Fusion / NSK2400 mod for MSI Heatpipe 8600GT/GTS

[Mikey]

In short, the MSI heatpipe 8600GT/GTS / 2600PRO/XT can be made to fit with minimal effort into the Fusion / NSK2400.

Hi Everyone!

I ended up taking a punt and purchasing an MSI 8600GT to go in my antec Fusion based HTPC. I'd been told that it should fit, but i was skeptical..

which was right, because it lacked about 10mm of clearance for the case to be able to shut properly.

I tested the case without it being completely shut, and found that temperatures were for the most part - fine. But it bugged me that i couldn't close the case, that can't be bad for the designed airflow inside the case.

So, I modified the lid so that it could be made to close It was easier than i thought it'd be.

Tools :
Hammer
Rubber Mallet
Wood Chisel (I used an Irwin Marples 19mm)
Length of 'soft pine' approx 150mm x 50mm x 500mm

I used a few sheets of paper to make a representation of where the MSI card would come into contact with the case, so that i would be able to make the 'bump' in the right spot.




I made the 'bump' in the block of pine, such that it would line up with the right side of the case and be flat against the metal risers. I'd push the metal into this bump.

I then tested my theory on a spare case that i was about to throw out. Using the mallet, it seemed not to have any effect, so i used a hammer - which turned out very ugly.


I tried again on another piece of case side, only using the mallet, and applying more force. This worked far better than the previous case, so i put this to 'production'.

I marked the fusion's lid with dots where the 'bump' was to go, measuring with sheets of paper (no ruler handy). I then marked the left and right edges of the case with dots, to show where the case should line up with the block of pine.



I then got malleting. It took me about 5-10 minutes, mainly *whack* check lineup and repeat. I wanted to make sure that i kept the metal steady, or i'd make no progress.

All up, it was a complete success.





The thing that took the longest was me convincing myself that it was a good idea to take a rubber mallet to my new case.. but i figured that at worst, i could buy a new NSK2400 for ~130 to replace a lid that i'd mangled.

And now, the lid closes and i'm sure my chi has skyrocketed.

edit: i've noticed in the second to last photo it looks as if the case doesn't close properly, though i can assure you it does. Looks like an effect of the camera flash. Wierd one

[MikeC]

i'm sure your chi has skyrocketed.

But I wonder if you really had to go to such extremes to make the vidcard fit. Just looking at the photos of the way the heatpipes are fitted, I wonder if you couldn't have loosened the screws that secure the pips, the jam it in closer to the PCB of the vidcard, bending the pipes a bit more if necessary. That might have reduced the height enough to make it fit without your bump?

[klankymen]

That or buy the model by gigabyte or gainward bliss

[Mikey]

i'm sure your chi has skyrocketed.

But I wonder if you really had to go to such extremes to make the vidcard fit. Just looking at the photos of the way the heatpipes are fitted, I wonder if you couldn't have loosened the screws that secure the pips, the jam it in closer to the PCB of the vidcard, bending the pipes a bit more if necessary. That might have reduced the height enough to make it fit without your bump?

I thought this initially, but the way the heatsink is constructed i would have had to grind something off either the sink or the pipes, something i wasn't game to do.

I felt that given i was trying to depress something like 8mm i wasn't going to be able to get it from bending alone, and i didn't want to damage the card.

That or buy the model by gigabyte or gainward bliss

And have worse airflow and potentially lose a slot! no thanks!

I wanted the heatsink on the back of the card so that the case's design airflow would cool it as it flowed past the back of the card.

I think the heatsink is probably better than the sapphire 2600XT also - as it contains vertical fins instead of horizontal which strike me as being worse for airflow.. thoughts?

[haggis663]

I bought and installed the MSI-RX2600XT-E3 512MB which follows the same design as its Nvidia conterpart. I found that it just (I mean just) fitted into my NSK 2400 case with the lid closing. The lid of the case is touching the tops of the heatpipes, but it slid on without me putting any real pressure on the back when I fastened it. I had a look at bending the heat pipes a mm or two down to ensure that there was no downward pressure on the motherboard, but seeing as I could close the lid reasonably easily, I left it alone rather than take the risk of damaging anything.

The reason to purchase this card was that the heat sink is on the correct side of the card to be in the airflow and it doesn't block the neighbouring PCI slot with I require.

[Mikey]

The reason to purchase this card was that the heat sink is on the correct side of the card to be in the airflow and it doesn't block the neighbouring PCI slot with I require.

Exactly why i bought it.

[Lensman]

I bought and installed the MSI-RX2600XT-E3 512MB which follows the same design as its Nvidia conterpart. I found that it just (I mean just) fitted into my NSK 2400 case with the lid closing. The lid of the case is touching the tops of the heatpipes, but it slid on without me putting any real pressure on the back when I fastened it. I had a look at bending the heat pipes a mm or two down to ensure that there was no downward pressure on the motherboard, but seeing as I could close the lid reasonably easily, I left it alone rather than take the risk of damaging anything.

So I've been thinking of getting this exact card for my NSK 2400 case w/ Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R motherboard. I noticed that the MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ is a three heatpipe design while the Mikey's 8600GT is a two heatpipe design (the 8600GTS passive card has three heatpipes).

I was wondering if the difference in "fit" was:
1. a function of the differences in the 3 heatpipe design vs. the 2 heatpipe design.
2. a function of slight differences in where the nVidia GPU sits vs. the ATI GPU.
3. a matter of luck / natural tolerances.
4. a function of slight differences between motherboards.

If I could find an MSI model with a quiet fan that would suffice, but I haven't found anyone with good things to say about the quietness of the MSI active coolers. I don't need the extra PCI-E slot.

[lazaru5]

Can someone tell me how high the MSI card is? Maybe in combination with low profile MB mounting screws some victory can be reached without denting the case? Or are the supplied mounting screws already low-profile?

[Bugsi]

I also have this card, and I have it in my NSK2400, and I didn't need to make any modifications. Like the other poster above, the lid *just* fit, and touches the tops of the heat pipes. But there was no need to take a hammer to the case.

The heat pipes curl up over the top of the card, and the radiator fins hang off the backside of the video card. The radiator is only affixed to the heat pipes, they are not fixed to the back of the card at all, so the only support for the whole heatsink is at the fastener over the GPU.

There is enough flexibility in the heat pipes that you could have probably have pushed the radiator side downwards towards the motherboard and got the lid to fit without modifying it.

I'd hate to see people not consider this card because they think it won't fit this type of case. I think it's an ideal match to the case with the heatsink radiator on the side of the airflow pathway in the case.

I don't think there are any differences in the NSK2400 and the Fusion case, so I think the differences between my card fitting and your card not fitting must be variances in construction tolerances of the video card. -Which means it might be a bit hit-or-miss whether you get one that just fits or one that's a bit too tall.

In a different post I believe someone actually flexed their card's heatsink radiator upwards so the heat pipes only curled 90 degrees, rather than 180, so the radiator rested horizontally, and they had correspondence from MSI saying the heat pipes could be bent with gentle force. So I'd be in favor of just trying to adjust your card's "hoops" down a bit with some gentle pressure.

[Mikey]

In a different post I believe someone actually flexed their card's heatsink radiator upwards so the heat pipes only curled 90 degrees, rather than 180, so the radiator rested horizontally, and they had correspondence from MSI saying the heat pipes could be bent with gentle force. So I'd be in favor of just trying to adjust your card's "hoops" down a bit with some gentle pressure.

That's interesting actually. I don't doubt that there's some manufacturing tolerances at play in this, I figured i got one of the 'higher' manufactured cards.

I wasn't game to try bending the pipes myself, maybe if i had a table vice or similar i might have been game.

[Bugsi]

I wasn't game to try bending the pipes myself, maybe if i had a table vice or similar i might have been game.

Now that I have time to give it some thought, if anyone were going to try gently bending their heatpipes on this card, I'd recommend removing the heatsink from the card *before* working on the bends, to avoid risk of damaging the GPU.

In any case, I have to hand it to you, -you found a unique solution to the problem!

[AlanM]

Hi,

I'm just starting to think about building an HTPC and saw that you are using yours with a CRT tv. How do you connect the PC to your TV?
Is it just via Svideo from your graphics card? Or do you have some other solution?

ALso, what resolution do you need to run the pc at to get a good pic?

I'm going to be using a 32" widescreen CRT

Many thanks
Alan

[St@tik]

Hi Everybody,

I am thinking about getting this card (MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ) for my NSK2400 HTPC, I'm a little worried about it fitting, and I was wondering if you could take the faceplate part off the cooler that is over the GPU, and slide the heatpipes farther down so the pipes curve closer to the top of the card. I got the idea looking at the Zalman VNF100 (http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/vie ... 8&code=013), whaddaya think?

-St@tik

UPDATE: Disregard my question, this image shows adjusting the heat pipes is not possible.

[Mikey]

ALso, what resolution do you need to run the pc at to get a good pic?

Hi, i think the PC runs at 720x480 or 720x576 (depending on pal or ntsc), personally i run at 480 over component.

I've got a 17" LCD for doing any work on the pc, the tv is for displaying video only.

Bit delayed but there you go.

[Mikey]

Hi Everybody,

I am thinking about getting this card (MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ) for my NSK2400 HTPC, I'm a little worried about it fitting, and I was wondering if you could take the faceplate part off the cooler that is over the GPU, and slide the heatpipes farther down so the pipes curve closer to the top of the card.

You'd have to bend them so that the 'bend' starts sooner, and thus the pipes don't go as high. You may get a card that fits anyway, as my pipes were approx 8mm too high iirc.

Don't be discouraged! Airflow across that heatsink is great for that case.