Video Card Cooling and YOU

[pHaestus]

I was browsing the web and came across this pic:

http://www.3dgpu.com/misc_images/gff...978005a18efa49

Looks like the GF FX is going to be a pretty hit chip, and that NVIDIA is taking steps to deal with it. So this begs the question "What are you guys cooling vid cards with?"

Swiftech has released a couple of Pelt waterblocks for GPUs now, and the idea of TEC GPU cooling seems to be pretty popular. I was wondering how many of you guys actually do this, and how satisfied you have any specific success or horror stories.

Personally, I liquid cool my GF3 Ti200, and I use large passive heatsinks with an 80mm Panaflo L1A card cooler blowing over the card otherwise.

[phreenet]

Why don't they just flip the card components around so that when inserted into a tower case the GPU is right side up. That way they could use that one slot above the AGP card that I have yet to find a use for instead of using a PCI slot.

[FRAGN'STIEN]

Originally posted by phreenet
Why don't they just flip the card components around so that when inserted into a tower case the GPU is right side up. That way they could use that one slot above the AGP card that I have yet to find a use for instead of using a PCI slot.

Because that would make to much sense.(A little thing we like to say at work)

I just built a block for my Radeon 8500LE, but haven't had the chance to run it yet.

[Yo-DUH_87]

Heh, when I first bought a PCI card, my first comment was "they put the bracket on the wromg way!!"

They just want to make our lives more difficult, so that when Microsoft wants to take over the world our minds will be soft and submissive, and we will become enslaved for eternity (Ok, I feel better now...)

Since the PCI card below the AGP slot usualy shares an IRQ with the AGP slot, I don't use it anyway. I want to get a slot fan for the slot below my graphics card anyway, to keep it cooler.

Also, my PNY GeForce 4600 came with quite a nice stock cooler, much like the thermaltake ones out on the market, so I see no need to change it (I may do a little lapping )?

[Blackeagle]

I agree with everyone else, why are the graphics cards upside down?

[Arcturius]

Because AGP is an extension of the PCI spec, and I believe PCI was 'flipped' from EISA at inception to help prevent people from sticking cards in the wrong slots.
And, since according to spec (and precedence) an expansion card is allotted the ~0.5" corresponding to the back bracket, major components are not placed on the 'back' of cards.
The only expansion cards I've ever seen with anything larger than SMT components on the backside are video cards, and that is still limited to memory(obviously). As another note to those that may be relatively new to the hobby: I didn't even see memory mounted to the backside of video cards until the 8MB cards hit the shelves around 1997.

Up until recently, stock cooling on cards did not need to be terribly fancy, and did not need to extend beyond that area (most of the stuff I have packed away doesn't even have a heatsink...).
Sure they run hot, but those temperatures are within design spec for those parts, and it's not a big deal for a large percentage of users that run stock speeds, and even a large percentage of those who run at higher than stock speeds.


Also, if you use a WTX case (or do some slight work to an ATX case to run it upside down) your PCI/AGP cards will end up being 'right-side-up'.

[ATLPIMP]

I've just got my Thermaltake copper GF4 cooler at 7V. The GPU fan was the loudest in my system!

[golovko]

ive got the stock cooler on my radeon9500pro, ive heard theres problems with trying to attach aftermarket blocks/heatsinks to these...

[Raccoon]

Well, I guess i am the only one with the heatpipe. It is interesting, I am about to try out using speed control on the fan with it to see what it does, and how it changes performance with less airflow over it.

[Mikey Boo]

im just runnin stock coolin with a 120mm fan on the side blowing on it

[-J-]

i use a blue orb clone on my GF2 GTS.

i just changed it cause the stock really didnt look any good nor eficient.

[g.l.amour]

i didn't find my solution in the poll. gpu cooling is done with a retired cpu heatsink with a fan at 5V. so it cools very well with no audible noise. i lose 1 pci, with some breathing room 2 pci slots.

[zoson]

DD GF4 block on my ti4600. Mad overclockage. Straight water. Forget busted pelts and all that.
-Zoson

[DigitalChaos]

arent there agp extensions?
you could use that to just flip the card over
heatsink up.. contact pins away from mobo.. connector cable runs under the card...

[Arcturius]

Originally posted by DigitalChaos
arent there agp extensions?
you could use that to just flip the card over
heatsink up.. contact pins away from mobo.. connector cable runs under the card...

If you want to use a ribbon cable to extend trace lengths on a 66MHz quad-pumped bus by four or more inches, be my guest...

BTW, I haven't seen a reputable vendor carry those extensions in greater than 1.5" length, with the exception of 2U riser _cards_, which are barely over 2" tall.

[hara]

...and give you trouble @ agp 4x

[DigitalChaos]

well.. i LIKE watercooling my card.. but i prefer an air cooled method such as the giant zalman heatpipe because:

watercooling ties down the card.. so if you want to remove it for diagnostics.. you either have it lying half in there.. or you have to remove everything.

watercooling tends to take up more than just the first slot




i think if you used the huge heatpipe, and had the exhaust from your radiator blew over it.. you would get good cooling with less hassle.

[Arcturius]

Originally posted by DigitalChaos
i think if you used the huge heatpipe, and had the exhaust from your radiator blew over it.. you would get good cooling with less hassle.

excluding, of course, all the hassle caused by the aforementioned problems...

Not to mention, your arguments about GPU watercooling being too 'big' are negated by your want to flip the card over...

[Monster811]

I am using the stock cooler on my Albatron GeForce4 Ti4600, but I have an 80mm (30cfm) blowing at it.

[Balinju]

for now i will keep my stock cooling on my graphics card cause i only have a GF4 mx 440 which i was going to water cool it, someone told me that a farting suirrel emitts more heat than it

[Boli]

I've got thsat Zalamen Heatpipe/heasink technolgy... which is great cause my GF3 had the most annoyiong little fan.

I recon my card runs almost as cool as most liquid cooled systems... whith that large heatsink I also have a 120mm fan placed directly asbove it I recon IO could cool a GeForce 5400 FX with my setup .

[Pyrotechnic]

I preffer water cooling on the GPU, but since my GF2 doesn't have any mounting holes to properly mount a waterblock, and doesn't get that hot in the first place, i simply glued a Intel socket 370 cooler to it, the ones you get with retail CPU's. It's very quiet and effective.

[Snowdonia]

Water Cooled, using a swifttech block(MCW-50 believe.) I didn't feel like having to worry about frost, so I didn't put a peltier on there.

Forgot to tell you what it is , ATI Radeon 9700Pro.

[Asmordean]

this


AMD 1800+ stock cooler mounted via 4 bolts. Fan runs at 5v on a Ti4200. The cooler is basically silent.

[siavash_s_s]

haestus: u prolly know this but the stock cooler on that fx is loud, and takes up the space of the pci slot anyway, so rip it off and water cool it ( i think nvida gonna sell their own "Geforce only" water blocks since this piece of crap is so big we wont care )