PCI slot fan for GPU.

M

Hello,
This is my first post.I have a Sapphire HD 6850 and want to purchase a PCI slot fan to cool it during these summer months.My budget is Rs.1000 and it should preferably be single-slot,something like the Evercool Fox 1(am not sure if it is perfect for my system,whose specs are listed below).I have searched Ebay,flipkart,junglee,rediffshopping,techshop and lynx-india but-
1)The only seller of the Evercool Fox 3(is it suitable for a PCI slot?) on Ebay says that he accepts only Credit cards/online payment (even though the product description says that cheque/DD is fine???) and another seller on Ebay doesn't respond.

2)Flipkart,techshop and rediffshopping don't have it.
3)Junglee doesn't accept Cheque/DD.
4)Lynx is re-stocking at present and it may take some time for them to fully list their product range.
I have no problem with online shopping but my parents have,with credit cards and online banking.I am ready to pay via cheque/DD/COD.
My PC's specifications-
Intel Core2Duo E7400 @2.8GHz.
MSI MS 7525.
CoolerMaster eXtreme Power Plus 460W(I know it's bad and I will be switching to a Corsair TX650 V2 within a few days/weeks).
Sapphire HD 6850 1GB.
Seagate 1.5TB HDD.
Any help would be much appreciated.Thanks.
-moltenskull.

Any GPU cooler isn't available in India.
Fact.

T

Buy Thermalright | Thermalright VGA Cooler HR 03 plus

Correct it to: "Any latest and good"

M

Okay.What about system fans like the Evercool Fox 3 ?My case has poor airflow and I want to keep it for the time being.So,I was thinking that maybe adding some fans with proper airflow would help keep the GPU cool.But,since it's impossible to add any more 'conventional' fans,I was thinking of adding a PCI slot fan or something like the fox 3 which fits on a '3.5 inch front bay' :?:

.Oh,and by the way,my GPU is idling at 47'C and is at 74'C under load(temperature here is a "chilly"

36'C) .
So,any way I can get the Fox 3 from someplace via cheque/DD and any guide on the net on how to install/fit it?
-moltenskull.

74 is ok for HD6850. if your cabinet has any space for fan, install one side intake & 1 back exhaust. and manually increase fan speed of GPU.

here's some temp related infos on HD6850 - here the ambient temp is around 38-39c nw and while playing games the GPU temp reached 72c under load - just increased the fan speed to 90% and ( using a headphone ) - the load temp is now 68c ( idle 40-42c ) but this with 5x cabby fans anyway, so Ops gu temp will drop more if he installs some cabby fans.

M

"if your cabinet has any space for fan" and "temp will drop more if he installs some cabby fans."
It doesn't have any provision.It's an old HP case.

"and manually increase fan speed of GPU" and "just increased the fan speed to 90%"
How?Via amd's overdrive or sapphire trixx?Sorry,but I have never tried any such thing as I was told that it would void the warranty on the card???Is that true?I purchased my card from Ebay,so is it already void?Any help in this direction would be welcome.

"74 is ok for HD6850."
Oh,thank you!I was a bit worried that my temps were high because my CM PSU was not supplying enough power while gaming.But,if it's normal,I can defer the purchase of the Corsair TX 650 V2 for a few days/weeks.

And one thing more,my PSU's voltage reading on GPU-z dips to 12.00-12.06v at idle.Is it very urgent to change the PSU or can it be postponed for some time?

1. If possible get a new cabby - this will help you in long run ;-)

2. Increase the fan speed only using the AMD Vision Engine Control center - it won't void the warranty.
3. If a PSu is unable to supply proper power to the GPU the GPu won't overheat.
4. The volt reading is just fine.

M

First of all,a big thanks to everyone for replying to my post.

I will get a new cabinet,but after some time.The reason is,I have been saving up for the Corsair for quite some time,and buying a good new cabinet will take about 5,000Rs. at the very least and I can spare only about a thousand-fifteen hundred right now.

That is why,was looking at a slot fan which is cheap and well,durable.

And as for using AMD's Vision Engine Control Center,is it only for APUs or also for discrete GPUs as well?
AMD VISION Engine
As I said before,I have never used such products.Will it damage the fan if I set it to above 60%?Is opening my case a better option?My fan at idle is spinning at about 1400rpm and goes up to 3000rpm under load(while playing Mafia II maxed out).Isn't that a bit high?
Thank you for saying that the volt readings are fine.But I guess,it's better to go for a better PSU rather than depending on one which is of poor quality(as listed in your forum guidelines).Please correct me if I am wrong.

-moltenskull.

Just download the latest complete driver package for your gfx card .. it will let you mildly OC the GPU and ram and let you control fan speed - even if you don't OC the GPU - the control center interface of the new driver suite is called AMD VISION Engine control center.

Coming to the fan speed I'm currently running ( I do it every summer ) mine at 90% ( 3500 RPM ) which is completely OK.

Coming to the PSU - I've used that personally and can tell you that the PSU is good enough for your pc config.

M

I've already downloaded the complete 12.3 catalyst driver package.That's the latest,isn't it?
ATI Catalyst? Display Driver
But it has only options for AMD overdrive in the performance tab.There is no option for controlling the fan speed.
And 90% fan speed!!! :O Isn't it loud?I mean,I haven't touched 90% fan speed even while intense gaming.....

.By the way,which brand of HD 6850 have you got?I noticed in your signature that you have overclocked it to 1GHz!!!Is it possible?Don't mind me asking,but I have never overclocked anything in my entire 'computer' life(which is admittedly short,from 2009-present.I know people have achieved greater things in a shorter span of time,but this is my first PC.). Does it really give a significant performance boost?Oh,it must,otherwise people wouldn't have done it..

.But doesn't it wear out your PC's components faster?Just asking.
So,it means that I can postpone the purchase of the TX 650 V2 for a few weeks.

Thanks a lot,
moltenskull.

moltenskull said:
But doesn't it wear out your PC's components faster?Just asking.

it'll wear out faster but usually after 5yrs a PC part (say processor, GPU) becomes too old to continue and requires an upgrade. so a GPU going bad just cause your overclocked it within 5yrs is really really slim. but if you overclock a GPU and don't have proper cooling to cool off the ram & provide enough cool air, it'll may bad really fast.

@ OP - Right Click on Desktop - Select AMD Visison Engine Control Center

now go to - Performance - Graphics OverDrive ( accept the EULA ) - just put a tick mark on the Enable Graphics OverDrive option and you'll get options to modify GPU Core , GPU Mem Clock and Fan Speed - to increase the fan speed just put a tick mark on Enable Manual Fan Speed option and set your desired fan speed.

@ 90% the fan is indeed noisy but it's ain't loud and if you use a headphone you won't hear any noise and if you can keep the temp in check then OC will actually increase your components efficiency IMO and to know what gfx card I've, what it looks like and how did I oc it just click on my siggy link ;-)

and there's no need for you to upgrade the PSu right now - do it only when you are going to get a new quad core CPU upgrade.

moltenskull said:
Oh,and by the way,my GPU is idling at 47'C and is at 74'C under load(temperature here is a "chilly" 36'C)

It's completely fine. My HD 6950 is idling at 55 C and hitting 85-90 C and I'm not bothered.

M

Thank you,ico!That takes a load off my head! And topgear and Sam,I opened the case and it's now idling at 42'C.

I hope it's safe...By the way,I 'read' the link in your sig.....You are a genius!

I don't know anything about overclocking,but even to a layman,that was some achievement!!!

975 MHz!That is 200 over the normal for an HD 6850,isn't it?And I have read that overclocking should be done at increments of 5-20MHz......Correct me if I am wrong,,,,,But,Hats off to you,Sir!

^^ yep, thats' 200 Mhz more over a normal HD6850s gpu clock speed - actually the card can run stale at 985Mhz core speed and 1165Mhz speed - 1Ghz is reachble but it's not stable in every games for the HD6850 I've though some HD6850 can be OCed more than 1Ghz core and around 1200 Mhz mem speed - stable ( as OC varies from gpu to gpu even within the same series )

But what I've achieved ( 985Mhz/1165Mhz ) ain't far behind from those and actually the gpu clock speed is a little over what guru3d guys have managed to reach on the same sample.

M

Okay.That really is some achievement!

But coming back to my original post,is it wise to buy the evercool fox 3 from ebay or just keep my case open? And I recently got some air cans to clean my GPU but when I asked sapphire to clean it for me, :lol:

they refused(Now I realize why.

).So,I just made a few timid attempts at cleaning my card.I have never unseated my card myself,so all I did was insert the nozzle of the air can into the gap between the fan blades and clean it best as I could.Will it suffice?Also,one query of mine went unanswered ie does buying the card from ebay mean no warranty(or troublesome warranty)?If my warranty is over,then can I overclock the card?Is it possible on my PSU?
And how do I select Best Answer?(whenever my thread is closed?)
Regards,
moltenskull.

Did the dealer not provide you any Invoice? If not check for warranty at nearest Sapphire service centre, they will check it from the Sl.No.
And there is no way to select best answer here. After all your queries, simply mention who in which post answered you the best. If you are really impressed with the answer then add Rep.s to the poster.

M

Yes,the dealer did.Actually,this is my first 'proper' card after a Biostar 9400GT purchased locally.So,I asked someone more experienced than me and he said that it's better to go to a shop and buy a card,rather than buying it online because manufacturers sometimes refuse to acknowledge a card's warranty if bought online.So,I was just asking.BTW,should I immediately verify my card's warranty from Sapphiretech?The dealer gave me an invoice but it's from the dealer's shop,not the center in Delhi.It (the invoice) shows that I have three years manufacturer warranty and I purchased my card on 7/9/11.

^^ I think there's something wrong with the invoice - did you purchase the card on 7/9/11 or this year and sapphire offers 2 years warranty on all gfx cards - not 3 years.

BTW, can you mention the shop / dealer / seller name written on the invoice ?

M

I purchased it on 7/9/11 and it's clearly written
Warranty-With 3 Years Warranty from Manufacturer.

Whats wrong?Something out of the ordinary?
And I purchased it from this Ebay shop-*myworld.ebay.in/indiainfotech1/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

^^ thanks for the shop link and check here about the 2 years warranty :

Sapphire Technology Web Site

M

Ohk.2 years warranty is okay with me,even though I was promised 3.

But,can anyone find me a system/GPU cooler as per the conditions in my first post?I can stretch my budget.I want to pay via cheque/DD/cash.
Lynx hasn't restocked their items yet and I am worried about running my PC with the case open.I am sure,it would clog my GPU with dust much faster.And I don't wanna void the warranty on my card.

.Any help would be much welcome.
Regards,
moltenskull.

^^ your load gpu temp in safe zone - no need for a gpu cooler - if you don't want to keep the cabby side panel open get a good cabinet ( mention your budget ).

M

I can't buy a new case,at least not now.So,I want to add some case fans.Will 120mm fans fit in my pc-HP p6140in?It currently has a single 92mm(maybe) fan.Will two 120mm fans fit?(one on the side panel and another at the back of the case)Please help me out,I am really confused about what to do.

post a few pics of your cabby so that we can have a better idea about your cabby.

M

Hello,
I took my PC to a computer shop.They told me that 80mm fans would be fine and showed me that 120mm fans would be too large ie they would not fit.

So,I ordered two of these-
Flipkart: Cooler Master BC 80 mm White LED Fan Cooler: Cooler
Are they okay or I could have got a better deal? :?:

I am still open to suggestions.
Will post back with results in a day or two i.e. whether there is proper airflow within the case or not etc.One thing more,I have a stock 92mm fan at present.Should I replace that one with an 80mm one coz it is very slow in pushing air out of my already cramped cabinet?
Thanks a lot everyone for your help and patience and a special thanks to topgear for consistently answering my questions.

^^ the deal is very good and even I'm using those fans ;-)

if the 92mm fan ( at rear side of the cabby ? ) is too slow replace it with a new 80mm fan.

M

Woah!Added the extra fans today!Keeps the temperature exactly the same as with the cabinet open!Never thought a couple of fans could have made such a difference......

.....Earlier,with the case closed,the card was idling in the mid-50's ,now it idles at 45(Temperature here is 36'C)!Thank you,everyone !

Load temps are down to 68'C from 74'C!

Topgear-I did not replace the 92mm fan at the back because there are no suitable mounts for an 80mm fan.And thanks a lot for your help!

Regards,
moltenskull.

^^ nice to know the temps went down .. stay cool for the rest of the summer season ;-)