Hi, is it possible to watercool my graphics card, ive got a space for a 240mm radiator and as ive already got a good air cooler for my CPU i thought i may be able to watercool my Palit 570. So is it possible, and if so what do i need. Will i have to take apart the graphics card? or will i just have to put a backplate on it, im not too sure apart having to take it all apart thanks
im a noob in watercooling but im sure you'll need to remove the covering of your GPU, revealing the PCB etc and the following components: -Pump/Res -Radiator -VGA Block -Fittings (Barb or compression) -Tubing -Chemical solutions to stop corrosion inside blocks and algae build up -Coolant (usually distilled water) Think thats it and a bit of research regarding your planning
thanks for the very speedy reply, and how much do you think all this would set me back (rough estimate)
The watercooling kits are reasonably cheap range from £100-£250, however most include only a CPU block, the VGA blocks are somewhat expensive to buy alone, they range from £40-120. So I would say for a GPU only loop, your talking in the range of £100-170, CPU block can be added later on to the loop for a cheap enough price.
It will cost about this. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/ek-kit-h3o-supreme-lt-240-en Bear in mind that this has a cpu block instead of a gpu block, no fans or coolant.
interesting... would a decent 240mm rad work fine for an sli setup? do you think it would be cheaper to sell my current one and get say an evga one which is WC ready? because if i SLI later then its gonna cost a lot more to watercool the second one and have the same GPU (i want the same models)
Check to find out whether that GTX570 is a 'reference' design card or not - Palit have a habit of using non-reference PCB designs, which mean that full-cover waterblocks don't fit, unless a waterblock designer makes one specifically. The 'EK Cooling Configurator' can be of help here. Cost will vary tremendously, dependent on whether you want best-of-the-best-cost-no-object bits, or whether you're happy with stuff that performs almost as well, but a good sight cheaper.
That kit does include 2 fans(apparently now gelid fans instead of Yate loons) and also dye/anti-corrosion liquid. All you need is a GPU block and distilled water. A full thickness 240 rad should be enough(60mm thick). Maybe one of the thermochills with a high fin density + a couple of high static pressure fans.
is the distiled water the stuff where it has all different colours? becuase i would want yellow to match my case also im not too bothered about performance of it, i wont be overclocking (i might a little bit) but i would like improved temps I was looking at a couple of coolermaster excaliburs for the rad, they have good pressure compared to most others im not sure how thick of a rad i can fit, i may actually be able to get a 280mm rad (if that exists?)
GPU blocks are expensive for the most part i think a 570 GPU waterblock would be 65 at the cheapest rising to 100 probably for the most spendy ones. Like the others have said minimum you would need would be a pump/reservoir , GPU block , 240mm radiator , fittings and tubing plus fans plus fluid. You may well want more than that tho , like a fan controller or add a CPU waterblock in as well. Tho then you will likely be talking of a 360 radiator at least.
Distilled water is ultra pure water, which you can buy from any motor shop or garage, the colour comes from dyes and additives(and cost extra).
There are some pretty decent video guides on youtube , i wont link them as im unsure of what im allowed to link but theres a couple at least called beginners guide to watercooling and im sure there is something on the forums here also. Worth checking them out with a cup of tea !
If it's any use, my 4870X2 stays comfortable with two 120mm fans, but not with one. Heat output for 4870X2 is 286W compared with 150W for the GTX 570, so about half the heat to dissipate. 55nm fab process for 4870X2 compared with 40nm for GTX 570 means higher heat density for the 570, so more efficient cooling needed. So on balance, maybe a dual 120mm radiator to be sure, run fans on low
watercooling actually isnt much more expensive than say a H100, H80 but the VGA block is about 40/65% of the entire cost.
You could equally go for a core only GPU block, this would lower the cost, increase the comparability and future-proof the block. Full cover blocks have very little resale value once the card has gone past it's best - picked up an EK8800 block a couple of years ago for £15, original retail was more like £85. Core blocks and VRAM/VRM sinks aren't considered as fancy-pantsie as full cover blocks, but they do as good (or better) a job of cooling the hottest part of your card. Core block £35-50 120.2 radiator £40ish 120.3 radiator £45-50ish Pump £30-80 Fittings £15ish Tubing £5 Reservoir £15+ (optional makes beading easier) Fluid £5+ VRAM/VRM sinks £15ish ...oh Tangster, Thermochill radiators are mid/low FPI - probably thinking of HWLabs GTX?
I use core only blocks but then my 560Ti's are perfect for it because the original MSI air cooler only cooled the GPU anyway. The GDDR and mosfets had no contact with the heatsink. 570 is a different story. GDDR and extensive mosfet area cooled by thermal pads and that is tricky to use little mosfet sinks with because the mosfets can be different heights so u can't be sure a heatsink is sitting properly. A heatsink is too big for one mosfet so it has to cover two, that's where things can become uneven.
