Adding cooling mods to my ram

**buddhafest** · January 20th, 2003, 12:12 PM

I am curious to know whether it would be beneficial anough for me to go out and buy a memory cooling kit..

i am using SDRAM and i dunno if i would be worth the money for me to purchase the cooling kits available..

i was just thinking of add heatsinks to the ram moduales or heat spreaders..

any suggestions on this guys??

oh and... hte video card i bought.. it came with its own hs/f but i dont like the one they supply.... is there anyway that i can remove the heatsink on that chipset?? cuz ive taken off the fan.. but cant seem to remoe the acutaly heatsink..

**jrock** · January 20th, 2003, 12:34 PM

IMO adding heatsinks to SDRAM is kinda worthless - they really don't put out alot of heat, and frankly don't do much. They are a good idea with DDR, but that should make sense, especially w/' overclocking involved.

As for the HSF on the video card, yes, you can remove it. It will a little difficult...and frankly more scary than you think. Check its attachment first: is is attached with just adhesive to the chipset? Or does it have the plastic clips on the corners? If it has clips, take those off for sure. But either way, it should be attached w/ thermal adhesive. You can look around the web for guides...like http://www.tweaktown.com

I have read them and my advice is to check the guides first. But I use a small flathead screwdriver, and am VERY careful. essentially I just lay it flat under the corner of the HS, between the chip and the HS. I *slowly* turn the head to upright...only halfway on each corner until the HS pops off. It is unnerving to do - you always feel you're going to break something. But don't follow my advice alone - look at a guide with pictures to help you out.
-jrock

**daveleau** · January 20th, 2003, 12:41 PM

SDRAM really doesn't get that hot, so a heat spreader may not be worth the investment, nor improve performance very much in an overclock.

As for the HS on your video card, be VERY careful when you remove it. Often there are easily visible clips for the HS that can be removed with pliers. Again, BE VERY CAREFUL not to clip anything else or gouge the card or you will kill the card. Then the HS itself is usually epoxied onto the chipset. A small screwdriver can remove the HS by placing the flathead under a corner of the HS and twisting it until the HS pops off. Place a credit card or something rigid and thin under where the screwdriver touches the card, to prevent any gouges in the card.

There are sites that condone freezing or heating a card to weaken the epoxy. I personally am completely against this. First, in heating: the epoxy is purposefully resistant to melting in hot temperatures, otherwise the HS would fall of the card when the card got hot in the system. Second, with freezing: I killed a video card using this method. A very expensive one, I might add. Condensation builds up very rapidly on the card and inside the resistors that is not easily removed and will prove deadly to the card when you boot up the system.

Be careful. Take your time. But really, this is an easy process.

Dave

**jerrygarcia** · January 20th, 2003, 12:50 PM

I've always used the stock hs/f on the video card. The problem with these is that they manufacture a video card so that when heat is dissipated, heat rises and actually goes straight back to the video card.

IMO, I like using a slot cooler right underneath my video card so that it vents the heat produced straight out the back.

http://www.bestbyte.net/Product.cfm?...yID=8&Keyword=

http://www.bestbyte.net/Product.cfm?...yID=8&Keyword=

I've ordered quite a bit from them with excellent service. I also get my rounded cables from them with a flat $5.00 s/h fee.

**buddhafest** · January 20th, 2003, 02:29 PM

ok.. well.. i guess i'll drop the ram memory idea... thanks guy on that.. save me sum cash

in the case of the video card..

right now all i got is that slot fan underneath the video card to take out the hot air that the card makes.. yeah i dont get why they design the damn card so taht the hot air comes back ont othe monito for.. makes no sense.

but i'll give tat screwdriver method a shot.. its gonna be a damn scary process tho..

you guys have any recommendation on what kind of HS/f combo i should use once i remove te stock ones from the video card?

**Idigguns** · January 21st, 2003, 07:22 PM

What kind of video card do you have? Thermaltake makes some nice ones. They have one that's all copper that fits the GF4's, which I saw at CompUSA for $12 US.

**Blac** · January 22nd, 2003, 12:26 AM

The Thermaltake Blue Orb is a great cooler for the GeFore3 and below.

**DPA** · January 22nd, 2003, 12:54 AM

*digs at head*

hmm, seems like i read somewhere that to get a GPU Heatsink off really easy, just put the card in a ziplock bag (SEAL IT) let 'er cool off nice and long, then pull it out and the adhesive is weakened heavily from the cold/freezing temps, and comes off rather easily. id still take all precautions already stated above, but someone verify that i am in fact remembering correctly.

have fun!

*for any of you followers of ugly arse cases, i just made the MOTHER! gotta get my digital camera, this baby's goin up!