Swiftech cooling solutions for ATI 5970, 5870 & 5850 released

[gabe]

for the Unisinks, should the fins be going the other direction for a better airflow path? im think of a sidewindow fan, otherwise you will want high intake pressure on the case to force air out of the pci slots. which isnt a bad thing, just a little harder to control i think.

several reasons:

1/ users at XS asked for this
2/ it made sense to me thermally - many enthusiast cases have 120mm HD fan blowing directly in direction of back of card towarfds case exhaust
3/ this is an extrusion manufacturing process (reason why cost is so low), and we could only make the fins in that direction
5/ even when using a side panel fan, the HS still receives adequate cooling

For multible GPU youl could put the Fan at the Back of the 2 GPU blowing air on both card ending out of the case if you left the dual PCIE slot oponed for air flow.

correct

It is because with the 4870x2 Caldera HS that had the fins in the direction you asked for they had people like myself asking for the other direction so we could mount a fan at the end of the board and blow the hot air out the exhaust slots. This also helps those of us without a side fan or any desire for one to properly cool the card as I couldn't fit a fan between the top of the card and the side of the case. This way if you have no side fan you can easily cool the card by either puting a fan at the end suspended from the top of your rig or just lay one on top of the HS and it would blow down all the cooling fins.

If you have a side fan just get some spacers and put a 80mm fan blowing down into the fin channels redirecting your cool case air into the channels.

correct

[exe163]

Gabe, is there any plan on expanding the MCW60 line with more accessories? Maybe some kind of connector for SLI/CF or just extending the the G1/4 fitting above the card like most full cover blocks do. It's really hard to route the tubing correctly without putting a lot of pressure on the PCB of the card.

[sprayingmango]

I love my Apogee XT block, however I fail to see how these are better than the EK 5870 blocks which actively cool the memory and VRMs.

[gabe]

Gabe, is there any plan on expanding the MCW60 line with more accessories? Maybe some kind of connector for SLI/CF or just extending the the G1/4 fitting above the card like most full cover blocks do. It's really hard to route the tubing correctly without putting a lot of pressure on the PCB of the card.

working on it

I love my Apogee XT block, however I fail to see how these are better than the EK 5870 blocks which actively cool the memory and VRMs.

it depends on the application, and user circumstances.

GPU WB always cool the GPU better (better TIM), and dump less heat in the loop (better for the CPU), but HS isn't as apt to cool memory (no biggy) but more important now, VRM's.

- So, for silent & mild overclock, the hybrid does the job better and more economically, particularly in case of frequent upgrades, since the 60 has been re-used in many different form factors for years..
- for high overclock/overvolt, the FC cools the VRM better (unless you were to blow a lot of air over the heatsink in a hybrid config, but I admit that this defeats the purpose of -quiet- Watercooling). Yet many ppl who are on a budget choose the hybrid, and get as high O/C's as FC blocks.

The biggest practical problem with hybrids in the past has been closely spaced PCI slots, preventing ppl to SLI.. but with wider spacing now thanks to double slot cards, its no longer an issue.

All in all, hybrids still have a good life ahead for those who can't afford to buy a new WB everytime they buy a new card.

So if there is demand (and it is I assure you quite substantial), we will continue to make them

[EvilClocker]

gabe, Can we see a Pic of the 5970 block with the top on it.. how thick is the Base copper plate ?

[warriorpoet]

...So, for silent & mild overclock, the hybrid does the job better...

Depends on your definition of "silent". In my "silent" build (which can still be picked up on sensitive studio mics ~2m away, incidentally) there is too little case airflow to cool anything even moderately warm. Hence, in my studio/ gaming/ OC machine, a FC is a far better option.

I will agree on pure economics, however. THe hybrid solution will ALWAYS be cheaper long-term.

As always, YMMV.

[Manicdan]

for 30$ i feel like im stealing it, its cost like 50$ more for a gpu that has a nicer heatsink, and its probably cant OC nearly as well as hybrid watercooling. i truly hope the MCW60 will last many more generations

[noob eater4726]

gabe, I've noticed that the majority of the FC blocks use acetal (SP) over clear PC. I've been buying the EK FC's in the past because their use of acrylic (I like to see the inside). Any chance of offering more clear PC versions of the blocks?

Thanks

[gabe]

gabe, Can we see a Pic of the 5970 block with the top on it.. how thick is the Base copper plate ?

not sure what you mean by "with the top on it" - see pic #2 in initial post, or clarify.

base body is machined from 3/8" thick flat stock. After machining, the main body is .180" thick + plus the height of the pedestals for memory & VRM's.

[ohms]

Hey Gabe, I know this is off topic but are you guys planning on making any new radiators similar in style to the XSPC or Fesers?

[EvilClocker]

Gabe, What I meant was without the top.. Is the Channel in the in the Actel or the Copper ?

[Onoff312]

Hybrid cooling owns i use mcw60's on my gtx260's and they remain far cooler then a few mates EK blocks with similar components not to mention it has a higher resale value and i only have to invest $20-30 into each card instead of $100+ with full cover or just buy heatsinks so $30 for like 10 gpu's.

[Makubex_GB]

Can't wait for the HD5870-HS heatsink to be in-stock.

Thanks Gabe!

[Starbuck_]

Hey Gabe, really nice blocks, any chance of seeing Unisink for the 5770, its a very popular card because of how it scales?

[gabe]

Gabe, What I meant was without the top.. Is the Channel in the in the Actel or the Copper ?

Can't wait for the HD5870-HS heatsink to be in-stock.

Thanks Gabe!

you can tell how the channels are by looking at this:



observe the opaque areas.. these are the channels machined into the housing.

[Volkum]

I'm a bit late to the thread, but I'd like to say I'm glad Swiftech is continuing to design unisinks for usage with the MCW60 and new cards

[mark84]

After many remounts of the EK block with my 5970 and still getting problems with it freezing after 15mins of gaming (all temp readings are good) for no apparent reason, I think I'll get myself on of these.

Is stock now available world wide?

[Onoff312]

After many remounts of the EK block with my 5970 and still getting problems with it freezing after 15mins of gaming (all temp readings are good) for no apparent reason, I think I'll get myself on of these.

Is stock now available world wide?

have you checked the thread on this problem all you have to do is read man i am pretty sure the fix was to add an extra thermal pad because some brands changed the height of a certain chip which led to overheating and the freezing.

[mark84]

have you checked the thread on this problem all you have to do is read man i am pretty sure the fix was to add an extra thermal pad because some brands changed the height of a certain chip which led to overheating and the freezing.

Heh. Have YOU read the other threads? I've already read and posted in there

My problem isn't driver or "cold bug" related. Besides I figured that thermal pad trick out myself before searching the web for solutions to my current issue.

[Onoff312]

Well the pad thing is no coldbug or driver issue but how do you know it is not a driver issue or conflict with something in your system? do you get the problem with stock cooling?

[Razrback16]

Great looking blocks Gabe. I have not used the unisink setup yet, but I do find it very appealing...making a note to self on that setup once I upgrade to the 5000 series.

[exe163]

Where I can order 5850 ramsink? I emailed jabtech and they said they won't stock it, and it's not even available in swiftech's own store.

[bbross]

The looks of your full cover are just GREAT. I definitely love it.

I'll have to buy a 5970 just to own it... damn !

[mark84]

Well the pad thing is no coldbug or driver issue but how do you know it is not a driver issue or conflict with something in your system? do you get the problem with stock cooling?

With stock cooling the card works perfectly.

With the EK waterblock attached after 10-15mins gaming it'll freeze the system. I've found that disabling Catalyst AI in CCC stops this from happening, but this also disables the on board crossfire.

GPU temps are in the mid 40s and the VRMs in the 50s.

I've reattached the stock cooler once or twice and each time, it works without fault and I can game on it (with AI enabled) for hours.

There's just something this block isn't cooling that it should be. All pads are making contact correctly too.

It's got me stumped. Hence why I think it'll try the Swiftech block.

[gabe]

After many remounts of the EK block with my 5970 and still getting problems with it freezing after 15mins of gaming (all temp readings are good) for no apparent reason, I think I'll get myself on of these.

Is stock now available world wide?

Depends.. Where are you located?

Where I can order 5850 ramsink? I emailed jabtech and they said they won't stock it, and it's not even available in swiftech's own store.

if you are in the US, call Michelle at 1-888-85SWIFT (1-888-857-9438)
or at 310-763-0338, she'll send you one.