Question Theorycrafting System Cooling with RTX 3080

[mwforrest7]

I am planning a new RTX 3080 Founders Edition build and have been doing some research and theory crafting of sorts on how I would optimize cooling in the system (especially with the new 3080's cooling design in mind). I threw together some sketches using a picture of someone else's computer but using the same case that I have (Phanteks p600s). Curious to hear other's thoughts!

Configuration 1



My Thoughts:

1. Will there be enough airflow from an AIO rad to create solid positive pressure?
2. Perhaps doing a push/pull config on the AIO would produce better airflow and pos. pressure?
3. Some concern over how much heat is being concentrated above the GPU, but at least it seems like it would be evacuated quickly

Configuration 2



My Thoughts:

1. Trying to mix in more fresh cool air via the top intake to cool the exhaust from the AIO radiator but will the additional top intake fan create too much turbulence with the AIO radiator fans?

Ultimately I plan to actually test these different approaches once I get all the parts over the next couple of months but just having some fun thinking about it and trying to come up with some solid ideas ahead of time.

 

[aigomorla]

if im looking at the pictures correctly, you messed up on the inlet and outlet of the gpu.
GPU now a days are not designed to be bidirectional because of an injector plate that sits over the die cooling fins.

You see how there is that injector directly over the plate fins (middle). That is an injector, and that is not bidirectional.

Also loop order plays little to no importance in a closed loop.
Loop tries goes to equilibrium, so you won't really have a temperature gradiant, unless you have really poor flow.


Edit.. i see your going to use a multitude of AIO's...
For AIO you want to place the radiator so its pulling the outside air though the radiator and into the case, and not to pull the air inside the case and use them as an exhaust.

 

[Stuka87]

if im looking at the pictures correctly, you messed up on the inlet and outlet of the gpu.
GPU now a days are not designed to be bidirectional because of an injector plate that sits over the die cooling fins.

He isn't going to water cool the 3080, he is going to use FE cooler.

I am planning a new RTX 3080 Founders Edition build and have been doing some research and theory crafting of sorts on how I would optimize cooling in the system (especially with the new 3080's cooling design in mind). I threw together some sketches using a picture of someone else's computer but using the same case that I have (Phanteks p600s). Curious to hear other's thoughts!

Configuration 1


My Thoughts:

1. Will there be enough airflow from an AIO rad to create solid positive pressure?
2. Perhaps doing a push/pull config on the AIO would produce better airflow and pos. pressure?
3. Some concern over how much heat is being concentrated above the GPU, but at least it seems like it would be evacuated quickly

Configuration 2


My Thoughts:

1. Trying to mix in more fresh cool air via the top intake to cool the exhaust from the AIO radiator but will the additional top intake fan create too much turbulence with the AIO radiator fans?

Ultimately I plan to actually test these different approaches once I get all the parts over the next couple of months but just having some fun thinking about it and trying to come up with some solid ideas ahead of time.

Air volume leaving the radiator (fans should always be pushing into, not pulling through) will always be less than just a fan without the radiator. Case pressure depends on whats is the rate of air intake vs air outlet in comparison to case volume. Its a lot of math that requires actual numbers to determine your answer. But unless you live in a pretty dusty environment, a positive case pressure is less efficient than a neutral case pressure.

 

[mwforrest7]

Sorry for the confusion as those pictures are someone else's computer that I am drawing over (they are using the same case and it gave me a good idea of the positioning of things). My plan is to use a single AIO (CPU) and stock 3080 FE cooler.

For the GPU inlet/outlets I was basing it off of Nvidia's presentation of the 3080 FE cooling:



Based on this image it seems like the GPU would pull cool air via the bottom and then push a lot of heat upwards. This leads me to the thinking that it'd be best for the CPU thermals to put the radiator in the front as intake. By using a 280 AIO mounted as high up on the front as possible, I am hoping the heat from the CPU rad would stay -above- the GPU where it is is also exhausting its own heat. Lastly, the GPU would get cool fresh air via the bottom most front intake fan (and maybe a little bit of warmer air from the lower rad fan).

Air volume leaving the radiator (fans should always be pushing into, not pulling through) will always be less than just a fan without the radiator.

Yea I would be doing a push config at a minimum (sorry again if the pictures were confusing). I've never used an AIO before so I am definitely concerned there won't be much airflow left after pushing through the rad (especially the extra thick rad of the arctic liquid freezer ii that I have purchased). I may try to do a push/pull to bolster the flow if necessary.

The reason I want at least slightly positive pressure is because I live with 5 animals and so it definitely gets very dusty and furry around here haha

 

[aigomorla]

He isn't going to water cool the 3080, he is going to use FE cooler.

I thought he was going to use a hybrid cooler on the GPU which is why i made an edit at the bottom.

Sorry for the confusion as those pictures are someone else's computer that I am drawing over (they are using the same case and it gave me a good idea of the positioning of things). My plan is to use a single AIO (CPU) and stock 3080 FE cooler.

we need to see exactly what the FE cooler is.
So we can't even help you theory craft.
The FE cooler to my knoweldge is 3 pci-e lengths thick
It also looks like it draws air from below the case, but we have no idea how it exhausts the the air.

So we do not know if fan 2 (middle) or Fan 3 (bottom) on the AIO will matter more in pushing hot air away, or cool air to the card.
Possibly when in doubt, get the strongest fans possible for your AIO with great static pressure (not expensive bling bling RGB Fans) and then just start downvolting it from there until noise is acceptable.

 

[Stuka87]

I thought he was going to use a hybrid cooler on the GPU which is why i made an edit at the bottom.



we need to see exactly what the FE cooler is.
So we can't even help you theory craft.
The FE cooler to my knoweldge is 3 pci-e lengths thick
It also looks like it draws air from below the case, but we have no idea how it exhausts the the air.

So we do not know if fan 2 (middle) or Fan 3 (bottom) on the AIO will matter more in pushing hot air away, or cool air to the card.
Possibly when in doubt, get the strongest fans possible for your AIO with great static pressure (not expensive bling bling RGB Fans) and then just start downvolting it from there until noise is acceptable.

We now know how the two versions of the FE cooler work. Both have the same design, the 3090 is just much larger. Which his drawing (on a case like his, but not his) shows. The front fan blows air out the back of the case through the card, much like a typical blower style cooler, only with an axial. The rear fan pulls air through the heatsink (no clue WHY its a pull design) and exhaust it out the top, right to the inlet of tower CPU coolers, also a terrible idea.

It almost makes it a requirement to use a radiator based cooling system.

 

[mwforrest7]

The rear fan pulls air through the heatsink (no clue WHY its a pull design) and exhaust it out the top

I was watching JayzTwoCents unboxing of the 3080 today and his theory as to why its a pull design was for acoustics. But otherwise, yea I have no theories

 

[Stuka87]

I was watching JayzTwoCents unboxing of the 3080 today and his theory as to why its a pull design was for acoustics. But otherwise, yea I have no theories

That rear fan should be quieter, but also less efficient. A pusher is more efficient, so it can be run slower, also making it more quieter. Puller has to be run faster, but is quieter. Not sure if they equal out. I have no doubt nVidia did lots of testing. But personally I would prefer that hot air go down, instead of up into my CPU and RAM. Not like you can SLI the 3070 or 3080. Sure you can SLI a 3090, but who would consider its not supported in any modern games?

 

[mwforrest7]

That rear fan should be quieter, but also less efficient. A pusher is more efficient, so it can be run slower, also making it more quieter. Puller has to be run faster, but is quieter. Not sure if they equal out. I have no doubt nVidia did lots of testing. But personally I would prefer that hot air go down, instead of up into my CPU and RAM. Not like you can SLI the 3070 or 3080. Sure you can SLI a 3090, but who would consider its not supported in any modern games?

I think those are good points. It seems like an obvious and relatively cheap test case for Nvidia to try the fans in both configurations (push and pull). It does seem like pretty bad design to have the airflow going up into the CPU/RAM when using purely air cooling (which is the main reason I am going with an AIO this time). That said, when using an AIO configured as front intake it does seem like the GPU's cooler might better jibe with the overall airflow pattern. All of the cool air coming from the front/bottom and all the hot air moving to the back/top.

A case with the option of getting an intake fan right under the GPU would be really ideal. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like that's something my case facilitates.