How to upgrade cooling for your graphics card

WITH GRAPHICS processors now reaching clock rates similar to the speeds of the CPUs we were using not so very long ago, graphics cooling has become a problem even for comparatively low end systems. The situation is made worse by the need for the cooler to be very low profile, so as not to obstruct the PCI slots below.

If you have an overheating GPU, do not fear, for it is an easily solved problem, provided you don't mind sacrificing the two slots below your graphics card. All you will need is a 60mm fan, such as those found on most low end heatsinks, a tube of glue, and eight matchsticks. This simple trick can be used to cool down a passively cooled graphics card of any kind, or one with a fan, provided it does not have a shroud or duct over the heatsink vanes. The best part of all, is it won't void your warranty, as you can take it off easily.

To demonstrate, I have here the Matrox g450 AGP card I use in my day to day workstation. This card sports a small passive heatsink, which rapidly heats up to 36 degrees, thanks to my dual monitor setup. The basic idea is simple. The fan is held over the card in an appropriate position, using the matchsticks as spacers.

You need to cut the heads off the matches first, and then you will find that two matchsticks are a good tight fit in the mounting holes in each corner of the fan. If your graphics card already has a smaller fan on it, take it off, as it will only get in the way of the new fan. Position the fan over your GPU sink, allowing around half a centimetre of room between the sink and the fan. Once you have the matchsticks adjusted so the fan sits flat and square, you can cut off the excess matchstick with a pair of scissors.

I used Bostik All Purpose glue to stick it down, but any strong, thick and gummy glue will do fine. I wouldn't recommend superglue, as it doesn't stick to porous materials like wood very well, and will leave a white residue on your card, which isn't good if you ever have to return your card. Apply a generous blob of glue to the bottom of each matchstick, and add a little to each fan mounting hole just to make sure. Let the glue dry properly before you reinstall your graphics card, and check it is stuck firmly. Don't get any glue on the fan blades, or the slot connector on the card.

Install the card as normal, and plug in the fan connector. You can use a temperature probe to measure the results, if you have one, or just check it with a finger on the heatsink. My g450 ran at 36 degrees Celsius before adding the fan, in a case that was at a steady 22 degrees. After installing the fan, this temperature dropped down to 24 degrees, with the case temperature still at 22 degrees. This means the temperature difference dropped from 14 degrees down to a mere 2 degrees. A 60mm fan pinched off a Socket A heatsink will typically move 20 to 23 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of air. This is a massive improvement over the 3 CFM or so of the typical 40mm fan, and infinitely better than no airflow at all.

The beauty of this modification is that it will come off easily if needs be, leaving no trace behind provided you use a suitable glue. This means you wont void your warranty. If you don't have a suitable fan knocking around, you can buy one for about £3 from any cooling parts retailer, on or off-line. Even if you have to buy a tube of glue and a box of matches as well, the total cost is under £5. Why bother buying expensive and complicated aftermarket cooling parts when simple solutions work so well, and at such low cost? µ

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