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water cooling gfx cards?

Yaka

Yaka

Yaka

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not sure if anyone has done this is it possible to just water cool 2 sli gfx cards? if so would be looking to get?

i am on limited budget and maybe will fully water cool my pc next spring but at the moment one of my gtx 280s fan has stopped working
 
you will need 280 water blocks preff a triple rad a pump a resovare. all the tubing the fittings and then the coolant ofcourse cost is around 200 to 300 depending on what performance you want
 
Definitely possible, but it's no cheap option.

I'd fit a couple of decent air coolers. Check out the HR03 GTX. Can be picked up for around £25, and you'll get a really good, quiet cooler. They can be mounted both ways on the GPU, so shouldn't limit too many slots.
 
Agreed. Water-cooling gfx is dear because every card is different. The benefits are huge as most out of the box gpu air-cooling solutions are rubbish but it is costly. A typical full-cover block is >£50.

It is possible to buy blocks which fit many cards but you then need additional heatsinks to air-cool your ram so you're back to needing air over the card.
 
You may have problems purchasing a 280 GTX water block as the card is considered older and few stockists have them to sell
 
You can pick them up second hand easily enough. I just bought 2 used for £20 each and they are immaculate. But its still a very costly thing to do is watercooling!
 
ChrisLandin said:
You can pick them up second hand easily enough. I just bought 2 used for £20 each and they are immaculate. But its still a very costly thing to do is watercooling!
Click to expand...

That was a very good price, I have seen these go for £30 -£40 second hand. I sold my two at the start of the year for £50 each but that was with backing plates.
I had a look earlier and I can not find any one stocking new blocks, as ChrisLandin said you will have to purchase second hand from a MM or the bay.

OP are your cards reference models?
 
been keeping my eyes on mm theres a swifttech pump which im gonna buy ,i think if i do do this then most or all of it will be 2nd hand i'll just have to bide my time
 
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As long as you are in no rush then you can pick up a complete setup second hand. You even see people selling a complete kit sometimes.
 
I thought all 280's were reference designs. IMO gpu blocks dont carry much value second hand. Keep an eye out and you will get a couple of bargains im sure
 
There were two versions of this water block designed by EK as not all cards were reference.
I remember reading about someone purchasing a block and it would not fit. I believe the capacitors were not in the correct place.
 
I wouldn't bother to be honest. You're investing in old technology for little gain and watercooling is not a budget option compared to buying a £30 replacement fan.

It would be far cheaper to buy and fit a replacement fan for the card or spend the money on a new graphics card. If you're watercooling for the sake of it and want to try it, go for it, but if you're looking for a solution to save your 280 I wouldn't invest in watercooling just because the fan is broken.

Good luck if you do opt for the watercooling :)
 
True its a very expensive option for older tech and you will lose more money when you sell it all to upgrade as you then also have to buy new blocks at £60 + each as well as the graphics card.
 
I considered hunting for a 280 block as I am going water next, they were£80-85 new! so I sold it and shuffled to a 470 for only about £120 more and its such a beast coming from the 280 andhas dx11:)
 
well seems like 2nd gfx card has started working again re-installed it and fan is spinning. think i have decided to upgrade to a gtx 480, and try and water cool that and cpu by xmas if more gear pops up on mm
 
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