RADEON 9800 cooling fan

My concern is that one of these days the fan will freeze up and the GPU will melt down. The RADEON 9800 cards are well known for running very hot even when the fan functions normally. I would really like to avoid that situation. Trusting a failing cooling fan is a $250 accident waiting to happen.

Hello Dave,

I already have that PCI slot empty because any card installed there is too close to the 9800 fan as it is, so that is not a problem. My other concern was that it looks like the lower mounting screw on the Arctic Cooler will be very close to the inside RAM slot. It's hard to tell from the pictures if this screw will make contact with that memory module or not. I guess I'll just have to buy one and find out.

Thanks for your advice on the Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 1, Rev. 2. I needed to know if they are really as good as some of the reviews I've read. It's nice to know how they work in the real world. Have you had any problems with installation or with the thermal contact between the GPU and the cooler?

Frank

Thanks again Dave. I was just about to place my order at svc.com (Silicon Valley Compucycle). I also saw another cooler there that looks interesting. It's the Vantec IceBerg 6 (CCB-A6C), but I think I'll stick with your recommendation and go with the Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer. I know from you that it will work for sure.

Your help is much appreciated.
Frank Taylor

ATI fans are notoriously bad (read that as cheap). You will know the fan is going bad when you hear a loud whine or grinding noise after a cold startup or during heavy use. The fan went bad on my 9800 Pro 256 after just 5 months. I had to send the card to ATI for repair - nearly 3 weeks to get the card back. The replacement ATI fan started making noise after another 90 days. I can't see doing this on a regular schedule for the three year warranty term so I replaced the stock fan with an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 1, Rev. 2. It's easy to install. So quiet that I can't hear it run and my computer case and power supply fans run slower and with less noise than ever before due to the Arctic fan venting warm air out of the computer.

The Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 1, Rev. 2 installed perfectly with no modifications and minimal effort. It has a 6 year warranty. I consider this modification the best thing you can do to protect the $250 (or whatever you pay) investment you make with the RADEON card. It's better than waiting for the stock fan to fail and cause your 9800 to melt down. Technically installing the Arctic fan voids the ATI warranty but I believe I could reinstall the old stock fan if the card needs other warranty repairs without anyone noticing the switch was ever made.

So your answers are yes and yes although I never had the monitor problem you describe. The ATI card is a good choice - keep it then download and install the latest drivers from the ATI/AMD web site and do yourself a favor and buy an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer model for your card. Install it when you start to hear the stock fan going bad. You will be glad you did.

PS - many thanks to FangSuede for his excellent advice given to me.

I forgot to say hello Dave Taylor from Chicago. I am Frank Taylor originally from Waukegan. Welcome to Apple discussions.