CPU/GPU cooling

[shadow56]

Okay, so my graphics card has been getting hot recently, and I'm overclocked, so I'm looking into enhanced cooling. I'm almost positive I'm gonna pick up a Corsair H100 from a local Compusa store, but what can i do to cool my graphics card better? The store doesn't have their items listed online, and it's a bit too far to just go browse for a bit so I don't know exactly what's there. Are there better water cooling options for me? I don't want to spend more than $200 total for both. Oh and my case/motherboard do support water cooling, but my graphics card does not. Oh and it's an i5-3570k processor (LGA 1155 socket)

 

[rolli59]

How hot on the GPU? It is fine to low 80's°C! Maybe upgrade to a more powerful GPU instead of spending money on third party cooling solution.

 

[shadow56]

It's a Powercolor HD7870 Vortex II (fine till 100C) but it still 70C still seems somewhat hot

 

[rolli59]

70°C is not hot for a powerful overclocked GPU.

 

[shadow56]

Okay thanks! Do you have any suggestions about the CPU cooler? A friend of mine just got a H100 from a local store for about $120 so is that good, or is there a better one for the same price range?

 

[rolli59]

Cheaper here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181017

 

[Motopsychojdn]

H100 is about the best for an all in one unit, but real water isn't much more, for $200 you can do a cpu/Gpu loop, check the watercooling side in overclocking,
I'll look back in the morning when I get home
Moto

 

[shadow56]

Cheapest at the original store http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=581556
And @motopsychojd , I checked yesterday with Powercolor Tech services, the GPU doesnt support water cooling :/

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Whats the card? There may not be a fullcover block available for it, but a universal block would fit
Moto

 

[shadow56]

PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Vortex II edition... Here's the exact email the Tech services guy sent me

"Well, the 7870 Vortex II card does not have reference PCB. Due to this, there will not be any water block manufacturers who will make a water block for this card. You will likely have to find a generic water block somewhere that goes only over the GPU if you wanted to pursue this. Bear in mind though, that the fan provides active cooling on the VRAM so a generic water block probably will not be able to fully meet the cooling needs of the video card in its entirety."

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Yup, that basically what I said but poshed up, there won't be any fullcover blocks available yet, if ever so a universal block, what he referred to as generic, is what you need, and some ramsinks for the Vram, I actually modded two cards to have waterblocks while keeping the original fans/shrouds,
I'm at work on the mobile now but I can link when I gt home,
Meantime do some research on universal blocks and mounting, theres a section in the W/c sticky in overclocking section
Moto

 

[shadow56]

Spoiler

Just read the GPU cooling part of the thread you mentioned, and it said to put copper pipes to the VRM, and it seems that because 1) my card has a backplate, and 2) i'd have to take off the fans (obvious) that the fans and copper pipes are connected. so would it be better to take out the fans in the card already and put newer, better ones in?

 

[Guest]

What case are using? I bet you could lower all temps with better airflow through the case. How many case fans, locations, intake or exhaust?

 

[shadow56]

It's an Apevia X-Trooper, no cables are in the main area, 2 120mm fans on top, one on back, one with LED on front, and a big 200mm side LED fan (window) and I guess an intake thing on the bottom

 

[Guest]

It's an Apevia X-Trooper, no cables are in the main area, 2 120mm fans on top, one on back, one with LED on front, and a big 200mm side LED fan (window) and I guess an intake thing on the bottom

You`re good on fans. Make sure the top two and the rear are setup as exhaust. The front, side, and possible bottom as intake. After that need to consider fan speed. Are these fans being powered by mobo, molex from PSU, fan controller? If mobo then you may have some more control in the bios or software fan controller utility. If molex and no inline resistors then fans are maxed. If controller then turn em` up.
Any idea ambient room temp? I mean are you sweating sitting at computer or are you running the air?

 

[shadow56]

The air temp is always between 70-75 Fahrenheit. How do i set up whether the fan is intake or exhaust? And i'm using Bios usually as my fan speed, although i have a PowerColor program for my GPU voltage/clocking/fan control. Oh, and they're powered directly by the PSU

 

[Guest]

Most fans have flow direction arrows on the chassis. In this case, I would think you could simply feel the direction of air flow while the machine is running.

 

[Guest]

So, some fans are on the motherboard fan headers and others are on the PSU 4pin molex? well, spend some time with it and determine what fans are on what fan headers. Then, go into bios and see what they`re set at i.e. system fan 1 - 75%.
If none of this helps lower your temps then at least you know you`ve done the cheap things first.
If you have a small desktop or box fan then here`s a simple test. Remove your side panel, position fan blowing into case, load and run a game/benchmark. After ten minutes or so check reported temps. This will quickly determine a case airflow issue.
I do not know the powercolor utility, but in mine(precision x) I can adjust GPU fan curve temp/rpm points.

 

[shadow56]

Well, there's no way for me to do the box fan solution, my PC is pretty much in the only place for it to possibly be without unhooking and re hooking it in a different room. as for the connections, they're all 4pin molex to the PSU. How do I determine the headers? Okay so I just checked directions of the fans, the side fan and front fans are intake, the top and back are exhaust

 

[Motopsychojdn]

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/351461-15-asus-6950-dciih20-crossfire is an overview of the gfx card mod, you can see the various parts of the cards, such as the chip itself where the waterblock sits, the copper heatsinks I put on the Vram and on my cards the mosfets are already cooled so I didn't have to worry about those,
its a case of researching your card and getting to know the layout, then identifying what needs to be cooled with sinks, its a little work but W/c isn't something that you half do,
Moto

 

[shadow56]

Best answer selected by shadow56.

 

[shadow56]

Okay thanks for helping with everything guys! I can only pick one solved answer so I guess whichever had the most info I needed wins!

 

[Motopsychojdn]

The main thing is that you got what you needed
Moto

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the best answer.

So, did your temps improve? Did you change direction of fans or power them through molex, maxing them out?