Swiftech upcoming heatsinks for GTX470 & 480

[gabe]

Got two MCW80's sitting right here. Cant use them till I get the G80 kit I ordered today from Michelle. They'll be here Friday.

How do you think these 80's will work with the stock heatsink from Evga? Does the memory stay cool enough?

Please read here

Gabe, I know you say they are an option but. . .SilenX?. . .really? Was that really the "best" option?

TBH I was unaware that this brand was anathema here. I was looking for quiet 80x15's and they fit the bill nicely at least on paper, and to my ear. Now, if these particular fans are no good (I'll obviously do more research on the subject matter now that you alerted me -thank you), all it means is that we'll either not sell these particular fans, find another more suitable offering, or not sell fans at all and present this as a convenient feature of the product. It's not cast in stone ATM.

When I designed these heatsinks, I found that adding mounting holes for 80mm fans was a nominal cost, and it added a convenient feature not available before. So why not do it? There also was a concern with the unusual thermal output of the GTX480. I could see some people installing this card in cramped unventilated quarters, and felt that this offered them an alternative to F/C block with several benefits: reducing the load in the loop, thus allowing for the use of smaller heat exchangers, maintaining low noise levels, low cost, upgradability, etc..

Whats it like without a fan? I know some air flow is recommended.... but I'd rather not strap an 2000 rpm fan to it, even if it is 80mm.

I haven't tested without, as I wanted to present this new option for the introduction of the heatsinks. I can certainly test without them, and use my standard 120mm blowing from the side.

Can you fit BP 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD compression fittings on the MCW-80?
I was thinking about tossing one on my Geforce GT 240 which is my PPU.

No. There is not enough clearance available between inlet and outlet.

You stated b4 that cooling the VRM's was not important, now there are fans added to cool the VRM's....
So are they required or are they just an option for thoes who want maximum cooling and peice of mind, and how loud are the fans, isnt this kind of defeating the purpose of watercooling by adding fans to the waterblock???

I never said nor wrote that cooling VRM's was not important, and frankly I wish you took this back, as it could not be farther from the truth.

I advocate adequacy and good engineering. These components need to be cooled. The level at which they need to be cooled is what I have been discussing.

I already mentionned in my initial post that these fans are optional.
Are they needed (required)? It truly all depends on your operating conditions.

How loud? to my ear, these particular fans are barely audible.

Defeating the purpose of watercooling: why? For any cooling solution there is a feature set that matches a certain set of needs.