Enclosed Vs Open Graphics Card

[JustLiveYourLife]

Here is an Enclosed graphics card

And here is an open graphics card

Which one would run cooler? Is their a disadvantage of one? Im guessing it depends on your case? If so this is the case i have if it makes a difference

And no this isnt about these specific cards vs each other, just in general.

 

[chesteracorgi]

It is a matter of some debate whether the open or shrouded design is better. I think that shrouds are for corpses not video cards, and that modern cases are well designed for ventlation, and favor open cooling that vent into the case. My case runs very cool (and quiet too) with a (front bottom) intake 1.4 cm fan, with three 1.2 cm exhausr fans out the top and back. The only other fan is the PSU fan that exhausts ou bottom back.

The articles that I have read indicate that a rational airflow (in front bottom, out top back) is more efficient and cools better than multiple cross curent side panel fans.

The case you have may be OK, but I think that it may not be the best cooling.

 

[JustLiveYourLife]

The MSI is a non reference design which is normally made with higher quality parts and will cool the card better than a reference design, the downside is the card exhausts heat inside the case but with good case airflow it doesn't matter because it is still much cooler running than the reference HIS card.

Reference design cards are primarily made of cheaper plastic and things and runs a little hotter but exhaust the heat outside the case which again shouldn't matter with good airflow.

It has been proven that dual fans provide much better cooling than single fans so with the new MSI models you see the Twin Frozr III where it still exhausts internally but has a much larger shroud over its components.

Compare the TF3 to a reference HIS 6950 (single fan) the TF3 will outperform it in cooling any day of the week and the twin frozr series is made out of much stronger materials that should last longer imo.

If you were trying to achieve a strong oc it is normally recommended to go with a non factory oc'd version.

So if dual fans are better would this be the best 6850 to buy? Upgrading to a twin frozer is not in my budget.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I have that specific model of enclosed video card. I like that it vents directly outside the case. GPUs tend to get hotter than CPUs, because my 80C GPU vents outside the case, it helps keep my CPU at 45C.

 

[bucknutty]

I really don't think that the cooler design is going to change performance or overall quality. I have always gone with the unit that has the best price and best warranty.

I do like the way big finned heatsinks with huge fans look.

 

[JustLiveYourLife]

I really don't think that the cooler design is going to change performance or overall quality. I have always gone with the unit that has the best price and best warranty.

I do like the way big finned heatsinks with huge fans look.

Well thats why i asked how it affects cooling, and not how it affects performance and quality.

 

[JustLiveYourLife]

I know for a fact that non ref coolers = quality caftmanship compared to reference designs.

The only way performance can be affected is the amount of heat it transfers in relation to the oc and the ability of the card itself. Most cards that come factory overclocked are harder to pull a massive oc from but stay much cooler doing so.

The reference cards that come stock are harder to cool but pull a much higher oc.

My Twin Frozr III 6950 2GB only hits 60C @ 60% fan speed max load and my cpu is NOT effected any by the fact that my gpu exhausts inside the case.

That is a nice Gigabyte 6850, should have no problem keeping your card nice and cool.

I use MSI Afterburner to adjust my fan speeds and to tweak my gpu speeds. My TF3 6950 with stock voltage can only gain 10mhz core clock and 100mhz memory clock which is just a bonus since I am 120% happy with it at base settings.



HW Monitor / Speedfan to see your temps
MSI Afterburner to adjust fan speed/oc
GPU-Z to tell you everything about your GPU including all of its temps

After googling and reading this it seems a lot of people like enclosed gpus because it exhaust the hot air out the case instead of in.

 

[bucknutty]

Although this article does not directly answer your question it is interesting that the cards with the best cooling performance have a non-reference design closed style cooler. Of course they are all different cards so it is impossible to make a good assumption on this little bit of data. I specifically looked at the 6850s because they are on the top of the list.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-radeon-graphics,2977-8.html

I don't think this question can be answered with a broad assumption that closed, or open style are always better. I think ultimately the performance of the cooler comes down to the quality of the metal used, how many heat pipes/vapor chambers, how well it is designed, and how well it fits the gpu, ram and mosfets. Maybe toms can do an article on this for us. What cooler design is better.

 

[Outlander_04]

any cooling system that exits heat out of the case is a good idea

Neither of those is ideal since even the HIS is open at both ends and most airflow will be back in to the case .

 

[JustLiveYourLife]

Although this article does not directly answer your question it is interesting that the cards with the best cooling performance have a non-reference design closed style cooler. Of course they are all different cards so it is impossible to make a good assumption on this little bit of data. I specifically looked at the 6850s because they are on the top of the list.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-radeon-graphics,2977-8.html

I don't think this question can be answered with a broad assumption that closed, or open style are always better. I think ultimately the performance of the cooler comes down to the quality of the metal used, how many heat pipes/vapor chambers, how well it is designed, and how well it fits the gpu, ram and mosfets. Maybe toms can do an article on this for us. What cooler design is better.

Thanks, that article helped.

any cooling system that exits heat out of the case is a good idea

Neither of those is ideal since even the HIS is open at both ends and most airflow will be back in to the case .

So a video card like this HIS one, or this visiontek one would be good for exhaust heat out the case.

 

[Energy96]

any cooling system that exits heat out of the case is a good idea

Neither of those is ideal since even the HIS is open at both ends and most airflow will be back in to the case .

Agreed, in any system it is best to get the heat OUT of your case as efficiently as possible. Cards that vent directly out of the case are always the best choice overall, though on low end cards it will have little impact on anything and heat will really not be a real concern.

I have a Silverstone case that mounts the MOBO 90 degrees from standard and it makes a huge difference in cooling efficiency. Cold air in the bottom creating positive pressure and heat pushed out the top where it wants to naturally go already. With my 2 GTX 580's now vertical and venting out the top instead of the rear they run about 15-20 degrees cooler than they did with a horizontal setup. Best design ever.

 

[JustLiveYourLife]

I'll have a look at that one.

 

[euheide]

Here is an Enclosed graphics card

And here is an open graphics card

Which one would run cooler? Is their a disadvantage of one? Im guessing it depends on your case? If so this is the case i have if it makes a difference

And no this isn't about these specific cards vs each other, just in general.

At least some enclosed graphics cards force you to take the card apart in order to remove the enclosure and clean the dust buildup. And there will be severe dust buildup after a while. I killed my HD 3870 X2 disassembling it and reassembling it to remove the dust and I wore an anti-static bracelet. Never another enclosed card.