4850 + Zalman VF 1000: questions

[theblackbird]

I'm going to buy a Radeon 4850 soon. I've read in every review that idle/load temps are very high with the stock cooler. So I consider buying a Zalman VF1000 VGA-cooler with it. I've searched the internet to find some more info on how this works, and along it raised some questions:

1. Are there RAM heatsinks included with the VF1000? The Zalman site says so, but an article in the Inquirer - showing how they've mounted the cooler on a Radeon 4850 - says it doesn't: "The new cooler doesn’t have RAM sinks, but we guess you can get some RAM sinks and put them on the 8 modules": http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/06/23/4850-tops-3000-points-3dmark

2. What exactly needs to be covered by heatsinks? Some forums mention RAM, FETs and PWMs. What are those last two? (there are so many abreviations these days...I don't know them all)

3. Some people don't use any heatsinks at all. Are they crazy? Or is it just not that important.

4. Some other people just replaced the thermal paste used on the stock cooler, and claim that temperatures have dropped quite a lot. Can anyone here confirm this?

All reviews show that the Radeon 4850 is an amazing card for its price. It's such a shame that they've let it come with such poor cooling.

Thanks.

 

[yadge]

1. This shows that it does come with ramsinks.

2. I'm not exactly sure here either, but probably just cover the ram. If you have anything left over, you may want to consider covering the other stuff.

3. I don't think the ramsinks are completely necessary, but it will most likely be at least partially unstable, and may cause some type of damage.

4. Some people say that a bios update will fix the stock fan and make it run faster, but that will also make it louder. Which is something that I care about. So if I were you, I would still get the cooler.

But then again, even if you don't get one, temps up to 90+ are known to be alright on graphics cards. So really, it should be fine.

But if you're like me, and plan to OC as much as possible and don't want to have to worry about temps, then go ahead and get a cooler. You may even be able to use it on a future card as well.

 

[modtech]

1)It comes with ramsinks but I had to buy extra ramsinks for my 8800GT (I used the left over sinks for mobo cooling) and I expect the same requirement for the 4850.
2)Covering the RAM is important for overclocking. PWMs and FETs regulate the power so you want those cooled to maintain stability.
3)They're neither smart nor crazy. Overclockability, stability and life time are gained for a small cost I'd say it's worth it.
4)Yes this I can confirm with 100% certainty.

Yes the 4850 is a great card and comes with poor cooling but guess what? The 8800GT used the same formula, performance on par with a 8800GTX but a poor single slot cooler. That's why I bought the vf1000. I like zalman products, they're high quality and come with fan controllers.

 

[dragon1004]

As I understand, you need to buy additional RAM hitsink (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118038) and put VF1000 to maximize cooling performance. That way, your RAM hitsinks are touching the Main hitsink, and get cooled better.