Should I watercool my GTX 470/480?

[noobz1lla]

NOTE: If you are not someone currently considering a GTX 470/480 click the back button. There is nothing for you here. I don't want this thread to turn into a pissing contest of who's is better. Enjoy your 5850/5870 and have a nice day.


After purchasing my CM HAF 932 I felt compelled to go water. I'm looking at around $300 for everything.

I came across this the other day and it got my little brain thinking.

http://www.evga.com/articles/00539/

The advantage of getting this card is if let says I bought a GPU block for $100 and replaced the stock cooler. That will probably void my warranty. But if I buy it from Evga for a $50 premium they will install the cooler and cover it under warranty.

So what do you guys think? Is water-cooling going to bring the temps down that much over traditional cooling on the GTX 470/480?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I think that's a question that will be answered in the next 2 weeks. Given the press on the power /heat / noise, it's sure to garner attention from the cooling product vendors as well as GFX vendors looking to differentiate themselves from one another.

 

[notty22]

Yes, its sounds like a great idea. The cards also come with a nice little factory o/c.
So you have the fastest video card in the world running cool. Sounds like paradise to me

EVGA is a great company, they are also very Nvidia invested. Little of topic, but an example of the company they are: They have been offering a great program for enthusiasts , where you could register and get a chance to try their Top hardware for a couple weeks. http://www.dailytech.com/EVGA+Promotions+Offers+NVIDIA+3D+Vision+SLI+Motherboard+on+Loan/article14572.htm
Then you mail the hardware on to the next lucky fellow. I knew about this last year, it was only 1366 at the time. They also give excellent tech support , I have seen stories, evidence of them really interested in helping people get their rigs going with personal in depth support.

 

[killerchickens]

I think water cooling on a gtx 470/480 would be just what the card needs. If I had the money thats what I would do. It worth the price premium to have the warranty on the card. I'm waiting for a cooler running reversion/thinking about eyefinity.

 

[sabot00]

Make sure you have a large radiator for the GTX 480, the thing produces are large amount of heat, if you are also liquid cooling the CPU you want a even larger radiator & pump.

 

[noobz1lla]

A couple responses. True a 5870 is a good option but the performance with AA enabled really makes me want to go Nvidia. To the guy who says Evga is invested in Nvidia this is true. Obviously what's good for NVidia is good for Evga. But that doesn't mean the product doesn't have merits.

Another question is does anyone know anything about warranty when it comes to GTX 470/480. All the listings I have seen on Newegg haven't said anything about warranty. Lifetime Limited too much to ask for?

 

[sabot00]

XFX usually has double lifetime.

 

[noobz1lla]

Make sure you have a large radiator for the GTX 480, the thing produces are large amount of heat, if you are also liquid cooling the CPU you want a even larger radiator & pump.

Do you have any suggestions of a good radiator? Should I just buy something like a 120mm x 3 from swifttech?

 

[sabot00]

I may just be paranoid but for a GTX 480 you want something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835108117&cm_re=radiator-_-35-108-117-_-Product

 

[notty22]

A couple responses. True a 5870 is a good option but the performance with AA enabled really makes me want to go Nvidia. To the guy who says Evga is invested in Nvidia this is true. Obviously what's good for NVidia is good for Evga. But that doesn't mean the product doesn't have merits.

Another question is does anyone know anything about warranty when it comes to GTX 470/480. All the listings I have seen on Newegg haven't said anything about warranty. Lifetime Limited too much to ask for?

Yes , of course it has merits. They all appear excellent. Its a swiftech block, that covers the gpu and memory,other pluses are its a single slot design, mounting plate and has a attached heat sink over the VR area.

If you compare to the Powercolor 5870 watercooled card available at newegg, you see it does not have the extra heat sink over the rest of the card, and also in comments reviewers mention they would prefer a single slot mount. I'm not sure why, maybe for EXTREME rigs with multiple cards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131322&cm_re=5870-_-14-131-322-_-Product

 

[noobz1lla]

I see. So to water-cool my GPU and CPU how many radiators do I need exactly? Will one
4x120mm fan get the job done?

 

[sabot00]

Yes.