Custom Cooling: Deepcool's Dracula And Arctic's Accelero Xtreme

Features
By
published

Overclocking AMD's Radeon HD 7970 requires effective cooling, but the company's design is incompatible with most aftermarket heat sinks. Arctic and Deepcool claim to have solutions able to get the job done, without the reference cooler's loud fan.

Deepcool Dracula 7970

The Deepcool Dracula 7970 ($75 MSRP) isn't yet available in North America, although the generic version is a lot easier to find.

The Dracula is atypical for a VGA cooler because Deepcool doesn't give you any fans for that $75 entry fee. Whichever coolers you do choose are mounted to an expansion bracket that sits next to the card, rather than attaching directly to the heat sink. Thermal paste for the GPU and thermal adhesive for the RAM and VRM sinks is included, fortunately.

A raised cooling surface differentiates the Dracula 7970 from Deepcool's generic Dracula. Whereas Arctic's Accelero sports a square-shaped pad for making contact with the GPU, Deepcool uses a circular area.

The Dracula features six heat pipes, or one more than Arctic's Accelero Xtreme. The cooler's copper base is nickel-plated and finished to a mirror shine. Copper heat pipes and the aluminum find are nickel-plated as well, resulting in a very shiny sink.

Deepcool's Dracula can accommodate two 140 mm fans or three 120 mm fans. However, we used the two 92 mm fans that came with the company's older V6000, which are rated for 66 CFM of airflow each. We don't anticipate any problems keeping the Radeon HD 7970's Tahiti GPU cool. Driving both fans with power supply leads ensures constant voltage, and, consequently, constant rotational speeds, regardless of load.

As with the Accelero, mounting Deepcool's Dracula 7970 is simple enough once you have AMD's reference cooler disassembled. Thermal adhesive is applied to the RAM and VRM heat sinks, and the cooler attaches directly to the circuit board using existing mounting holes.

The Dracula's heat pipes and cooling fins provide for plenty of clearance on the right side of the GPU. The left side is a lot less roomy due to a tighter heat pipe bend, necessitating lower-profile RAM sinks.

With Deepcool's Dracula mounted to AMD's reference Radeon HD 7970, the assembled card is 11.5 inches long, 4.75 inches wide, 1.75 inches deep, and it weighs just under two pounds. Before jumping to the conclusion that this solution is more compact and lighter than Arctic's competition, remember that the fans and mounting bracket are separate, and we still haven't added them.

Each configuration is going to be different since Deepcool makes you pick your own fans. In our case, the additional hardware measures 11" x 6.5" x 2.75", and adds another 13.8 ounces. With the heat sink and fans combined, the Dracula chews up considerable expansion space, likely killing the potential for CrossFire. On the other hand, the Dracula is about the same length as AMD's stock Radeon HD 7970 when it's installed, so it's more likely to fit horizontally.

Don Woligroski
35 Comments Comment from the forums
  • aznshinobi
    Give me one please...

    But, would be nice to see the coolers compared to some mainstream solutions. IE the HIS IceQ X2 or Sapphire Toxic, etc. etc.
    Reply
  • andle riddum
    One warning to prospective buyers of Arctic products, their fans are really junk. I have/had S1 with turbo module, twin turbo, twin turbo PRO...and the fans failed within 1 year or so. Now I have normal fans zip tied, not pretty
    Reply
  • ShadyHamster
    I've never had a problem with arctic fans, the accelero xtreme for my HD5870 is still running perfect and its just over 2 years old now, same goes for the twin turbo i bought years ago for my HD3850.

    btw nice article :D
    Reply
  • theconsolegamer
    Wait, was really necessary to apply thermal paste to both faces of the shim?
    Reply
  • cilliers
    Guys!

    This surely looks impressive (giant graphics card and oversize heat cooler), but is this "eye candy" for the technically inclined PC enthusiast really moving forward, or just another pile of copper pipes sold at a price established out of pure value perception? This article got me thinking... Are we unknowingly creating a market demand for cooling products that make little sense in the grand scheme of things, nor shows little technological advancement? Why do we get so excited when a graphics card becomes so hot during peak operation that it requires cooling beyond standard specification. In engineering terms, any system that transforms such a large amount of electrical energy into heat as a side effect would be considered inefficient. By creating a market for "aftermarket" cooling, we do not only show our tolerance for inefficiency, but also create a booming demand for lackluster "solutions".

    Reply
  • mubin
    I still love sapphire cooling system. Good for moderate oc and non-oc.
    Reply
  • apache_lives
    give me a reference card and cooler any day -- they last a lot longer (fans especially), cool the ram/vrm properly (manufacturers spec) and they help keep the card from bending/warping from the weight, and are less likely to be overclocked aka to spec = rock solid, long lasting card

    this applys to all mid-high end nvidia/ati(amd) video cards
    Reply
  • WyomingKnott
    Why "Dracula?" Because it sucks?
    Reply
  • jtd871
    @theconsolegamer

    That's how you transfer heat from the shim to the unmodified Accelero III. I wonder if JB Weld would work better...although that would permanently attach the shim to the Accelero III.

    @cilliers

    The value is in the noise reduction at load. These processors run hot because they are doing a great deal of work pushing electrons around. Consider that incandescent bulbs work the same way - the friction causes the filament to get so hot that it glows. If you don't want a thermally hot/power hungry card for philosophical reasons, then don't buy one.

    @W(h)yKnott

    I imagine that "Dracula" is intended to connote sucking the heat away from the 79xx. The fact that these tests show that they are relatively inefficient at doing so makes for a humorous double entendre, like your handle.
    Reply
  • luciferano
    theconsolegamerWait, was really necessary to apply thermal paste to both faces of the shim?
    Unless you don't like not burning the GPU, pretty much. You might get away without it, but temps would be far higher. Maybe if you really lapped the cooler and shim you could get away with it, but I'd doubt that using no thermal paste at all would be a good idea even in that situation.
    Reply