My water cooled GTX 280 story.

[Conumdrum]

Bud you should get rid of those worm drives and use all compression fittings . . .if you used 3/8 tubing you will probably get a better bend radius with similar performance . . .nice test results tho . . .I need to do good detailed testing on TRI-SLI and post it . . .haven't done serious over-clocking in a year or so tho . . .too busy building

Hehe Darth. Bling is secondary. We'd run 4" tubing if it would fit!
Don't take it anyway the wrong way, just pokin ya after the asetics thread.
Love your builds.

And talonman, excellent post with numbers, numbers are the life of XS. All other stuff is bling. And nice results. I need to update and OC my same card, never needed to yet.

[DarthBeavis]

Hehe Darth. Bling is secondary. We'd run 4" tubing if it would fit!
Don't take it anyway the wrong way, just pokin ya after the asetics thread.
Love your builds.

And talonman, excellent post with numbers, numbers are the life of XS. All other stuff is bling. And nice results. I need to update and OC my same card, never needed to yet.

I am actually talking function. Compression fittings are the most secure and leak proof way.

[Talonman]

Thanks Conumdrum!

[shazza]

Very informative and helpful post, Talonman. Thanks for taking the time to document your journey.

[OliverM84]

Nice Test

My one ....

GTX280 @ 842/1730/2700

Q9650 @ 4x4600MHz,
4x2GB DDR2 @ 512MHz 5-5-5-15,
Gigabyte EP45 Extreme,
PhysX On,
Geforce 185.20,
vMod > 1,36v GPU
Watercooled by Watercool Heatkiller

Vantage Performance

P17790

[003]

Nice OC results. I would just like to point out though, for the GTX280 and most nvidia cards, you only want to apply a dot of TIM in the center of the GPU. Reason being the nvidia cards actually use a heatspreader, like CPUs do. It is not direct core contact as with ATI GPUs.

[T_Flight]

That really dfepends on what kind of TIM and how each individual person applies it, and is used to doing it. I too get better results by spreading it, but the TIM's I use are thick. The trick with spreading it is not to get it too thick and make sure only a thin layer is on there. I use a razor blade as a "squeegee".

Try some of that new Liquid Diamond 24 Carat...that stuff is thick. I was helping one of my freinds last week with his new video cards and I had to put that stuff in warm water for a few minutes and still spread it...it's really thick. He now has 3xGTX280's. He finally got rid of his 4870x2's and wanted me to help him get up and running. Aw, and yes they have water...3 FC blocks and termps were actually surprisingly matched for a 3 card setup. I was impressed.

[Talonman]

Nice Test

My one ....

GTX280 @ 842/1730/2700

Q9650 @ 4x4600MHz,
4x2GB DDR2 @ 512MHz 5-5-5-15,
Gigabyte EP45 Extreme,
PhysX On,
Geforce 185.20,
vMod > 1,36v GPU
Watercooled by Watercool Heatkiller

Vantage Performance

P17790

Impressive clocks and score!!!
Sweet card.

[003]

Can the voltage on the GTX280 be increased through a modded BIOS flash? I read it can be increased with nibitor, but I downloaded the latest version (4.7), and it does not let me set the "extra" voltage to anything higher than it is at by default, and the "extend voltage range" check box is grayed out for me.

I'd like to increase the voltage to, say, 1.36v. It is under water, of course. I am not willing to do a hard mod. Is it possible to do it through the bios?

[T_Flight]

You can, but you don't want to. It won't give you a single bump on the shaders, and the shaders are the limiting factor...even unlinked. That's where the wall is on these cards.

[Talonman]

Can the voltage on the GTX280 be increased through a modded BIOS flash? I read it can be increased with nibitor, but I downloaded the latest version (4.7), and it does not let me set the "extra" voltage to anything higher than it is at by default, and the "extend voltage range" check box is grayed out for me.

I'd like to increase the voltage to, say, 1.36v. It is under water, of course. I am not willing to do a hard mod. Is it possible to do it through the bios?

You will be able to soon using EVGA Voltage Tuner!

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=...55963;�

This little tool could be fun!

[exe163]

Nice story but hard to take it as a serious review. Need more control over emotion and it would be a great review .

[Talonman]

Thanks... Just trying to keep things fun, and enjoying my GPU.
It's more of my systems story, than a review on any one thing.

This voltage adjustment tool could be a BIG thing for me...

What I am wondering about is how will the lions share of 280's, respond with a bit of extra juce...
More important, how will my water cooled 280 respond?

My 1512 Shader limit, has prevented me from successfully setting my Core any faster...
If I can get more Shader speed out of this, more Core speed is sure to follow.

In the posted example on EVGA's site, using a 295, both Core and Shader were able to be set higher:
EVGA GTX 295 Air Cooling

Standard Voltage (1038mV)
Max Clocks: 684MHz Core / 1476MHz Shader

Increased Voltage (1263mV)
Max Clocks: 783MHz Core / 1692MHz Shader

I have an early BIOS version in my 280...
v62.00.0E.00.00
I wonder if the later 280 BIOS versions did in fact receive a voltage adjustment?

Renegade5399 posted in the above link:
"I knew this was coming! Months ago I spec'd out the voltage controller IC on my 280 and saw from the spec sheet that it was able to be software controlled. I was just wondering how long this was going to take and now I see it has arrived.
I imagine the cards that are not supported are not using the same voltage controller. I know the controller on the 8800 and 9800 series cards cannot be software controlled. So those will probably never get support in this software".

Good info to know...

Needless to say, my head is filling with happy thought's about running my Shaders faster than 1512. My 280 has never been able to do that error free.
My temperatures look good, I stand ready to over-volt my GPU a bit...

[T_Flight]

We're about to find out Talonman. I'll have mine on watercooling too. I hope they respond due to the watercooling.

[Talonman]

I can't think that heat is the thing that is holding our 280's back, being water cooled. It's going to be either a chip limitation, or just a voltage thing. I hope we just need a tad more voltage to get 1 more bump out of our shaders...

Man, I wish they would post the program up...

I wonder how it will handle the various voltage ranges that it will allow you to adjust, on the various cards it supports? EVGA has already posted that it will not void your warranty, so will all cards get the same adjustment range?
Isn't there good reason to think that what my 65nm 280 could burnt, might be too much voltage for another GPU?

I am thinking they will control that, based on what GPU is installed in your system.
Heck, maybe that voltage rage is controlled by the actual chip installed on your GPU?

[exe163]

I can't think that heat is the thing that is holding our 280's back, being water cooled. It's going to be either a chip limitation, or just a voltage thing. I hope we just need a tad more voltage to get 1 more bump out of our shaders...

Man, I wish they would post the program up...

I wonder how it will handle the various voltage ranges that it will allow you to adjust, on the various cards it supports? EVGA has already posted that it will not void your warranty, so will all cards get the same adjustment range?
Isn't there good reason to think that what my 65nm 280 could burnt, might be too much voltage for another GPU?

I am thinking they will control that, based on what GPU is installed in your system.
Heck, maybe that voltage rage is controlled by the actual chip installed on your GPU?

Funny how they release this ONLY for those with their card registered. In another word, aim directly at those why their warranty covers.

Pros:
-Good news for us overclockers
-EVGA will cover less warranties
-More cards will break, EVGA will have more business.
Con:
-none so far

[T_Flight]

I can't think that heat is the thing that is holding our 280's back, being water cooled. It's going to be either a chip limitation, or just a voltage thing. I hope we just need a tad more voltage to get 1 more bump out of our shaders...

Man, I wish they would post the program up...

I wonder how it will handle the various voltage ranges that it will allow you to adjust, on the various cards it supports? EVGA has already posted that it will not void your warranty, so will all cards get the same adjustment range?
Isn't there good reason to think that what my 65nm 280 could burnt, might be too much voltage for another GPU?

I am thinking they will control that, based on what GPU is installed in your system.
Heck, maybe that voltage rage is controlled by the actual chip installed on your GPU?

Yeah, I meant the other way around. Right now my card is not watercooled. Voltage bumps don't seem to help the shaders any with Air cooling, so I'm hoping the reduction in temps from water will. If it doesn't, it looks like we'll be walled out.

[Blkout]

Funny how they release this ONLY for those with their card registered. In another word, aim directly at those why their warranty covers.

Pros:
-Good news for us overclockers
-EVGA will cover less warranties
-More cards will break, EVGA will have more business.
Con:
-none so far

I think your conspiracy theory is all wrong. I think eVGA is just trying to give their customers something no other manufacturer offers. eVGA is an enthusiast company and they are trying to appeal the overclockers that buy their cards. Nothing more.

Pro: More eVGA cards sold.

[Talonman]

I love the support you get from EVGA, and their warranty.
I baught my 9800 GX2 SSC directly from them, then stepped into my 280 with no problems. (That was fun by the way...)

Now we can say that they allow you to officially replace the stock cooler...
Overclock your GPU...
And soon, will be able to over-volt your GPU too...
All withought voiding your warranty!!

They even gave us Procision and the Voltage Adjustment tool to do both.

Not too many comapnies do that.

Go EVGA!!

[Diverge]

I got similar results with my evga 280 gtx with dtek GFX2. I don't have any temps offhand (waiting on new motherboard), but they were similar or a little lower. My card doesn't like to go above 1512 on shaders either, so I was stuck at 756 on the core too.

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dmv=705947

[T_Flight]

What was your temps Diverge? I'm getting the GFX2 and Unisink combo. It's on it's way. Also do you have a single or dual loop? If single what CPU? Just curious.

[flesheatinvirus]

One of my systems is a dual loop torture rack that has a GTX280 with EK nickle block and a remote GTX240 rad so temps are never an issue. This new Voltage Tuner by EVGA looks interesting.

[Diverge]

What was your temps Diverge? I'm getting the GFX2 and Unisink combo. It's on it's way. Also do you have a single or dual loop? If single what CPU? Just curious.

temps were in the mid 40's, if i recall correctly. I should be able to confirm the #'s soon as my replacement board comes (found an openbox one on newegg last night for ~$100 - last one died, pwm fried in 30 seconds of linpack).

I've got Q6600 (gtz), and 280gtx (dtek gfx2/unisink) on single loop. D5 pump, TFC 360 rad. My load temps under occt were about 60 deg c according to occt, running at 3.8GHz 1.55V under load.

sorry for the thread jack

edit: i forgot to mention that my loop was never fully bled. it was only up for 2 days. A lot of air has come out since then, so maybe the #'s will improve a little.

[T_Flight]

Perfect! Man, that's the kind of thing I like to see. Thanks a bunch. That music to my ears.

[Talonman]

temps were in the mid 40's, if i recall correctly. I should be able to confirm the #'s soon as my replacement board comes (found an openbox one on newegg last night for ~$100 - last one died, pwm fried in 30 seconds of linpack).

I've got Q6600 (gtz), and 280gtx (dtek gfx2/unisink) on single loop. D5 pump, TFC 360 rad. My load temps under occt were about 60 deg c according to occt, running at 3.8GHz 1.55V under load.

sorry for the thread jack

edit: i forgot to mention that my loop was never fully bled. it was only up for 2 days. A lot of air has come out since then, so maybe the #'s will improve a little.

No problem Diverge, our rigs are allot alike...

Sounds like you are having some good temps too.

Make sure to post me up a screen shot when you get up and running.