2 x 120mm Lian Li V1000 case fans (plus PCU fan) enough for SLI?

[russianpolecat]

HI, thinking of getting an i7 950 system with 12g of RAM (HD editing) with 2 x GeForce GTX 460 cards in SLI. Obviously the cards have their own fans and I'll have a fan on the CPU. But will 2 x 120mm case fans be enough (1 front and 1 back)? Don't plan to overclock.

Thanks.

 

[RazberyBandit]

All depends on the ambient room temp, internal case temp, whether or not the cards are self-exhausting, their slot spacing, and other factors. Really, unless someone already has such a configuration, you're pretty much in a trial and error situation.

Regardless, when it comes to air-cooling, I prefer and recommend filtered positive-pressure air-cooling configurations. Loosely translated, it's a configuration that has slightly more air being pushed in than their is being pulled out. Also, all intake ports have a removable dust filter. No case is airtight, so the extra positive-pressure will find a vent or crack to leak out of the case.

In a negative-pressure setup, vents and cracks allow air in, which often leads to dust build-up that slowly reduces the amount of air that can enter the case. Also, cracks are virtually impossible to filter, so dust will enter the case's interior. Interior dust will build-up on the various internal heatsinks, thus reducing their cooling effectiveness and efficiency.

Here's a link explaining it better, along with picture examples: http://www.demcifilter.com/filters_performance.php#positive_pressure

 

[geofelt]

I think the case will work.
It is a nice, well ventilated case, just not a lot of fans.
I assume you own it, otherwise, there are better cooling lian li cases available.

If you only need one external 5 1/2" bay, you could add a front intake 120mm intake fan.
Something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999164&cm_re=bay_fan-_-11-999-164-_-Product
I think scythe also makes a simpler, and cheaper version called kama bay.

For sli, pay particular attention to the motherboard, and where the two pcie-x16 slots are located.
In many motherboards, the two cards will be located next to each other, and the top card will run hot.
Find a motherboard where the slots have a bit more separation.

If you own the GTX460cards, then fine. If not, I think things would be simpler using a single stronger card.

Also, why the i7-950? Sandy bridge cpu's are much stronger and cheaper. A basic 2400 can compete with a i7-980.
A 2500K with a mild OC would be much better.
For your editing, you could get a full 16gb(4 x 4gb)

 

[russianpolecat]

Cheers guys.

Sandy bridge MB's aren't recommended for editing work because of the onboard graphics.

 

[genghiskron]

lol?

 

[russianpolecat]

Tells you why here