Is it worth me changing to a reference card ??

[BeelzebubUK]

OK. I've changed my build to MITX using an Antec ISK 600 case and have used my existing Sapphire Vapor-X 7970 which has two fans blowing out on the side.

This means the fans are almost completely blocked by the case side (there is a small intake near the front side of the case) which is right up against the fans. In desktop its silent but when playing games the temperature rises very quickly and the fans ramp up to 90%+ which is too noisy for me.

So I'm wondering if changing to a card with a reference fan design like a 290 or 290x (ie sucks in and blows out the back) will be any better ? I've read that the reference fans tend to be noisier so if it only makes a small difference in temperature/fan speed I doubt its worth changing.

Anyone with any experience of this who can confirm if its worth changing ? I can live with it but would like to get it quieter if I can. Thanks.

 

[Gregster]

A reference card would be better but the 290/X are not the best for cooling and would be quite noisy as well. Getting good case airflow is essential but with it being that small, it is hard to do. You could mod the case to get a side fan of course, which would help.

 

[mickyflinn]

Check what temps you getting under gaming then maybe use MSI Afterburner to custom set the fan profile.

 

[BeelzebubUK]

A reference card would be better but the 290/X are not the best for cooling and would be quite noisy as well. Getting good case airflow is essential but with it being that small, it is hard to do. You could mod the case to get a side fan of course, which would help.

Unfortunately a side fan is out of the question as the case side is literally pressing against the cards fans and I don't want a fan sticking outside the case. Modding some grills into the side might be a possibility though.

 

[Gregster]

Yer, even some air vents would help.

 

[tommybhoy]

Aio Kraken/Corsir/Antec mod for the gpu with the fan on the outside of the case if there is a struggle for space.

 

[thefogo]

A reference 780 would be pretty good.

 

[anthony566]

Your best friend here is a drill ....

get hold of a nice new drill bit 3 or 4 mm and create a nice drilled pattern on tat side of the case to allow the heat to escape or if you go reference a way of getting cool air to the side fans.

I have seen this done on a few case mods and it looked really good.

 

[BeelzebubUK]

Your best friend here is a drill ....

get hold of a nice new drill bit 3 or 4 mm and create a nice drilled pattern on tat side of the case to allow the heat to escape or if you go reference a way of getting cool air to the side fans.

I have seen this done on a few case mods and it looked really good.

I'm thinking that might be the best route initially. Need to read up on the best way to do it. Its a very thin case so should be easy.

 

[anthony566]

I'm thinking that might be the best route initially. Need to read up on the best way to do it. Its a very thin case so should be easy.

Tape both sides of the case and draw a pattern on there to follow use something like paper tape this stops the drill bit slipping.

do it with some rough wood under the case side on an over hang on a table and clamp the case side in place.

And drill away

Then clean up the hole edges with a very small steel file.

 

[BeelzebubUK]

Tape both sides of the case and draw a pattern on there to follow use something like paper tape this stops the drill bit slipping.

do it with some rough wood under the case side on an over hang on a table and clamp the case side in place.

And drill away

Then clean up the hole edges with a very small steel file.

Thanks