VOGONS


First post, by Sudos

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I have a GX400 that I've been working on maxing out for a while. I have a few final touches, but one of the things I bought for it a decade ago when I first got it was 2GB of HP badged PC800 ECC RDRAM, as that's all I could find in quantity at the time. I knew what I was getting myself into, but ever since then, I've been wondering if I should be putting a fan over the sticks to keep them cool.

In the GX400, Dimension 8100, and Precision 330, all the same motherboard and shell with different outer plastics... the RAM sits right underneath the power supply which is hinged on a mount. Because of this, putting a fan on these sticks would be a bit cumbersome for spacing, but I don't think it's necessarily impossible.

Before someone pipes up that RDRAM doesn't get hot enough to warrant active cooling... as shown here: https://www.anandtech.com/show/551/2
This is also a lower capacity stick they were testing on, in probably the best conditions possible. Dell, in their RDRAM machines, has always put the sticks in the weirdest, cut-from-active-airflow area of the board and as such they get HOT no matter the model, be it a Precision 420 or a Dimension 8200. After using the system normally a few days ago, I went to clean up some cabling in the vicinity of the sticks and nearly got burned. Definitely up there with the likes of DDR2 FBDIMM egg-fryers.

Is there a ready-made RAM fan or a printable mount for one or two like, slim 40/50/60mm fans that would fit in a shorter space without being choked for air? just to move some air past them. These sticks are coming on anywhere from 18-20 years old now for higher capacities of 256MB/512MB per stick, and 1GB in the case of later PC1066 ones, I believe. higher capacities suck up a higher wattage, and thus produce more heat.

I can pick up one of these Corsair Vengeance Airflow adapters for like $19 right now off eBay, but...
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As you can see, it's a bit proud in the height department when you look at the thickness of the fan used and what they're trying to accomplish with it for modern sticks of DDR4/DDR5.
The ideal solution would be one that uses wire legs to clamp around the slots and has a bit of give to accomodate any difference in length that RDRAM may have over conventional DDR RAM... but also enough to not slip, and is also slim enough to push air between the sticks and keep them cooler, more for longevity's sake in the here and now.

I can also remember a specific set of fans from... g.skill? (I think the Turbulence series) being popular as a conversion item for Precision 470/670 machines without a RAM fan... as these require one after filling all the RAM slots, baked in the BIOS, non-negotiable. I think there's one more person selling a kit for this of the previous revision of corsair RAM fans these days... the Dominator Airflow fans which use three 40mm fans. and they charge a stupid premium for the niche market it's targeted at (for anyone that can't rewire a connector themselves).

Honestly the Turbulence series seems like it's a better fit, it's much slimmer and I might be able to make that work, but I don't know until I can get some measurements and cross-reference that either with official documentation on any one product or someone that has one of these kits.

Anyone have any thoughts on this matter? Do you let your RDRAM sit and bake, or have you figured out a cooling solution that makes sense to keep them going?

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