Heat pipe reliability Re:...errr...leaks?

[BernardP]

I am thinking about getting a passively cooled videocard with heatpipe from Asus or Gigabyte. I know heatpipes are also used to cool motherboards chipsets.

For me, it's not a question of noise, but of reliability versus a fan cooler. As I plan to keep my system for 4 years (Gulp!), I am a bit worried by the risk of videocard fan failure down the road, as these fan appear notably flimsier than CPU or PS fans.

Are there risks of cooling fluid leakage with heatpipe systems? Is there anyone who has a particular experience to report?

A fan failure can be an annoyance. But I don't want to think about cooling fluid seeping onto my motherboard.

 

[Lord Evermore]

They're metal tubes welded shut. It's unlikely that any of the welds would ever break open or suddenly develop a leak through a hole that wasn't detected during manufacturing.

All fans are at risk for failure, and the ones on video cards aren't necessarily "flimsier" than CPU and power supply fans. They do often run at much higher speeds though, in order to generate enough airflow since they have a smaller surface area, and that can contribute to earlier failure. If you keep the dust cleaned out though, 4 years isn't necessarily impossible, and you can always replace it. A heatpipe cooler is almost certain to last forever. Thermal compound also tends to dry out eventually, so even with a heatpipe, you might end up having to take it off and replace the compound.

 

[Bobthelost]

Just make sure you've got decent airflow and you'll be fine. Heatpipes don't leak.

 

[Sniper82]

So heatpipes have liquid in them? I always thought they was just all copper pipes.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Originally posted by: Sniper82
So heatpipes have liquid in them? I always thought they was just all copper pipes.

Heatpipes

It's a vapor phase cooling system, essentially similar to an air conditioner but without any moving parts or pumps. You could make a heat pipe without even a phase change coolant, if you made it vertical, since warmer liquid would rise.

 

[pcgeek11]

I have been running a heat pipe cooler on a shuttle for about three or so years without any problems at all. ( it is on the CPU AMD 2000 XP ).

pcgeek

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Heatpipe GPU coolers royally blow. I recommend just getting a decent quiet cooler like the VF900 or something and turn that on 5V. I idle around low - mid 40s for my 7800GT. Imagine if I had a heatpipe cooler.. I would be idling around mid 60s, which is above my current load temperatures. Load would be 80s, 90s *yikes*

Sure the GPU can handle it, but why turn your case into a BBQ? If you manage air cooling right, it can be quiet. 120mm case fans FTW + good GPU cooler.

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Heatpipe GPU coolers royally blow. I recommend just getting a decent quiet cooler like the VF900 or something and turn that on 5V. I idle around low - mid 40s for my 7800GT. Imagine if I had a heatpipe cooler.. I would be idling around mid 60s, which is above my current load temperatures. Load would be 80s, 90s *yikes*

Sure the GPU can handle it, but why turn your case into a BBQ? If you manage air cooling right, it can be quiet. 120mm case fans FTW + good GPU cooler.

Since you're putting the same (well, slightly less) energy into the case with a passive heatsink as an active one as long as the GPU can handle it why not?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Heatpipe GPU coolers royally blow. I recommend just getting a decent quiet cooler like the VF900 or something and turn that on 5V. I idle around low - mid 40s for my 7800GT. Imagine if I had a heatpipe cooler.. I would be idling around mid 60s, which is above my current load temperatures. Load would be 80s, 90s *yikes*

Sure the GPU can handle it, but why turn your case into a BBQ? If you manage air cooling right, it can be quiet. 120mm case fans FTW + good GPU cooler.

Since you're putting the same (well, slightly less) energy into the case with a passive heatsink as an active one as long as the GPU can handle it why not?

Passive GPU heatsinks normally push the limits of temperature, and they sometimes result in instability.

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: Bobthelost

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Heatpipe GPU coolers royally blow. I recommend just getting a decent quiet cooler like the VF900 or something and turn that on 5V. I idle around low - mid 40s for my 7800GT. Imagine if I had a heatpipe cooler.. I would be idling around mid 60s, which is above my current load temperatures. Load would be 80s, 90s *yikes*

Sure the GPU can handle it, but why turn your case into a BBQ? If you manage air cooling right, it can be quiet. 120mm case fans FTW + good GPU cooler.

Since you're putting the same (well, slightly less) energy into the case with a passive heatsink as an active one as long as the GPU can handle it why not?

Passive GPU heatsinks normally push the limits of temperature, and they sometimes result in instability.

All true, but if the GPU can handle it...

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: Bobthelost

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Heatpipe GPU coolers royally blow. I recommend just getting a decent quiet cooler like the VF900 or something and turn that on 5V. I idle around low - mid 40s for my 7800GT. Imagine if I had a heatpipe cooler.. I would be idling around mid 60s, which is above my current load temperatures. Load would be 80s, 90s *yikes*

Sure the GPU can handle it, but why turn your case into a BBQ? If you manage air cooling right, it can be quiet. 120mm case fans FTW + good GPU cooler.

Since you're putting the same (well, slightly less) energy into the case with a passive heatsink as an active one as long as the GPU can handle it why not?

Passive GPU heatsinks normally push the limits of temperature, and they sometimes result in instability.

All true, but if the GPU can handle it...

Right, as x1300 then maybe go for it....a 7950GTX or x1900xt(or whatever they are called) I would not even try it.

 

[theMan]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Heatpipe GPU coolers royally blow. I recommend just getting a decent quiet cooler like the VF900 or something and turn that on 5V. I idle around low - mid 40s for my 7800GT. Imagine if I had a heatpipe cooler.. I would be idling around mid 60s, which is above my current load temperatures. Load would be 80s, 90s *yikes*

Sure the GPU can handle it, but why turn your case into a BBQ? If you manage air cooling right, it can be quiet. 120mm case fans FTW + good GPU cooler.

the vf900 does have heatpipes. its just not passive. heatpipes have nothing to do with wether or not its active or passive cooling.

 

[BernardP]

Thanks guys for all the information. The cards I am looking at are:

7600 GS from Gigabyte

7600 GT from Gigabyte

7600 GT from Asus

 

[mwmorph]

you do understand the heatpipes Asus Gigabyte uses have no fluid in them right? It's a solid metal tube use to transfer heat from 1 area to another. Unless the temp reached into the thousands and the heatpipe melted, there would be no liquid on/in the heatpipe.

 

[Minerva]

If it leaked the liquid would quickly evaporate as the "refrigerants" used in them are quite volatile at room temp.

Leaky heatpipe = PISS POOR brazing/sweating job. It's copper for crying out loud!

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
you do understand the heatpipes Asus Gigabyte uses have no fluid in them right? It's a solid metal tube use to transfer heat from 1 area to another. Unless the temp reached into the thousands and the heatpipe melted, there would be no liquid on/in the heatpipe.

No, I didn't know that. Looking on their website, I saw references to heatpipes in the cooler descriptions, and I never doubted they had fluid in them.

Here is a blurb from a Gigabyte Page

"Heat pipe is filled with liquid material to transmit the heat generated from the heat source side: GPU side, to the other side of a graphic card. Heat is to be brought by vaporized liquid to the other side of the pipe, then for capillarity force, water from cooled steam will go back to the heat source side to begin its thermal trip again"

Not Shakespeare I admit... Although I can't find such a reference on the Asus website, I assumed that there is also fluid in their heatpipes.

Elsewhere on the Gigabyte website, I found a mention of "powder-style heatpipe"

So, how to know what those heatpipes are really made of?

 

[Missing Ghost]

I have never seen an heatpipe leak. In my experience it's a lot of times more reliable than fans. Fans break all the time, but it's related with their size. I have never seen a failing 120mm fan.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: BernardP

Originally posted by: mwmorph
you do understand the heatpipes Asus Gigabyte uses have no fluid in them right? It's a solid metal tube use to transfer heat from 1 area to another. Unless the temp reached into the thousands and the heatpipe melted, there would be no liquid on/in the heatpipe.

No, I didn't know that. Looking on their website, I saw references to heatpipes in the cooler descriptions, and I never doubted they had fluid in them.

Here is a blurb from a Gigabyte Page

"Heat pipe is filled with liquid material to transmit the heat generated from the heat source side: GPU side, to the other side of a graphic card. Heat is to be brought by vaporized liquid to the other side of the pipe, then for capillarity force, water from cooled steam will go back to the heat source side to begin its thermal trip again"

Not Shakespeare I admit... Although I can't find such a reference on the Asus website, I assumed that there is also fluid in their heatpipes.

Elsewhere on the Gigabyte website, I found a mention of "powder-style heatpipe"

So, how to know what those heatpipes are really made of?

touche, I wasnt thinking about how there would be need for capiliary action against the force of gravity so heat can transfer any direction. Still why would it leak? Its weleded metal that dosent perform any sort of mechanical action. Unless there is a decect in the tube tthere should be no leaks.