Questions about after-market HSF

[tgxiii]

I have a few questions about after-market heatsinks for a video card.

How do I go about taking out the stock heatsink?

What about the RAM heatsinks, the ones that have been glued onto the video card?

Does replacing the HSF void the manufacturer warranty?

What is the best after-market HSF? I was looking at the Zalman heatpipe one, but it looked heavy. I'm afraid the weight my break my video card.

[Sweeper]

I used the Zalman heatpipe and it was bulky but once it was in the AGP slot it was fine.That was on a 9700 Pro.

The stock heatsink usually is held on by two pins and or epoxy. You can use a flat head screw driver to pry it off carefully. Place a rag between the card and heatsink to avoid scratching the card.

Not sure about the Ramsinks, as I have never had any that i have had to remove. I would assume they are held on by the same epoxy the Heatsink is held on with.

Yes it does void the warranty.

The Zalman in my mind is quiet and worked wonders for my Radeon 9700 Pro, as long as you have good cooling throughout your case.

Sweeper

[tgxiii]

Thanks for the reply. My case has a side panel fan that blows directly onto the AGP slot, so I think my video card would be fine with a passive heatsink.