Worth watercooling original 7970?

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biggkenny

biggkenny

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Feb 9, 2013
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I got my Sapphire HD 7970 just after release. It has always been noisy, but because it was easily capable of playing most games at top quality on release, it didn't stress itself out so much.

So my curve is set that once my GPU hits 60 degrees, the fan heads sharply towards 100%. The cooling curve otherwise is set so that the % fan speed is equal to temperature in degrees C between 30 degrees and 58 degrees.

This means that new games like Wildstar can really set my graphics card off, making it unbearably noisy. It is the single fan edition which sounds like a jet engine.

Would it be worth perhaps watercooling it? I don't want to spend much on it though, so I was looking at the Kraken G10.

What would you recommend doing to decrease the temperature and sound?

Please note that I do not want to modify the curve, I am aware it can run hotter and be just fine but I do not like this.


Thanks
Biggkenny




-------- edited


I am open to any kind of aftermarket cooling option as the stock fan is so damned loud. VRAM cooling also preferred. Never done anything like this before but I am definitely up to the challenge (I can follow youtube videos with ease)
 
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unksol

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Well you're just being silly then. there is absolutely no reason to put the fan to 100% at 60 degrees. maybe at 85 degrees you'd have a point. Water cooling it will be just as loud if not louder if you stubbornly stick to that idea. they both must use fans to move heat to the air
 
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Danifilth

Danifilth

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For me i would reduce the resolution and quality settings down to 720p if it runs warm at 1080p. But if you prefer quality and less noise then water cooling would be the best bet.

My fan never goes over 30% speed at 1080p since i game at lowest settings possible with Textures on ultra that's about it. If i increase the settings i start to get a headache
 
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robax91

robax91

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If you are up to the challenge and fine with putting more into an older GPU rather than into a newer GPU, it sounds like a decent compromise. Since it's probably the noise you don't like and not that your GPU isn't powerful enough, the Kraken G10 seems like a decent solution. There is also the Accelero Xtreme 7970 which is a fan solution. It might be quieter because of the huge heat sink and it doesn't use a pump (I had a pump system once and it gradually got noisy) and I think the Accelero is also cheaper because the G10 is just the bracket, you still have to buy the Kraken pump loop.

Accelero Xtreme 7970
http://www.arctic.ac/us_en/accelero-xtreme-9818.html

Kraken G10 Review
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6318/nzxt-kraken-g10-liquid-cooling-gpu-mounting-kit-review/index.html
 
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Smallfilou

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I would certainly not do that if I were you. The kraken G10 forces you to buy a water-cooling processor cooler... So entry level would be 120USD at least!
Much better bet (if there is space enough in your case, and you need to take care about case ventilation as that cooler recirculates hot air):
http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Accelero-Xtreme-7970-Cooler/dp/B0074VVK52/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403786892&sr=8-1&keywords=Accelero+Xtreme+7970

There is also a hybrid version, but maybe more difficult to integrate (and more expensive...I would not recommand that):
http://www.eteknix.com/arctic-accelero-hybrid-7970-vga-cooler-review/7/

To me, it does not make sense to buy a 100+ cooler (and there is a small risk involved in doing that upgrade yourself). You may as well buy a 290 with good cooling and sell your 7970 used...

PS.: sorry took me some time writing this, so that is partly double-post...
 
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Jake Fister

Jake Fister

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Jun 4, 2014
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Yeah I've heard the Kraken works great. I've also got a Sapphire dual fan cooler that's pretty quiet. PM me if you wanna buy it. I'll give it to you for about $20. It's only about a month old.
 
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biggkenny

biggkenny

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It doesnt go to 100% at 60, it sharply heads towards it at 60. I think you underestimate the sound of this card.

Here is an example of just how loud it gets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=269rjIsNf8I


Do a tad more research into the card before accusing me of being stubborn. I have done plenty of experiments and even at idle this card is not quiet with its current fan.
 
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biggkenny

biggkenny

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The Accelero Xtreme 7970 does indeed look good. How is the VRAM cooling? I looked into this a while ago, but since then you can't seem to buy these anywhere in the UK!
 
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