Best heat sink for my BFG 7900GS OC

turkishharem · Post by **turkishharem** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 3:15 pm

I just built a new computer and had to go to PCI-e. I decided to go with the 7900GS, but the stock heat sink is absolutely unbearable. I don't know how some reviews said it was "a little loud". That is like saying a tornado is a little windy of the ice ages were a little chilly.

Anyway, I am now looking for a 3rd party cooling solution. I have poked around a bit on this site and over at X-bit labs to try and get a feel for what cools well while being quiet. Not having ever purchased or used a third party heat sink, I was hoping that someone here might have suggestions or experience with some of the heat sinks that seemed plausible:

Accelero S1
CoolViva Pro
CoolViva X1
VF900-Cu

I'm trying to keep costs down, so solutions that do 90% of the job for 60% of the price (CoolViva Pro is $26 shipped and VF900-Cu is $40 shipped) get the nod in my book.

ucanbfuzzy · Post by **ucanbfuzzy** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 4:56 pm

I had to make the same decision when I purchased my 7900, and I went with the VF900-Cu. The cooling is fantastic, but after replacing my depressingly loud XP-90 with an Ultra 120-Extreme (with a Nexus 120) the VF900-Cu became the loudest component in my system. It is nearly silent when I Speedfan it down to 60% or so, however.

kike_1974 · Post by **kike_1974** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 5:49 pm

You can also take into account thermalright hr-03.

I'm using a hr-03 passive in my 7900 GT and the results are impressive. I have lower temps than with stock heatsink and it is of course completely inaudible. You also have the option of adding a 92mm fan to the hr-03.

bryan_d · Post by **bryan_d** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 5:15 pm

I currently use the KuFormula VF1, that does the job very well at high speed (very noisy), and at roughly 6ishV it is quieter than my Yate-loons but it does take a performance hit.

I have just ordered the new Accelero S1, and will be installing it on my eVGA 7900GS this weekend. I will report back on the results.

Bryan d

PS - I bought the heatsink from directron.com for 35shipped!

turkishharem · Post by **turkishharem** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:40 pm

Thanks for the input everybody!

Bryan, I look forward to hearing how your Accelero works out for you. I looked around and couldn't find a lot of places that even have it for sale. Thanks for listing the vendor and price!

raziell · Post by **raziell** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:04 pm

kike_1974 wrote:You can also take into account thermalright hr-03.

I'm using a hr-03 passive in my 7900 GT and the results are impressive. I have lower temps than with stock heatsink and it is of course completely inaudible. You also have the option of adding a 92mm fan to the hr-03.

what is the temp you get in tour card?

Catapult · Post by **Catapult** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:20 pm

bryan_d wrote:I currently use the KuFormula VF1, that does the job very well at high speed (very noisy), and at roughly 6ishV it is quieter than my Yate-loons but it does take a performance hit.

I have just ordered the new Accelero S1, and will be installing it on my eVGA 7900GS this weekend. I will report back on the results.

Bryan d

PS - I bought the heatsink from directron.com for 35shipped!

When you get it could you please measure both distances in the picture below . I need to know if it will fit in my case or not.

http://bayimg.com/gAbdLaabK

Thanks

Catapult · Post by **Catapult** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 9:36 am

Ok, with the .pdf graph available at http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/arcoacs1.html I calculated the distance in pixels between the two socket holes on the top left graphic and used it to divide 53.35mm to get a converter.

For anyone who cares or needs it I got:
~76mm for distance 1
~84mm for distance 2

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:31 pm

HR-03 looks like the hardcore choice. I'd be tempted to get one now that I don't need to move my case around anymore. The 92mm fan option sound like good insurance too, although I bet my 120mm in this Sonata II could do the job.

If you want a cooler that's fairly compact, efficient, quiet and easy to install, I heartily recommend the VF-900Cu. The weight and center of gravity will also let you breathe easy, even when having to carry your case to a LAN party. I have been completely satisfied with it in every way. It's certainly not silent with increased RPM, but I find the sound smooth at low RPM where it counts.

bryan_d · Post by **bryan_d** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:18 am

Hey all,

I have installed the S1 on my 7900GS, and compared to the Sytrin VF1 @100% fan Speed, the S1 is equal... but it is also completely Passive!!!

I cannot really give any accurate results seeing as though I cannot attain a stable room temperature in my room (no air condition, 95+F during the day and low 60F at night). But I can say that my GPU has not broken 60C at full load. The 7900Gs is running at 685Mhz on the Core, and 800MHz Ram with a small bump of voltage to the core.

Here are some pics:

Again my results are with a completely passive configuration, and I know results will increase with the addition of a fan. Right now I am just enjoying playing Company of Heroes, with my super silent gaming computer.

Highly recommended,

bryan d.

tanglefoot · Post by **tanglefoot** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:36 pm

Hi guys. I'm supposing that all discussion here refers to 7900gs PCI-e parts, and not AGP. I have the XFX 7900gs AGP. Wonder if the Accelero could be made to work on it. Artic Coolings page, sadly, specifically excludes 7x00gs AGP cards. I wonder why. Any ideas?

Thanks

mentawl · Post by **mentawl** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:12 pm

The 7900GS AGP is basically a "non-neutered" 7800GS, and as such shares a completely different heatsink mounting hole pattern from any other card on the market. The only passive sink I ever got to fit an AGP 7x00 was an Aerocase Condor, and Aerocase appear to have gone bust =/.

tanglefoot · Post by **tanglefoot** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:28 pm

Yes, I figured it was something like that. That clears it up. Thx Mentawl.
At this stage I'd be happy just to get any solution a little quieter than the current fan.