which cooler should i buy for my gpu?

[gamer7911]

hey guys. I have 2 XFX GeForce 7950 gt's(the ones with the huge freaking heatsinks on em. in sli and they get realy hot in my case... 80 and up when im playing games. What's the best cooler for this kind of setup for around 75 bucks total that will cool both the GPU and the RAM? also, if this helps, my case is a apevia(aspire when i bought it) x-plorer with just the top fan, which is currently sitting... yes sitting on top of the cards heatsink.. because it is currently covered up by the new power supply that i just bought in an attempt to increase the non existent airflow of my case.

 

[EnergyFX]

I think your best (and cheapest) solution would be to cut a hole in the side panel and mount a fan to blow fresh cool air directly to the VGAs.

 

[hat]

I would try drilling holes in the side for a nice quiet 80mm case fan.

 

[gamer7911]

whats the best way to cut the side panel of the case out/ what size fan would u suggest?

an 80mm eh? would that supply adequate airflow to both gpu's? or were u suggesting 1 on top of the other?

 

[DaMulta]

I know this is over board on what you want to pay but

http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=169&cat=69&page=1

 

[EnergyFX]

Since you have 2 vid cards I would suggest a 120mm fan since it will provide broad airflow to the vid area, but 80mm or 92mm would definitely help.

Do you have access to a jig saw with a metal cutting blade?

 

[gamer7911]

yes i have access to a jigsaw, and quite capable with one. im thinking your thinking to drill a hole then cut from there and then add something like http://www.xoxide.com/yate-loon-highspeed-120.html this?
i would go with a water block... except i dont have a water cooling unit except for the one on the cpu, which is a junky, POS, loud ass coolermaster mini r80 that has reached the end of its lifespan.

 

[keakar]

forget all that cutting holes in your case, if your not good with a dremel it will look like chit and you wont like how bad it looks.

read my airflow guide to help you make sure your case has the best airflow it can and for your video card cooling get two of these and it should solve all your problems.

ARCTIC COOLING Accelero S1 VGA Cooler $24 at newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

ARCTIC COOLING Turbo Module Sleeve Dual VGA Fan $8 (its not needed but you can add more cooling if you think you need it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186021

shows it used in SLI application http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=138&data=7&disc=

 

[EnergyFX]

yes i have access to a jigsaw, and quite capable with one. im thinking your thinking to drill a hole then cut from there and then add something like http://www.xoxide.com/yate-loon-highspeed-120.html this?
i would go with a water block... except i dont have a water cooling unit except for the one on the cpu, which is a junky, POS, loud ass coolermaster mini r80 that has reached the end of its lifespan.

You're getting the idea. You actually have lots of options as far as the fan goes. If you want pretty then you can go with a LED fan and a nice grill. If you just want functionality then at least get a grill. Use edge molding to clean up the cut.

Performance-PCs is a good site to use.

 

[EnergyFX]

forget all that cutting holes in your case, if your not good with a dremel it will look like chit and you wont like how bad it looks.

read my airflow guide to help you make sure your case has the best airflow it can and for your video card cooling get two of these and it should solve all your problems.

ARCTIC COOLING Accelero S1 VGA Cooler $24 at newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

ARCTIC COOLING Turbo Module Sleeve Dual VGA Fan $8 (its not needed but you can add more cooling if you think you need it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186021

shows it used in SLI application http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=138&data=7&disc=

That isn't going to work much better than the stock coolers if he isn't getting sufficient cool outside air to the VGA region.

Also, it's a bit rude to just assume he is inept with tools.

 

[gamer7911]

i see that the accelero s1 is pretty good, considering the reviews, but it also seems to be passive. my current problem is that my gfx cards are passive cooled and i have bad airflow. i read you airflow guide and can see some thigns i could do. but even with doing so i will have to add fans regardless. only question is where considering my case. also i was wondering where the hot air is going to go to considering it will be blowing the air directly down and that is the stagnant portion of the case according to your guide.
also.. in case you're wondering im competant with the dremel.. or sandpaper... which is prolly easier in my opinion.

replies faster than i can read and research lol. i like the idea of led fans.. or even the turbine fans they offer which i think are kinda cool and would prolly create a cool effect once i get the cathode going.... the bulb blew due to the little power thing they connect to being a pos.
wut about adding pci fan slots as well as the side fan?

 

[EnergyFX]

Gamer, check both links keaker posted for you. One is the cooler and the other is the fan kit for the cooler.

You would need to buy 2 of each, plus shipping you would be under your $75 budget. It's a solution that might work, especially since you would be upgrading from passive coolers.

I think modding a fan to the side panel would probably do the trick as well and for about $15 bucks (more depending on what fan you choose to go with) plus an hour or two of your time.

The fan on top of your case should always be for exhaust. Keaker wrote a good guide on airflow. You could try some of his tips for free and see what kind of results you get. Have you tried gaming for a while with the side panel off to see what kind of temps you get? If your problem really is insufficient air flow within the case then removing the panel should give a pretty drastic improvement.

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

HR-03? + ahole ni teh side of ur case + 140 mm fan

 

[gamer7911]

ive had the case side off for a while now and there is a big difference.. i dont shut down after 20 minutes anymore but its still realy hot.. even on idle. i could somehow make the accelero work my only concern is that its still not going to get adequate airflow and just create a stagnant pool of heat and raise the temp instead of lower it after a long period of time.. unless your thinking both the accelero and the fan's for the accelero and the case.. that would be big overkill i think lol.
the thermalright hr 03 is a little outa my price range at 40 bucks per unit and still needing the fan.

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

save a lil more ...

 

[EnergyFX]

ive had the case side off for a while now and there is a big difference.. i dont shut down after 20 minutes anymore but its still realy hot.. even on idle. ...

Then I think you should try the fan mod. 120mm, 140mm, 200mm... whatever. It is the cheapest trick that has a very good chance of solving your problem completely. It certainly will make an improvement. You can always do more later.

Obviously you want to make sure you mount the fan so that both vid cards take advantage of the airflow.

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

yeah i agree fan mod first 140 mm or bigger .. high cfm fan ...

 

[philbrown23]

screw the hole cutting screw arctic coolers thermalright hr-03 best gpu cooler on the market I have one on my 8800gt and this thing owns!

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

screw the hole cutting screw arctic coolers thermalright hr-03 best gpu cooler on the market I have one on my 8800gt and this thing owns!

what is the point of buying a cooler if the heat has nowhere to go?

 

[gamer7911]

well i think im going to go with the case fan solution. it seems the simplest and cheapest.. most likely going to go with a 120 considering that most of the 140's have crappy airflow or rather a significant amount less than the 120's and a 140 seems a little excessive... i will probably order everything tomorrow or sunday depending on whether newegg gets the cpu cooler i intend to buy in tomorrow or not.