Hybrid water cooling kit for upper SLI card?

[pegnose]

As many newbies I didn't listen and didn't buy the Founder's edition of the 1080 for SLI use (which blows the air out of the case), but the EVGA FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 with the typical custom dual-fan design. Of course, my upper card (1 slot gap) runs 10-20 °C hotter than the lower one during heavy SLI use. Would it help to install a hybrid water cooling solution for the upper card?

My thoughts are:
1. Water cooling > Air cooling
2. The fan/air occlusion by the second card does not affect the water cooling

Any thoughts appreciated!

 

[Bouowmx]

Returning to retailer is not possible?

Nvidia Founders Edition is not the only rear-exhaust model; there is ASUS TURBO, EVGA GAMING, MSI AERO, and more.

 

[pegnose]

Thanks for the info! I have these cards for a while now. But I am very happy with them otherwise. So if this upgrade kit does a good job I'd say it is a good investment.

Elsewhere I have read comments like "Why the heck would you get WC for only ONE card?!" But as the bottom card has no heat problem, I deem this a very reasonable measure.

Any particular experience out there?

 

[gradoman]

Yes, it would help because the ACX wouldn't be exhausting right into the face of the FE card. A better idea would be to switch the ACX instead of the FE card and you'll have two cooler cards exhausting heat directly out of the case if you place the radiator and fan on the rear of your case.

If you place the radiator/fan on the front, everything else in the case will be warmer, but the card will be cooler. Maybe having it exhaust out the top, if you can in fact mount it there, would be the best option.

 

[Bouowmx]

ARCTIC Accelero Hybrid: https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/products/cooling/vga.html?gpu_cooler_type=121

The only thing I know about it is that it exists.

 

[pegnose]

Yes, it would help because the ACX wouldn't be exhausting right into the face of the FE card. A better idea would be to switch the ACX instead of the FE card and you'll have two cooler cards exhausting heat directly out of the case if you place the radiator and fan on the rear of your case.

I actually have 2 ACX, "didn't buy" the FE. :-/ But yes, that would be a reasonable approach, I guess. So I thought of getting this one. I just saw it accidentally, so my post.
http://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=400-HY-5288-B1

If you place the radiator/fan on the front, everything else in the case will be warmer, but the card will be cooler. Maybe having it exhaust out the top, if you can in fact mount it there, would be the best option.

Thanks a lot! That would have been my next question.

This is my case (not my equipment):

https://geizhals.de/fractal-design-core-3500-fd-ca-core-3500-bl-a1119963.html
(see multiple product images there)

I have already installed 5x 140 mm fans:
- 2 front (inward)
- 1 bottom (inward)
- 1 side (outward)
- 1 back (outward)
Does this make sense?

If I have enough space (looks like) I would definitely mount the WC radiator to the top. I'll have to route the ducts around my NH-D15, though.


EDIT: Seems there is enough space: ~5.5 cm between the CPU cooler and the case roof.

 

[pegnose]

Yes, it would help because the ACX wouldn't be exhausting right into the face of the FE card.

I also think that isn't even the worst part of this setup. The bottom card heats up the air used for cooling the top card while limiting the amount of "fresh" air there, and in addition heats up the top card directly via radiation.

 

[gradoman]

Wow, my reading ability went into the trash yesterday, lol. So there are two ACX cards in one system. I had something similar with two XFX DD R9 290s and boy was it toasty.

My Experience:

Spoiler

I switched over to the AIO + G10 and mounted both radiators on the front of the case. The CPU got a good bit warmer, but both cards were very cool - down in the low 60s at max. Mounting one radiator on the rear exhaust made one of them run about 10C warmer and CPU temps went down a bit. I had no top mounting capability in the Lian Li X1000"

Since your case has a lot of mounting options, I would try the side first, then the top with the fan exhausting out the case. Rear and front, respectively, are last on the list IMHO.

 

[pegnose]

No problem. Does the G10 result in a triple-slot design?

I am a bit worried that every time I open the case I would hate myself for mounting the radiator to the side. So you don't see a problem there?


EDIT: It would also blow the hot air from the second card through the radiator. I actually think the first (frontal) top position is my favorite, atm. It is only half-way "covered" by the CPU tower cooler. And my CPU usually is not that hot during gaming. Plus: that way I could keep the side fan.

Would you say my fan setup in general is reasonable?

 

[gradoman]

The G10 is like 2.25 slots (near the power connectors). The EVGA hybrid cooler seems like a more solid design and complete package.

As for whether or not it's convenient to have it side mounted - I guess you're right about it being more fiddly to get on and off, but I guess I see it as a spot where you do get some fresh air from the front without it exhausting into the case and these days I don't really open my PC up too much, even if you get some warm air from the second card. Maybe the top would be the best place.

 

[pegnose]

The G10 is like 2.25 slots (near the power connectors). The EVGA hybrid cooler seems like a more solid design and complete package.

I just saw that a G10 + H55 is only 2/3 of the price of the EVGA solution. But with that I wouldn't have to fiddle with any copper shims. I'll think about it.

As for whether or not it's convenient to have it side mounted - I guess you're right about it being more fiddly to get on and off, but I guess I see it as a spot where you do get some fresh air from the front without it exhausting into the case and these days I don't really open my PC up too much, even if you get some warm air from the second card. Maybe the top would be the best place.

I guess I'll test both. I'll try remembering to post the results here. Have to wait for some money, though.

Thanks a lot for your experience!

 

[gradoman]

I just saw that a G10 + H55 is only 2/3 of the price of the EVGA solution. But with that I wouldn't have to fiddle with any copper shims. I'll think about it.

Oh, right, I forgot that the G10 doesn't include VRM and memory heatsinks nor the stuff needed to attach them. I had to buy an extra kit for my 290s. Not sure if they're necessary for a 1080 though.

 

[pegnose]

Me neither. Found an interesting post, though:
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/232654-kraken-g10-help/
Was a lot to learn there for me.

 

[pegnose]

So I got this EVGA kit and have it top mounted. It is recommended by many people to have it mounted above the water block (and with the tubes connecting to the lowest point to avoid bubbles covering the entry points; not actually possible for top-mount, but seems to run fine).

It is "half covered" by my Noctua NH-D15, and I reduced the radiator fan speed due to noise (will have to decouple), and it still works great. Now my Hybrid and my ACX card heat up pretty evenly and won't get hotter than 60 C on heavy load. With an OC of 80/400 I stay above 2050 MHz all the time now.

-> Mission accomplished!