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is your 3870 fan always loud?
- Thread starter DualShock
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Oh, don't worry about it.
I think that particular RAM heatsink could move 1mm to the right and it would be no problem at all, but just make sure they are not touching.
Be mindful of where I put the plastic clips for the upper brace - it's the only 2 spots without circuitry.
RECAP: Pics of my install are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/pamplin/ATI3870Cooler#slideshow
Video of stock cooler removal (someone else's): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCJHa8pXiNY
Turn off the audio on that YouTube video - trust me on that one. ;-)
JP
I think that particular RAM heatsink could move 1mm to the right and it would be no problem at all, but just make sure they are not touching.
Be mindful of where I put the plastic clips for the upper brace - it's the only 2 spots without circuitry.
RECAP: Pics of my install are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/pamplin/ATI3870Cooler#slideshow
Video of stock cooler removal (someone else's): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCJHa8pXiNY
Turn off the audio on that YouTube video - trust me on that one. ;-)
JP
Well, the Accelero is installed and everything seems to be running fine. I wish I had a way to check the GPU temp, but the only thing I can find is a reading for the expansion slots (currently 34 degress C according to iStat, been running all day).
The install was pretty smooth, overall. I had to remove the stock heatsink from the voltage regulator because it was too tall. The heatsinks that come with the Accelero are lower in profile and fit under the Accelero unit. So, if anyone else is planning on doing this swap, make sure you have some needle nosed pliers handy (you'll see why when you see how the heatsink is attached to the card).
So far, this is wonderful! No noise, and an updated GPU!
The install was pretty smooth, overall. I had to remove the stock heatsink from the voltage regulator because it was too tall. The heatsinks that come with the Accelero are lower in profile and fit under the Accelero unit. So, if anyone else is planning on doing this swap, make sure you have some needle nosed pliers handy (you'll see why when you see how the heatsink is attached to the card).
So far, this is wonderful! No noise, and an updated GPU!
I've just done the Accelero installation myself. I've had the card since it was first released but pulled it after a couple of days due to the noise so it's been sitting in its box all this time.
It seems only one DVI connector works now though. The computer won't boot properly if a display is connected to the second connector (furthest from the PCIe slot), but does boot with that connector empty. The other DVI connector works fine as it should so I don't know what the problem could be. Can anyone help shed some light on what the problem could be? Is it possible I did something while changing over the fan to the Accelero or reinstalling the card, ie would one display still work like it does if I'd damaged the card somehow? Help, I have only half a 3870 now!
Okay, sorted now. I assumed it was some sort of physical fault due to one connector worked fine but the other didn't. Looking at the card in the slot, the free corner was sagging down a mm or two under the weight of the Accelero, so I deduced this must be putting strain on the DVI connector at the other end of the card. I cut a wedge of the eraser I used to clean the RAM chips and used it to prop that corner up and re-level the card. Both display connectors are now working.
I assume I must have weakened the card at the point of the connectors otherwise I expect the card should sit straight in the slot even with the weight of the Accelero on it. No idea how I did that. Maybe I applied too much force when attaching and holding the RAM sinks for 30 seconds each to ensure a good bond after reading other peoples' concerns that they wouldn't stay on.
Ah, the joys of having to bodge a brand new $400 (AUD) piece of hardware just to make it usable. Do the fan designers at AMD not test their fan designs, or is 'hairdryer decibels' actually within their acceptable testing levels?
I assume I must have weakened the card at the point of the connectors otherwise I expect the card should sit straight in the slot even with the weight of the Accelero on it. No idea how I did that. Maybe I applied too much force when attaching and holding the RAM sinks for 30 seconds each to ensure a good bond after reading other peoples' concerns that they wouldn't stay on.
Ah, the joys of having to bodge a brand new $400 (AUD) piece of hardware just to make it usable. Do the fan designers at AMD not test their fan designs, or is 'hairdryer decibels' actually within their acceptable testing levels?
was there ever a fireware update to deal with the fan noise
Everyone has the same firmware. In fact, my original and replacement cards had the same firmware. But the original was really loud, and I can't hear my replacement card at all (except when gaming). So I highly doubt it's a firmware problem; rather, it seems to be poor quality control with the coolers.
I'm not sure if ATI/AMD did any testing. Based on the board/cooler design of the PC/Mac 3870 and information pulled using GPU-Z, the board was actually manufactured by Sapphire. See here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102719
I'd say blame Sapphire.
Is Sapphire the Chinese manufacturer under contract to AMD/ATI? The packaging of the card is 100% AMD and ATI branding, no mention if any other company at all.
The sticker with the bar code and model number has this list:
Graphic Card - Made in China
Adapters - Made in China
Cables - Made in China
Interconnect - Made in Mexico
CD-ROM - Made in USA
Printed Materials - Made in Canada.
The sticker with the bar code and model number has this list:
Graphic Card - Made in China
Adapters - Made in China
Cables - Made in China
Interconnect - Made in Mexico
CD-ROM - Made in USA
Printed Materials - Made in Canada.
Oh well, the faulty connector has failed (frozen screens, reboot, nup, no boot) after less than one day so my attempt to seat the card straight isn't enough to rectify the fault. Even when it was working I was getting jerks and skips on video that even a 64MB should handle easily, so it was always going to be a problem. The nVidea 7300 is back in there now and working perfectly and silently as before with its OEM passive heat sink. Ol' reliable.
What to do now? The warranty was voided as soon as I turned the first screw to remove the fan, so I'm stuck with it. I have 4 monitors so if I want to reinstall this 3870 with just the one working connector I'd need to keep both 7300s in there as well for three more connectors, which means running both 7300s at below par x4 if I want the 3870 to run at full x16, or run all three cards at below par x8. Juggling lane speeds arithmetic...
Or.. do graphics cards split the lane speeds between the connectors? ie, 2 connectors on a x16 lane slot use x8 each? If that's how it works, an x8 slot would be okay for this card as it is now, wouldn't it?
What to do now? The warranty was voided as soon as I turned the first screw to remove the fan, so I'm stuck with it. I have 4 monitors so if I want to reinstall this 3870 with just the one working connector I'd need to keep both 7300s in there as well for three more connectors, which means running both 7300s at below par x4 if I want the 3870 to run at full x16, or run all three cards at below par x8. Juggling lane speeds arithmetic...
Or.. do graphics cards split the lane speeds between the connectors? ie, 2 connectors on a x16 lane slot use x8 each? If that's how it works, an x8 slot would be okay for this card as it is now, wouldn't it?
Just to update with an answer to my own question - tried configuring all three cards at x8 and the HD 3870 doesn't work at all, its screen stays blank. So it needs x16 or nothing. I would have thought it'd at least still work at slower lane speeds like the nVidias can, but apparently not.
Addendum: Seems it's only the x8x1x8x8 configuration where it doesn't work at x8. This card does indeed run at x8 in other configurations. Go figure.
PS. Anyway, after reinstalling it to do all this testing on lane speeds, it looks like it's working perfectly as it should now. Maybe my original problem was it just wasn't seated in the slot or tightened down properly. D'oh. Hope I didn't put anyone off trying this Accelero option themselves. It's dead quiet without a fan at all so I'd recommend it to other 3870 owners who are annoyed by the fan noise.
Updating my own post again. The second graphics slot can't go any higher than x4 either, so it's more than one problem so I googled it - FYI in case it hasn't already been posted, for anyone else with an early Mac Pro wanting to install two graphics cards, the 10.5.6 update broke the Expansion Slot Utility used to configure the PCI lane speeds.
Apple is working on a fix for the problem and until then the only option they suggest is to downgrade to 10.5.5. I'm just going to leave it and check Software Update regularly I think...
So my ATI 3870 has been running with an Accelero S1 rev2 heatsink on it, and its been running quite cool, under load when playing UT2004, the highest temperature it reached was 61 deg. Celsius.
So I have a question now:
Do I now, literally, throw the old fan in the garbage or....??
So I have a question now:
Do I now, literally, throw the old fan in the garbage or....??
I replaced it with an AKASA heat piped sink with fan and its been very silent that way. I keep the old junk all the time in case I come across a problem in the future that can be solved with it. I briefly considered using the old cooler on a very primitive active sink on a RAID card processor, but decided against it. The spec told me the RAID card processor would easily run with passive heat sink in a Mac Pro and all the mechanical work of cutting the base plate to shape would be wasted. I may need it in the future though.
I used the 2-pin socket on the card to power the fan. Just connect the black and red cables. The third I left away without a problem. The fan control still works nicely.
This is odd. I just ran Counter Strike: Source, keep in mind my ATI 3870 is using an Accelero S1 rev2 cooler
1920x1200 resolution
Everything set to max
4X Anistropic Filtering
4X FSAA
I checked the temperatures via GPU-Z and it read 80 degrees celsius. checked the catalyst control centre, the temperature dipped to about 75 degrees (game stopped).
I played for about half an hour to an hour. Is that a normal temperature? I played Unreal Tournament 2004 the other day and my temperatures never went past 61 degrees. What gives?
I've got another 3870 thats still got the old fan on it (not installing it until i get another accelero s1), and am thinking of swapping the two and playing some CS:Source with the same settings and seeing how my temps go from there. Idle temperature is usually around 35-42 degrees celsius.
1920x1200 resolution
Everything set to max
4X Anistropic Filtering
4X FSAA
I checked the temperatures via GPU-Z and it read 80 degrees celsius. checked the catalyst control centre, the temperature dipped to about 75 degrees (game stopped).
I played for about half an hour to an hour. Is that a normal temperature? I played Unreal Tournament 2004 the other day and my temperatures never went past 61 degrees. What gives?
I've got another 3870 thats still got the old fan on it (not installing it until i get another accelero s1), and am thinking of swapping the two and playing some CS:Source with the same settings and seeing how my temps go from there. Idle temperature is usually around 35-42 degrees celsius.
Ok, so I ran counter strike source again with my 3870 using a stock fan. Same graphic settings, I got up to 83 degrees celsius (that was the maximum it hit). No artifacts or anything showed. When idle, the temperature was between 50-52 degrees.
I put my 3870 with Accelero S1 in, and did the same tests;
CS Source; max temperature was 80 degrees (3 degrees less than the stock fan, same game map). When idle, the temperature was between 38-42 degrees celsius. On average, during gameplay in Counter Strike Source, I was seeing temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees.
Both stock fan and accelero s1 performed roughly roughly the same in UT2004, but with the accelero I noticed lower temperatures by about 5 degrees.
What kind of temperatures are you guys getting? I'm a little concerned that my 3870 may fry with the accelero (paranoia is kicking in, eventhough all things point that the new passive cooling is performing better).
I put my 3870 with Accelero S1 in, and did the same tests;
CS Source; max temperature was 80 degrees (3 degrees less than the stock fan, same game map). When idle, the temperature was between 38-42 degrees celsius. On average, during gameplay in Counter Strike Source, I was seeing temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees.
Both stock fan and accelero s1 performed roughly roughly the same in UT2004, but with the accelero I noticed lower temperatures by about 5 degrees.
What kind of temperatures are you guys getting? I'm a little concerned that my 3870 may fry with the accelero (paranoia is kicking in, eventhough all things point that the new passive cooling is performing better).
Sorry for reviving an ancient thread, but this is very on topic. My 3870 was noisy, but ever since installing 10.6.3 it has been whisper quiet unless I'm running something 3D-heavy like Second Life.
Is anyone else noticing? I just want to confirm that this is due to 10.6.3 and not because of something else that may have changed. If 10.6.3 has resolved the noise issues with this card I'm going to be one happy cat!
-Z
Is anyone else noticing? I just want to confirm that this is due to 10.6.3 and not because of something else that may have changed. If 10.6.3 has resolved the noise issues with this card I'm going to be one happy cat!
-Z
I noticed the same thing.
After upgrading from 10.5.x to 10.6 the fan made a bit more noise when idle. After installing the 10.6.3 combo update the fan noise dropped back down to where it was under 10.5.x.
Haven't tried running 3D stuff under OS X yet, but there's definitely an improvement when idle.
EDIT: Hmmm may have spoken too soon. Just booted up my Mac Pro and the graphics card fan sounds about the same as in 10.6.2. Odd though, could've sworn that it was quieter the other day.
After upgrading from 10.5.x to 10.6 the fan made a bit more noise when idle. After installing the 10.6.3 combo update the fan noise dropped back down to where it was under 10.5.x.
Haven't tried running 3D stuff under OS X yet, but there's definitely an improvement when idle.
EDIT: Hmmm may have spoken too soon. Just booted up my Mac Pro and the graphics card fan sounds about the same as in 10.6.2. Odd though, could've sworn that it was quieter the other day.