Video Card Cooling Options

[NoBull6]

I was running 3DMark03 last night (7783, my best ever), and I had my temps running on the second monitor. I noticed that my video card was getting up to 85ºC, which is higher than I want it. I know my wiring leaves something to be desired, which is part of the problem, but there are two other things I'm looking at.

First is the Dynatron video card exhaust blower. It's $3.99 at Newegg. High ratings, but I searched on here and no one has mentioned it. Has anyone here used this product to some success? 10.5cfm, 28dBA, 2800rpm seems like a lot of noice for not much airflow.

Second is a side case fan. If I do this, what's the best placement and direction? Should I put it directly over of the CPU set as an exhaust? Should I put it at the bottom and set it as an intake?

Case: ThermalTake Tsunami
GPU: Chaintech 6600GT

Thanks!

 

[Rike]

For your video card, you will get more benefit from blowing cold air over it than exhausting hot air from overall system. If you do one, have it blow in. But you should think about having two, one in and one out.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I added a slot cooler like that to help my fanless heatpipe-cooled 6800 at it did lower the max temp in gaming by at least 10c (made no difference for 2D).

I assume that in my Sonata case there is just not good airflow near the AGP slot, and having an exhaust fan 2 slots below helped move cooler air into its vicinity.

 

[NoBull6]

Thanks for the tips. I guess for $8.98 shipped the little exhaust blower can't really hurt anything. I'll pick it up and see how it changes temps.

Rike, let me see if I read you right. You suggest two fans - one intake, one exhaust - if I'm doing two fans. If I do one fan, you suggest one intake. Right now I have the front intake, rear exhaust, both 120mm, both at the bottom of the case. My Seasonic S12 is in the mail, so my PSU will have the 120mm fan up top.

Let's say I just do one fan, do you suggest I put it at the bottom left so that it's just blowing on the video card, and immediately sucked out the back with my little blower and rear exhaust? Would it be better to intake at the bottom right so that I can get some flow over the HDDs and the mobo before being sucked out the back?

Right now I'm idling at 32ºC, 40ºC, 53ºC (CPU, System, GPU) according to NVMonitor, and ambient is 26ºC. Under load I'm 40ºC, 49ºC, 85ºC. I'll grab the exhaust blower and report temp changes. If we can settle on where some side fans should go, I'll mod the case and see how that affects temps, too.

 

[Rike]

Yup, you got it.

Ideally, you would have the same amount of air going in as out. But given your info you just posted on your setup and other temps, I think you'll be fine with just one blower, blowing in. If you really want to cool things down you could go for a Zalman VF700-Cu on your card. With mine, I idle at about 30-33 C and load at 46-49 C and that's with my 6600GT Oced to 585/1210.

If you want to mod your case, I'd put a fan on the side panel right at the level of your card. That's what I have and it's a big part of the reason I can stay so cool on air.