Chris Ihao

Like I said earlier in the thread, I cut off the stock heatsinks vrm part, and glued it on with arctic silver epoxy. It felt really risky though, as quite a lot can go wrong. If you find out that you've lost contact with one of the vrm's after the glue hardens, there's not a lot you can do about it then.

Here's one last update btw. A few degrees more on all sensors, but this after the room has been badly ventilated and heated quite a bit during the night. These degrees are purely due to an increase of ambient temperature:

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Danman1280

You think that AC might have this problem addressed before its release in the states? Because that seems like a BIG problem...

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Chris Ihao

I seriously doubt it Danman, I'm sorry to say. My experiences through the years is that most of these companies just fire and forget. They just make something, try to sell as much as they can and move on to the next project.

As you barely can find a gtx280 in stores here anymore I think they already moved on, but of course these are just my opinions. I hope I'm wrong.

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mardon

This is an annoying problem as I want one of these for my GTX260.

If I was too leave my standard back plate, cut the vrm section off the original cooler and fix with Arctic Silver or the like, affix the new cooler then screw on with the standard screws do you think this would work? That doesn't sound like as much work as you have had to do but would be worth it for the temps.

GigaByte

They should of called this the Accelero Tripple Turbo.. seriously.. wow.

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Chris Ihao

EDIT: Oh, at closer inspection I think I misunderstood your question. With "standard backplate", do you mean the one packaged with the accelero, or the stock one? I would definitely go for the last option, the stock backplate, if I was to do it again.

Leave the arctic cooler backplate alone if you can. I'm not sure of this, but I think you must make some extra holes on the ac bp if you want to fasten the vrm hs with screws, while this bp is on top of your card. My memory fails me though, as I probably just wiped that whole backplate out of my memory out of frustration, but I think I remember it being wierd that the holes on the sink didnt really fit the "outer holes" on the card (another "big mistake" of this cooler).

Its much easier, less risky and less permament (both good and bad I guess) to use the eight screws on the stock backplate instead. This one should also cool the upper ram chips better than my Zalmans or even the ac backplate, as its a much larger surface to spread heat on. I already had the upper ram hs's glued on before I was given the link describing that alternative method.

I would probably use some plastic washers or something in some of the holes of the backplate that are left unscrewed though, just to assure that there are proper contact between the backplate and all of the chips. However, as I havent done the process myself, it may very well be ok from the point you've screwed in those eight screws. You'll just have to see.

The stock vrm hs is really easy to saw off, and if you dont mind sawing into some bits of plastic you dont even have to take the hs out of the plastic casing before sawing. The tiny screws keeping the hs itself was really stuck on my stock cooler, and my small screwdrivers are worn out. Use a decent saw though, as the ones used on several screenshots and clips describing the process are really toys in my opinions. Takes about 4 times longer that way, and you dont get as clean a cut.

You should considering epoxying on the two lower 3 x ram hs's, as lackluster adhesive making these fall of represent some of the most annoying problems I've ever seen on a third party cooler. You could eventually mix the arctic silver epoxy with some normal arctic silver to make it easier to unfasten again, if that makes you more comfortable (and if thats what your planning to use).

Good luck man, if you decide to go through with it. Its a really good cooler, if you can live with the described (stupid) shortcomings.

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mardon

Thanks for that. I had the cooler for my 9800gtx and loved it! It was very quiet and cooled so much better thans stock. As soon as they are widely available in the UK i'll pick one up and have a play.

Yes i'll be using the black stock backplate not the arctic cooler one.

laurie

Is this the only option for a 280? I would like to get one but don't really want to cut up the retail cooler.

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laurie

Sorry to bump this again but I thought it better than just adding another thread.
I have read a lot of reviews about this cooler and all say the same that the heatsinks fall off. However once the paste has warmed up and cooled off a few times they seem to stay put. Also they all say that they do indeed cool the ram etc very well so long as they stay on.
I have an inverted motherboard. Do you think this will help keep everything in place.
Or is there a better cooler for this card? I am not happy with temps of almost 90c or with the sound of the fan going full blast.
Any advice would be great thankyou.

Laurie.

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Chris Ihao

Hi laurie. In my book, even if there is a remote chance of the heatsinks falling off I would rather fasten it by other means. You really dont want loose parts in your computer, and more importantly you dont want you super overclocked card to lose contact with the heatsink during heavy gaming.

Thing is, if they are capable of falling off, how "tight" to the chips are the heatsinks really? Its not like a cpu cooler, or the gpu cooler in this package, where there are applied pressure onto the heatsink. I dont believe that the sinks getting heated and cooled off a few times helps much either. At least thats not my experience with these types of adhesive on heatsinks (I also tried that with these). Rather, if they are stuck on and once fall off, the hard glue are likely to stick even worse. Thermal pads are more likely to do that, getting more "stuck" after a few cycles.

Yes, your inverted mobo would probably help to keep the upside down heatsinks in place, but then the backplate probably would be uncertain. The only reason I could keep the backplate on for a few days, while waiting for my ac epoxy and new sinks, was that I dont have an inverted mobo and could just lay it on top. It took no force to unsettle it though, just a touch from the side.

My main point is, if the glue is SO bad, then there probably is inferiour contact between the heatsinks and the chips (lots of air between them). I used arctic cooling epoxy to remedy this, and I'm quite happy about it now, but people have different limits to how far they want to go with these things.

Having confirmed that my gtx280 is ok by using it for a few months, I find the likelyhood of me rma'ing so small, and I dont see myself changing cooler on this at any time, that I decided to make it permament.

If you dont like the idea of it being permament, try mixing arctic cooling epoxy with normal arctic cooling goop (maybe around 50/50, with a greater amount of normal goop) to make it possible to dismount it when wished, while at the same time getting a sticky effect.

You wont get around the vrm sink problem though. If you dont mind you could run without vrm cooler at all, as they normally dont go over 100c anyways, but if you want them cool you should find another solution.

Hope you get sorted out. Just ask if there is more!

Cheers

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