, 2012
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Hi, im planning on buying the gtx 660 and everything would fit except for the fact that i think that a passive heatsink sitting on my motherboard will block it from fully plugging into the PCI-e slot, now, i need to know whether or not removing this passive heatsink will affect my computer and if i should either remove it or buy a smaller one.

The heatsink(the picture is upside down, sorry :( )
http://imgur.com/aZmVs5H

The computer, bearing in mind that i will be getting a evga 660 and also a new psu
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01993830&lang=en&cc=us&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=4079858&prodTypeId=12454
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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Nov 23, 2004
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The heatsink should not stick out far enough to hit the video card.

For instance, my board has a heatsink under the video card slot as well, but it is not tall enough to be an issue.
423ff4d3_pU71cSic05q4UQbI_500.jpeg

Image from overclock.net

Can you get an image at an angle? Most of those are designed to hit UNDER the card.

Ohhh and removing the heatsink will most likely kill the board over time.
 
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ryand88

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Oct 7, 2012
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Yeah, sure i will get a side picture,but the way mine seems to work is that it goes to the side, so it wont hit under it but it will go over it if that makes sense, but anyway, 2 secs i will get a better picture

 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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looks low enough to me.

Video cards should NOT hang past the edge. Only the connector tends to stick out that far.

I will dig up a system to get you some example images.

What is the exact card you plan to use? does the 660 use the "Stock"(blower style) cooler?
 
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ryand88

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http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2023/2/ this is the card i plan on using, the review contains the relevant info

 
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ryand88

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Hmm OK, i see what you mean but do you not think that taking into consideration my current cards position that the card might not fit because it will simply hit the heat sink because it is slightly too tall, and even if it does fit then it is very likely that it will completely cover the top of the heat sink?
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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I do not think your current cards heatsink would even hit that board heatsink.

Try to pull out the back pci slot covers and try to take a look from the back of the system(may be more easy to see).

That would be a very bad board design if the heatsink could hit cards in the slots.

So far all boards with low profile heatsinks like that have been that way to allow another card to sit over it. So yes, your card will cover the heatsink, but that is not an issue.

I would be more concerned with case clearance as well as power supply requirements in this case than that heatsink.
 
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ryand88

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Thanks, i will just try it then, i am buying a new psu with it anyway so that is not a problem and i have already checked the case clearance, thanks a lot, also you referred to current card, as i linked earlier i am getting the gtx 660 and getting rid of my current card so im not sure if you made a mistake there or were confused :) anyway, i will check everything one last time then just buy it, if it doesn't work then i will just return it.

 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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One of your messages made a mention to what seemed like a proximity to the current cards position. So that may have been a misunderstanding on my part.

Do you have a small plastic ruler or other way to measure the height of that heatsink from the board it self? I can compare to the board I used for my image(I also have a 670 kicking around to check its height, but i am sure it is the same as the 4870).

I honestly am about 90% sure it will not be an issue, but it sure sucks to get a new card to find out it does not fit right.

The only card I have ever seen with a heatsink that seemed to get just a bit closer to the board then normal is this(and that is a 650 ti anyway, but it sure has a large cooler for a 650), but even it should clear. The stock 660(EVGA) cooler looks to take as much room as the stock 4870 cooler so should clear it as well.
 
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ryand88

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Oct 7, 2012
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Ok lets just get this 100% clear before we go on because i am getting slightly confused :),

so i am referring to the height of my passive chip heatsink being a bit too tall, this means that if i tried to plug in a graphics card to the pci-e slot such as the evga 660, it would either be blocked by the passive heatsink or be touching it which doesn't sound very good,


i just meausured the height the best i can and i think it is about 6mm tall,

i have taken a picture without my graphics card in to show the PCI-e slot and the passive heatsink together to show that the heatsink is almost double the size of PCI-e slot meaning that if i put a graphics card in part of it hit the heatsink and it would not properly plug in.

http://imgur.com/dTlqjIq






 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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I will attempt to get a measurement of the height from the board to the cooler on a gtx 670(closest I have). This should help you ensure it fits.

Also covering the heatsink should not hurt it(just as long as it does not touch).

EDIT, I got about 16mm from board to card(this should be standard for almost any card).
 
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