Cooling Single slot GPU block, not full coverage

I'm thinking of watercooling my computer since despite my best efforts it's still too loud and the graphics cards are getting too hot for my liking.

Ive got an EK full coverage block for my 8800GTX but I need a block for my Quadro FX1500, I'm pretty sure that it physical layous is the same as a 7900GTX but not sure enough to buy a full coverage block for the 7900GTX. So does anyone know of a GPU block that is still single slot even with fittings?

Thanks in advance.

Moriquendi

 

I don't know of any decent blocks that are single slot for GPU only. The ek is 30 mm and the fuzion v2 is 27.

 

That's pretty much what I thought, I'm not even sure if there's enough space in the PCI spec to put full size fittings between two cards, if there isn't then then it would mean having a bit of the block poke out from between the cards and if you're going to do that you may as well have a full coverage block.

Ninja edit: Ive just looked carefully at some pics of the two cards and I'm not pretty sure that the FX1500 is a physically identical to the 7900GT, so my new question for you is, Will full coverage blocks for the 7900GTX fit the GT? Sorry if these are noob questions but I was stuck in ATi land when these cards were current.

Moriquendi

 

I've had the covers of both a FX1500 and a 7900gtx.... and a 7900gt.
the fx1500 is rather a pimped-out 7900gt then a 7900gtx, so i'd look for 7900GT blocks

edit:
as far as i can reckon the basic layout is the same, that's why i would thing/guess a 7900gt block could fit.
perhaps in the worst case you could check if there's a parts retailer near enough who retails waterblocks who'd agree to actually test if a block fits.

 

Cheers Annihilator, I've already had the cooler off my FX1500 to fit a decent cooler (the stock one sounds like a dustbuster) but I've never had a 7900 series to compare it to. By the specs the FX1500 is a cut down 7900GT being clocked at 325MHz and with only 16 pipelines which is how they can get away without a power connector. I couldn't be sure that they hadn't moved things around though to get better stability or simply to stop people flashing their GeForce to a Quadro and saving themselves a couple of hundred pounds. I've checked some high-res pics now though and I'm satisfied that they're similar enough for a 79GT block to fit.

Ill post back here when I've got the block to let anybody else whose in a similar situation know whether it works.

Moriquendi

 

They usually dont bother much more then letting parts out and laser-etching away some lanes on the pcb, i used to flash my 7900gtx to a quaddro alot for CAD use

 

Just thought I'd update this thread. The EK 7900 full coverage block fits the quadro FX1500 except for one capacitor which interferes by about a millimetre, I used wires to move the cap out of the way, well first I tried brute force and then I had to use wires to reattach the cap. It wouldn't be too hard to cut a bit of the block away with a dremel or something though.

There will be some pics once interlink decide to deliver my parcel

Moriquendi

 

Sounds daft, but was there not a single-slot aircooler around that you could've used instead? The 7900GT wasn't that hot, and if they've neutered it somewhat to make the quadro, it shouldn't really be too warm...

 

Not really, it would have to be fanless (to keep noise down) as well as single slot and since I'm watercooling everything else I plan to remove all the casefans bar one so it would probably just cook. This way Ill be able to watercool everything (I'm working on a waterblock for the FBDIMMs) and have all the fans on the radiator that I'll hang out the window. This is an interim solution while I work on a fully custom case and then *hopefully* I'll be able to leave it alone for the next couple of years.

Moriquendi

 

Why do you have to have 0-fans? I realise you could be going for a totally-passive WC loop, but there are plenty of coolers which are as close to silent enough to be inaudible.

 

I don't have to have no fans, in fact it would be almost impossible, there aren't any fanless powersupplies with the guts to handle my system and Ill have to have fans on the radiator. What I'm aiming for is to consolidate all the fans into a couple of large, slow fans on the radiator and have their speed vary based on the temperature of the coolant. If I can manage that then the thermal mass of the coolant will buffer temperature changes of the components and the fans will adjust to handle the average heat load of the system and not spin up and down every time I rotate a component in CAD.

I've put a lot of thought into how to build a quiet, robust and low maintenance machine that is (relatively) easily transportable. I also have a pathological hatred of small, winy fans that die after a year leaving you with a useless cooler. I would much rather have bigger slower fans.

Moriquendi

 

Corsair PSUs are silent. You really can't hear them!

A couple of Noctua NF-P12's on low speed on the radiator should do the job nice & quiet.

 

Already got one though I wouldn't call it silent, inaudible in most conditions but not silent. I also have a handful of Yate Loons for the radiator, I'm well on my way to having a tolerably quiet computer, not silent but close enough.

Moriquendi

 

Noctua's are the quietest fans I've found, and if you're that worried about noise, fit the Low Noise Adapter (if you're using that type of plug) and have it drop down by about 200rpm and about 3 decibels.

 

Noctua's are probably great fans, there is however one problem with them, compared to Yate Loons they are about four and a half times more expensive, that's an awful lot of money for a couple of dB difference. The Yate Loon compares very well against the Noctua in silentPCs tests and the Noctuas are thought to suffer badly when working against significant resistance such as a radiator. I have been using Yate Loons for a year or so now and I'm very happy with them, they're very cheap (~£3->£4), last well and the noise they do make is not at all intrusive. I would recommend them over Noctuas every time.

BTW, 3dB is just about impossible for any machine with moving parts let alone one that is designed to move air. It's approximately 100 times quieter than a quiet case fan (23dB). The decibel is a logarithmic scale which means that 20 dB is 10 times louder than 10dB. 3dB is about what you would hear sitting still, alone in an anechoic chamber in the middle of nowhere miles from any roads, it's damn quiet.

Moriquendi

 

QFT^

IIRC, leaves which fall to the ground make a noise of 10dB.

 

I can see your point Moriquendi, but a graphics cooler of a similar ilk to the Zalman VF900, accompanied with a fan controller, can be a silent and unchanging-speed fan in your case.

 

however a 2nd hand waterblock to fit a 7900GT dosen't cost that much more on the bay...

I have been waiting to get my paws on a FX3450 as i have a DD 6800GT water block sat here begging to be used again! lol!

 

I suppose not really... Just seems pointless to forget about aircooling as a possibility if the WC route doesn't really work.

 

Also the zalman has never single slot, its misleading to the eye but its actually dual slot.

aircooling for graphics cards has sort of failed, the last great conveitant cooler to be fitted was the arctic cooling NV5 for the 6800 serise cards, it performed really well and was dirt cheap.

Akasa has done a good job for the ATI 4800 serise with that blue thing... neo or something.