How to Make Your Own VGA Cooler
Video cards are a crucial part of your computer. They allow you to view your operating system, games and movies. Video cards are in high demand when your computer is turned on, and they put out a great deal of heat. Constant high temperatures can shorten the life of your video card. VGA coolers allow you to remove the heat generated by your video card by blowing the hot air out of your computer. VGA coolers can be costly, but if you make it yourself you can customize the design based on your video card and budget.
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Instructions
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1
Use a ruler to measure the space around your video card while it is installed in your computer. Measure and record the distance between the video card to the CPU mounted above the video card.
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2
Remove the video card from your computer, and measure the video card's length and width. Do not include the part of the video card that will be seated in the PCI slot when making your measurements.
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3
Measure the distance from the front of the video card to the memory heatsinks located on the back of the video card. Measure the width of the area where the heatsinks are located.
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4
Draw the video card's dimensions onto the paper. Using a ruler, draw a box over the area where the video card's memory heatsinks are located. The box should be smaller than the computer fan's dimensions.
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5
Use the ruler to draw the three side supports for the VGA cooler. Two sides should be the same length as the video card and should be shorter than the distance between the video card and the CPU mounted above it. One side should be the width of the video card and it should be the same height as the other sides.
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6
Place the paper underneath the Plexiglas. Use the X-acto knife to trace and score the design on the Plexiglas. Pop the design out of the Plexiglas and remove the excess pieces.
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7
Glue the four Plexiglas pieces together using the contact cement. The piece that spans the width of the video card should be glued to the end that is nearest to the hole for the fan. Glue the fan to the top of the Plexiglas directly over the hole. Allow the glue to dry for 24 hours.
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Install your video card into the PCI slot. Place the Plexiglas unit over the video card so that the fan sits directly over the heatsinks on the video card, and plug the fan into the power supply.
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Tips & Warnings
The fan should be placed on the Plexiglas to force air to move over the video card and out of the computer case. The VGA cooler should not pull the hot air out to circulate it in the case.
References
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