I just got one not long ago and I played BF2 (on all high settings) for a couple of weeks, and then suddenly I started getting artifacts; first in the Palce on Warlord then a few others on other maps. I had a look at the temps and I found that the card was running at 75C or more under load. So I did a bit of Googling. After reading up and fiddle-farting around I think I've got it sorted.
Aparently this is a fairly common problem with this card. The card comes overclocked from the factory, and generates a lot of heat, so the stock cooling is woefully inadequate if you want to play 3D games. The heat sink covers the GPU, RAM, and VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules). Apparently a lot of the problems are due to the VRMs overheating. Amazingly, the fan's default speed is set to 40%!!!?
I downloaded ATItool and made a fan speed profile that will speed up the fan as it getts hotter. Now I'm getting temps around 65C instead of 75C. I'm fairly happy with that temp, but the fan's very noisy at top speed so I've ordered a Zalman HS/fan for it and a slot blower to get rid of some extra heat. Problem is I don't know what to use to cool the VRMs when I take off the stock cooler. Any suggestions?
Lots of people returned them as faulty and Sapphire have released another version called the x1950 "Ultimate" or something like that. The new card comes with better GPU cooling and also has a copper heatsink on the VRMs. Unfortunately (for me at least) Sapphire won't sell the heatsink separately, so I'll have to use something else like RAM or vRAM sinks on my VRMs when I take off the stock cooler. Other people have done this successfully.
Edit: links.
What needs cooling
coolers
There's heaps of other info out there too.
In Australia, the Ultimate is about $100 more than the PRO and my HS/fan cost about $50, so it's cheaper to get a Pro and upgrade the cooling, but you void the warranty.
Anyway, I just thought I'd post this because there's probably a lot of other BF2Sers out there cooking their x1950s as they play. If you just turn up your fan speed you'll help save your card from a premature death.
Aparently this is a fairly common problem with this card. The card comes overclocked from the factory, and generates a lot of heat, so the stock cooling is woefully inadequate if you want to play 3D games. The heat sink covers the GPU, RAM, and VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules). Apparently a lot of the problems are due to the VRMs overheating. Amazingly, the fan's default speed is set to 40%!!!?
I downloaded ATItool and made a fan speed profile that will speed up the fan as it getts hotter. Now I'm getting temps around 65C instead of 75C. I'm fairly happy with that temp, but the fan's very noisy at top speed so I've ordered a Zalman HS/fan for it and a slot blower to get rid of some extra heat. Problem is I don't know what to use to cool the VRMs when I take off the stock cooler. Any suggestions?
Lots of people returned them as faulty and Sapphire have released another version called the x1950 "Ultimate" or something like that. The new card comes with better GPU cooling and also has a copper heatsink on the VRMs. Unfortunately (for me at least) Sapphire won't sell the heatsink separately, so I'll have to use something else like RAM or vRAM sinks on my VRMs when I take off the stock cooler. Other people have done this successfully.
Edit: links.
What needs cooling
coolers
There's heaps of other info out there too.
In Australia, the Ultimate is about $100 more than the PRO and my HS/fan cost about $50, so it's cheaper to get a Pro and upgrade the cooling, but you void the warranty.
Anyway, I just thought I'd post this because there's probably a lot of other BF2Sers out there cooking their x1950s as they play. If you just turn up your fan speed you'll help save your card from a premature death.
Last edited by cospengle (2007-03-16 00:15:31)