Installation

Overall, the installation of the GFXChilla went without any problems and that is not a surprise considering how well the instructions are laid out. Below, we will have a look at the installation process for this cooler.


After removing the stock heatsink from our 8800GTS 512MB the next step was to clean both the core and the ram modules so no thermal compound residue remained. The next step was to install the ram and VRM heatsinks which came with the GFXChilla. Unlike some heatsinks, these have VERY sticky thermal tape installed on them so while they may stick well, make sure you pay special attention when you remove them.


Every one of these heatsinks is made of chrome-painted aluminum which works quite well in conducting heat away from the VRM and ram modules. They are designed in such a way that their fins will work with the natural airflow in your case in order to speed up heat dissipation.


There are two additional, shorter heatsinks which are used so the low-slung heatpipes will pass over them. However, as you will see we highly recommend that you DO NOT install these heatsinks. This is due to the fact that these heatsinks are slightly too high and you will not be able to properly tighten down the GFXChilla.


The next step is to install the spacers onto each of the four corners of the bracket and then slide plastic washers over each of these spacers. Depending on what the offset is between the heatsink mounting holes around your GPU, you will have to place the spacers in their corresponding holes on the mounting bracket of the GFXChilla.


Finally, all you have to do is line up the spacers with your card, install a washer over each corner and then tighten down the screws. It is very important that you do not over-tighten these screws since they have the ability to screw down far enough to cause damage to your card. As a rule of thumb, tighten them with your fingers and once you can’t move them anymore, leave them be and do not use a screwdriver.


Well ladies and gents, we’ve done it; the GFXChilla is installed and looking damn fine on our 8800GTS 512B. We can forgive the blue fans since they are keeping with the Coolink corporate colors and looking a bit closer, it really is amazing how compact this cooler is.


The cooler is perfectly positioned to blow air onto the ramsinks but here we can see that even with the GFXChilla slightly loose, the heatpipes touch the lower ramsinks. This is why we recommend that in order for the base plate to make proper contact with the GPU core, you remove these two heatsinks. We will see later the remarkable difference this makes in performance.


As already mentioned, this is a dual slot cooler which means it take up no more room height-wise than the reference cooler which comes with an 8800GTS 512MB and some 8800GT cards. This is perfect for those of you who want extra cooling for an SLI setup but don’t have the space for the hulking HR-03 GT.