Blower vs. dual fan style: cooling in a small case

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manythings

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I am deciding on a small build, probably with a micro ATX case, high end over clocking CPU, and GTX970 graphics card. Some have suggested a blower style because it will exhaust from the case quickly, which helps with a tight space. Others have suggested the dual fan style of the STRIX, because it cools internally faster and is smart in terms of regulating fan on/off. Also, STRIX is supposedly higher end than the blower style units. What does everyone think about blower vs. dual fan style?
 
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geofelt
All GTX970 cards will have some sort of fan control. You can implement your own strategy too if you want.
There is always a trade off between cooling and noise. A graphics card is built to tolerate a certain amount of heat. Some cards manage this by deliberately trying to run at 80-85c all the time. I think on balance it is not much of an issue unless a card is annoyingly loud when not much is going on.

The guts of a GTX970 generally come from the same source, namely nvidia. The customization or the coolers and the factory overclocks are individual, and as such, they are touted for marketing purpose.
Yes, I suppose I am a EVGA fan. Their warranty is often a touch better, and they have a good usa based support forum.

Again...
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Finkledbody

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I prefer blower style coolers for that wonderful added cooling power. Drawing air form the case directly out the back. If you think about it, its a free upgrade to any case.

However, taking into consideration what kind of case you are using, If you have a highflow case that has no heat problems. The standard fan on heatsink is more then enough.

What kind of case are you putting these parts in? From past experience, which style would work best for your current/future build? That's what I would ask myself.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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I prefer cards with stock direct exhaust double slot coolers.
They get the hot vga air directly out the back of the case.
Other aftermarket coolers do a good job of cooling the vga chip in an open testbed.
But in a case, they just dump hot air back into the case where case cooling has to deal with it.
That heats up both the graphics card AND the cpu..... not good.

And... for a M-ATX case, look at the Silverstone TJ-08E or the similar PS-07 cases.
Superb airflow, full size component support(check psu length limit) small dimensions.
 
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manythings

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As far as direct exhaust double slot cooler, not sure what you meant by "double slot." Are those the cards that have an air entry on both sides, and then exhaust only out the back? That is the standard design for blower style cooling, as far as I know. Like the Asus Turbo and the Gigabyte Twin Turbo.
 
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manythings

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About the case, I also like Silverstone. Originally, was thinking of the Silverstone SG10, Sugo series. It is shorter than the TJ-08E, with the slim size optical drive used to accommodate this. I might not install an optical right away because already have some external drives.
 
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manythings

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Filkeledbody, I was debating because the STRIX is supposed to have excellent control over turning the fan on and off based on need. But, I can see how the blower style would cool the case overall, which is also helpful. So, I am still looking around to see if there is any blower style card that also has a high end regulator for on/off and overall high performance like STRIX.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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All GTX970 cards will occupy two slots.
Those with blower coolers will direct the hot air out the back through largish openings.
Here is an example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487070

GTX970 is not an overly hot card so I would not worry too much about cooling.
Fancy coolers sell which is why you see so many.
 
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manythings

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Geofelt, you really know this stuff. Thanks for the input.

One other issue, though, is that I have heard that the STRIX can sometimes be on fan off mode; which also means it would be silent when the fan is not needed. But, other cards would probably be on more often or always, thus always producing the sound. Any ideas about that?

So, do you have a preference about Asus vs. EVGA vs. Gigabyte, etc? Can I assume that you somewhat lean towards the EVGA card? How about motherboard brands?

Thanks
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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All GTX970 cards will have some sort of fan control. You can implement your own strategy too if you want.
There is always a trade off between cooling and noise. A graphics card is built to tolerate a certain amount of heat. Some cards manage this by deliberately trying to run at 80-85c all the time. I think on balance it is not much of an issue unless a card is annoyingly loud when not much is going on.

The guts of a GTX970 generally come from the same source, namely nvidia. The customization or the coolers and the factory overclocks are individual, and as such, they are touted for marketing purpose.
Yes, I suppose I am a EVGA fan. Their warranty is often a touch better, and they have a good usa based support forum.

Again, on motherboards, the important part, the chipset, is supplied by Intel for the intel motherboards of which I am more familiar.
I would not hesitate to buy ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI or even ECH which is less well known.
If there is a particular relevant feature that you need, then buy that one.
You might want wifi for instance, cf/sli capability, Intel lan, or whatever.
If you are a competitive overclocker, then you want a premium motherboard. Perhaps one capable of using ln2 cooling. Otherwise, a mid priced motherboard will be the best value.
If price is not that important, then buy the best.
I tend to do that and find that I have less regrets than when I buy cheap.
 
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