x1900 Overheating?

[ChemicalWarrior]

There is a diode on the GPU, the motherboard doesn't read the temperature, as it would have no way in doing so.

The exhaust temps are going to be really high no matter what on that card, it runs out, temperatures up to 90C are not uncommon. Unless there is something obstructing the fan then there is no reason it should be overheating unless there are some other air flow issues in the case, which actually is possible if a fan is not blowing/sucking in a way conductive to the case airflow.

[Revox]

Yesterday evening I did purchase and install that BFG 650w PSU as well as a new Samsung SATA DVD/CD Combo drive. Thankfully this PSU works great in this Antec Nine Hundred case. The BFG's got 2 x 80mm fans on the front and rear of the casing, which allows me to flip this PSU so the cables rest on the mobo tray instead of jutting right out in front of the side access panel.

After installing the new PSU, and lots of cable management, wire ties etc... which I'm pretty darn proud of if I do say so myself, I attempted to run Crysis. Normally within 10-15 minutes I'd get a CMOS beep, and get tossed back to my desktop where that lovely ATI warning dialogue box would be waiting. I played for about 30 minutes or so, and did not get that warning at all. Granted, I didn't get to test it as extensively as I would've wanted... it was, however 2:00AM. =)

But... after speaking with a few individuals about ATI cards in general, and the experience I had with my 9800Pro AIW, I am also tempted to go pick up an Arctic Cooling Accelero X2 for this card just to stay on the safe side. Product reviews on that cooling unit would actually benefit my case build, as the heat would not only escape directly from the card's PCI slot vent, but also be sucked out via the stupid amount of fans my case has. However, not only can I not find one to purchase, but in the wake of deciding to invest more money into this machine (as it is my only means of gaming whatsoever these days), I may actually be acquiring an 8800GTS in the next 2-3 months (however long it takes my tax return to visit my bank account). =P

I guess it has something to do with the amount of power the card was getting or not getting I suppose... Which honestly doesn't make much sense at all. I'm sure I'll get to test this thing much more extensively on Weds & Thurs (my weekend) when I attempt to play thru Crysis and/or Gears of War.

I'll post more results as I know them.