I always have Artic coolers on my GPU's. First was with the ati 4890 and now the 6870, at 100% speed they are inaudible while giving the best cooling performance. Cost a bit more but when you're after pure silent gpu's for gaming, it simply can't be beat!

Yeah, Arctic stuff is literally and figuratively cool.

I similarly use the 2 fan version on my 6870 and love it. I imagine it will stick with me through upgrades to the 7870 and 8870.

The only thing I could really hope for is a 2x120mm version (similar to the 6990 version) that could fit on the width/length of a mid-range card. A tall order to be sure, but when the possibility exists to buy a passive sink (like the S-models) and zip-tie a couple thin-body fans, I would love to see a robust heat sink capable of utilizing the power of 120mm fans in a tiny package.

Overkill? Yes. Niche? Yes. Expensive? Surely.

Cool, quiet, and the best conceivable possibility. Do it.

Not bad, but at this point with the rumored HD7970 XT2 revision chip around the corner, I think it's better to wait a month and grab one of those. The overclocking results with this cooler were not impressive. Also, the fact that this cooler has a Tahiti XT footprint means it won't be reusable for HD8000 series GPU. Finally, the Sapphire Dual-X runs much quieter than the MSI Lightning more or less negating the need for this Accelero cooler on the 7970 card.

Whats up with the high vrm and memory temps on the artic cooler.

I just hope Arctic can deliver more reliable fans. I had their Accelero S1+ turbo module, twin turbo, twin turbo pro and ALL failed after 1 year of use. So I recommend having a few 120mm fans and zip ties just in case..