Interesting HD 4850 Mod to help it run Cooler

[Fire$torm]

While searching for a stock replacement fan for my original 4850 I came across this article: Ultimate HD4850 cooler improvement step by step guide. (http://alfredoblogspage.blogspot.com/2008/08/ultimate-hd4850-cooler-improvement-step.html) It is a CHEAP (As in cash) Mod!!! The really neat bit is that this technique does not require any cutting and the card remains in its original form. The author claims a 30C reduction in GPU temp at full load. And did I mention that it is a CHEAP mod? So give it a Look-See.

[Crazybob]

This sounds like a plan.

[Mumps]

And if you do just the "fan disk" piece, like some of those making comments say, it's no real risk with a huge gain just from that.

[Crazybob]

I didn't see where he said what material to use for the fan disk. Paper or thin card board or even thin plastic?

[Fire$torm]

I didn't see where he said what material to use for the fan disk. Paper or thin card board or even thin plastic?

It is plastic. Thin sheet Styrene I believe and is usually measured in 0.01" (Hundreds of an inch). You can get it at most craft/hobby stores. I used to work in a Hobby Shop many years ago. Take a look at Midwest line of thin sheet here. (http://www.midwestproducts.com/store/products/products.aspx?cid=f4111993-1f81-4a67-8585-87c9dab5be7e) What I do not remember is which adhesive to use for styrene when bonding it to other materials. A slow cure cyanoacrylate (crazy glue) gel should work or you could try a five minute epoxy but it is heavier then the cyanoacrylate. It is best to keep it as light as possible to minimize the chance of throwing the fan out of balance.

That reminds me, use a mechanical compass to layout the disk on the styrene and cut out the disk with scissors (being careful not to bend or crease the disk) leaving a little extra. Then trim it down evenly to the outlines using a sanding block with 100 grit or finer sandpaper. For the inside hole you can use a dowel rod wrapped with sandpaper to trim.

[Crazybob]

So say something just heavier than the window on a box of pasta? I'm sure if I look around at some of the packaging in the house, I could find something. Will probably try a little testers model glue, by applying to ribs equadistant to each other to try and avoid those balance issues.

[Fire$torm]

So say something just heavier than the window on a box of pasta? I'm sure if I look around at some of the packaging in the house, I could find something. Will probably try a little testers model glue, by applying to ribs equadistant to each other to try and avoid those balance issues.

As long as it is rigid material it "should" do fine. Just remember that the fan can spin at over 5K rpm which can shred any material that has inadequate sheer strength.

[Crazybob]

Experiment, so far is a success. Goofed around with some material last night and ended up cutting out the disk from the bottom of a TV dinner tray. Checked this morning and the card was running hot again at 94C. Applied a little Krazy glue to the edges of the fins and applied my disc. Granted there were a couple of dust bunnies hiding in there, but it's running at 64C-65C right now. A marked improvement! Everyone who has a 4850 should try this if they are having heat problems. One downside is that it increased the fan noise, but I can live with that!:)