Cooling and noise solution required

allday247

allday247

allday247

Associate
Joined
22 Nov 2004
Posts
551
My Setup:
CPU – Q9550
Mobo – P5K-E Wifi-AP
RAM – 2x2gb Kingston hyper X
CPU cooler – Noctua NH-D14
GFX – EVGA GTX570 (reference blower)
CASE – Antec P182.
Top Chamber:
2xNoctua NF-P12 as exhaust and 1xNoctua NF-P12 as an intake
Lower Chamber
1xNoctua NF-P12 intake fan

So I’ve been playing the BF3 beta and this runs smooth on my current hardware but I can feel a lot of hot air being exhausted from my PC from the exhaust fans and the GPU area. It’s also pretty noisy which I’m guessing is the GPU considering the Nocuta fans run pretty silent! I guess this game stresses the GFX a lot as whilst playing MW2, the fan noise isn’t this loud and the PC doesn’t get this hot!

CPU temps are around 55-60°C max
GFX runs around 71°C – possibly more.

Now I would like to cool the PC down more but I would also like to reduce the noise.
Should I get a Zalman VF-3000F to cool the GFX more and reduce the noise, or would changing the Case to a Silverstone FT02 (with the air penetrators) help in anyway?

I guess the direct GPU cooler solution would be the simplest and cheapest solution but would the FT02 help cool the GPU as well?

Appreciate the advice :)
 
Are EVGA still cool with using an aftermarket cooler? If so.. I'd say go for it an get the VF-3000 (3 slot however).

Just one thing to ask yourself. Are you 100% happy with the performance it offers? If yes, do it, if not, sell it and get a better card with a better cooler.


(Obviously the Zalman dumps heat into the case, but I don't really think that will be an issue with your fans).
 
Last edited:
yeah i'm happy with it's performance and tbh i cant afford anymore upgrades!
I'll wait for next gen cards to come out before I upgrade again.

I believe EVGA are still cool with replacing the stock cooler, although there was a 'Warranty void if removed' sticker on the back of the gfx card
 
The Shaman is the same price as the VF-3000F on OcUK and the Shaman is by far the superior cooler, mainly because it's 4 slots and uses a 140mm fan. I run my Shaman fan at no more than 900rpm at full HD6950 load and it's pretty quiet and is below the noise generated by my 900rpm PSU fan and 600-1000rpm Noctua NF-P12 CPU fan.

It's unfortunate that superior graphics coolers must dump heat into the case but it's a small price to pay. It's pointless spending a lot of money on silencing your rig and then having a 4000rpm screamer fan on your graphics card that blows through a tiny 2cm high vent.
 
They are Torx screws.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torx

You'll need the relevant sized Torx screwdriver, or an appropriate sized flat screwdriver that by happy coincidence will fit across one of the star's pointed bits.

Something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-Piece-T...t=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item3f0e903c7b

or

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32-1-TOOL...t=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item336636df29

These little sets of screwdriver bits are invaluable and I recommend grabbing one for those tricky little jobs around the home.

I don't think OcUK do stuff like this so just had a look on eBay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom