Asus DirectCU II gtx580 blocks and cooling

**orson** · 02-23-2011, 09:44 AM

Just picked up 4 of these and want to get some blocks for them.

I checked with EK and apparently they are not planning on making any full cover blocks but I can go with the GPU only block and then cool the vrams and mosfets passively or maybe mod up some chipset coolers.

Was just wondering if anyone had tried setting up water cooling on these cards and had any recommendations.

was thinking something like http://www.aquatuning.co.uk/product_...--single-.html

and then just making up my own retention bracket to hold it in place.

any info would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance

**theseeker** · 02-23-2011, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by orson

Just picked up 4 of these and want to get some blocks for them.

I checked with EK and apparently they are not planning on making any full cover blocks but I can go with the GPU only block and then cool the vrams and mosfets passively or maybe mod up some chipset coolers.

Was just wondering if anyone had tried setting up water cooling on these cards and had any recommendations.

was thinking something like http://www.aquatuning.co.uk/product_...--single-.html

and then just making up my own retention bracket to hold it in place.

any info would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance

I have done it in the past using Aqua and MIPs IIRC. I quit buying non-refrence cards because of this problem.

**~~kroks~~** · 02-23-2011, 10:51 AM

the stock cooler looks good enough

just go easy on the vgpu ^^

**orson** · 02-23-2011, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by kroks

the stock cooler looks good enough

just go easy on the vgpu ^^

I want to go 4 way in one system so I am going to need to customise

**NaeKuh** · 02-23-2011, 11:51 AM

im lost in why u got a beef'd up cooler version of the card, and yet you want to change the cooler?

Most situations people get a SC or a stock card, and then watercool that.

Getting a top end card with a beef'd up cooler, and then replacing is not the smart way to watercool.

**orson** · 02-23-2011, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by NaeKuh

im lost in why u got a beef'd up cooler version of the card, and yet you want to change the cooler?

Most situations people get a SC or a stock card, and then watercool that.

Getting a top end card with a beef'd up cooler, and then replacing is not the smart way to watercool.

I brought it for the improved PCB, vrm's and power circuitry so as i could get a bigger overclock on water

**NaeKuh** · 02-23-2011, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by orson

I brought it for the improved PCB, vrm's and power circuitry so as i could get a bigger overclock on water

that doesnt help now does it if you dont have the required blocks?

:P

Air cooling the ram, and vrms and watercooling the cores is only half the package.

The VRMS to support the higher voltages needs to be kept cool, and thats very difficult with passive sinks, especially if u have that many gpu's.

The rams can be done on ram sinks, but keep note, when skinne did gpu testing on the 480, the first to go POP was the VRM's.

The VRMS are just as important as the die itself.

**orson** · 02-23-2011, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by NaeKuh

that doesnt help now does it if you dont have the required blocks?

:P

Air cooling the ram, and vrms and watercooling the cores is only half the package.

The VRMS to support the higher voltages needs to be kept cool, and thats very difficult with passive sinks, especially if u have that many gpu's.

The rams can be done on ram sinks, but keep note, when skinne did gpu testing on the 480, the first to go POP was the VRM's.

The VRMS are just as important as the die itself.

I know they need to be water cooled.

I already stated in the original post that I was going to cool them with water using something like I linked.

The objective of this thread was to see if anyone had already done it or if anyone had any advice on the best way to go about it.

But you seem to of successfully and completely missed the point of the thread.

**NaeKuh** · 02-23-2011, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by orson

The objective of this thread was to see if anyone had already done it or if anyone had any advice on the best way to go about it.

But you seem to of successfully and completely missed the point of the thread.

If we watercooled via core only and using a passive sink?

Yes we have, and we even had uni sinks for a while, until the fad in them died out because of the VRMS.

Im trying to tell ya, the VRMS are important, and your removing an active fan from it. If your going to do that, you will probably need a block @ the VRM's, or a fan next to your cards cooling it constantly.

But ur removing 4x2 fans total if i recall correctly on that gpu.

My advice would be keeping them on stock, because it will be extremely difficult to pull 4 cards like that.

Not to mention the routing nightmares u will encounter because core only blocks are even harder to tube route properly when you got that many.

If your really serious, i can refer you to some people who could mill you custom blocks for that gpu.
All you would need to do is send them 1 so they can messure it out perfectly, and then mill you an entire set.

Orson one last question.. you said u have 4.. yet.. the cards are tri slotted.

How are you going to work around that?

**skinnee** · 02-23-2011, 01:43 PM

What about Universal GPU blocks? Full cover isn't the only choice.

@ Naekuh - A dremel or different PCI Slot cover.

**Hondacity** · 02-23-2011, 01:48 PM

what is your mobo and psu?

**m_jones_** · 02-23-2011, 01:49 PM

Doesn't sound like it's worth all of the effort and headaches, so i would return them and buy reference gtx 580 and a block of your choice.

**~~kroks~~** · 02-23-2011, 01:58 PM

http://www.aquatuning.co.uk/index.ph..._Koolance.html
Koolance has a lot of VRM plate you can adapt
But good luck with the tubing... ^^

**orson** · 02-23-2011, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by NaeKuh

If we watercooled via core only and using a passive sink?

Yes we have, and we even had uni sinks for a while, until the fad in them died out because of the VRMS.

Im trying to tell ya, the VRMS are important, and your removing an active fan from it. If your going to do that, you will probably need a block @ the VRM's, or a fan next to your cards cooling it constantly.

But ur removing 4x2 fans total if i recall correctly on that gpu.

My advice would be keeping them on stock, because it will be extremely difficult to pull 4 cards like that.

Not to mention the routing nightmares u will encounter because core only blocks are even harder to tube route properly when you got that many.

If your really serious, i can refer you to some people who could mill you custom blocks for that gpu.
All you would need to do is send them 1 so they can messure it out perfectly, and then mill you an entire set.

Orson one last question.. you said u have 4.. yet.. the cards are tri slotted.

How are you going to work around that?

No, if you read the very first post I am trying to watercool the entire card, the mention of passive cooling them was what Ek told me to do, which is what i am trying to avoid, my goal is watercooling all over the card.

I know the vrms need to be cooled for high overclocks, I am not sure how but you seem to of completely gone off on some random passive cooling tangent.

Having blocks custom milled might indeed be the way to go, I had already considered the routing but I've seen people do it on other cards and it looks perfectly doable.

The cards are only tri slotted with the original coolers, I fully intend to water cool the cards.

If nothing it will be a good project

Originally Posted by skinnee

What about Universal GPU blocks? Full cover isn't the only choice.

@ Naekuh - A dremel or different PCI Slot cover.

Yup I am looking at the Ek-supremes at the mo, but want to water cool the vrms etc as well

Originally Posted by Hondacity

what is your mobo and psu?

UD9 and using 2 psu's, for the 580's i have a silverstone decathlon 1200w and i can use the PCIE from the enermax 1250 revolution if i need to as well that is powering the board etc

Originally Posted by m_jones_

Doesn't sound like it's worth all of the effort and headaches, so i would return them and buy reference gtx 580 and a block of your choice.

It wouldn't be much of an XtremeSystem if it didn't involve a headache

Originally Posted by kroks

http://www.aquatuning.co.uk/index.ph..._Koolance.html
Koolance has a lot of VRM plate you can adapt
But good luck with the tubing... ^^

yeah i checked out the stuff at aquatuning, but wanted to just see if anyone on here had watercooled one or done anything with it before i started to randomly order parts

**Callsign_Vega** · 02-23-2011, 06:08 PM

Why not upgrade to the 3GB 580s? EK is making water blocks for those.

**zalbard** · 02-23-2011, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by Callsign_Vega

Why not upgrade to the 3GB 580s? EK is making water blocks for those.

This.
Return your cards if you can, GTX580 benefits from the extra VRAM.

**Johnny87au** · 02-23-2011, 10:37 PM

Yeah but is he using a multi monitor setup? past 2560 ?

**orson** · 02-24-2011, 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by Callsign_Vega

Why not upgrade to the 3GB 580s? EK is making water blocks for those.

Lets just say I get very good deals on the ASUS kit

From what people have suggested I like NaeKuh's idea the best about custom milling some blocks, sounds like a fun project to design a block and get someone to mill it.

**NaeKuh** · 02-24-2011, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by orson

From what people have suggested I like NaeKuh's idea the best about custom milling some blocks, sounds like a fun project to design a block and get someone to mill it.

if you have the budget its the best route..

trust me.

Pm:

Bei Fei - a good friend of mine, also one of the best millers on the site.
Iandh - although he's in sabatical.. however if u tempt him with a fun project like a uber expensive gpu, he may come out.

Too bad Duniek retired.

**orson** · 02-25-2011, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by NaeKuh

if you have the budget its the best route..

trust me.

Pm:

Bei Fei - a good friend of mine, also one of the best millers on the site.
Iandh - although he's in sabatical.. however if u tempt him with a fun project like a uber expensive gpu, he may come out.

Too bad Duniek retired.

Cheers man

I did notice Bei is in Dallas TX though. It's quite a trip from old London UK.

I am going to see if I can find a local engineer around here, I would assume any engineering place with a milling machine could cut the blocks, provided I supply a design.

**PiLsY** · 02-25-2011, 02:16 AM

Just swallow the shipping cost dude - Bei's work is incredible and the cost of getting that machined here would be ridiculous believe me. I looked into it a while ago and the cheapest I managed to find was about £220 per block. The problem is its a one off job and it needs to be perfect tolerance for height of components. Best of leaving this kind of work to people who have done it before imo

.

If you're really set on getting this done here you may be better off contacting local college's / universities and seeing if they can do work like this. Double and triple check before fitting though

. If you find one willing to do it the cost should be a lot lower.

**TJ TRICHEESE** · 02-25-2011, 02:28 AM

I have seen someone use the koolance vrm coolers on a graphics card before, ill try and find the thread.

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