Hello to all,
I'm always looking for improvements to apply to our beloved 3Dfx and this time I decided to focus on dissipation.
In the last Mods I have used Zalman heatsinks which have given excellent results.
The aesthetics of 3Dfx improved but did not come close to the current cooling systems installed on video cards.
The result I wanted was like this:
I have often researched dual GPU solutions on the web but none of them fit the size of a V5 5500.
During these searches I found Arctic heatsinks that could adapt to the dissipation of the VSA-100 GPU, this is the Accelero Mono Plus:
Due to the Heatpipes that hinder the coupling of two heatsinks, the dissipating surface dedicated to the GPU and the fixing system of the fans on the heatsink, I have given up using this model.
My attention has shifted to the Arctic Accelero L2 Plus:
The structure of the aluminum radiator and the surface dedicated to the dissipation of the GPU were ideal for the project I wanted to carry out.
So, I crossed my fingers and bought two Arctic Accelero L2 Plus.
Heat Sink Coupling:
The first thing I had to do was to pair the two radiators.
After checking the wheelbase of the two VSA-100s of the V5 5500, I coupled the two radiators to obtain the wheelbase I needed and I marked the excess parts to be cut:
I preferred to cut only one radiator to leave the other intact.
Dissipating Surface:
As you can see from the photos, the surface dedicated to the dissipation of the GPU was rough.
To optimize the contact and dissipation of the VSA-100, I lightly sanded the heatsink:
The result obtained is ideal for dissipating the VSA-100 chip.
Heatsink fixing:
For fixing the heat sinks on the V5 5500 I wanted to use the holes provided on the heat sink bracket.
Unfortunately the wheelbase did not match the holes of the V5 5500.
I decided to create two new 3 mm diameter holes to fix the heatsinks on the V5 5500:
Quick Fixing:
For quick fixing and disassembly I purchased snap clips and installed them on the radiator brackets:
Bracket cutting v1.0:
After checking the installation of the radiator brackets, I modified the VSA-100 n°2 bracket because it was hindered by the capacitors near the VSA chip and by the original 3Dfx fan connection:
Bracket pre-assembly:
After checking the assembly on the V5 5500 did I mount the brackets:
Fan Mod:
I chose the Arctic Accelero L2 Plus also because the fixing system of the fans on the radiator was ideal for my project.
It allowed me to slide the fan freely on the radiator because it had only one fixing point.
To obtain this result and to couple the fans, I cut them on one side flush with the radiator.
Ram heatsinks:
The Arctic Accelero L2 Plus is sold with two kits of 8 heatsinks for the ram chips of the video card.
A thermal conductive glue is provided for fixing the ram heatsinks.
We lovers of the 3Dfx world know what it means to detach the heat sinks attached to the chip with thermo conductive glue ... I hate it ...
I prefer to use thermo-conductive double-sided tape.
Before installing the GPU heatsinks, I installed all the ram heatsinks with the thermo conductive double-sided tape:
Installation of GPU Heatsinks and Fans:
I prepared the two VSA-100s with Arctic MX-4 thermal grease and installed the GPU heatsink:
I installed the fans on the heatsink:
I fixed the fan cables (v1.0) with double-sided tape:
Fan power supply v1.0:
The fans of the Accelero L2 Plus have a connector identical to the original one of the V5 5500.
Unfortunately for 2000Rpm the necessary voltage is 12V 0.12A, while the voodoo provides a power supply of 5v 0.13A (data taken from the original fans).
Also with the Arctic Accelero L2 Plus, a Mollex adapter is provided with two power connectors for the fans, one 7v and one 12v
To power the fans with 12v and take advantage of 2000Rpm, I modified this adapter making both connectors 12V.
Then I created a cable with two Mollexes, one passing Male / Female to always be installed on the V5 5500, the other to be connected directly to the modified fan adapter:
However, we were missing something that definitively identified what this New Heatsink was created for:
The 3Dfx Voodoo5 5500 Agp Arctic Accelero L2 Plus Version v1.0:
The 3Dfx Voodoo5 5500 Agp Arctic Accelero L2 Plus Version v2.0 LINK:
The 3Dfx logo was designed and made available by the 3dfxzone.it user deflipe, thank you very much Friend!
Totally Passive Cooling Version LINK:
Work in Progress...
Work in Progress...
Work in Progress...
Work in Progress...
Work in Progress...
Video & Test:
Video that collects all the photos of this project:
3Dfx Voodoo5 5500 Agp Arctic Accelero L2 Plus
In this Video we will see how to correctly assemble the new Modified Arctic component for cooling the VSA-100 GPU of the Voodoo5 5500 Agp:
3Dfx Voodoo5 5500 Agp and Arctic Accelero L2 Plus Assembly Tutorial
Thanks to voodooalert.de for allowing me to publish this Thread.
3DFX:
Gone But Never Forgotten!