Skinnee Labs - GTX480 Block Round-Up (working thread)

[ell]

so.. looking at those graphs it looks like to me the aqua computer with all TIM is the winner? and buy winner I mean the block which has the lowest temp for an oc'ed GPU and VRMs.

[slowfreight]

Very nice! I just sold my 5870 and now I'm about to pull the trigger on a 480 gtx. Prices have gone down, somewhat, and skinnee finished the review just in time! I could have waited another month and still would have been grateful for the review. Well done Skinnee!

You guys complaining about how long this has taken need go troll elsewhere.

[shazza]

I have to agree with so. So many thanks has been given in this thread, yet when one person comes along and acts ungrateful, every thank you is forgotten and reviewing gets called a thankless task.

I don't wish to bicker either - but my comment was directed at more than one person complaining about the time the review was taking. And - the thankless task comment was obviously to make a point - and was again, meant to encompass other reviews besides this one. I was cranky yesterday, so probably didn't do a good job of making my point

[Section8]

Well I got my Koolance block installed, i'm idling at around 32~33 and hitting around 44 at full load (stock clocks). All I have in my loop is my i5 at 4.2ghz and the GTX480, so far I'm pretty impressed with the block. I wish I had a proper camera, I would try and take some nice photos

Very Nice results. I am at about the same for idle but my full load after looping Vantage for my Number 1 card hits 48C and the other 2 cards stay at 44-45C while looping Vantage. I have never seen it get past 44C while gaming though

[dogchainx]

So is the Koolance block ok with ALL TIME use? Anyone?

[NaeKuh]

Do you guys have any idea how long a gpu block test takes?

Do you know how many of Skinnee's close friends told him, he was digging himself a grave in both hobby and that gpu B4 he took the test?

Do you guys KNOW he already assumed he would lose the 480GTX after the testing was done?

*sigh*

Honestly the only person in this thread who is allowed to talk smack to skinnee is ME.
Why? Because I was the one pissing him off since day 1 telling him:

1. Gpu blocks are insanely long and tiring.
2. Your gonna fry your 480GTX... end of story.
3. Good luck dont get burned out.


You guys are seroiusly lucky he finished it.
Now cut skinnee some slack people.
He's had a terrible month.

As i said.. he had bets going on him saying HE WOULDNT FINISH.
Yet he proved us all wrong.

This is coming from his close friends...

[wesley]

You don’t know anything about me, and fair enough I don't know anything about you, but be careful what accusations you make about me . If I was a manufacture I would want a review done in a reasonable amount of time. If someone gave me 10 blocks to review, I understand it will take a while to do it right. I am currently working 45+ hours per week so I know that time can be hard to come by. But 3 months seems like a really long time, I can't believe that the manufactures let him keep the blocks that long? Somehow the pieces aren’t quite making sense. It just seems like a lot of people were waiting for this review and most of those people have already purchased their blocks. A new revision of the cards will probably come out by the time this review gets completed. I suppose its his personal thing to do this review, but announcing it 3 months ago without completion leaves open ends and 70,000+ views that lead nowhere.


GABE: I wonder if you might feel different if he had one of your blocks....

Dude,

2 points:

1. Did you pay for this review?
If not, you have no right to demand anything.

2. Did Skinnee promise a deadline?
If not, there's nothing to hold him to.

Point is, we take independent reviewers for granted.

Wes

[Church]

Point is - each of such throlling post gets multiplied by too much responses. Each time. Many of them. I wonder if such lame remarks shouldn't be simply ignored for better result? Even though i moraly side with those getting angry with lamers who never help / pay in any way yet demand to work even harder / faster those that work unpaid spending lot of time / nerves / own money for community sake .. but reading yet another page in thread filled with such responses is getting tiresome reading it again and again.

[SovietKitsch]

Got both of my Aqua blocks today. They look AMAZING. Really clean and sleak. Not too heavy either!

So onto installing...one screw in and the standoff nearest the GPU area snapped off.

Exactly like what happened during THIS review.

Sigh.

[Section8]

Got both of my Aqua blocks today. They look AMAZING. Really clean and sleak. Not too heavy either!

So onto installing...one screw in and the standoff nearest the GPU area snapped off.

Exactly like what happened during THIS review.

Sigh.

Damn that sux... To bad it's one nearest the GPU.

[xeon_1]

Is Skinnee permanently banned and for what?
His reviews where one of the best and helped me alot when making my decision on components.

[Erdrick1980]

I tried doing the DD block with just TIM and well, i guess it didn't work for me. the block just would not sit flush with the VRMs... when i used a flashlight i could see a gap between the block and VRMs. i went as much as making it as tight where the card would actually start to bend.. anyways.. i guess its like the lotto? maybe some people will be lucky and get a block that is more thicker and be able to touch the VRMs. well, at least i gave it try..

[gmat]

(...)anyways.. i guess its like the lotto? maybe some people will be lucky and get a block that is more thicker and be able to touch the VRMs. well, at least i gave it try..

Exactly, and that's why they are still shipping with thermal pads. Good thing you have taken a close look at it before plugging everything Unless you are getting the same reference model as the manufacturer used for block measurements, you cant count on everything to fit perfectly.

[bubba069]

Is Skinnee permanently banned and for what?

My guess would be yes.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=256007

[Church]

I've heard that he's gonna be unbanned soon. If my memory serves right, in some two weeks? I'm too lazy to search.

[Alexandr0s]

I've heard that he's gonna be unbanned soon. If my memory serves right, in some two weeks? I'm too lazy to search.

Yup, two weeks if nothing changes.

[slowfreight]

Got both of my Aqua blocks today. They look AMAZING. Really clean and sleak. Not too heavy either!

So onto installing...one screw in and the standoff nearest the GPU area snapped off.

Exactly like what happened during THIS review.

Sigh.

Im thinking about ordering one of these, but now I have concerns about the quality of the block. Do you think the standoff broke because of quality control issues?

[Waterlogged]

Got both of my Aqua blocks today. They look AMAZING. Really clean and sleak. Not too heavy either!

So onto installing...one screw in and the standoff nearest the GPU area snapped off.

Exactly like what happened during THIS review.

Sigh.

This is for anyone else that buys an Aqua block.

Check your standoff's to see if they sit against the block before installing it, if any of them don't, it's very likely that that particular hole didn't get drill or tapped deep enough and the screw end is already hitting bottom. If you can figure out which it is (drilled or tapped) and honestly feel you can fix it yourself, go ahead and try. . .otherwise, RMA it, because it will break or not allow proper contact.

[SovietKitsch]

It snapped clean off. The marks on the standoff were from my pliers holding it in place while I took the screw out. Other than that, it looked like it had never been actually attached.

However, the other block fit on perfectly. You just have to be very, very careful when screwing everything together. I haven't had a chance to put it into my loop yet, although I look to do that soon!

[revenant]

Very Nice results. I am at about the same for idle but my full load after looping Vantage for my Number 1 card hits 48C and the other 2 cards stay at 44-45C while looping Vantage. I have never seen it get past 44C while gaming though

just chiming in because I got Koolance blocks for my 470s and am very happy with them... getting 30c idle and 40c - 45c (820/1640/1900 w 1.087v) gaming load (dep on the game).. the top card which is a frame buffer for two displays seems to run about 1 or 2c warmer than the bottom on even though it gets the coolant first and I have fans move air around and between them.

OCCT makes the cards hit 60c after a while... never seen even close to that while gaming though.

one thing I noticed about the install with my 470s, I had to use the thicker (pink) thermal pads for the areas over the chokes on my cards otherwise there was a tiny gap I could see with a flashlight between some of the chokes and the pad... I had to take one block off and start over, but only burned about 15 or 20 mins really.. don't know if you guys noticed the same on the 480 or not..

Anyways, on the whole nice looking and good performing blocks from Koolance!

[UrbanSmooth]

just chiming in because I got Koolance blocks for my 470s and am very happy with them...
one thing I noticed about the install with my 470s, I had to use the thicker (pink) thermal pads for the areas over the chokes on my cards otherwise there was a tiny gap I could see with a flashlight between some of the chokes and the pad... I had to take one block off and start over, but only burned about 15 or 20 mins really.. don't know if you guys noticed the same on the 480 or not..

Before I post up my Koolance GTX 480s, can anyone confirm that the thin pads will be fine for the GTX 480s over the thick ones, using the Koolance GTX 480 blocks?

[revenant]

Before I post up my Koolance GTX 480s, can anyone confirm that the thin pads will be fine for the GTX 480s over the thick ones, using the Koolance GTX 480 blocks?

I would definitely use the black thinner pads for the mem and vrm areas... they seem to be better at conducting heat, not just because they are thinner but they are more "gummy" and likely make a better seal on both sides (block and chip). Seems like from all the videos and write-ups I read the dark pads were used... I only used the other pads in 2 spots on each block because some of my chokes were clearly not making contact with the dark pads.. all of the other components made excellent contact with them.

another note on the white/pink pads.. they only have one side that peels off, the side that is pink is like a heat conducting fabric and it does not come off. I put that side against the choke tops and the sticky side on the blocks.

edit: here's a pic showing the two spots I used the other pads on.. the deepest recessed areas on the blocks. this will obviously be different on a 480 block

[UrbanSmooth]

Cool, rev, thanks for the great shot there.

[SVTSnake]

The Koolance grey pads worked fine on all area's of my 480's. Temps are 34-36 at idle and 48-49 on both cards under load. Running a full hour of OCCT put the cards at about 58-60.

To the poster above asking whether or not the LED's can be changed, yes they can. In fact, Koolance sells other colors and Performance PCs carries them. The orginal 3mm LEDs I purchased from FrozenCPU did not fit all that well, but the Koolance LED's fit fine with a small dap of glue to hold them in place. The only downside is they do not plug into the video card, they use a 4pin molex connector for power. If you wanted to get fancy though, you could always just change the LED in the original cable. Mine are red.

[slowfreight]

It snapped clean off. The marks on the standoff were from my pliers holding it in place while I took the screw out. Other than that, it looked like it had never been actually attached.

However, the other block fit on perfectly. You just have to be very, very careful when screwing everything together. I haven't had a chance to put it into my loop yet, although I look to do that soon!

Thanks for the photos! I'll be looking for problems when I receive my blocks.