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Graphics Stop GPU blowing on SSD under it

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by wyx087, 14 Sep 2020.

  1. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    With upgrade to much beefier GPU, I found it blows a lot of its hot air downwards toward the motherboard. Problem is, the mobo has a NVMe slot there and I plan to use both of my NVMe slots.

    The space is very limited under graphics card, but my thinking is to use some sort of thin, non-conductive, heat resistant sheet attached to the bottom of GPU heatsink, just above PCIe connector. It needs some rigidity to make installing easier, it will rest on the 3rd socket away from main PCIe slot. End result is that hot air hits this and gets redirected out, this acts as heat sheild.

    It's similar idea to house radiator cover. Normally it would heat up the top side, but I've installed aluminum foil, it is attached to the front edge and drapes behind the radiator. End result is top surface stays room temperature while all hot air is directed out through the opening.

    Another simpler idea is to re-use existing heatspreader provided with motherboard. I can remove thermal compound on it, raise it a few mm using washers. So that the heatspreader would heat up while SSD stays slightly cooler because it isn't on contact with the hotter heatspreader.




    What do you guys think? Any better ideas to lowering NVMe SSD temperature sitting directly under a hot GPU that blows hot air over it?

    Or am I worrying for nothing. Maximum I've seen so far is 66c reported by the SSD, anything under 80c is fine?
     
  2. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    I'm of the opinion that having the GPU blow on my SSD is a pro, not a con - because without it, the SSD would be sat in dead air. I'm also thinking that the times when my SSD is working hard loading stuff are the times when the GPU isn't working very hard, while the times when my GPU is working hard the SSD isn't - again helping keep the SSD temperatures down compared to no airflow at all.

    According to the SMART log, my SSD has spent zero seconds at its warning temperature, zero seconds at its critical temperature, and has never been thermally throttled. Sat in Firefox, the two onboard sensors are reading 29°C and 36°C respectively.
     
  3. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Depends on SSD and its environment, my old samsungs would throttle at around 58c.

    It doesn't take much air flow to help them as mentioned they are in a dead zone really so just directing the smallest bit of air helps

    I removed motherboard heat spreader for SSD as temps seemed worse, I added GPU heatsinks to NVMe SSD in first slot, I could do so because my GPUs were on water, but despite being on water the SDD sandwiched between two heat sources benefitted from blowing some air over, I just place a 120mm fan in the blowing over GPUs and SSD, this would work even without heatsinks.
     
  4. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    True, the SSD hasn't spent time in warning or critical temperature according to SMART.

    But what would that temperature be? My company did some temperature testing with industrial SSD rated for 85c, but some would throttle when chamber temperature set at 70c (SSD reads 80c).
    As said, some SSD would throttle at even lower temperature. So it would be good to shield SSD from the GPU hot air.


    Perhaps my second idea would be better, doesn't create a complete dead air zone, only separating the heatspreader from SSD. So the default mobo heatspreader would heat up, taking majority of hot air. Some GPU exhaust would still circulate around the SSD itself to remove heat.

    I've always bought GPU's with fan-stop capability. Even when copying large amount of files, no active airflow over the SSD, its temperature has never reached higher temperature than GPU exhaust forced temperature. This is the reason for this thread.
     
  5. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    buy an NVE extender if your really concerned they are not alot of money, 66c is higher than I would put up with.
     
  6. David

    David μoʍ ɼouმ qᴉq λon ƨbԍuq ϝʁλᴉuმ ϝo ʁԍɑq ϝμᴉƨ

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    Adding a heatsink to the SSD will likely help enormously. Beat in mind the temp of your GPU core does not reflect the temp of air being exhausted by the card and, given the operating temps of m.2 drives, warm air moving over it is probably a benefit.
     
  7. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    Where would I mount the extended SSD? The cable seems too fiddly. Great idea, though, move it away from source of heat. But doesn't feel like the industry have thought it through yet.

    Might buy this and double sided tape stick it on ATX part of the case not used by my mATX.
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32897908378.html

    I am considering doing something similar.

    Put a 2 or 3 mm heatsink (more of a heatspreader) on the SSD. Place washers on mobo heatspreader so it sits above but not touching the SSD heatsink, act as a heatshield.

    True the warm air isn't at GPU temperature, but feeling the air after GPU heat soaked its heatsink, it's waaaay too hot for comfort. Much hotter than I'd like for temperature sensitive components.
     
    Last edited: 14 Sep 2020
  8. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    Depends how you are with DIY, I have mine attached to the top of my case
     
  9. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    Mind sharing pic of how you’ve mounted it?

    How long the cable did you buy? 20cm?
     
  10. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    From the analysis I did of SSD's for my work, 85C is basicallyu the maximum safe operating temp for NAND flash IC's (most SD cards are the same)So no wonder that it was throttling at 80C. If you're hitting 66C it may have a performance hit but the NAND will be fine, thats well within its safe operating temp.
     
  11. rollo

    rollo Modder

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  12. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    I think I'm going to use extender to relocate the SSD, same as rollo.

    Redirecting air or use heatshield would restrict airflow for the GPU, not ideal. It also introduces possible dead air problem.
     
  13. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    I think you should just watercool everything, its the only way to be sure :p
     
  14. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    Nah, I prefer running configuration system for years without doing anything to it. Considering my DIY plumbing luck, I don't trust myself enough. I did experiment with the very first Corsair AIO CPU cooler, but sold it on as soon as its warranty ran out.

    But yes, watercooled GPU would solve this problem.

    I also considered vertical mounting the GPU, but the card is has 3 slot bracket, none of the adapters can take 3 slot card. It would also require me to cut into my beloved FT02, the master of air cooling.
     
  15. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    I don't usually touch mine for years and its fine. Longest I've gone is 5 years, no clogging, everything was still ok. Fans and rad were dusty as all hell though :p
     
  16. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    I moved the SSD to the other slot, between CPU and GPU. But surprisingly the temperature rose and fall pretty much in-line with GPU. Hottest ever under the GPU was just under 70c. Hottest seen between GPU and CPU is 65c. Installed a cheapo M2 cooler and it dropped hottest recorded by 2c.

    Now I'm thinking. May be the GPU is so hot, its conductors heat up the motherboard and anything nearby?
    1070 Ti increased motherboard temperature (don't know the exact sensor location) from 40c to 45-47c.
    2080 Ti shoots mobo temperature up to 55c after prolonged gaming.

    This is all in a crappy mATX case. But I don't think heat conducted from PCIe connectors would change much between good or bad cases.
     
  17. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    I think you're getting a hotspot of air developing. PCB's can transfer it but not easily though a socket.
     
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  18. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    My computer has been set back up in FT02 for a few weeks. The SSD under GPU now never goes higher than 60c. So it's the crappy mATX case not exhausting hot GPU air and developing hotspots.

    In terms of temperature, I see the same as what people have said beginning of the thread: GPU blowing in the SSD actually lowers temperature.
    GPU idle with fan stop, 59-60c max on the SSD.
    GPU under heavy load, GPU at 70c, GPU heatsink probe says heatsink is at 55c; SSD actually drops a few degree.

    I mounted my new boot drive Corsair MP510 960GB in the slot between GPU and CPU. In FT02 case with another cheapo M2 heatsink. It idles at high 40's and when gaming goes up to low 50's. This is borderline acceptable to me.

    I still want to move the SSD out from under the GPU, low 50's is my acceptable temperature.
    @rollo, where and how did you mount your M2 riser? Did you bend the data cable by much?
     
  19. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    I have that exact SSD, currently its idling at 35C. If you look up my motherboard its sat in the bay that would be above the GPU under the CPU, but becase I use a vertical GPU mount and my top and bottom fans are intakes it gets a fair amout of air across it. This is without any heatsinking too, just standard MP510.
     
  20. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    Well, when idle, there is only 2 180mm intake fan working at lowest ~400rpm. I let my CPU idle close to 50c passively and GPU idle around 50c passively. Between them heat sources, higher idle temperature is normal IMO.
    Your system also has benefit of all the hottest parts have heat dumped directly outside the case. All heat is carried away all the time.
     

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