Anybody has an ASUS 9600 XT (A9600 XT/T(V)D)? How does that SmartCoolingwork?!..

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike

Hi,

Anybody who has the Asus "A9600 XT/TVD" or "A9600 XT/TD". What's the
difference between the TVD and TD model by the way?!

What I would like to know is how that SmartCooling/SmartDoctor thing
works. Does this automatically set the fan speed according to CPU temp
without you having to make any settings or doesn't it work that simple?
To make it work automatically and simple, which settings do you make on
that SmartDoctor program of which you see a screenshot here:
http://www.asus.com/products/vga/images/seting-1-b.jpg like do you set
fixed RPM or not and what about choosing between "adjust RPM by GPU heat
or system load". I don't have the card yet (therefore my questions), but
why are certain things greyed out on that picture? How does that work
and which are the preferred settings?!

Also, is 3000 rpm (according to:
http://www.asus.com/products/vga/smartcooling.htm) the lowest rpm you
can go and isn't that still audible/a bit noisy? How much db does that
give cause 3000 rpm is still quite much if you know that Zalman's ZM-OP1
fan in silent mode only makes 1400rpm which gives only 20db according to
the Zalman site. Also, is there an option where you can disable the fan
since the card has a large heatsink, or wouldn't that be a good idea?!

Thanks in advance for all good feedback!

Mike.
 
Mike said:
Hi,

Anybody who has the Asus "A9600 XT/TVD" or "A9600 XT/TD". What's the
difference between the TVD and TD model by the way?!

What I would like to know is how that SmartCooling/SmartDoctor thing
works. Does this automatically set the fan speed according to CPU temp
without you having to make any settings or doesn't it work that simple?
To make it work automatically and simple, which settings do you make on
that SmartDoctor program of which you see a screenshot here:
http://www.asus.com/products/vga/images/seting-1-b.jpg like do you set
fixed RPM or not and what about choosing between "adjust RPM by GPU heat
or system load". I don't have the card yet (therefore my questions), but
why are certain things greyed out on that picture? How does that work
and which are the preferred settings?!

Also, is 3000 rpm (according to:
http://www.asus.com/products/vga/smartcooling.htm) the lowest rpm you
can go and isn't that still audible/a bit noisy? How much db does that
give cause 3000 rpm is still quite much if you know that Zalman's ZM-OP1
fan in silent mode only makes 1400rpm which gives only 20db according to
the Zalman site. Also, is there an option where you can disable the fan
since the card has a large heatsink, or wouldn't that be a good idea?!

Thanks in advance for all good feedback!

Mike.
Click to expand...
Anybody who has the Asus "A9600 XT/TVD" or "A9600 XT/TD". What's the
difference between the TVD and TD model by the way?!
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about this one, google it.
What I would like to know is how that SmartCooling/SmartDoctor thing
works. Does this automatically set the fan speed according to CPU temp
without you having to make any settings or doesn't it work that simple?
Click to expand...

You set this up by turning off the fixed fan speed that is shown in your
screenshot.
The smartdoctor software then changes the fan speed based on the
temperatures
that you set for each fan speed.

I found that the fan is pretty noisy at full speed (jet engine loud and I
have an acoustic case)
but it becomes un-noticable when it spins down to 3 - 4000 rpm. I currently
have disconnected
the fan as the fan control didn't work in 2k if your bus speed is above
133Mhz (don't ask me why).
I then mounted a 12cm fan with speed controlller above it using the zalman
fan mount and it
cools pretty good. I should also add that the fan control works in XP which
I have now upgraded to.

I don't think it would be a good idea to disable the fan without some
alternative source
of airflow as it would definitely overheat. If you don't want a fan you
should get a ZM80C-HP
from www.quietpc.co.uk with or without the fan for this card.

I hope this helps a bit.

Konichiwa
 
I'm not sure about this one, google it.


You set this up by turning off the fixed fan speed that is shown in your
screenshot.
The smartdoctor software then changes the fan speed based on the
temperatures
that you set for each fan speed.

I found that the fan is pretty noisy at full speed (jet engine loud and I
have an acoustic case)
but it becomes un-noticable when it spins down to 3 - 4000 rpm. I currently
have disconnected
the fan as the fan control didn't work in 2k if your bus speed is above
133Mhz (don't ask me why).
I then mounted a 12cm fan with speed controlller above it using the zalman
fan mount and it
cools pretty good. I should also add that the fan control works in XP which
I have now upgraded to.

I don't think it would be a good idea to disable the fan without some
alternative source
of airflow as it would definitely overheat. If you don't want a fan you
should get a ZM80C-HP
from www.quietpc.co.uk with or without the fan for this card.

I hope this helps a bit.

Konichiwa
Click to expand...
Incidentally, you can mount an 80mm fan directly on to that big
heatsink (remove the original fan first); it's just the right size and
a good 80mm fan will provide more effective cooling at quite low (and
very quiet) revs. But you won't be able to use the fan control, I
suppose - not that you'd need it.

Incidentally, the heatsink connects to the memory chips with
double-sided (thermal?) tape: if you're going to remove the heatsink
to work on it and plan to re-use the tape, make sure you cover it with
plastic film or something as soon as you get the heatsink off, so as
to prevent muck sticking to it.

patrickp

(e-mail address removed) - take five to email me
 
Back
Top