SLI Query with Heat

Watlinguk

Watlinguk

Watlinguk

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Joined
1 Aug 2010
Posts
1,870
Hi guys, got my second 480 GTX to form my SLI set up. I bought myself a new PSU and hooked it all up.

I always knew heat would be a big factor with these cards as they are very hot cards, so sandwhiched together, its appetite for destruction.

My query is, is they any way i can dramatically reduce the heat whilst in SLI mode, as them temps are starting to scare me. I played BF3 for maybe 20 minutes, the game started to lagg abit, so thought i would check the temps. The first GPU was at 98oc and the second GPU was at 90oc.

Im fan speed also hit 90%.

Im just wondering what i can do to reduce the heat please. i have a fan over the top of them sucking the heat out, and still no joys. I just dont want to watercool as i dont have the pennies right now.

Thoughts please?

Kind Regards
 
Try blowing cold air into them instead of sucking away and letting it pass through the card and out the back.
 
Sorry i forgot to mention i have tried with the fan facing the oppostie direction so that it is blowing cold air onto the cards. Still no joy
 
It does make me feel quite unique i guess haha :P

I would imagine it is affecting my game performance though? First like lines of greenness shot across my screen and then came the lagg. Then a quick look at the temps :S
 
I got one idea but you wont like it, if you got a ATCS840, then the case comes with a plastic box that attaches over the rear expansion slots and you fit a fan in to the box to suck air straight out the back of cards.

Looks like - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=19614884&postcount=198

EDIT, if the GTX480 have never been cleaned then try a £5 can of compressed air and a paint brush, remove the plastic cover revealing the heatsink fins and blow the crud out.
 
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Could try an aftermarket cooler for them, though I think most might make them triple slot cards.

Maybe just down-clock them a bit and save some money to WC them
 
Thanks for all of your replies. Ive managed to borrow a desktop fan from my parents, and it has reduced the temps to 75oc, on load. It is all well and good but it means i have to have my side off and a big fan blowing in to it :] Dosent looks very good :P

If i was to go down the route of watercooling, is this something that can be intergrated into my NZXT Phantom? I also have a Corsair H50 CPU cooler could i keep this?

And last but not least, how much would it cost for a full water cooling kit, roughly. Would the temperatures drop a lot and would it be possible for me to watercool and SLI? They are really sandwhiched.

Kind Regards
 
Watlinguk said:
It does make me feel quite unique i guess haha :P

I would imagine it is affecting my game performance though? First like lines of greenness shot across my screen and then came the lagg. Then a quick look at the temps :S
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Those green lines are normal in the game, they appear on certain maps with nv and ati cards. Regarding the cards, can you try a fan mounted behind them like so.

IMG_1694.jpg


Good board slot spacing really helps as well, i have a p6 x58de in another rig, and unfortunately the pcie slots are pretty close compared to my p6t dlx v2. Setting a custom fan profile with msi afterburner would be a good idea as well.
 
I could add a fan like you have that could reduce the temps i would imagine, that ben said my cables are every were at the moment as well due to a new PSU, a lot of tweaking is needed in that front.



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Wow, those cables are a bit of a mess. First off, id suggest flipping the psu over, (i assume the case has vents in the floor). This way your main 24 pin atx power cable will be easier to hide using the rubber cable grommeted holes on the motherboard tray. Do the same for all your other cables, hiding as many behind the mobo tray as possible. Use cable ties to secure them in place, this will help with airflow, then try a spare fan behind the gpu's. Few pics to give you an idea.

IMG_1797.jpg

IMG_1803.jpg


Your case features cable management holes which will really help.
 
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I must say your cable management is awesome! I really am excited now to crack on and get it hopefully somewere near your standard!

EDIT - Well i moved from a coolermaster 850, which was a great PSU, i thought since i added a second graphics card, and soon a SSD. I need a little more grunt. I set out to buy a 1000watt, but in the second i think i payed about £30 and moved straight to the 1250.

Comparing my last PSU, to the OZX this is a much better power supply. That been it seems to be a hell of a lot quiter and it is fully modular, which will have its advantages when i sort my cable management out :]

I deffinatly would advise people to buy.
 
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