im planning on upgrading to a watercooling system. just that, i have a 7800gs oc, which nobody makes any coolers for. i know watercooling blocks are completely adujustable (most of them) so that part is taken care of. but the thing thats left is the bridge chip. i dont wanna get a whole nother block just for the bridge chip, so how hot does that chip get? can i just throw a heatsink on it? would it need to be cooled to raise performance? or is it as burning hot as a cpu?

Let your finger be the judge!

After installing it and letting it ilde for 15 minutes, if you can leave your finger on it, then load it up with a game for another 15 minutes and try it again..if you can't keep it there without it being uncomfortable, then it will probably need a heatsink.

If your case has decent airflow, then that should be enough...if you find the heatsink is not cool to the touch still, then you should probably add a small fan nearby blowing directly on it..or somehow direct airflow from a case fan to it with some simple ducting.

This is my best advice for any component in general you have in a PC

(Other than the 120v AC power supply..DON'T put your fingers on anything in there, it will curl your hair and could cause serious injury or even kill ya!)

I have the BFG 7800GS OC on one of my systems.

The bridge chip doesnt put out alot of heat so you can use a small heatsink.
But the problem is that Its so small and narrow there isnt much surface area for the stick on type of heatsinks to adhere to.

I ended up making one that uses the two mounting holes around it for peace of mind.

Quote: Originally Posted by RBIEZE I have the BFG 7800GS OC on one of my systems. The bridge chip doesnt put out alot of heat so you can use a small heatsink. But the problem is that Its so small and narrow there isnt much surface area for the stick on type of heatsinks to adhere to. I ended up making one that uses the two mounting holes around it for peace of mind.

yea, thats what i was planning to do. thanks guys.