New HSF or new GPU?

[Teny]

I need someones opinion on what I should do. I currently have a 5870 and I think the fan might be going out soon. So I am looking for a new HSF for it. So far, I found the ZALMAN VF3000A. Which is $50. Here is the question, should I shell out the $50 and buy the HSF? or should I just save up and buy a new graphics card?

Unless someone knows a less expensive alternative.

[detox]

i will usually just get a new card. in some cases, by the time the fan stops working, you can buy a slightly better card for only a few bucks more than what a hsf will cost.

[Indigo]

Not true for the 5870. The current generation of cards that would replace the 5870 are significantly north of the cost of the replacement fan heatsink.

I also recommend the Accelero, I installed one on my sister's 4870 and it does a great job.

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Accelero TWIN TURBO Pro Fluid Dynamic VGA Cooler for nVIDIA and ATI

[Teny]

Originally Posted by detox

i will usually just get a new card. in some cases, by the time the fan stops working, you can buy a slightly better card for only a few bucks more than what a hsf will cost.

I think the cards that will beat the 5870 are more of the $250-$300 price range if I remember correctly. I do want a new card, even though the price/performance ratio is not worth it. Right now, I'm just debating if I should get a aftermarket cooler for the 5870 or just use the 5870 till it dies (mostly when the fan dies) and then get a new GPU.

Originally Posted by Indigo

Not true for the 5870. The current generation of cards that would replace the 5870 are significantly north of the cost of the replacement fan heatsink.

I also recommend the Accelero, I installed one on my sister's 4870 and it does a great job.

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Accelero TWIN TURBO Pro Fluid Dynamic VGA Cooler for nVIDIA and ATI

That was my second option. I have been doing a bit of research and found out aftermarket GPU cooler's fans are connected to the mobo. Does that mean the fans will run at 100% all the time till I use a third party software or a fan controller?

[detox]

i guess the exception to the rule is if the fan stops working prematurely. But I've never had that happen to me yet....*knock on wood*

[Indigo]

Video cards attached to the motherboard? I've never run into that case. You can attach the fan headers for CASE fans to the motherboard, but not video card fans unless you are doing something screwy or modded I suppose. Shouldn't be an issue.

The nice thing about the fans you can buy for aftermarket applications SHOULD be controllable via the AMD Vision software. I know I can adjust the fans on my sister's 4870 via the program interface and they speed up or slow down accordingly. Though, for what it's worth, even at the default speed of 20% that AMD has the software set to, the card does MORE than enough cooling for the card now! We really did see a 20°C drop in temps!

[Teny]

I meant connecting the fans on the aftermarket HSF to the fan slot on the motherboard. I never used anything to change those fan speed except by doing it from the BIOS. If you look closely to the Zalman VF3000A, the fan connectors is a standard 3 pin case connector. Which is why I brought that up. However, it seems for the arctic cooling is different. So now I have a few questions...
1. Can I connect the aftermarket fan connector directly to the graphics card?
2. Will the fan increase on its own when it needs to? Or will I have to control it manually.
3. Is there a guide on how to install this onto a 5870? Will the ram heatsinks fit nicely?

One of the main reason why I was looking at the Zalman VF3000A was because of how easy it is to install it.
Like this flash video I found on their site...
http://www.zalman.com/eng/product/Pr...up.asp?Idx=385

[detox]

if that is for you card, than it should work. aftermarket fans are in most cases better than stock ones.