4870 x2 Heat Issue Questions

I recently bought 2 sapphire 4870 x2s with my new computer system. I am currently in the process of checking all the new components to make sure they are functional, and I have a heat question about the 4870 x2s. I have noticed that when connected in Crossfire, and just running though the BIOS specs, that the card connected directly to monitor gets quite hot but the other one does not. Is this normal? Also, how hot is too hot for a 4870 x2? I can only hold my hand on the exhaust port for a few seconds before it gets too hot and I have to pull away. Is this a possible RMA? Thanks.

The first card is most likely gasping for air since it's close to the other card, so it logically gets hotter than the second card. I suggest you check the temps with Atitool instead of using hand as a measuring tool (for starters you could burn your hand if it is indeed overheating).

Since the Ati HD 4k cards are made on the newer A12 silicon, I'd say somewhere around 85-90 C under load is still safe. Unless the fan is broken, I see no reason to RMA the card, you can always increase the fan speed using Atitool to address any heat issues.

The 4870X2 default fan speeds are quite low, even under load. Download Riva Tuner and jack it up to at least 45% when gaming. It has kept my new X2 quite cool, well, as cool as an X2 can get.

First, this is all happening before an OS loads, so this is not a driver issue. After a little research it seems like the reason one is hot and the other is not, is because the cool one isn’t being loaded yet, drivers need to be installed in order to crossfire everything.

So, the problem becomes is the single x2 running too hot at startup. The card that is hotter is the bottom card, which has plenty of space for air. I will tune the fan once I get the OS installed, but for now all I have is the bios.

I'm assuming you don't own a 4870X2, because setting the fan speed anywhere past 60-70% is obnoxiously loud, and 100% makes it sound like the fan is going to shatter from all the G-force. My previous card, the GX2 had a much less powerful fan (or Nvidia did not allow insane RPMS like ATI does) So, I used to run it 100% for games which kept it very cool. Just so you know, the GX2 at 100% fan speed is about equal to the noise produced by the 4870X2 at 40-50% fan speed, please make informed posts.

doesnt it not report the RPM in rivatuner and such?

Rivatuner was not displaying the proper RPM for me... but at about 40-45% it's nearing the loudest I've heard from a GX2.

30% is the absolute sweet spot for idle. Any higher to 35% and it drowns out the rest of my system, and less and it gets very hot.

Lol, you can use it as a free space heater in the Winter. Isn't that an advantage?

I am running vista 64 bit edition and currently, ATITOOL is not compatible with this os. I was wondering if there was any other way to adjust the 4870 X2's fan speed. Any suggestions guys?

I have Vista 64 bit as well, and I can assure you that Riva Tuner works very well with the 4870X2, there are fan speed options galore. You may want to read a small tutorial on how to use Riva Tuner however, as it is a slightly more involved utility than most.