make the 60,000+ views will put on more pressure to get this finished oO
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make the 60,000+ views will put on more pressure to get this finished oO
Take your time to get it all right, Skinnee, many of us have and will be spending hundreds of dollars based on these results (not to add to the pressure or anything, lol).
If it takes you another month to refine the presentation of all collected and collaborated data, then take your time and don't even worry about it.
+1 , Only reason i havent gotten 2x 480s yet.. :yepp:Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
:(Maybe, but the problem is there is no standard to follow or adhere to so nobody would trust the data coming from a manufacturer assuming its biased.Quote:
Originally Posted by wesley
Would be a wonderful thing to actually have real performance specifications on the boxes of watercooling products. Pressure drop curve =, c/w curves =, per test spec xxx.xxx
No standards = no trust = consumers burden to figure it all out on their own..
Hellz no, I'd kill myself if this took another month. Writing, writing, writing... its the longest part. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
Agreed. Hence the company with the best advertising/marketing wins in this scenario. I have yet to see a company publishing serious testing that might show their competitors product in a bad light. It's an unspoken rule in business.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinm210
Wes
...
Skinnee will you submit the results to Page 1 of this thread or do you plan to create a new thread?Quote:
Originally Posted by skinnee
:yepp: I'll link to it...Quote:
Originally Posted by Section8
of course, no problem :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Vapor
Based on the graph, I think the winner will come out of that middle four because turbulent flow and high velocity, or rather flow rate, improve the heat transfer rate. My 0.02 :)Quote:
Originally Posted by skinnee
(Royal purple)
the color thong you are wearing?Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
Or maybe the motor oil? :rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
Any results??
So Koolance makes the best stuff?:rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by wesley
Well I couldnt wait got tired of sweating playing games. Got the DD-GTX480 Nickel Top and Base. Using a old Exos-al system with it so far Alot better than air cooled. Use to be 52c to 93c air cooled now i'm 38c to 54c.
Alot quiter and cooler so liquid cooling working better for me.
Cant wait to see the results to see if I spent my money wisely.
Used Ic Diamond as thermo paste. Anyone know if its non conductive?
Don't blame you! this is getting a litte long in the tooth, especially with summer in full effect i'd really like to know which block to buy. I understand Skinnee wants to be 100% comprehensive in results and uphold his reputation but some people dont need to know the finer details and just want to know which block to go for.Quote:
Originally Posted by airwolves
(It's not grape drank, it's...drank...)
Plus I was able to buy it before everyone else ;) If it gets good ratings lol
that was a good choice . . . ;) then NDA kicks in :yepp:Quote:
Originally Posted by airwolves
Summer, is that what there are calling it everywhere else except for (western states) California as it's been overcast since spring! :(Quote:
Originally Posted by ell
That's precipitation from Lakers fans as they now see a Big Three in Miami. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Systemlord
Crap I was hoping the results would be in this weekend so I could get my card by Tuesday... well I guess I will just order everything else with slower shipping for tomorrow and then place this order as an overnight when the data comes in. I think I will probably get the evga block but I want to also see how it does with upgraded TM.
Lol, I will receive my EK FC480 GTX water block tomorrow, you can't go wrong with a brand like EK! I plan on buying the EK Supreme HF nickel + acrylic soon! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
I'm trying to decide between the EK FC480 GTX and the Danger Den block. I'm very eager to see the results here!
I'm not trying to be, or want to construed as, a douche but can we have some results soon? Honestly I wouldnt mind just the hard data.
You can't pressure the man like that, man.
Skinnee, please take your time.
I just hope it is done by 7/15 b/c then if I am not getting the evga one I can not get the $30 rebate on the air cooled evga...
Try to give him at least another two weeks. I believe we will all be pleasantly surprised...
you can understand the impatience, some of us have been waiting 2 months for the results. I need the waterblock asap and i think i'm going to just pull the trigger on a koolance or DD block, maybe i should toss a coin.
My two cents on the delay...Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
To begin, I have a few disclaimers I'd like to provide up front. Most notably, I'd like to emphasize that I'm tremendously grateful to Skinnee (et al) for sacrificing his time, resources, and expertise in the noble pursuit of GTX 480 enlightenment. Extreme reviews like this are very hard to find, and I'm not about to bite the hand that feeds me.
Additionally, quality almost always comes at the expense of speed. I understand that Skinnee (et al) intends to execute this project properly, and I respect and appreciate this approach.
Having said all of that, and in the spirit of providing constructive criticism, I think Skinnee should have released his results in packets. For example, he could have done a round-up for the first 3, 4, or 5 cards to arrive at his door. He could publish his comparative charts for the smaller group, and simply release new batch reviews for the other cards as they roll in. I know he updated his triple radiator round-up comparison graphs as he added new reviews, and I assume he could have done the same with this project.
The problem with releasing virtually no comparative performance data, and waiting until the entire group has been measured, is that critical purchase/execution time has been lost for many of us. In my case, my build was on a very specific time schedule, and I had to make a decision back in late May. I was holding on for the results of this thread, but alas no satisfaction arrived. For others, the waiting game may end up grinding them down, leading some to give up and toss a coin between two favorites.
The bottom line is this: in attempting to produce the all inclusive, massive, thorough review that this appears to be, Skinnee may have overshot the window of ideal usefulness for many of the enthusiasts who would utilize the data. Many of us have already purchased a block, for whatever reason, and the results of this thread will only reinforce or undermine the guessing game we ultimately made our purchases on.
Again, Skinnee, you rock. I am super grateful for your hard work. I'm just suggesting that the results have come a bit late to be as potent as your efforts deserve.
Also...I'm enjoying my dual DD Satin Copper GTX 480 blocks! :) I can only hope my decision doesn't turn out to haunt me.
yeh +1, big thanks to skinnee for taking the time and effort to do this! I think everyone really appreciates it, but as tradewind stated, some of us do have build schedules, i've gone a fair bit over my time frame waiting for the block since I have to get it shipped internationally which add another 2~3 weeks to the whole process...
so koolance or DD?!
Fortunately/Unfortunately, I have to agree... I will not be doing this bulk release of reviews and comparison again, any time I do a round-up like this in the future (Pumps are next) I will be releasing data as I go. My process and workflow through this round of testing was completely flawed for the amount of time I have had available, I hate it as much as you guys waiting.
In short, I hear you loud and clear and will change the flow of results moving forward. I am still grinding away and the end of the tunnel is near, my apologies for taking far too long. :(
fingers crossed, eyes open wide. patiently waitin' for results!!!
just read a scathing post about the DD blocks on the EVGA forums, so koolance it is... fingers crossed!
I have three of them installed here. What is the problem?Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/4...swithskull.png
just a bunch of guys complaining about a rise in temps over the swiftech blocks. so DB koolance or DD? you have any issues with the DD blocks?
Ironically just as i got the email about your post i was about to click the check out button... ARGH... i'm so indecisive atm.
Okay koolance block ordered!!! holding thumbs skinnees review doesn't rape it :(
I also have the DD 480 blocks and have been very pleased with the results.Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
Max stable OC produces 940/1880/2200 MHz at 1.25 V core voltage. I never see temps rise over 51C in that configuration.
The EVGA HC FTW is a nice option, but keep in mind the restriction will be higher. Otherwise, it's a great choice.
I briefly owned an ATI 5970 and had a chance to compare a Swiftech block to the Koolance solution. The Swiftech block did a much better job with the VRMs, and ever since I've been turned off from Koolance. In Koolance's defense, their GTX 480 block is a new design - things may be very different for this block.
Regardless of block, you'll be happy with the results. I'm willing to bet your OC will be limited by other things before GPU temp ever becomes a problem.
I would not say to not order Koolance and I have not tested their 480 block. On my desk I have two 295s with Koolance blocks which performed well and in my rig I have three DD 480 blocks which are kicking asre. I was there when the DD blocks were being designed and had my voice heard a bit in the process so I am biased. Then again, Koolance makes sexy blocks as well. I can say DD has a VERY interesting Ramage III block in beta testing that is a total break from anything seen before. Skinnee will be getting one soon for testing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
Hmmm
;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Waterlogged
So are people getting good results with the EVGA HC FTW? With that heatpipe I am especially interested in the vtemps.
While the heatpipe will keep the VRM's stable, I recommend a fan over the mosfets.Quote:
Originally Posted by zeroibis
I just wanted to thank you Skinnee again for all of the spare time you have put into what will be a massive informative review, I'm waiting for the IPS truck to arrive with my EK FC480 GTX block that will become activated next month! When your review does come out I will enjoy reading the results to see who comes out on top! :D
-Systemlord
Good to know as I currently blame mosfets for my dead 280.Quote:
Originally Posted by skinnee
Any particular fan our mount recommendations I should look at?
that's exactly my concern as well, i am more worried about VRM temps than GPU, i don't particularly care whether the care is sitting at 40 or 45 as long as the VRMs aren't at 70+.Quote:
Originally Posted by skinnee
especially when overclocking, the VRMs and power circuitry is the weak link in the chain and not the GPU, so I'm hoping the koolance does a good enough job in that regard, my loop is also pretty bare so the added restriction from the koolance pin array wont be too much of an issue, anything to slow down my infernal pump (i swear i got sold a 3.25 instead of a 3.2).
I almost considered the EK blocks, but then the thought of using TIM to hold down standoffs sobered me up.
Once assembled it makes no difference, it will be interesting to see which blocks cool the VRMs best!Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
-Systemlord
Well this sale on evga cards is too good to pass up. I will just run on air for now and get a block as soon as I know what to buy.
Couldn't hold out - I tried to, but I just couldn't take it any longer... pulled the trigger on the EK 480 block (Acetal) with a black back plate. The way I see it, other than perhaps the EVGA/Swiftech block (which I expect to be the least effective overall at shedding heat due to the funky heat-pipe arrangement over the memory/VRMs - especially if any overclocking/overvolting is involved) all the blocks will be within a few percentage points of each other performance wise, so it mainly boils down to personal taste/aesthetics and cost. Just can't go wrong with black, and for roughly 140 bones for the block, barbs and the optional back plate, I think EK has a winner - one that isn't going to show fingerprints and require metal polish every 2-3 months to look good... While I can appreciate the other designs and the use of flashy materials... well, except for that one LED infested ricer block :p:, I don't think I'll be disappointed in the performance dept. with the EK block once Skinnee finally gets the review out.
EK makes some fine products. ;)
Hey, Eddy, can I get a sponsor already?
I've tried EK and AG and they are much of a muchness performance wise so far in my rigs
Based on what ? We could replace that "many of" with "a few of" and there, that would feel better wouldnt it. He does that for free, he was kind enough to post a worklog, but given the feedback i would understand if he doesnt repeat the experience. The amount of work he does for free is very impressive by itself, i found this worklog quite interesting in between the dozens of "are we there yet ?" posts.Quote:
Originally Posted by TradeWind
And as for the review deadline vs buying decisions, if i want to buy smart i never rush to get items when they are just out on market. In any case if you go with your favorite brand you are seldom disappointed...
Yes, in my case the data is just too important to buy something before I read it all. I will just use air cooling for now and then add the HT and throw it in a loop once I know what to buy. I designed my setup so that adding a new grafix card is as simple as putting the ht on and then prefilling it with coolant (I have QDs) then putting it in the loop. All I got to do then is bleed what little air was left (should be virtually none) and top off the res. Literally takes about an hour and so I will just wait until I know what I am going to buy :D
i think that most experienced watercoolers can roughly guess the performance of the blocks just by looking at the block design, I think we pretty much all know the top three blocks will probably be the EK, Koolance and DD, swiftech's block will probably have lower GPU temps but much higher VRM temps, and the aquacomputer block is the only one I wont hazard a guess about since I have no idea what the the effect of the inlet/outlet design will be be.
From what other reviews I can find the koolance 470 block beats the BP and the EK 470 blocks. The koolance 480 block came out on top in a german round up, but as other posters have said the GPU temps will be mostly the same across the range apart from that joke of a BP block, its the VRM temps that interest me and skinnee is so far the ONLY person that has bothered to actually record the vrm temps, i think this roundup will be the only one that can definitively compared the overall block performance!! And that is why I am nervous.
I am hoping to get at least 850 on the core for 24/7 use.
I hope that this is what we all are hoping for :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
850 on the core is what my 470 does 24/7 :D and thats on air... now where are the results.. :yepp:
I think from a practical overclocking potential, you won't find any difference regardless of what their thermal performance is. But if its degrees you're measuring, I would guess VGA thermal performance would be close between the EVGA and Koolance blocks, but the Koolance block may do better at overall cooling the non VGA areas.
BUT...thinking in terms of overall usage in the most common systems..I like the Danger Den block because of the low pressure drop. I suspect if you surveyed the market, you would find that 90% or more users will run combined CPU/GPU loops. It may not have all that surface area, but it probably has a good balance of cooling vs pressure drop. I've always been along the lines of spoiling the CPU as much as possible because it tends to be a bit more critical to cooling. By nature of the constrained slot area to work in, most GPU stock cooling systems tend to be poor in comparison to the CPU, as a result they usually run hotter and are designed to do so.
At least that's the way it used to be. That's my guess anyhow...gonna have to retire this old 8800gtx someday and upgrade..my old system is getting pretty outdated by todays standards..:)
That's just my guess though, the DD block does appear to be king of low pressure drop. In separate dedicated loops, that's irrelevant(all that matters is thermals), but in a combined loop with the CPU, I personally like having the lower restriction
Martin, when will you grace us with your next build, sir?
I just want to know when I can dl data directly to my brain so I can copy what Martin knows about all this stuff. Always so many things to lean and so little time.
I tried to remove the subjective (underlined your text above) part of this reflection by publishing a paper here which attempts to define the issue in obective (as in "measured data") terms ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinm210
I've never been much of a builder, I just don't have the creative juice or patience to really build much of anything compared to most guys in the forums.Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
I also don't have the $, I just gave myself a fathers day, or maybe early christmas? present in the form of a Canon 550D, so Ill have to let the ole wallet recover for a while anyhow.
Maybe Ill try making some custom one off blocks again...still have plenty of copper and delrin stock gathering dust in the garage. Some of the recent block building threads has sparked some desire to cool with totally hand made parts. I kind of miss running my own block, even if it sucks in comparison..there is still an element I miss in that..:)
Quote:
Originally Posted by skinnee
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
There is one thing that everybody forgets to mention:Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
EVGA provides a factory warranty for the FTW cards. So there should be little if any concerns at all about VRM temps on this block.
Thanks Gabe,Quote:
Originally Posted by gabe
Ill have to catch up, have you also done any recent work or experience regarding trying to quantify the relationship of temperature to overclock potential?
That's always something I never really felt like I understood very well. I always wondered what margin of temperature difference is really significant in terms of overclock stablity if overclocking is the bottom line goal. Is it 1C, 5C, 10?
Is it different for CPU vs GPU? I always assumed it was more critical for the CPU based on my very limted hardware experience. Most of our testing is all temperature based, so I'm not sure its very well understood.?? Or at least I don't know..
I understand flow rate effects better now, but I still struggle with the overclock relationship.
Thanks as always for your testing, its much appreciated!
BFG provides . . .uh, never mind. Doh.
There is a very simple rule of thumb to quantify the overclocking potential of any silicon:Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinm210
For every 10C drop in temperature, the operating frequency can gain approximately 1.5 to 2% (without changing the voltage). If the frequency is not increased, then the life of the silicon doubles. I have verified the frequency aspect of this rule in CPU's over and over again, and it is still true.
For example, if you CPU reaches 4Ghz on air at say 90C, and if you drop your temps down to say 50C, you should be able to OC approximately another 6 to 8% (4.2 to 4.3Ghz) without raising the voltage.
Note: when I say "reaches 4Ghz", I mean stable frequency..
in addition to frequency and temperature..oc also involves leakage current of cpu and vcc....Quote:
Originally Posted by gabe
Noted and more than likely assumed due to EVGA's warranty policy in the US. However, keeping temps low (for the entire card) while having a solid OC may be the goal... 80mm or smaller fan and some zip-ties are well worth it. My recommendation is not do it or your card will die... but if you have the fan and some zipties, go for it. Hell... with tri-sli you could probably zip tie a GT-1850 to the top and bottom card and keep true single slot spacing. :idea:Quote:
Originally Posted by gabe
Well, there's all the hassle of dealing with a dead card - getting the RMA, removal, packing it up, waiting for a replacement, and then re-installing it. Not as trivial as an air cooled card. Have to bleed the system, worry about spilling fluid, messing with fittings... And the system down time to contend with. Kind of hard to run a loop that has a component missing without some re-config. Add the hassle of waiting a week or two before you can get things running again.Quote:
Originally Posted by gabe
Not knocking EVGA or their warranty service - they are among the best. But I'd rather not have to deal with a card that died in the first place due to it being pushed a bit. If one plans on keeping things stock, I think the EVGA FTW block is great... but for those of us that want to push the cards a bit harder on water... as "Xtreme" folk tend to do, I don't think the block's design is as optimal as some of the other options that are out there.
Just my 2 cents...
That's interesting and great info to keep in mind..thanks!!:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by gabe
I wasn't implying that the swiftech solution wasn't up to scratch, personally I think looks wise its at the tops. If we could get the EVGA cards locally I would have bought one simply not to have to deal with mounting it myself and voiding my warranty.Quote:
Originally Posted by gabe
You do bring up a very important point, that out of all the solutions, it is the only one that doesn't void the warranty and so for beginners it should be the preferred choice.
VRMs in general have a pretty high temp tolerance and maybe its not such a critical issue as many make it out to be. I've pretty much air cooled my vram and vrms on all my water cooled GPUs and never once had a dead card.
I'm just still bummed you guys don't have a block available that we can all buy.
I'll miss them too, and their factory mounted DD blocks :(Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
EK should strike a deal with Zotac (or other enthusiast brand) !
I dont think Zotac are enthusiastic enough about the water, last time we talked (about a year ago) we were too aggressive :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by gmat
That's a shame, and a lack of a vision for a brand that openly tries to enter the enthusiast market.
Maybe Gainward then as they seem to love silent products ?... Now that BFG is gone i wonder who DangerDen will (or did) partner with. Anyway i'd happily buy factory watercooled cards with EK blocks on them :) With your SLI bridge you have a very nice all-in-one solution...
Is there another factory watercooled 480 apart from the EVGA/Swiftech one ?
Eddy do you know if EK are going to bring out a block or blocks for the GTX460?
I know there seems to be a few different PCB designs which makes it a PITA but that never stopped you before! :D
Cheers
Biffa: check first EK site for news before asking :)
Dammit.. wasn't there when I looked earlier :p: bet he wrote that after I asked:hitself:Quote:
Originally Posted by churchy
Try to reflect in objective engineering and economic terms: The manufacturer knows what their product is going to be subjected to. As a result, the choice of a cooling solution is based on a set of specifications that includes cooling performance, form factor, cost as well as product liability. If the product cannot perform reliably or has a limited shelf life with the tools that are provided to the enthusiast consumer to overclock the card, then the product may become a serious liability.Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperchargedZ06
You are correctly mentionning the hassle of having to deal with a dead card from your standpoint, but now put yourself in the position of a manufacturer who would have to deal with hundreds of failed cards.. it just would not make sense to expose itself to this kind of hassle for any manufacturer.
Not to say that it couldn't happen, after all mistakes are part of the fabric of our Society, but there should be a reasonable assumption that things are done the way they are because they work within the intended specification enveloppe.
In practical terms, our solution drops the VRM's temps under extreme conditions by ~ 30C's compared to stock with no noise penalty. This in itself extends the component life well beyond the original specs. There are other factors that may influence the product shelf life under extreme conditions, but excessive temperature of these components is not going to be one of them.
Thank you for thinking this thru, it is appreciated. I would only comment on your qualification of the potential users as being "beginners". I think on the contrary that people "in the know" (engineers for example, and certainly enthusiast users by extension) would appreciate the value of the argument I am presenting above.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
For the record, I am in favor of rating products based on a set of objective as well as subjective features, but I think that it is important to put things in prospective with respect to the relative importance of the objective criteria. As it stands, my bona fide opinion as an engineer is that the VRM temp criterium should be placed in its proper context as opposed to being exploited for what I perceive to be marketing purposes of one kind or another.
I thought the lifetime warrantied evga cards were covered as long as you can get the original ht back on...Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
yes, afaik that's right. as long as u return it in the same physical condition that you got it in, warranty will be honored.Quote:
Originally Posted by zeroibis
Gabe, you misunderstood, i don't mean that beginners are the entire potential market, but that rather the evga card would be a better option for beginners. I myself would have bought it given the choice and while I'm not as experienced as some members I'm by no means inexperienced. This is now my 4th watercooled build.Quote:
Originally Posted by gabe
Thanks for clarifying :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldon
Well I got my 480 running on air with the fan set to 100% until I figure out what block to get. Good thing my headphones block most of the sound, this is a great reminder as to why it is worth the money to watercool!
So, I guess I should get my circuit changed over to 20A before I add a third GTX 480 and waterblocks. Anyone know how to go about this?
Call an Electrician, You may or may not need a city or county building permit to make alterations, You'll need at the very least a 20A breaker and a 20A Outlet, plus a 12 gauge cable, Local building codes apply of course, Here We use Romex(Some places require Armored cable by code of course), I have Romex cable for My PC, Although I do need to move the outlet closer to My PC one of these days. I'd taken out a troublesome 60A 230v breaker and outlet and reused the 10 gauge cable for two 20A circuits, the 10 gauge cable feeds into two 12 gauge cables and works rather nicely. One circuit has My swamp cooler on It and the other has My PC on It. I hope this helps some. I'm not an Electrical Contractor, I just have experience in having had this done.Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
Couldn't wait anymore so ended up going to Microcenter and bought me the Danger Dan Block. only thing is they had satin copper, wonder if there are any good places in NJ where i can nickle plate the top part like yours and maybe some way to polish that bottom part. and yeah man i agree with you, this thing is heavy!! lolQuote:
Originally Posted by xguntherc
Yea nice block I got the Nickle top and bottom. It is heavier than it looks.
Guess when the results come out those that waited are going to be waiting for backorders. ;) Part of the reason I went ahead with the DD block. I'm not pushing the system to max anyway but I wanted to be able to game and not sweat. Use to be 92c gaming and now i'm 54c gaming. :)
Haha! yea man, its funny you mentioned that. Thats exactly one of the reasons i bought it too.. freaking hot as hell here. lol
I guess the important question here is, what temps are you guys getting on your VREGs, if you can record that temp?
I don't think the GTX480s have VREG temp sensors, which is why Skinnee had to devise his own setup.Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
Sorry this is slightly OT, but is there a FAQ on how to interpret those graphs? I checked the beginning of this forum with no luck.
Thanks.
English/Math Dictionary...?
Actually I sort of know how you feel I remember when I first read one. Just look at them long enough and once you see a few of them you will understand. :up:
The more I look the more I begin to understand! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by zeroibis
Warning, your brain may vary and the results will be there waiting for you to put it all together! :rofl:
I think the DD and the EK blocks will be side by side in the results once Skinnee is finished, but I believe the EK block will lower GPU temps better than the DD block!
-Systemlord
Couldn't wait either over here so got an EK FC480. Worked out brilliant as it was my first time watercooling. Got the temps down from 78@load to now 43@load with 22 degree ambient. Clocks are Core:911; Shader:1822; Mem:2005(1002) and Voltage@1.125mV.
Even so, I'm still eagerly awating the results!
For the record, I am in favor of rating products based on a set of objective as well as subjective features, but I think that it is important to put things in prospective with respect to the relative importance of the objective criteria. As it stands, my bona fide opinion as an engineer is that the VRM temp criterium should be placed in its proper context as opposed to being exploited for what I perceive to be marketing purposes of one kind or another.[/QUOTE]
Well I bought two of the EVGA FTW cards and am very pleased with them. I thnk that the comnparatively light weight and single slot form factor are big pluses and my VRMs haven't fried yet (crosses fingers.) It seems like a reasonable risk to me though given the exceptional warranty offered on these by EVGA. Yes, it will be a PITA if I have to replace a card and it will cost me some time and money for shipping. EVGA on the other hand has to pay for someone to process the RMA, receive the part, credit my account and pick and ship a replacement. This is in addition to buying and assembling the replacement card. That's an expensive proposition for them and I doubt that they would offer that warranty unless they were reasonably certain that the failure rate will be very low. They could be wrong of course but the worst case scenario is that I'm out some time and money for shipping.
Tempted to go with EK blocks, but, for some paranoid reason, I just have to wait for these results. AARRGGHHH!
I think all of these blocks will perform within a few degrees of each other. The only block I still don't really care for is the Bitspower one. Other than that I don't think you could go wrong with any of them. My Koolance blocks have exceeded all my expectations.Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanSmooth
Yeh, 3C at the most, Im heading towards some Ek blocks for SLIQuote:
Originally Posted by Section8
3 months and no results, what is going on!
The results being written on cake is a lie.....
I guess I'm just going EK unless there is an update in the next day or two, was hoping for some #'s while I was on vacation.
Nice 900th post in the thread :)