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The NV Silencer Revision 3 comes bundled with Arctic Cooling's own brand of thermal paste. A thin layer
of thermal paste is first applied to the GPU and memory chips using a squeegee. The top portion of the
NV Silencer Revision 3 is placed on top of the core of the GPU in order to mount the clipping mechanism.
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The entire unit is secured via four metal bolts and rubber spacers which reside on the bottom of the
card. Consumers will be required to tighten each screw in order to ensure that the NV Silencer Revision
3 makes the appropriate contact with the GPU. The onboard fan of the NV Silencer Revision 3 conveniently
fits into the 2-pin fan header on the Albatron Gigi FX5900XTV 128MB video card for power. There are
additional grooves along the plastic housing of the unit, which allows you to route the wiring.
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Once the unit is assembled the last remaining step is to install the video card into any free AGP slot.
To start performance tests, I assembled the following pieces of hardware to complete the system:
- DFI LAN Party Pro875B Motherboard
- Pentium 4 2.8C CPU with a Thermalright SLK947U HSF
- Albatron Gigi FX5900XTV 128MB Video Card
- 2 x 512 MB Corsair XMS3200LL Pro Series Twinx Memory
- 2 x Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 9 60 GB Hard Drives (Raid 0)
- LiteOn 52x32x52 CD-RW
- SB Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card
- Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX Power Supply
- Sunbeam Rheobus#2 Fan Controller
- Matrix Orbital MX412 USB LCD Review
- Mountain Mods Twice 7 Cube Case
Testing:
In order to gauge the performance of the modified Albatron Gigi FX5900XTV 128MB video card, I ran the
card in its stock configuration and new modification using Powerstrip v3.57
from EnTech Taiwan. This application program allows consumers to increase engine and memory clock
speeds for optimal performance. The latest release includes per-application cruise controls, in-game
clock hotkeys, clock power management, an OSD of current clock speeds, and simultaneous clock control
over multiple display adapters. By default the Albatron Gigi FX5900XTV 128MB video card is capable of
running with a memory clock of 400MHz (2 x 400MHz DDR) and engine clock of 390MHz. A successful overclock
of this card includes having no reported artifacts or visual abnormalities along with stability using
normal application programs. With PowerStrip loaded I was able to come very close to GeForce FX 5900
Ultra and GeForce FX 5950 Ultra levels with a maximum stable overclock of 495MHz for the engine clock
and 807MHz for the memory. Overall, I was very impressed with the performance results and the noise
level was very tolerable.
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Conclusion:
The Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 3 is a nice supplemental add-on kit for anyone seriously looking to replace
their existing stock GPU cooler with good performance results. As with most alternative cooling products on
the market there is always an inherent risk associated with overclocking products beyond the manufacturer's
specification. The Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 3 handled increased loads on the Albatron Gigi FX5900XTV 128MB
video card with very impressive overclocking results. What should be noted is that performance results will
differ depending on the type of configuration and hardware used. The bundled instruction manual is very easy
to understand but could be easily expanded to provide more detailed information on achieving the best performance
results. The Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 3 does work as advertised and does a great job reducing the noise level
from the original stock GPU cooling fan. What I would have like to have seen added was a method for controlling
the RPM speed of the fan as previously done with the first generation of the Arctic Cooling Silencers.
Overall, I was very impressed with the Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 3 and award MTB's Seal of Approval with a
final rating of 9 out of 10. If you have any questions
regarding this review be sure to visit the Scythe USA
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Aesthetically pleasing design
- Quality construction
- Minimal noise levels
- Good performance in overclocked environments
- Price
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Cons:
- Documentation could be improved
- NV Silencer 3 uses two PCI slots
- No method of controlling the RPM speed of the cooling fan
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