Cooler for ATI 4650

[Cedric Tsui]

Hi Everyone!

I recently reconstructed my desktop with the intention that it be nice and quiet. Quiet enough to sleep next to!
I got a nice case with a 120mm slow case fan with a very nice power supply, and the stock cooler that comes with Intel core duos are ranked VERY highly based on how much noise they make.

To my horror, the case was as noisy as ever!
The cooler on the graphics card is making one heck of a racket. What a pain! I guess I should have known better. Just because the cooler is small doesn't mean it's quiet.

So I'm looking to replace the stock cooler on a Sapphire ATI 4650. I don't need anything fancy. But if it was passive, then I could be sure that it will be quiet.
However, my long searches on the internet indicate that there are practically no coolers available that are compatible with the 4600 line.

So I've come to the following conclusions. Either 1) no one caters to the low end graphics card market and I'm cursed to have a noisy case or else replace the graphics card. or 2) I should ignore the labels on passive graphics card coolers all together. Grab my cooler and compare the mounting pins with the ones in the store until I find one that fits.

I was hoping someone would be nice enough to clarify which of the above is correct.

 

[jedimasterben]

Get the Zalman VF900. When attached to the fanmate that's included, it's silent, and will still cool that thing down. I have a 4830 with the VF900, and it stays nice and chilly at 40-ish idle and 60-ish load, while having a massive OC. But make sure you get the version that is pure copper. It helps a lot with pulling the heat out.

 

[the last resort]

try the arctic cooling accelero rev 2. I have it on my 4850 with a 120mm fan. runs about 30C idle, 33 load. I'm more than sure that you could run passive on a 4650.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

 

[Cedric Tsui]

Ok.
I appreciate the individual heatsink suggestions. If anything, that highlights my problem. Officially, the Zalman VF900 supports the ATI X1600, X1300, Radeon 9, Radeon X, X1900, and X1800 series. That means it doesn't support the 4000 series. Officially anyways.

What I'd like is some way to know if any given heat sink is compatible with my video card without fishing around in a forum for first hand experience. Surely this is all written down somewhere???

 

[Cedric Tsui]

For those who do want to suggest specific heat sinks anyways. I paid $90 CAD for the graphics card, and I'd rather spend less than half of the card's price on its replacement cooler if possible.

The arctic cooling accelero rev 2 could work. For some reason newegg.ca doesn't list it though :s

I was in a store looking at the accelero rev 2 and the S1. They each had a list of different cards they were compatible with on the back of the packages, neither of which included the ATI 4xxx series. Nobody in the store could tell me which one (if either) would fit onto my card. And now they're both sold out!!!!

 

[Cedric Tsui]

bump. Still looking for an answer

 

[Cedric Tsui]

????

 

[Cedric Tsui]

*sigh

 

[coozie7]

Do n't be so downhearted!
See, someone is listening!
Exactly which card do you have?
You would be amazed at the results you can achieve with a suitably sized case fan and a few cable ties

 

[Cedric Tsui]

Sapphire ATI 4650

But that doesn't matter so much. What I want to know is why VGA coolers that do fit onto the ATI 4xxx do not claim compatibility in their specifications.

According to the internet, there are no VGA coolers that are compatible with this series aside from the odd cooler that claims to fit everything.

 

[coozie7]

This does.

http://www.zalman.co.kr/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=147

And it is fanless

 

[Cedric Tsui]

Woo.
I was looking at this one on a Canadian distributor's site.
That site had a smaller compatibility list

Thanks!

 

[coozie7]

Just check Newegg reviews, the cooler is quite large if you have a small case there could be issues.
BTW it's on Newegg Canada for just under 40 Dollars, search for the Zalmann make, I tried a normal search and came up with nothing, but tried with a named search and it was there!