- Aug 1, 2015
- 114
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Issue or why I'm adding a liquid cooler to the GPU:
I want to add a liquid cooler to my EVGA 780 Ti GPU since it overheats, freezes, and even crashes when gaming (BF4 on mostly medium graphics settings, a couple features on high), and it's also been spiking in temperature while idling for some reason (a separate issue but I'm working on that one...).
Current Setup and preliminary thoughts and prep:
Besides the complete hardware list shown when hovering over my avatar, I plan on getting a Kraken G10 bracket since it seems to accept more liquid coolers than other brackets, and it's markedly cheaper than others (e.g. Corsair) I've seen so far.
Right now, my Antec 902 tower has 5 intake/exhaust fans - 1x 200mm top exhaust, 1x 120mm side intake, 2x 120mm front intakes (center and bottom), and 1x 120mm top intake rear that feeds into my Corsair H50 radiator to cool my CPU. This rear intake fan is actually really close to the top exhaust fan so I believe that most of the hot air leaving the radiator gets sucked up and out the top exhaust fan, while getting the benefit of direct cold(er) air cooling the radiator from the rear intake.
Now, there doesn't appear to be any room to add an additional 120/140mm fan to my tower, as I originally wanted to add a rear bottom fan, so I'm looking to commandeer either the side or front bottom fans. There's nothing in the front bottom fan area, but I think that the front bottom fan really helps to generate air flow and pressure, especially given the open space and physically lower position. Conversely, the door's side fan can take the radiator, but I think it may cramp up the space more, as it's located near the tower's center where the GPU is located.
Question
Is the side or front bottom fan generally better than the other? I'm leaning towards the front bottom since I believe it'll cause less obstruction of space and be more conducive to air flow optimization, but if there's a compelling reason not to do so, please let me know!
And, is there a recommended liquid cooler that's better than the Corsair H50 but is the "best bang for buck"? Currently, my H50 is keeping my CPU cool at between 25-27 degrees Celsius at idle or when doing low CPU intensive activities, so I think it's doing a decent job. I'm not really looking to spend too much and I'll be browsing eBay for the lowest competitive deal. I'm looking into reviews now for Corsair models (e.g. H50-100), but I'm unsure about other brands' models. Furthermore, does mounting a double fan (one on each side of the radiator) work markedly better than having a single fan attached?
Thanks in advance!
I want to add a liquid cooler to my EVGA 780 Ti GPU since it overheats, freezes, and even crashes when gaming (BF4 on mostly medium graphics settings, a couple features on high), and it's also been spiking in temperature while idling for some reason (a separate issue but I'm working on that one...).
Current Setup and preliminary thoughts and prep:
Besides the complete hardware list shown when hovering over my avatar, I plan on getting a Kraken G10 bracket since it seems to accept more liquid coolers than other brackets, and it's markedly cheaper than others (e.g. Corsair) I've seen so far.
Right now, my Antec 902 tower has 5 intake/exhaust fans - 1x 200mm top exhaust, 1x 120mm side intake, 2x 120mm front intakes (center and bottom), and 1x 120mm top intake rear that feeds into my Corsair H50 radiator to cool my CPU. This rear intake fan is actually really close to the top exhaust fan so I believe that most of the hot air leaving the radiator gets sucked up and out the top exhaust fan, while getting the benefit of direct cold(er) air cooling the radiator from the rear intake.
Now, there doesn't appear to be any room to add an additional 120/140mm fan to my tower, as I originally wanted to add a rear bottom fan, so I'm looking to commandeer either the side or front bottom fans. There's nothing in the front bottom fan area, but I think that the front bottom fan really helps to generate air flow and pressure, especially given the open space and physically lower position. Conversely, the door's side fan can take the radiator, but I think it may cramp up the space more, as it's located near the tower's center where the GPU is located.
Question
Is the side or front bottom fan generally better than the other? I'm leaning towards the front bottom since I believe it'll cause less obstruction of space and be more conducive to air flow optimization, but if there's a compelling reason not to do so, please let me know!
And, is there a recommended liquid cooler that's better than the Corsair H50 but is the "best bang for buck"? Currently, my H50 is keeping my CPU cool at between 25-27 degrees Celsius at idle or when doing low CPU intensive activities, so I think it's doing a decent job. I'm not really looking to spend too much and I'll be browsing eBay for the lowest competitive deal. I'm looking into reviews now for Corsair models (e.g. H50-100), but I'm unsure about other brands' models. Furthermore, does mounting a double fan (one on each side of the radiator) work markedly better than having a single fan attached?
Thanks in advance!
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