9800 XT and Arctic VGA Cooler problem

[biglawdog1]

Purchased a 9800 XT and an Arctic Cooler VGA vid card fan from NewEgg. I've read really good things about the Cooler and it said it was compatible with radeon 9200-up so I bought it with my XT. However, I get both in the mail and notice on the back of the cooler box, it notes "compatible with all radeon cards EXCEPT XT". Newegg never mentioned that on their website. So I had a couple of questions.

1. Why is it not compatible and is there any work around ? It doesn't look much bigger then the card but I dont want to try to install it and screw up my vid card. I've emailed the arctic folks and they haven't responded.

2. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good and quiet fan for the XT (assuming I can't use the Arctic VGA), thats easy to install (I'm not tech stupid but I'm not as adept as many of the people on this board at installing hardware).

3. I've read that the XT fan is actually pretty decent - I won't be doing any overclocking with it and have a case that keeps everything pretty cool. Would you suggest replacing the fan and heatsink on the XT or just let it be ?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[Jimmy White]

Yes it is correct that the Arctic cooler does not fit XT cards BUT there was a REV 3 version released not long ago that IS compatible with the XT cards should have got that one
The Fan on the 9800XT is a decent fan up to you if you want to replace it

[biglawdog1]

Jimmy, thanks for the response. Interestingly enough, people on neweggs boards seem to indicate that the cooler being shipped by newegg was actually the Rev 3 version, noting some differences in the parts shipped and the instructions. I also noticed that the instruction pictures differed from the hardware receieved. Arctics website notes that the RT 3 version would be compatible with the XT and that it was shipping it in March. So in theory, I could have the Rt 3, I'm just not sure how to check it to be sure. I've emailed newegg to see if they know which version they've shipped so hopefully, Ican return it for a refund. I'd really like to get the issued settled before I start putting together the new computer.

Anyway, if anyone else has insight into this, I'd appreciate it.

[biglawdog1]

As a follow-up, I just recieved this email from newegg. Lets just say its pretty unhelpful.

"Generally, our stock moves so fast that we have the latest version or revision of everything. Unfortunately, we do not have a way to physically get our hands on our most current stock and tell you what revision we have at the moment. Also, I cannot tag a particular item for a particular order. We ship what we have, when we have it, at our discretion. We do not guarantee revision numbers."

Thanks a buttload for that response.

[Jeradln82]

look and try to see how many wires the fan power connector has, ya know; the connector that goes to the video card. See, the XT cards have a 3pin connector on the card for the cooling fan. The VGA silencer Rev 1&2 only have a connector for 2pins. I found this out when I tried to reuse my VGA silencer from my 9500pro to my 9800Pro 256mb w/the XT PCB. I just picked up a 2pin to molex adapter at the local store and hooked it up that way.

[Alienware_Dude]

If you're not overclocking, then why bother with an aftermarket GPU fan at all?

[Jimmy White]

Originally posted by Alienware_Dude If you're not overclocking, then why bother with an aftermarket GPU fan at all?

the arctic coolers are also mainly used to lower noise levels. as they are silent compared to retail fans

[biglawdog1]

*See, the XT cards have a 3pin connector on the card for the cooling fan*

THats perfect, just what I needed.

Hooked everything up in the new case I bought last night and am using the retail cooler for the time being. Box is running at around 30 so I guess thats ok. Its not overly loud so we'll see what happens.

Anyway, thanks for the insight and assistance )