Should I air or water cool my gaming rig?-Please help!

[UltimaSlayerVII]

Hi, so I'm building a gaming rig and I'm kind of worried about the heat being too high, so I'm wondering if I should go water or air cooling. Here are the specs(Note: These aren't the specs I'm 100% sure I'll get, for example give or take the mobo/CPU, but it will probably be this or very similar):

EVGA 780i SLI mobo
Quad Core Q9550 2.83ghz
Triple GTX 280 OC editions in SLI
8gb DDR2-1066 RAM
300GB VELOCIRAPTOR 10K RPM HDD
X-FI Xtreme gamer fatal1ty titanium edition sound card
1250w PSU

I plan to OC the Q9550, but nothing crazy... just hoping to get it to around like 3.3 GHz. So with that, do you guys think I should stick with air or water cooling, and why? And can you recommend anything in particular?

Also, if it helps, I will probably be using this case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119103

The thing is a size of a refrigerator, so I don't think size should be a problem, even with 3 huge GPUs.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Guest]

Ok

get get a 790i Mobo first off, I hear all the 780i's and below in the 7 series suck a**. the 790i is the only good one. Also get ddr 3. Although there is limited use for it now, I'd get it now as its already getting pretty cheap (comparatively) and you'll be able to move it the next build (with nehalem) if you get the right modules (2 GB modules are good)

Uh also ditch the gtx 280 triple sli get only 2 as the scaling for 3 is absolutely terrible. If you have that much money though, i'd recommend going for a good x48 board, and going CF 4870 X2's

The q9550 is a great cpu (have it at 3.85 ghz currently on air) and will try to push it farther on water

you don't really need more than 4 GB right now, its the best spot right now, 8 GB is still a tad expensive, so get 2 X 2 GB ddr 3 modules and then get 1 X 2 GB model when you upgrade to nehalem or the later processors

For what you want to do, getting a GOOD liquid setup for that would be VERY VERY expensive, as you'd have to get a atleast a really good radiator or 2 slightly smaller ones, and you'd have to get 3 high quality water blocks for the gtx 280's

I'd go with air, the q9550 can be pushed pretty far on air, take for example my q9550, 3.3 ghz should be able to be reached no problem on air

nice case, but maybe a tad on the expensive side, perhaps the cheapest Cosmo case (still 200 bucks) but it looks like thats where the quality REALLY starts to shine for cases. You can get other cases for much less that will give you similar things, so consider dropping the case for something cheaper, dropping a gtx 280 and save some money.

Or just drop the 780i/790i idea and get an X48 with 2 4870 X2's



Thats what i would do.

 

[UltimaSlayerVII]

Ok

get get a 790i Mobo first off, I hear all the 780i's and below in the 7 series suck a**. the 790i is the only good one. Also get ddr 3. Although there is limited use for it now, I'd get it now as its already getting pretty cheap (comparatively) and you'll be able to move it the next build (with nehalem) if you get the right modules (2 GB modules are good)

Uh also ditch the gtx 280 triple sli get only 2 as the scaling for 3 is absolutely terrible. If you have that much money though, i'd recommend going for a good x48 board, and going CF 4870 X2's

The q9550 is a great cpu (have it at 3.85 ghz currently on air) and will try to push it farther on water

you don't really need more than 4 GB right now, its the best spot right now, 8 GB is still a tad expensive, so get 2 X 2 GB ddr 3 modules and then get 1 X 2 GB model when you upgrade to nehalem or the later processors

For what you want to do, getting a GOOD liquid setup for that would be VERY VERY expensive, as you'd have to get a atleast a really good radiator or 2 slightly smaller ones, and you'd have to get 3 high quality water blocks for the gtx 280's

I'd go with air, the q9550 can be pushed pretty far on air, take for example my q9550, 3.3 ghz should be able to be reached no problem on air

nice case, but maybe a tad on the expensive side, perhaps the cheapest Cosmo case (still 200 bucks) but it looks like thats where the quality REALLY starts to shine for cases. You can get other cases for much less that will give you similar things, so consider dropping the case for something cheaper, dropping a gtx 280 and save some money.

Or just drop the 780i/790i idea and get an X48 with 2 4870 X2's



Thats what i would do.

Alright Im seriously fed up with everybody on this site. Every damn post I make asking for help, someone tells me my gpus are a waste of cash or i should get ddr3 instead of ddr3. Look, I'm sticking with this setup. I'm not wasting money on DDR3. I dont care about nehalem. i dont care if 3 GTX280s dont give me bang for the buck, its the best GPU combo on the market right now.

All I want to know is I need water cooling, because I think with GPUs and a CPU this strong, air cooling wouldn't be enough. With that, can anyone be helpful?

 

[UltimaSlayerVII]

Did you just say 3 way SLI scaling is terrible? Why dont you take a look at the benchmarks for COD4 and Crysis for 3 GTX 280s right here buddy. http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-280-sli-triple-review-test/11 can you play crysis on max, with full AA/AF on DX10 and 2560x1600 with an avg fps of 38? I don't think so.

 

[Silverion77]

calm down god....

He was only trying to help chill its a fricking forum

Air Cooling will be fine....i mean ur computer wont blow up.
Watercool only if u want to rly push the cpu
But for that setup it would be expensive. 2 pumps at least, multiple GOOD rads and all those blocks, especially if u want full cover which are easily $120 a piece

 

[wasteoftime]

I'm using a stacker 830 right now. It's a nice case and the cooling is great, but if you try to run 3 GTX280s OC'd in it on air you might get a little overheat. Just make sure you are decked out with fans. All of them. You're not pushing the 9550 too far, so a good air cooler should be fine, just make sure you have enough fans to support the rest of the system. I'm talking 4 fans in the side, one on top, and the two that come in the front and back. You might even want to replace the back fan with a more powerful one for exhaust.

 

[homerdog]

1) Relax, thogrom was just trying to help.

2) 3 way SLI scaling is terrible. Two cherry picked benchmarks don't even begin to tell the full story. And since when does 77 vs 108FPS in COD4 matter?

3) You're not going to waste money on DDR3, but you're willing to throw away $400 for a third GTX280? My advice is to drop the third GPU and go with a 790i route + DDR3. The 790i has a more advanced PCIe bus allowing for better SLI scaling.

4) It's your money and you can spend it however you want. Crysis at very high settings on a 30" LCD would be badass. So in answer to your question, yes, for that setup you should look into a serious watercooling system.

 

[Zorg]

Air should do you. I would set it up with air and monitor temps. If they are too high then you can get the water, Fans are cheap so no money wasted and water can be a serious a pain in the @ss and can leak. I can put up with more fan noise than most though, if you want really quiet you may have to go water.

 

[Zorg]

So in answer to your question, yes, for that setup you should look into a serious watercooling system.

That case has 4 120mm side fans, it should be able to remove the heat.

 

[alvine]

well its his money so let him get 3 280gtx if he wants. I bet those 3 280gtx would get toasty inside the case. It would be good idea to water cool those

 

[Conumdrum]

Lets see, back to the ops question. You want to watercool 3 GTX280's, the CPU and probably the NB.

It'll take two loops.
The CPU loop: A good 120.2 rad, pump, fans, res, CPU block, NB block, hose, and clamps. About $300 minimum.

GPU's loop: A GREAT 120x4 rad, pump, fans, res, THREE GPU blocks, hose and clamps. I'd go full cover blocks for 3 way SLI. About $700 minimum.

So good water will cost you close to $1000, maybe another $200 with quality stuff like compression fittings, premium hose, afftermarket tops on the DDC3.2 pumps, a 120x4 and 120x2 Feser rads.

Don't forget the case to hold all the WC gear.

 

[phreejak]

Well, you've got a real task at hand here - not just a cpu but triple gpus as well. That's going to take some serious commitment and $$$. So, before anything is said it would be helpful to find out a few things here:

1) It would be helpful to know if you had a budget. Seriously, this cooling loop might well end up costing you some serious $$$ if you aren't careful. Actually, to cool a CPU and three GPUs I don't see how it can't. That being said, help us out here if there is some form of limitation.

2) I see where you said that you plan to OC the CPU but you made no mention of the GPUs. Will you OC them at all? Even the slightest? I ask because I'm trying to figure out your OC tendencies here and whether or not the NB might need to be added to the loop. It would also be helpful to decern if you plan to OC your memory (especially if you would also manipulate the voltages).

The Northbridge, typically, controls memory functions like – a memory controller (for Intel Chipsets), a level 2 cache communicator and bridges the gap between the CPU and Ram – it also handles functions between the CPU and the graphics processor on the PCI, AGP and PCIe slots. Since this particular part is always busy it can generate quite a lot of heat. This is why OC the GPUs and the memory can influence things here.

 

[macer1]

save some $$$$ and get 2 x2 4870's



atleast you wont have to spend 400 $ per GPU

well think of it this way, your foolish spending is stimulating the American economy

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

save some $$$$ and get 2 x2 4870's



atleast you wont have to spend 400 $ per GPU

well think of it this way, your foolish spending is stimulating the American economy

Honestly its his choice. Some folks have personal preferences and although they may seem confusing to most folks they're nevertheless their own choices.

I disagree on the notion that he should purchase DDR3 memory now. The prices have nowhere to go but down. The product itself (DDR3) shows no tangible real world gains with the Core architecture. Only Nehalem will truly make use of it.

For now, DDR2 is the smart choice as it's dirt cheap and mirrors what's to come from DDR3 price wise.

 

[kg4icg]

You do know that 3 gtx280's sitting side by side in the slots don't leave any room for watercooling. Just something to think about when the heat does buildup inside the case.

 

[macer1]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130369

problem solved

 

[UltimaSlayerVII]

Well, you've got a real task at hand here - not just a cpu but triple gpus as well. That's going to take some serious commitment and $$$. So, before anything is said it would be helpful to find out a few things here:

1) It would be helpful to know if you had a budget. Seriously, this cooling loop might well end up costing you some serious $$$ if you aren't careful. Actually, to cool a CPU and three GPUs I don't see how it can't. That being said, help us out here if there is some form of limitation.

2) I see where you said that you plan to OC the CPU but you made no mention of the GPUs. Will you OC them at all? Even the slightest? I ask because I'm trying to figure out your OC tendencies here and whether or not the NB might need to be added to the loop. It would also be helpful to decern if you plan to OC your memory (especially if you would also manipulate the voltages).

The Northbridge, typically, controls memory functions like – a memory controller (for Intel Chipsets), a level 2 cache communicator and bridges the gap between the CPU and Ram – it also handles functions between the CPU and the graphics processor on the PCI, AGP and PCIe slots. Since this particular part is always busy it can generate quite a lot of heat. This is why OC the GPUs and the memory can influence things here.

1) In terms of cooling, yes I am on a budget. I don't want to spend $1000 for cooling. A few hundred max would be ideal, I'd just like everything to run on fair temps when hardcore gaming.

2) Just the CPU, GPUs come OCed.

 

[UltimaSlayerVII]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130369

problem solved

Thats $200 more than the OC'd GTX 280. Why would I get that?

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

Thats $200 more than the OC'd GTX 280. Why would I get that?

Honestly If you're only looking to spend a couple hundred than go Air Cooling.

Each GTX 280 EK block is around $135USD + 20$ for the back plate: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=240&products_id=23995

 

[phreejak]

UltimaSlayerVII, with a configuration such as the one that you are attempting to deal with, there are so many factors that you have to consider. For the most part, I understand about the cost. To build such a cooling loop (or loops) is a big undertaking and you have to weigh that in a cost versus results basis. In any case, I think there are some places where you can keep the spending under control - especially in the area of the GPUs.

I am loath to consider recommending a dual loop dual pump configuration because the cost is going to be enormous. I had a rig where I ran TECs on both my CPU and GPU (both 226watts) and they generated so much heat that I had to run dual pump dual loop cooling and the cost would qualify as the Gross National Product of some small foreign countries. With that in mind, it does go to you as far as how you want to run this thing.

So, if you want to try and make a single pump single loop configuration work than that is what we can work on. Otherwise, there is the possibility of creating a dual pump dual loop.

As for the GPUs, I am not certain about the clearance that your board will give you but in this instance, if at all possible, stay away from ALL fullbody waterblocks. I'd never recommend one much less three simply because they are more expensive, don't produce as well as the GPU core specific waterblocks and kill flowrate.

 

[Zorg]

All this talk of water is a lot of fun. How about loading that case up with fans instead. I'll bet you can get by without water, or maybe you need cascade phase change. :lol:

 

[Superhal]

if you are willing to spend over $100, i would recommend a coolit pure @ $125. it's a hybrid water-peltier, so it can run several different lines.

afaik, there's no real air cooling solution for multiple graphics cards. even if the cards have good cooling by themselves, when they are placed together, the heat between them is very high and hard to move. i read an article here about the middle card in a three way setup throttling down.

at the amd boards, most people have traded in their dual cards for single cards because of heat issues.

if you go water and run a triple gpu line, i dunno if the pure can handle it.

 

[curnel_D]

Tri-SLI doesnt work on air if you're anywhere out of antartica. It just boxes up too much heat, and then the cards start failing. The craaazy expensive gtx280's above that someone recomended are likely made with tri-sli in mind. And no, triSLI GTX280 is not the best gpu combo on the market.

 

[aznguy0028]

lol.....ehh, its his money, let him tri-sli gtx280

and 6 months later, a new and better card comes out

 

[UltimaSlayerVII]

Tri-SLI doesnt work on air if you're anywhere out of antartica. It just boxes up too much heat, and then the cards start failing. The craaazy expensive gtx280's above that someone recomended are likely made with tri-sli in mind. And no, triSLI GTX280 is not the best gpu combo on the market.

Oh really? Tell me what can get better performance than triple OC'd gtx 280s then. I'll be waiting.