Do I need a cooling ujpgrade 4 my 9700Pro?

[Ricky1810]

Welcom everyone :) As you can notice this is my first post:p

This is my question:

I just read in another thread about the cooling upgrades 4 the 9700 pro, and since I`m about to buy one, I want to know if these upgrades are optional or not...

Do I really NEED to get them too??
Will the 9700pro burn out without them???

Thanks!!!;)

[rugbydude]

Your card will run fine as it is. You'll only need a cooling upgrade if you plan to overclock alot:thumb:

[Ricky1810]

[rugbydude]

No you don't need to overclock it but lots of people like to squeeze as much power out of their card as possible. you may want to overclock it in a few years:thumb:

[Ricky1810]

[rugbydude]

No worries bout all this mate. You might have to upgrade to a bigger power supply or you might not. I know people whove not been able to get a radeon 9700 working on a 350w p.s.u yet others with 250 work fine. So i can';t really help you there. as for which one to get try saphirre as they make very good quality boards:cheers:

[RDR]

if you go for a 3rd party R9700 board...research the clock speeds very carefully before you buy - there are some weird combinations out there...I've heard of a Powercolour R9700Pro-lite?!? ...with 325/275 clocks & there are some other OEM boards with odd clock speeds as well
- it just doesn't seem right :rolleyes:

at least with "built-by-ATi" cards - you know what you're going to get

[Ricky1810]

[Tomac]

Check out this article on power supplies and the importance of the oft-neglected 12V rail: http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power_supply/
To answer your other question while you don't need other cooling solutions for your 9700 unless you o/c, I installed the Zalman HP-80A passive cooling system on my 9700 to reduce noise and so I don't have to worry about frying my card if the cooling fan fails.
HTH...
Tomac

[theyneverknew]

Ricky- I'd suggest waiting until the 9800 Pro is released (hopefully in just a few weeks :flames: ) before buying cuz then u could either get the 9800P or if u want a 9700P it will probly be a good deal cheaper :thumb:

[Ricky1810]

[Tomac]

Ricky, the 9700 has its own power lead for a 12V connector from your PSU so it most definitely *will* affect the 12V output from your PSU. IMHO your current PSU is woefully insufficient for your current system much less after adding the 9700. You're probably pushing your current PSU to its limits, I'd seriously consider getting a decent PSU with a minimum of 16a-18a available on the 12V rail. HTH, keep us posted...
Tomac

[Ricky1810]

[Wiggo]

Ha! I've seen 400w PSU's brought low by that video card. :laugh:

[rugbydude]

All i can say is that that card is one picky BIATCH