Author

Topic: Best way to cool down a GPU? (Read 12395 times)

legendary
Activity: 2548
Merit: 1054
CPU Web Mining 🕸️ on webmining.io
June 28, 2013, 09:04:52 AM
#18
Best way I've found is to install a duct that takes the freezing cold northern US winter air, and vents it right into the GPU intake fans. Can OC those suckers all day long with no issues.

Wisconsin is warm as shit right now, I'm not sure where else is colder
newbie
Activity: 49
Merit: 0
June 28, 2013, 09:01:55 AM
#17
Do GPUs use the vents in the back of the cards (by all the video output ports) as air intakes or air exhausts?  I am running an open air case with a box fan for cooling. I want to direct my airflow correctly to get maximum cooling and not restrict the way air is supposed to be flowing for cooling the card.

Back is exhaust.  If you have your case open, point the fan directly at the cards as though it was the side panel with a fan on it.  Cool air onto the card, stock fan blows it down over the card to cook, and then goes out the back.

Thanks.  I have an open air case that i built.  I will put the fan on the other side of the cards so i am not blowing air into an exhaust vent.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 500
June 26, 2013, 11:39:43 PM
#16
Go to Lulea as what Facebook has done for their datacenters, they need to on all their servers to keep them warm given its proximity to the Artic
sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 250
Sometimes man, just sometimes.....
June 26, 2013, 09:12:20 PM
#15
Do GPUs use the vents in the back of the cards (by all the video output ports) as air intakes or air exhausts?  I am running an open air case with a box fan for cooling. I want to direct my airflow correctly to get maximum cooling and not restrict the way air is supposed to be flowing for cooling the card.

Back is exhaust.  If you have your case open, point the fan directly at the cards as though it was the side panel with a fan on it.  Cool air onto the card, stock fan blows it down over the card to cook, and then goes out the back.
newbie
Activity: 49
Merit: 0
June 26, 2013, 07:59:50 PM
#14
Do GPUs use the vents in the back of the cards (by all the video output ports) as air intakes or air exhausts?  I am running an open air case with a box fan for cooling. I want to direct my airflow correctly to get maximum cooling and not restrict the way air is supposed to be flowing for cooling the card.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 500
June 26, 2013, 04:20:26 PM
#13
Water cooling.  But hey, thats just me.  Had access to all the parts.  Only thing it cost me was the $10 for the tubing and the $15 for a new case.  Its an old 5830 and 5870, OC'd at 950 and 1000 respectively, 305mh/s and 440mh/s and temps stay around 45.

Took me a long time to get one done, but it is as pointed above the best solution if you do not need the rigs as heater, for me the rigs were very good heaters.
sr. member
Activity: 280
Merit: 250
Sometimes man, just sometimes.....
June 26, 2013, 03:26:57 PM
#12
Water cooling.  But hey, thats just me.  Had access to all the parts.  Only thing it cost me was the $10 for the tubing and the $15 for a new case.  Its an old 5830 and 5870, OC'd at 950 and 1000 respectively, 305mh/s and 440mh/s and temps stay around 45.
legendary
Activity: 952
Merit: 1000
June 26, 2013, 01:01:14 PM
#11
freezing cold northern US winter air
What cold northern US winter air? I live in northern wisconsin and its 85F (29.5C) out!
Well it's been in the 80s this past week, and even stretching almost into the 90s (gasp!), but most of the spring/autumn it's below 70, and in the winter it can get pretty damn chilly. This past winter was rarely above 40F or so, often down into the teens at night.
legendary
Activity: 916
Merit: 1003
June 25, 2013, 06:12:21 PM
#10
Stop mining with it.  Cool
legendary
Activity: 1862
Merit: 1002
June 25, 2013, 06:11:24 PM
#9
dump a couple ice box pro units in the room and run the hoses outside to a 55 gallon drum full of water. http://www.hydroinnovations.com/product-details.php?title=ICE_BOX_Pro&pro=30

Each unit is equivalent to 8500 BTU of cooling and this is enough to cool 2.4kw of electronics.
sr. member
Activity: 399
Merit: 250
June 25, 2013, 06:10:36 PM
#8
Open-air style (no computer case).
100% fan
External fan to push fresh air into and past the video card as a whole.
Lower your core volts.

I implement all these for my GPUs. Temperatures vary from 58-65C. Ambient is about 33C

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9768004/SAM_0181.JPG
Older picture, but you get the idea.

I hope that is not in a basement just below wooden support beams....

legendary
Activity: 1344
Merit: 1004
June 25, 2013, 05:58:24 PM
#7
freezing cold northern US winter air

What cold northern US winter air? I live in northern wisconsin and its 85F (29.5C) out!
legendary
Activity: 952
Merit: 1000
June 25, 2013, 09:40:31 AM
#6
Best way I've found is to install a duct that takes the freezing cold northern US winter air, and vents it right into the GPU intake fans. Can OC those suckers all day long with no issues.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 500
June 25, 2013, 05:16:53 AM
#5
Best way is to change to liquid cooling but it is not too easy to implement that, and I guess it will definitely void the warranty.
legendary
Activity: 1344
Merit: 1004
June 25, 2013, 05:15:57 AM
#4
Open-air style (no computer case).
100% fan
External fan to push fresh air into and past the video card as a whole.
Lower your core volts.

I implement all these for my GPUs. Temperatures vary from 58-65C. Ambient is about 33C

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9768004/SAM_0181.JPG
Older picture, but you get the idea.
zvs
legendary
Activity: 1680
Merit: 1000
https://web.archive.org/web/*/nogleg.com
June 25, 2013, 04:04:01 AM
#3
Greetings-

I'm mining LTC with a Sapphire 7870XT (Tahiti).  I was wondering what some options might be for helping cool the card down.  

Ironically, I find I get the best hashrate (400kH/s or so) when the card is underclocked (850 Mhz).  My case is small, though, so even with good fans and such my temps were constantly around 85C - which as the absolute maximum I want to be at (and I don't want to be in the "red zone" all the time).  So I took the side of the case off and I am now at 80C.  That's better, but I'd still prefer to be lower than that.  

I figure I have a few options.  What do you guys think of:
1.  Is it worth re-seating the cooler with Arctic Silver 5 (AS5)?  I have heard that because of its conductivity, AS5 may not be my best bet for a GPU, but I already own it.  
2.  What about a third-party cooler to replace the stock cooler?  I know these things are not cheap - I've seen some units at $150 or more!  Unless I can get a big drop in temps, I'd prefer not to outlay so much cash.  
3.  Is there a water/liquid cooled solution?  If so, how risky do you think it is and how much would it cost?  

Thanks for any and all ideas!

the best option would be to remove the case entirely and get a $15-$20 floor fan (honeywell, lasko, w/e).

the other option is to keep the case on and just put the fan in front of it angled slightly so it exhausts out the back of the case (assuming that you have fans in front that are intake etc)

oh, the answer to #1 = yes, if it doesn't void your warranty
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 500
June 25, 2013, 01:28:18 AM
#2
I just control the fans manually and adjust the speed so that the temperature drop to about 65-70 degrees
newbie
Activity: 34
Merit: 0
June 25, 2013, 01:23:44 AM
#1
Greetings-

I'm mining LTC with a Sapphire 7870XT (Tahiti).  I was wondering what some options might be for helping cool the card down. 

Ironically, I find I get the best hashrate (400kH/s or so) when the card is underclocked (850 Mhz).  My case is small, though, so even with good fans and such my temps were constantly around 85C - which as the absolute maximum I want to be at (and I don't want to be in the "red zone" all the time).  So I took the side of the case off and I am now at 80C.  That's better, but I'd still prefer to be lower than that. 

I figure I have a few options.  What do you guys think of:
1.  Is it worth re-seating the cooler with Arctic Silver 5 (AS5)?  I have heard that because of its conductivity, AS5 may not be my best bet for a GPU, but I already own it. 
2.  What about a third-party cooler to replace the stock cooler?  I know these things are not cheap - I've seen some units at $150 or more!  Unless I can get a big drop in temps, I'd prefer not to outlay so much cash. 
3.  Is there a water/liquid cooled solution?  If so, how risky do you think it is and how much would it cost? 

Thanks for any and all ideas!
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