What really needs to be Water Cooled??

[MadHacker]

Water cooling a GPU, you can't water cool a high end GPU. The truly topped binned GPUs that will clobber the others come with custom PCBs and other items and there aren't water blocks from them. You can water cool some GTX 580's, which all get stomped into the dust by the custom boards. If you are water cooling your GPU, it's a sign that you didn't buy a truly top end card.

why can't you watercool a High end card.
you make it sound like buying waterblocks is the only option.
make you own. and you can watercool any video card.
otherwise your not building watercooled PC your just assembling watercooled PCs
my waterblock for my custom PCB video card


my waterblock for my ram


my waterblock for my MB

I made my watercooled system... I didn't assemble it.

[ximius]

Water cooling a GPU, you can't water cool a high end GPU. The truly topped binned GPUs that will clobber the others come with custom PCBs and other items and there aren't water blocks from them. You can water cool some GTX 580's, which all get stomped into the dust by the custom boards. If you are water cooling your GPU, it's a sign that you didn't buy a truly top end card.

Right, so youre comparing 2 differently spec'd pieces of hardware here?

And the noise is hit or miss. One of my rigs is on water and has two stock (read crappy) GTX 480s. Another is on air and has two MSI lightning (read not crappy) GTX 480's. I can't tell a difference in noise, but the air cooled righ s all over the water cooled one in games and benchmarks simply because the GPUs are a lot better and OC a lot higher.

Again, this sounds like asking which goes faster, the Ferrari or the Pinto, no?

Isnt there a forum rule about not trying to just stir up flame threads? Youre in here telling the LC forum how LC isnt that good? Whats the point?

[NaeKuh]

Water cooling a GPU, you can't water cool a high end GPU. The truly topped binned GPUs that will clobber the others come with custom PCBs and other items and there aren't water blocks from them. You can water cool some GTX 580's, which all get stomped into the dust by the custom boards. If you are water cooling your GPU, it's a sign that you didn't buy a truly top end card.

what defines high end in your eyes?

To me its the top tier... regardless of how its setup.

Because in all honesty, id rather have a watercooled VRM more so then double VRM or slightly better hand picked VRMs.

Also chances are when your gpu doesnt load anywhere near HALF the value of the other card, your going to get better overclocks on it.

[gmat]

Water cooling a GPU, you can't water cool a high end GPU. The truly topped binned GPUs that will clobber the others come with custom PCBs and other items and there aren't water blocks from them.

I have two BFG OC cards, and thank you very much they were "high end" when they were out. And their noise level cannot be compared with any integrated air cooled solution... As for CPU i doubt you could run a high end i7 24/7 at high clocks without generating SOME noise, since you only have so much space above the CPU to dissipate heat. VS a 560mm radiator, there's no contest..

[crash5s]

Isnt there a forum rule about not trying to just stir up flame threads? Youre in here telling the LC forum how LC isnt that good? Whats the point?

I never said it wasn't good, again I WC most of my gear. But that doesn't get around the fact that the top clocking, fastest cards, are custom PCB's and you can't buy blocks for them, and they clobber the cards you can WC.

So when we are talking about WC'ing a GPU, well, why? For a reference card sure, but if you are talking about what the fastest GPU option is going to be, it's not going to be a WC'd GPU, the higher end air cooled ones will slaughter it. I'd WC my 480 lightning cards if I could, but I can't. And those cards kick the snot out of water cooled 480's, they are just built better.

I'd like to see the top cards ship with a block, but they don't, and it's not an option in almost all cases. So if you want the best GPU option, it's not an LC option. That sucks, but it's where we stand.

[m0r7if3r]

I'd WC my 480 lightning cards if I could, but I can't.

There's not a single universal block that will fit them?

[crash5s]

There's not a single universal block that will fit them?

I'd still have to cool the VRMs and other items at which point there would be a fan and I'd be back to air cooling the s. So no, I'm not going to gain anything from WC'ing them, probably make them louder, and spend more cash.

So no, even in that case air cooled GPU still is better than a hybrid WC and air GPU.

EDIT, and I tried that approach on the 460 hawk, and well, I got higher temps on some items, more noise, and a worse OC. Water cooling was louder, gave worse temps, and a lower OC. Oh well.

Truly high end GPU's are air only or bust.

But AGAIN, I'd love to see a full cover block, but I know it won't happen.

[ximius]

I never said it wasn't good, again I WC most of my gear. But that doesn't get around the fact that the top clocking, fastest cards, are custom PCB's and you can't buy blocks for them, and they clobber the cards you can WC.

So when we are talking about WC'ing a GPU, well, why? For a reference card sure, but if you are talking about what the fastest GPU option is going to be, it's not going to be a WC'd GPU, the higher end air cooled ones will slaughter it. I'd WC my 480 lightning cards if I could, but I can't. And those cards kick the snot out of water cooled 480's, they are just built better.

I'd like to see the top cards ship with a block, but they don't, and it's not an option in almost all cases. So if you want the best GPU option, it's not an LC option. That sucks, but it's where we stand.

Still just sounds like you trying to start crap in the LC forum. Take it somewhere that cares.

Back to the actual topic of the thread. As most people do NOT have custom PCBs and most people do NOT like their pc sounding like a wind turbine, yes, GPUs are good candidates to WC.

[gmat]

For a reference card sure, but if you are talking about what the fastest GPU option is going to be, it's not going to be a WC'd GPU, the higher end air cooled ones will slaughter it.

You base your argument around that, but it's very untrue especially when you consider noise, and that formerly BFG, and now EVGA and probably Zotac (i think) are providing superior cards that are watercooled from the factory.
And a 460 is by no means "high end"...

[NaeKuh]

I hold roughly a 9C delta from idle to load running this test twice.. then allowing a full cool down.

You tell me which air cooler can pull a 9C delta from idle to load.



This is why i said gpu watercooling spoils you so silly, its impossible to go back.

[Alexandr0s]

Yeah, I'm always surprised when I see so many people buy an excellent set for their CPU's, but don't do anything with the GPU. It always makes me wonder if they've ever tried watercooling it, because like you said, once you watercool your GPU it's impossible to go back .

[paulbagz]

If you are water cooling your GPU, it's a sign that you didn't buy a truly top end card.

What if you have a custom PCB model water cooled?

Or the pre-H20'd cards like the EVGA FTW's?

EDIT: Haven't EK been doing full cover blocks for custom PCB cards?

-PB

[NaeKuh]

BAH...

once again.. the old days..

we would get in contact with a reputable builder, send him the hardware, and get it back in 1-2 weeks with custom blocks prefitted.

Yeah it would be pricey.. about 20-50% more expensive at times depending on what materials you wanted to use, but it was a working solution.
So there is no card that u cant watercool if you have the money for it.

And trust me... ive had custom blocks ordered a LOT b4 watercooling got so spamed to the point now where almost everything is universal.

That's how i got to know Iandh and Bei Fei quite well.

And if i recall Bei Fei made an ASUS block:

Here is a little teaser for one of my current projects!

*sigh*

there's a reason why we say sometimes the best way is the old way... lol...

[penguins]

I was about to find that thread Naekuh.

You can get whatever you want. it's $.

and as far as i heard, the 'high end cards' don't really show any advantage until you liquid nitrogen them.

[kipling100]

I'd like to watercool my GPUs, and I used to, but it's too hard for me to justify the extra cost to do so.

For instance, if I wanted to put 2 580s under water, that would be $200 for two blocks, another triple radiator for about $80 or more, and other extras like fittings, fans, and maybe an extra pump for $100 to handle the extra restriction. That would be like $400 for high-end parts -- I could almost get a third 580 and probably get more performance.

That said, I'm compulsively looking at my temps and feeling the back of my case since I've been on air for my GPUs.

[Johnny87au]

LOL..

yeah.. gpu watercooling did take off.

As vapor said, its not required.. but once u get temps like these... its pretty much being spoiled silly and u cant go back.

Lastly u forget the most important..

Waterblocks looks sexier then stock sinks!

/stopshowingoff

[Computurd]

well the thing is this, once you get the rads, fans fittings etc...then you have your base. just go big. use way too much rad. then you can do what ever you want later. you have to build your base. your 'infrastructure'.

[MadHacker]

and you only need to buy the extra Rads & pump once...
its not like you are going to replace them every year as you get new video cards