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The updated VRM cooling did help reduce load temperatures by 10 degrees, but clearly this is not nearly enough. The standard Radeon HD 5870 cooling keeps the VRM at just 51 degrees, so going above 60 degrees here is really unacceptable. Therefore we are still not pleased with the 76 degree load temperature that the new Prolimatech MK-13 reaches.
Although the GPU temperature is considerably lower when using the Prolimatech MK-13 opposed to the standard cooler, this does little good if the all important VRM is running almost 50% hotter. The Thermalright VRM-R5 proved that the VRM of the Radeon HD 5870 needs a serious cooler in order to remain within acceptable operating parameters. When passively cooled the Thermalright VRM-R5 kept temperatures below 60 degrees, while mounting a 120mm fan on this heatsink reduced the load temperature to just 40 degrees. At $25 US the Thermalright VRM-R5 is far from cheap and the entire kit, which included the Thermalright Spitfire and VRM-R5, is priced at $110 US with a single 120mm fan. In terms of value the Prolimatech MK-13 is a lot better, as the heatsink costs just $60 and can be paired with decent 120mm fans for about $80 all up. The MK-13 we feel is better suited for mid-range graphics cards, where the thermal loads of the VRM are not quite as demanding. Here the MK-13 makes more sense than the Thermalright Spitfire. The problem for Prolimatech with that scenario is that the majority of customers buying the MK-13 will be owners of high-end graphics cards such as the Radeon HD 5870. In our opinion it makes little sense to buy the Radeon HD 5850, for example, which is priced at $300 US, to then turn around and spend $80 US on cooling, particularly given that there are a number of examples that carry upgraded cooling. This makes even less sense when you consider that a Radeon HD 5870 graphics card can be had for just $400 US, which is $20 US more than the Radeon HD 5850/Prolimatech MK-13 combo. Therefore we believe Prolimatech, and other VGA manufacturers that design universal coolers, should follow in Thermalright’s footsteps by developing standalone VRM solutions. Finally, on a different note, Prolimatech has just recently announced that the MK-13 is fully compatible with the new Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 graphics cards. However Prolimatech says that while the MK-13 is fully compatible with both products, it will only work with the GeForce GTX 470. They go on to say that because the GeForce GTX 480 throws out more than 480 watts of heat under full load, it exceeds what the MK-13 can handle. Therefore we would not be surprised if Prolimatech has an even bigger VGA cooler in the works. |
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Blaster |
Posted on: 04/22/2010 01:21 PM
I love my MK-13 but it needs better VRM cooling! Even better than the new improved version. |
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TheHusky |
Posted on: 04/22/2010 01:25 PM
Meh that didn't really help much now did it. |
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TurboT |
Posted on: 04/23/2010 01:35 PM
For these highend cards they should just make coolers designed only for the GeForce GTX 480 and Radeon HD 5870 rather than this universal stuff. Arctic-Cooling use to do that well... |
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JaccoW |
Posted on: 05/18/2010 06:08 PM
I still think this coller should be used with the Thermalright VRM-R5. Is that possible, I mean does it fit? Because that would be a very good cooling and silent combination. |
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Steve Posts: 80 Joined: 2010-02-08 |
Posted on: 05/19/2010 03:31 AM
Posted by JaccoW on 05/18/2010 07:08 PM
Yes the VRM-R5 will work fine with the MK-13 and you are right it would make for a nice combo. |