PDA

View Full Version : Any advice on a GeForce3Ti500 replacement fan?

browman
08-07-2003, 17:08
Okay, just why did Hercules test their 3d Prophet 3 ti 500 with the PC turned on it's head... to make the fan cheaper I guess.

This card is great, except it sounds like a lawnmower. The fan seems to be riding on a bed of gravel when the card is mounted in it's (normal) upside down position. It's fine with the PC turned upside down though!!!

My only thought is that they chose a fan with a cheap sleeve bearing to cut costs.

Now I'm looking for a replacement that uses a proper ball race that will work with the fan hanging off the board! It's the last thing I need to replace on there, as the CPU and case fans are barely audible any more (now I have 4 Papst 80mm's on there).

Noticed there were a couple for sale on this site:

The Crystal orb (which seems a bit chunky!)

Vantec iceberg (which looks small enough, but sounds like a posh lettuce).

Anyone tried these things on a Geforce3 Ti 500 as a direct replacement to the original fan? Are they noisy?
CyberDrac
08-07-2003, 17:21
How about water cooling? I have my Radeon 9600 Pro overclocked from 400MHz Core to 550MHz core on a Wet And Chilly Chips water cooling rig ... easy to set up ... a little expensive unless you are going the whole hog and water cooling the lot! but excellent nonetheless.
browman
08-07-2003, 17:31
I'd rather spend £15 than £150... and I'm good with electrics but a really crap plumber!

Also, I wouldn't have room for my raid in my lovely Coolermaster case with the water cooling kit in there...

Seriously though, just want to replace that awful fan.

I swear it's pumping out around 40-45db at the moment. Even with barrier lining on the inside of the case it's unbearable.
[M]uuhh
08-07-2003, 18:16
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/product.php?view=2815
all the way
browman
08-07-2003, 18:38
I'd thought about that zalman thing, I've already got a zalman heatsync on the northbrige, and that works brilliantly. But I haven't seen a list of compatible video cards anywhere, so I don't know if it'll fit.

I'm thinking that I should post a photo of the card before committing to anything... One of you guys who already bought one could take a look and tell me...
browman
08-07-2003, 18:43
Just saw the weight of it!!! 400grams! That's as much as a hard disk, held in place by thin strip of PCB... that's just insane!
[M]uuhh
08-07-2003, 19:00
Err? maybe you should look into it a bit more
browman
08-07-2003, 22:29
I think the Zalman would fit after a closer look at the card, but it's looking dicey as to whether or not there's enough room between the card and the system RAM.

Also, not sure what to do about the video RAM heatsyncs. The Zalman doesn't seem to do anything for that, and I think the existing components would interfere with the installation.

Hmm, think I'll be looking at fans again...
browman
09-07-2003, 15:46
Hmm, looks like the fanless beasty is pretty flexible with regards to installation... I reckon it should clear the existing RAM heatsyncs...

I'm going to give it a try, I'll let you know the results...
Big Adam
09-07-2003, 16:10
It'll clear the existing sinks no bother.

Only thing you must look at is the position of your fan mounting holes. This is critical. If they are in the wrong place, you're stuffed.

Check out the Zalman site for details.

If these look good, you're a-ok.

Big A
browman
09-07-2003, 17:50
Well, I had the fan and heatsync off it last night, and they seemed okay. The ramsinks are fairly hefty, but I think there will be a millimeter or two of clearance by looking at the piccies...

http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/20011218/geforce-ti-13.html
browman
10-07-2003, 21:28
Wow! What an amazing gadget that zalman thing is!

I can safely say that it fits perfectly.

The PC is now gently whirring beneath the desk, with the graphics card tightly wrapped in a hot metal sandwich! And I mean HOT (i.e. around 50 degrees!) Still better out than in, I suppose...

Been running SOFII for 30 minutes, and no glitches... so I guess it's working...

Fingers crossed it'll stay that way! I'd be very sorry to lose that card, it's a beauty (and it cost a bomb when I bought it last year)!
Clarksy
11-07-2003, 12:20
If it does get a little too warm for your liking you can add a Zalman fan bracket and a nice quiet fan at low RPM to blow air across the heatsink.

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/product.php?view=2814

IF you have a Zalman CPU cooler, it comes with that bracket so you can add a second fan to it if needed.

My Gainward 750XPGS runs in overclocked stat with no fans and just the Zalman GPU cooler and its fine.
browman
11-07-2003, 16:51
It's not much hotter than the old heatsink and fan was, so I'm not too concerned. Still at least both sides are equally hot, so the heatpipe is doing its job nicely.

I don't like overclocking the graphics card for the sake of a few FPS. I mean, 80fps at full detail 1024x768 is enough for anyone isn't it (until Doom 3 comes out anyhow!)

My case has a top outlet fan, which is currently a bit blocked with wires from the PSU. I think that some cable tidying will probably be enough to keep the air flowing nicely all the way through the case. Worst case, a duct will fix it...

Hell, that's why I got a CoolerMaster case in the first place; so that the 4 case fans (plus the two on the Enermax PSU) can take over the job of those cheap stock component fans.