upon further investigation... the Zalman is out of the question. the main cooler itself is well priced, but for one to use it on a 8 series effectively one needs to purchase the separate ram and pwm and HIS heatsink which costs R236. the total cost approaches the cost of water cooling kits designed for just the gfx.
the cost alone makes this kit impractical.
I'll have to see how this card copes through the leading edge of summer and if this become unfavourable I will look at purchasing a Thermalright, but for now I will install my old Vantec Spectrum fan card just under the card and see if that helps with the temps.
What I type has nothing to do with the people that employ me.
The best thing i EVER did for my card was open up the 4 slots below my card and mounted a 92mm fan blowing hot air out this case and in the prosess bring cooler air from the case to the 8800 fan. Before thos litte slots on the bottom of the card (inside the case) created a hotspot under the card. also set my fan to 80% which is a nice balance bettween noise and heat. Right now, my card is @ 50'C and hits MAX 75'C during hardcore gaming.
i was looking at doing that exact thin since i have a spare 92mm fan. i'll need to look at doing a bit of modding if I want to do it though. I'll explore the option tonight.
What I type has nothing to do with the people that employ me.