It annoys me that my new HD3650 came with a tiny fan-heatsink that whines when you turn it on, and will eventually choke and sputter.

The card has a square set up of four mounting holes; you can see it in the picture:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

I've seen this layout used to bolt the small sink onto my old 7600GS (but I can't swap the two, the 3650 has a fan header and capacitors that would be mashed by the sink), but the 7600 also had normal-position holes.

Since *nobody* has prepared a sink which advertises "designed for HD3650" yet, I'm trying to figure out compatibility on two fronts:

-Wattage capacity (I'd prefer if it ran as cool as it does now-- idling at 50c or so, peaking at like 60c when decoding 1080i HDTV broadcasts)

-Mounting hole capacity. There's no term for "holes arranged like the picture" that I can see, judging by the fact every manufacturer has its own diagrams and marks for which holes go for which cards.


I looked at the Zalman VNF100, since I see one vendor is making a 3650 with it pre-installed (at a premium price), but it's typical Zalman expensive and an unsettlingly do-it-yourself proposition (clamp the heatsink together AROUND the heatpipes! Thermal-paste-it-together! Why not fab your own GPU too?)

I was also considering the AC Accelero S2. It's nice and cheap, which is a plus, Unfortunately, this seems designed for low-spec cards (the heaviest card mentioned on the vendor's site is like a X1650 or 7600), and apparently a lot of people have trouble with the install. A fair number of people report their results with an add-on fan, so it's not a useful comparison. And the diagrams and "fits these cards you don't have" doesn't address wether it will work with the card I DO have.

Or should I just JB Weld the stock cooler from an X2 4600+ (S939) on and hope?

see if this might work.......

Mwave.com: Search Results=

if it hits the caps , you can bend the Orb up a bit to make it miss

I hope your not serious about the JB Weld!!!

I was going to suggest a zalman heatpipe cooler, cause they fit pretty much anything and work very well...

Here you go,unfortunately ive never heard of them before

Coolink - the cooler manufacturer

compatability list

Coolink - the cooler manufacturer

I'll find something for ya ...

EDIT
Looks like a zalman will fit ,dont know what part # though

Attached Thumbnails

   

I have one of these 3850 cards: Newegg.com - Apollo XHD3850PG3-E3R Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

I am still using stock cooling, but it is very simular to the Zalman on my other card. Zalman will fit on mine.

E

3650 That's why nothing fits it at stock.

If a Zalman would fit, I'd just use my VF700-Cu, but I couldn't see any way to make the holes line up with the holes in the Zalman's brace.

However, I'd much prefer a fanless model, like the ones I mentioned.

My old Geforce 5600XT has a (small Socket A, no fan) heatsink JB Welded on. It's worked great, if fairly warm, for years, but the card is now decommissioned because nobody wants the box it's in, because it's a measly Athlon XP 2000+

Edit: Does anyone else find the PowerColour logo hilariously like the Penn Central logo? Maybe modeling your firm after the largest bankruptcy of its generation is not a good idea.

6, 8, what is the difference! Sorry, did not read your post very carefully.

E

Quote: Originally Posted by Fred_G 6, 8, what is the difference! Sorry, did not read your post very carefully. E

The difference is 2, I think. Math is fun.

(Concluding thread in case someone later searches for an answer to this question)

I went ahead on the Accelero S2, just because it was the only option that didn't involve trying to hold heatpipes together with thermal grease.

The mounting's right for the 3650 after all. Proof by induction: The sink fits the 7600GS. The 7600GS has the same mounting holes as the 3650. Therefore, the sink fits the 3650. QED. It's a bit of a pain to install, most because of the clips used to hold the sink roughly parallel to the card which don't want to stay put while you snap them in position.

The memory sink tape was a bit loose (like everyone who came near the cooler said), but do I really need the sinks on slow-clocked GDDR2? They're on ENOUGH

I wasn't immediately *astonished* with the performance: With the case open, it was loading (80% load, decoding 1080i TV) at 57-60C-- the same as the tiny, fanned job it replaced.

Then I put the side of the case on. At load (90+% load, RTHDRIBL demo) it stayed at 49-50C.

For comparison, my old fanless 7600GS *idled* at about 53C. (with a Zalman VF700-Cu, it dropped to 38C)

Evidently the Accelero *begs* for the least airflow... and that little open slot cover combined with closing the case so that normal airflow patterns appear, are enough to make a DISTINCT difference. The idle temps seem to be like 38-39c. I wonder what would happen if I replaced the case exhaust (airflow layout: one 120mm exhaust, dual-fan PSU where one fan runs only on demand, stock Intel heatsink) with a Delta AFB1212VHE

It's funny, but the temperature-ranges are basically identical now for CPU and GPU. This could be the GPU industry answer to Conroe (oh, wait, unlike Conroe, the 3650 is indubitably and inescapably lame)



Aside: RTHDRIBL is neat, because the CPU usage is like 10%, despite filling a 1920x1130 window with spinning balls at 12 fps-- it's like the old Amiga 1000 demos that showed "Wow, the graphics chip does almost everything!".