Does the RX 480 have vapor chamber cooling?

[hsjj3]

If yes, would this mean it should in theory run cooler than a GTX 960? (Assuming both have an actual TDP of 120W)

 

[KompuKare]

Somehow doubt there are going to be any reference cards in retail - although OEM customers who need a blower might get something. TPU is a bit low for such an expensive design anyhow.

 

[MangoX]

For the price, I'd think not. But the blower fan does overextend on the reference cooler so I'd think AMD learned their lesson over the 290 debacle.

 

[tential]

There won't be any way for you to purchase an RX 480 without knowing whether it cools better than the GTX 960 before it comes out. Just wait for reviews.

 

[hsjj3]

Hear here: https://youtu.be/0gN7oIubcVk?t=10m32s

He mentions "built like a $500 premium card...the thermal solution of it, the airflow of it...designed like a really really expensive high end card"

Does it really mean vapor chamber cooling then?

How much better is vapor chamber cooling than normal?

 

[RussianSensation]

If yes, would this mean it should in theory run cooler than a GTX 960? (Assuming both have an actual TDP of 120W)

There is no need to waste $ on a vapor chamber cooler for an RX 480 level cards. Besides, whether the GPU runs at 50C or 85C, it makes no difference to its longevity long-term in terms of the gamer's useful life. What matters more are the noise levels and overclocking potential -- these can be limited by temperatures and GPU cooler. Either way, the best RX480 cards are going to come from AIBs, not AMD. Sapphire Nitro made an excellent R9 380 card. Plus you will get 0 dBA operation at 2D desktop and for light gaming, something blowers cannot provide. This alone is worth buying an AIB card over the blower.

 

[sirmo]

I think the more important factor is the efficiency of the card. If AMD's claims of 2.8x improvement are true, I don't think it matters much. The card should run cool and quiet.

If you're planning on overclocking then you shouldn't buy the reference card per usual.

 

[Bacon1]

Who cares? See what the actual thermals are during actual gameplay.

1080 FE's "Vapor chamber" cooler is junk. Throttles only after a few minutes of gameplay.

 

[MrTeal]

Vapour chambers are essentially flat rectangular heat pipes. They help move the heat from the surface of the die to the heatsink fins more effectively than a similar size and weight of solid copper would. They're really helpful in places like blowers where you're trying to get a bunch of heat into the fin array with a very small height, but there's not a magic ingredient to drop temps. There's a lot more than just a chamber that affects how well a heatsink performs though (surface area of the fins, airflow restriction of the heatsink, etc) and a decent and cheap open air cooler with a couple heatpipes could easily dissipate ~120W with better temps and lower noise than a vapour chamber blower if it's well designed. Look how well the Tri-X Fury cooled, with 72C temps at an almost inaudible 32dB while cooling ~260W according to TPU's testing.

 

[RussianSensation]

There's a lot more than just a chamber that affects how well a heatsink performs though (surface area of the fins, airflow restriction of the heatsink, etc) and a decent and cheap open air cooler with a couple heatpipes could easily dissipate ~120W with better temps and lower noise than a vapour chamber blower if it's well designed. Look how well the Tri-X Fury cooled, with 72C temps at an almost inaudible 32dB while cooling ~260W according to TPU's testing.

Excellent post. Asus Strix R9 380X (and the Sapphire Nitro 380 I linked above) is a very good indication of how great AIB 480 cards will be.

R9 380X uses about 179W of power, and yet runs at only 29 dBA @ 69C

No blower card from AMD/NV could ever match these noise levels, while also maintaining those temperatures and have 0 dBA idle operation.

 

[tviceman]

The RX 480 is going to consume around 115-120 watts. Given this information, it should run cool and quiet no matter what it has strapped on.

 

[Rvenger]

Given this information, it should run cool and quiet no matter what it has strapped on.

Careful what you wish for! :biggrin: We might see our first plastic heatsink.

 

[maddie]

Careful what you wish for! :biggrin: We might see our first plastic heatsink.

Here folks, we have the world's first CNT based heatsink. Carbon nanotubes can have 9 times the thermal conductivity of copper.

 

[3DVagabond]

It looks like the Nano cooler could fit under that shroud. It's a vapor chamber. Doesn't mean they did that. We'll have to wait and see. It would be nice though if that was the case.

 

[Silverforce11]

The RX 480 is going to consume around 115-120 watts. Given this information, it should run cool and quiet no matter what it has strapped on.

AMD's crap blower from the 5800 series will do great for this card, low TDP, blowers are well within their comfort zone. Low noise, heat exhaust out the case.

 

[Azix]

who cares about reference though? It will run cool on AIB cooling and some might include vapor chamber if they care to.

 

[RussianSensation]

AMD's crap blower from the 5800 series will do great for this card, low TDP, blowers are well within their comfort zone. Low noise, heat exhaust out the case.

Nah. HD5870 blower could barely cope with 150W of power at good noise levels.

Hopefully the blower on the RX 480 is much improved. I'd be perfectly content with 82-84C temperatures as long as it's quiet.

 

[IllogicalGlory]

I'm sure it'll hit 95C at 50dbA while throttling given AMD's track record.

 

[MrTeal]

who cares about reference though? It will run cool on AIB cooling and some might include vapor chamber if they care to.

Unfortunately, almost everyone. If you send a crappy reference card to all the review sites, that becomes the defining image of the series. Just take a look at the Hawaii launch.

 

[HiroThreading]

It doesn't need a vapour chamber cooler. A regular [dual] heat pipe equipped heatsink should suffice. Heck, the HD 2900 XT and GTX 480 had heat pipe equipped heatsinks. Granted, their fan profiles had to run at very high RPMs to move enough air over the heatsinks.

Vapour chambers are normally required for chips with very high TDPs (200w+). Their first mainstream debut was, IIRC, on the HD 4870 X2, HD 5970 and GTX 580.

 

[Erenhardt]

I vote for Fury nano cooler, but it probably is too expensive. Maybe barebone 7790 style:

 

[Silverforce11]

Nah. HD5870 blower could barely cope with 150W of power at good noise levels.

Hopefully the blower on the RX 480 is much improved. I'd be perfectly content with 82-84C temperatures as long as it's quiet.

Yeah but the thing is 43 dB is within line for blowers of "quiet" calibre. Compare it to 980Ti blower for example.

I had a few 5800 series cards, I know how quiet they were on auto fan profile.

AMD's blowers didn't get noisy until the 7970 Ghz Ed onwards.

 

[trane]

Fury Nano had a superb cooler. But, yes, this is a blower type. Hope it does well though.

 

[Silverforce11]

For a more like comparison, check out the small Pitcairn 7850 (RX 480 cut-down) and 7870.

^^ Power usage well below the TDP rating.

Not a noisy blower.

If AMD made any improvements at all, reference cards will be just great.

 

[Adul]

while the ref in this case I think will be fine for normal use, if you want to do any over clocking at all you will want an aftermarket design. Maybe with a 8 pin power connector