Installing an aftermarket cooler

Please don’t treat this section as gospel truth as no manufacturer has confirmed compatibility for their coolers with the 8800GT. I am just letting you follow along with a few preliminary tests I did….

You may be wondering about the compatibility of that expensive 8800-series water block or air cooler if you decide to buy the 8800GT. Well, it won’t fit.

Here we tried to install an HR-03 Plus onto the EVGA 8800GT:


As you can see, the spacing between the mounting screws is not the same as the other 8800-series cards so it won’t fit. On the other hand, I mentioned that the spacing is identical to that of an 8600GTS and I happened to have one of those around. So I cannibalized it….


And the 8600GTS stock cooler installed perfectly on an 8800GT. The small dab of thermal compound I applied spread pretty evenly with the pressure applied with the stock 8600GTS heatsink. Therefore, I am reasonably sure that any cooler which is compatible with the 8600-series will also be compatible with the 8800GT. Just make sure not to use any 8600-series passive coolers since the G92 core on this card puts out a fair amount of heat.

Next test….something a little different


Here we have the Thermalright HR-11 backplate cooler which LOOKS like it installed perfectly on the EVGA 8800GT…but it didn’t. Unfortunately, the M5 screws which some with the cooler are about ¼” too long due to the minimal thickness of the GT’s cooler. If you choose to go this route, I suggest that you grind down the screws a bit so they fit….or wait until Thermalright adds compatible screws to the HR-11. Another alternative is to run out to a home improvement store and see if you can match the type and threading of the included screws.