Calibre VDT2000 VGA Cooler

So I bought the VDT2000 aftermarket cooler for my HIS HD 4850 due to the already known heat issue with that card. Even though it was able to handle 70+ degrees on full load, it made my other components annoyed and overclocking tricky. Since few aftermarket coolers are made for the 4850, I bought this one because of its unique look and promising characteristics. Curiously, weeks after I purchased my cooler from newegg, they pulled it from the site.

Well I built my own computer so I am fully aware of how to install such a cooler and did so. The memory "heatsinks" that came with the cooler were two few and kinda cheap feeling. I put them on anyway for lack of better heatsinks, and even though I lacked one.

Well the computer fails to boot. Fully updated drivers and everything. It worked a maxiumum of two times where I was able to load a game and play with great results, the cooler worked and I never got above 65 degrees on full load after I had overclocked using ATI Catalyst drivers. I simply did the "auto-tune" feature for preliminary tests. Planned on overclocking for real later on

It will only boot in safe mode when the display drivers are not loaded. I've reinstalled the drivers from the ATI web site AND tired using the Vista auto search and install feature. I've done both several times to no avail.

A friend suggests that since I didn't have a heatsink on that one memory, i could have damaged my card when I played the game. Thing is, I have a 80mm intake fan on the bottom of my case, no more than 5 inches from the card. The temp gague never went above 65 but that is the GPU. This particular memory set was at the very end of the card, far away from the GPU

I'm sure it had plenty of airflow though, the cooler is designed to have plenty of airflow to the memory, plus my case intake fan. Since I know of no way to test for hardware failure besides it not working, I'm at a dead end. Sparkle, the makers of the cooler, have made it conveniently difficult for me to find an email for support and their only phone number is offshore.

Any suggestions, ideas, or comments? Any idea how to get in touch of Sparkle or if they could really do anything? If all else fails, I'm going to get a new card...maybe nVidia this time. Any suggestions of a card better than the 4850 with great overclocking ability and cooling. Nothing too expensive though lol

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835191014

Thanks

I've have used many diffrent brands of the oem refrence design 4850, And out of about 10 i have had 4 fail with the same problem as you described this is with out the aftermarket heatsink installed. I have sent all these failed cards in for RMA and have been repaired under warranty. So i do not think that the aftermarket heatsink is to blam. It sound like the card just happen to give out about the sametime. There are many reviews of the 4850 with this same problem we are listing here. Crazy V