Three Aftermarket Graphics Coolers On GeForce GTX 480
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Cooling
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Geforce
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Last response: in Reviews comments
Today we're testing three of the largest graphics card coolers available: Arctic Cooling's Accelero XTREME Plus, DeepCool's V6000, and Zalman's VF3000F. Can these products bring performance to the table commensurate with their large triple-slot size?
Three Aftermarket Graphics Coolers On GeForce GTX 480 : Read more
Three Aftermarket Graphics Coolers On GeForce GTX 480 : Read more
More about : aftermarket graphics coolers geforce gtx 480
Poisoner
November 8, 2010 4:11:22 AM
AMW1011
November 8, 2010 4:30:33 AM
Wow, I can't believe the Accelero and the Zalman were basically neck and neck, with no tangible victory in cooling. I always thought the Accelero would be better, but Zalman actually pulled this one off.
However, what would be AMAZING, is to have a follow-up to see which of these two solutions work best in SLI, assuming EITHER work well in SLI. I think that is the big question, especially since we never expected bad temps.
Also can you please add the voltages used for each overclock? It might give people, especially stock GTX 480 owners, a better idea of what these can handle, since cards will always vary when overclocking.
Holy ***, stock voltages! That is crazy! Please post up your VID (stock voltage) for us. Either you have a golden GTX 480, or the VID is a lot higher than it needs to be, which is pretty common.
Great article, I love to see these kind of side articles/reviews, and it was well done.
However, what would be AMAZING, is to have a follow-up to see which of these two solutions work best in SLI, assuming EITHER work well in SLI. I think that is the big question, especially since we never expected bad temps.
Also can you please add the voltages used for each overclock? It might give people, especially stock GTX 480 owners, a better idea of what these can handle, since cards will always vary when overclocking.
Holy ***, stock voltages! That is crazy! Please post up your VID (stock voltage) for us. Either you have a golden GTX 480, or the VID is a lot higher than it needs to be, which is pretty common.
Great article, I love to see these kind of side articles/reviews, and it was well done.
Score
6
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gabwerkz
November 8, 2010 5:53:11 AM
Nerdbox87
November 8, 2010 6:21:02 AM
Given that this entire article is based on cooling you really should have included all GPU temps - as vram / vrm cooling may be the difference between the Accelero and the Zalman (as I know my Accelero Twin Turbo on a 5850 struggled with vram temps in Furmark)
On this my guess would be the Zalman would smash it
On this my guess would be the Zalman would smash it
Score
0
joytech22
November 8, 2010 7:10:14 AM
How was the 480 at just under 60C when my 470's are always idling at 86C in a Antec twelve hundred..?
I mean sure this case isn't the best cooling case but there's never really much hot air in the case and with a sidepanel fan blowing on the two cards i just cant see how.
Unless.. you guy's test in a cool room at about 15-20C or the fan speeds are maxed 100% of the time.
I mean sure this case isn't the best cooling case but there's never really much hot air in the case and with a sidepanel fan blowing on the two cards i just cant see how.
Unless.. you guy's test in a cool room at about 15-20C or the fan speeds are maxed 100% of the time.
Score
-1
anacandor
November 8, 2010 7:16:30 AM
dvijaydev46
November 8, 2010 7:51:27 AM
Th-z
November 8, 2010 7:51:32 AM
Don, what is your view on how to apply thermal paste. There are numbers of ways people talk about: a pea in the middle, several peas, line in the middle, several lines, and old school spread method. You use spread method when you apply the RAM/VRM sink on Zalman, I presume you use the same method on other parts, too. Maybe Tom can do a comparison test on different ways of applying thermal paste.
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0
compton
November 8, 2010 8:12:25 AM
These look good and would help me out quite a bit with a 465/470, but I wish I could get them in a design that would help maintain the existing footprint. My GF100 doesn't run quite as hot as some reference card designs, but that sure as hell doesn't mean that I'm happy with the leaf blower lurking in my case. Maybe I find a way to make the Zalman work.
Score
0
avatar_raq
November 8, 2010 9:20:59 AM
I think the Zalman one wins here. It performs slightly better, costs slightly less, weighs less and is shorter than the Arctic cooler. As for noise they're trading blows. Being shorter, the VF3000 does not increase the length of the GTX 480, unlike the accelero which may theoretically cause incompatibility with some cases. Being lighter, it strains the PCB much less. The fact it performed so close to the Arctic cooler with only 2 fans surprised me.
Score
1
ares1214
November 8, 2010 9:29:54 AM
waynewarrior78
November 8, 2010 9:34:44 AM
Draygonn
November 8, 2010 11:04:27 AM
nebun
November 8, 2010 11:13:34 AM
nebun
November 8, 2010 11:14:47 AM
EXT64
November 8, 2010 12:00:37 PM
enzo matrix
November 8, 2010 1:35:00 PM
joytech22How was the 480 at 65.8*C (you might want to try reading better) when my 470's are always idling at 86C in a Antec twelve hundred..?I mean sure this case isn't the best cooling case but there's never really much hot air in the case and with a sidepanel fan blowing on the two cards i just cant see how.Unless.. you guy's test in a cool room at about 15-20C or the fan speeds are maxed 100% of the time.
60*C is the CHANGE VS AMBIENT. This means how much hotter it is vs the ambient temperature. Assuming a 20*C room, that means they hit 85.8*C on load.
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0
bildo123
November 8, 2010 1:40:17 PM
Th-zDon, what is your view on how to apply thermal paste. There are numbers of ways people talk about: a pea in the middle, several peas, line in the middle, several lines, and old school spread method. You use spread method when you apply the RAM/VRM sink on Zalman, I presume you use the same method on other parts, too. Maybe Tom can do a comparison test on different ways of applying thermal paste.
I used to to do the spread, but in comparison to the dot in the middle method, it's a PITA. And I remember one time I couldn't get a heat sink on properly and had to take it off, using the dot method, and it actually spread quite well. In either scenario I can't imagine the temperature vary by more than a couple degrees Celsius.
Score
0
zcubed
November 8, 2010 2:04:44 PM
The VF3000F is great. I got one for my GTX 470 which was idle at 44C and around 80-85C load. Then again I wasn't doing it any favors having overvolted it to 1.087v and clocks at 850/1700/1900. The stock fan was horribly loud and still getting very hot even without overclocking/volting so I got the Zalman and threw it on. 33C idle and 63C load with the fan at the lowest setting! Great job by Zalman and I managed to get the memory clock to 1975.
Score
0
zcubed
November 8, 2010 2:09:12 PM
gbean02
November 8, 2010 2:09:26 PM
Score
0
Th-zDon, what is your view on how to apply thermal paste. There are numbers of ways people talk about: a pea in the middle, several peas, line in the middle, several lines, and old school spread method. You use spread method when you apply the RAM/VRM sink on Zalman, I presume you use the same method on other parts, too. Maybe Tom can do a comparison test on different ways of applying thermal paste.
Nifty idea!
For the record, I use the old-school spread method. I prefer to use a very thin, even coat... the amnount of thermal paste should be as little as possible to do the job. You want to maximize contact between the GPU and block, not put a barrier between it.
Score
0
nforce4max
November 8, 2010 3:35:52 PM
Quote:
As you can see, all of these aftermarket coolers do a much better job keeping the power-hungry GF100 cooler and quieter than the reference model.Cooler yes, but they are all basically 50 decibels at idle and the differences at load are all small. It would be good to show your testing methodology there also. How close to the source are you measuring? Sound clips would be great.
Score
0
ProximonCooler yes, but they are all basically 50 decibels at idle and the differences at load are all small.
it may seem small but remember that decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. The reference 480 cooler is a lot louder than the Zalman or Arctic Cooling models. Also keep in mind that the base level is affected by the noise from the system, it's hard to isolate that.
ProximonIt would be good to show your testing methodology there also. How close to the source are you measuring? Sound clips would be great.
Sound was measured 2" from the top of the card in an open case desktop (not tower) system.
I'm not sure sound clips would be all that useful, seeing as how it adds a whole bunch of variables: how perfect is the mic? What level is playback? etc.
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0
74ls08n
November 8, 2010 5:04:55 PM
cleeve said:
... it may seem small but remember that decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. If I knew that I had forgotten. Now I have to go look it up.
I understand on the variables, but I also think that there are other sound characteristics that can be a factor. The whine from the fan bearing might be way more annoying than the air flow, although both are the same loudness.
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0
Gin Fushicho
November 8, 2010 5:50:53 PM
IzzyCraft
November 8, 2010 5:53:36 PM
Cleeveit may seem small but remember that decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. The reference 480 cooler is a lot louder than the Zalman or Arctic Cooling models. Also keep in mind that the base level is affected by the noise from the system, it's hard to isolate that.Sound was measured 2" from the top of the card in an open case desktop (not tower) system.I'm not sure sound clips would be all that useful, seeing as how it adds a whole bunch of variables: how perfect is the mic? What level is playback? etc.
Couldn't you just put a fanless card in there and use that as a base for comparison on the charts.
Score
0
bl4c
November 8, 2010 6:17:55 PM
p.8 conclusion of the Zalman VF3000F:
"But this is no worse than the Accelero XTREME Plus, with its permanent thermal adhesive."
actually, there is a big difference:
for the Accelero XTREME Plus, you only need to buy a new accessory set (only the heat sinks from the accessory set use thermal adhesive), the cooler itsef can be used without a problem with other cards ...
"But this is no worse than the Accelero XTREME Plus, with its permanent thermal adhesive."
actually, there is a big difference:
for the Accelero XTREME Plus, you only need to buy a new accessory set (only the heat sinks from the accessory set use thermal adhesive), the cooler itsef can be used without a problem with other cards ...
Score
0
f-14
November 8, 2010 7:07:57 PM
AMW1011Wow, I can't believe the Accelero and the Zalman were basically neck and neck, with no tangible victory in cooling. I always thought the Accelero would be better, but Zalman actually pulled this one off.
i have a feeling the aluminum fan shroud helped alot. as it helps direct air as well as add to the cooling surface. i know it makes a huge difference in an automobile. i have no idea what the case is that they used and that is something that SHOULD have been included!
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0
bl4c said:
p.8 conclusion of the Zalman VF3000F:"But this is no worse than the Accelero XTREME Plus, with its permanent thermal adhesive."
actually, there is a big difference:
for the Accelero XTREME Plus, you only need to buy a new accessory set (only the heat sinks from the accessory set use thermal adhesive), the cooler itsef can be used without a problem with other cards ...
I know, but the problem is that if you do that you essentially have to junk the card it was previously attached to because the stock cooler won't fit over the glued heat-sinks.
Score
0
Draygonn
November 8, 2010 8:48:48 PM
Anonymous
November 8, 2010 8:49:45 PM
Quote:
The one thing I always liked about the stock cooler over these was that it blows all the hot air out of the back of your case. What is the effect of these coolers or the temperatures of the rest of your system now that half the air is being blown back inside?These coolers will likely raise the internal temps above what the stock cooler would.
Score
1
ph0b0s123
November 8, 2010 9:00:44 PM
CleeveThese coolers will likely raise the internal temps above what the stock cooler would.
OK, then I don't get the point of them if it means that keeping other overclocked components cool will be harder. Also from the looks of the 'fins' on these coolers, most of that hot air will be being kept in the case to keep being recycled by the cooler. Suppose it is not a problem if you have an open bench setup like in the article.
Not trying to be negative on purpose, but these things are expensive and just don't seem worth it.
Score
0
freespace303
November 8, 2010 9:02:35 PM
tpi2007
November 9, 2010 12:08:21 AM
Concerning the Accelero, you say:
"This isn’t a terrible thing, but it is a little disappointing for folks who like the idea of a generic heat sink that can migrate with them to their next purchase (especially after spending that much money on the aftermarket upgrade). "
Well, actually you can migrate the heat sink. Just buy another kit that comes with more little heatsinks. The real problem is that if you want to use the GTX 480 or want to sell it, it will almost only accept another accelero or something that can fit with those little heatsinks in place.
"This isn’t a terrible thing, but it is a little disappointing for folks who like the idea of a generic heat sink that can migrate with them to their next purchase (especially after spending that much money on the aftermarket upgrade). "
Well, actually you can migrate the heat sink. Just buy another kit that comes with more little heatsinks. The real problem is that if you want to use the GTX 480 or want to sell it, it will almost only accept another accelero or something that can fit with those little heatsinks in place.
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0
tpi2007 said:
Well, actually you can migrate the heat sink. Just buy another kit that comes with more little heatsinks. The real problem is that if you want to use the GTX 480 or want to sell it, it will almost only accept another accelero or something that can fit with those little heatsinks in place.Exactly. I replied to a similar question about 8 posts ago with basically the same thing.
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0
nativeson8803
November 9, 2010 2:04:35 AM
mattmock
November 9, 2010 2:46:37 AM
mattmock
November 9, 2010 2:49:29 AM
dEAne
November 9, 2010 6:15:19 AM
bl4c
November 9, 2010 8:20:41 PM
CleeveI know, but the problem is that if you do that you essentially have to junk the card it was previously attached to because the stock cooler won't fit over the glued heat-sinks.
thanks for the reply, i hadn't thought of that ... if you look it that way, it might be worse
... a missed change, they should make the heatsinks detachable Score
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