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Cooling Best aftermarket VGA cooler for a 580

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by N17 dizzi, 28 Jan 2012.

  1. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    Hi all

    As some may know, I recently bought a GTX 580 from true_gamer and I'm very happy with it.
    The intention the whole time is to have 2 in sli, getting the second card when there is a good enough deal going. (not in a real hurry as 1 card has enough performance in most games at 2560)

    The issue is temperatures. In the computer room the ventilation is so poor and the room is so tiny that after 30 minutes of gaming or anything under load, the room develops oven like qualities and my hardware gets warmer and warmer the fans get louder and louder!
    It was manageable with sli 460s with some improvement to the stock case cooling but this is a new ball game.

    Watercooling is not really an option, I don't have any of the required equipment or a suitable case and as I'm not looking to overclock the cards for any real period I don't think its necessary.


    I was looking at the Zalman VF3000F and Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme Plus II

    Does anyone have any experience of these coolers? Is there a particular one that is best suited to a 580?

    Size is an issue, they are 3 slot coolers so will leave no breathing room between top and bottom card on my mobo... or would that not matter on coolers of this type?

    The other thing is, would I need a cooler like this on both cards, the bottom card does stay cooler anyway...

    Any opinions and advice welcomed :thumb:

    dizzi
     
    Last edited: 28 Jan 2012
  2. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    Would like to order something today so I can get it on monday (day off!), been scratching around for reviews and its slim pickings.

    I don't mind going in blind and just trying one but if anyone has anything to add it would be much appreciated
     
  3. YEHBABY

    YEHBABY RIP Tel

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  4. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    cheers yehbaby, i remember seeing that thread now. Glad to see that goes on a 580 (price is much better than the other 2 and its in stock!)

    In SLI tho you reckon its gonna get the airflow needed?

    I hope T_G didn't screw the screws down too tight on the ref cooler ;)
     
  5. YEHBABY

    YEHBABY RIP Tel

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    I've not had personal experience of this cooler. But you usually find that coolers that keep heat in case (i.e. don't vent it out the back) that the top card gets hotter than the bottom one. So you gotta have good case cooling.

    Might be worth PMing SomerHimpson to see what he thinks as he's had cooler for a few months now.
     
  6. Blogins

    Blogins Panda have Guns

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    I wouldn't recommend the Icy Vision for Nvidia cards due to the large heatspreader, the cooler simply doesn't provide full coverage. For direct contact between the Icy Vision and GPU chip ala AMD cards then it would be a good cooler. However I tried it on a GTX 460 and the temperature just kept on rising and the card shutdown. For the adventurous taking the heatspreader off is one way I can see this cooler working well on Nvidia cards.

    In the linked thread above it did work well for Somer_Himpson however!

    My experience is in stark contrast so just don't bank on it working flawlessly!
     
    Somer_Himpson and N17 dizzi like this.
  7. feathers

    feathers Minimodder

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    Buy a waterblock. My 560Ti's were 83c on air. Now 35 to 40c at full load.
     
  8. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    Based on reviews and what others had said about 470 / 480 performance, I ordered it!

    I heed your warning, Ill see how it goes... do not want to be removing the IHS, f**k that for a game!




    Feathers, I wish I could neg you :lol:
     
  9. Blogins

    Blogins Panda have Guns

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    It's a nice cooler with plenty of extra bits in the box including tons of heatsinks. I'll probably recycle elements of this in the future for my own purposes! Good value for money even if it doesn't work for you as intended!
     
  10. GeorgeStorm

    GeorgeStorm Aggressive PC Builder

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    He said he doesn't want to go water.....

    I've heard good things about the Zalman, also looks awesome :D
     
  11. feathers

    feathers Minimodder

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    Doesn't have to go water. Use Thermochill EC6.

    :)

    It's made from vegetables.
     
  12. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    I hope I'm covered under DSR as I will go for the Zalman if this doesn't work as intended. As George said looks awesome :)

    I'm not asking for miracles, if its a little quieter and stays below 80 in games (which reports from other users suggest will be achievable even with high ambient) then I'll be happy
     
  13. YEHBABY

    YEHBABY RIP Tel

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    For that price it's worth a try. :thumb:
     
    N17 dizzi likes this.
  14. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    I fear any replacement cooler will not cure the issue of getting cooler air INTO the system in the first place. Reduced potential difference between air passing over the fins causes less heat to be transferred and the card cooled. You need to concentrate on your case first imo.
     
  15. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    cheers yehbaby & blogins +rep for the links/warning
     
  16. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    Airflow in my R3 when fully stocked shouldn't be an issue...

    2 x penetrators front intake, 140mm penetrator infront of the HD cage blowing directly on the card/s, also got a rifle side panel exhaust - all controlled manually. Gentle Typhoon rear exhaust controlled by the mobo.

    Its the stock cooling on the card when things warm up. Though reasonable in single card operation, I doubt will be adequate when I go SLI (depending what you class as adequate, for me not having an annoyingly loud fan profile or temps into the 90s)

    My CPU temps show that the airflow is okay in the case (30 - 34 idle 62 - 67 load with a 4.5 clock 1.325 v core)
     
  17. Somer_Himpson

    Somer_Himpson What's a Dremel?

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    Very happy with its performance.
    And I would disregard a post a little further up relating to the heatsink coverage on NVidia cards...doesn't affect performance.
     
  18. feathers

    feathers Minimodder

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    Cascade cooling is the way to go.
     
  19. N17 dizzi

    N17 dizzi Multimodder

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    What do you think about 2 cards in SLI with 2 of these coolers?
     
  20. legoman

    legoman breaker of things

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    Feathers your obsessed with him using water cooling. Ive a Gelid sat in a draw being all heatsink like. It was very good on my 460GTX didnt have any issues with the rectangular IHS and square contact point, knocked a good 15-20C of my temps and was nigh on silent after a slight tweek
     

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