Aftermarket cooler for GTX 670 reference

[irfan88]

Hello Guys,

I currently have a Zotac GTX 670 reference card (But with a 680 PCB). Here's a link to the card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500266

I know its better than the reference small 670 PCB cards out there but my temps hover around 82-84 degrees when playing Witcher 2 or Battlefield 3. I even tried setting up a fan profile on EVGA precision but the cooler is loud and still my temps go upto 71-72 degrees at max fan settings.

I was thinking if I should get myself an aftermarket cooler like the Gelid Icy vision or the Accelero Twin Turbo II. The Gelid costs around 60 to 65$ and the Arctic Accelero costs about 44-48$. But I am worried if it would justify the cost spent on the cooler. I mean, I have a negative pressure airflow inside my Phantom Full tower case as there is only 1 140mm intake at the front and the rest are all exhaust fans. What do you suggest guys, Should I stick on to the reference cooler itself of should i get an aftermarket cooler. If I get the cooler, then I would like to overclock it as well but I am worried about the airflow inside my case.

If you need my system specs, then check my profile signature.

 

[DarkSable]

Ouch... that's why you don't buy Zotac.
I have an EVGA 670 FTW, which also has a 680 PCB and reference cooler, but it's one of EVGA's souped up blower-style coolers; I don't usually hit more than 73-ish degrees, and that's with a sizable overclock.

You could shell out for an aftermarket cooler, but for a GPU then they're going to be expensive - you'd almost be better off buying a watercooling block for it - it'd get you a great overclock, with no worries about temperatures, and not be much more expensive, if you've ever considered putting your CPU on watercooling.

 

[irfan88]

Ouch... that's why you don't buy Zotac.
I have an EVGA 670 FTW, which also has a 680 PCB and reference cooler, but it's one of EVGA's souped up blower-style coolers; I don't usually hit more than 73-ish degrees, and that's with a sizable overclock.

You could shell out for an aftermarket cooler, but for a GPU then they're going to be expensive - you'd almost be better off buying a watercooling block for it - it'd get you a great overclock, with no worries about temperatures, and not be much more expensive, if you've ever considered putting your CPU on watercooling.

I am not willing to go for watercooling as I am from India. I dont get watercooling parts over here. I have to import them all the way from US. The cost involved is almost the double price. Even the GPU aftermarket cooler has to be imported.

Let me know if I have to get the Gelid Icy Vision or the Accelero Twin Turbo II cooler. which one is good? and do you suggest me anything about my negative pressure airflow inside the case?

 

[geofelt]

Any cooler is limited to at best some number of degrees over ambient.

If you live in India, and perhaps do not have air conditioning, you are going to run hot.

But, do not worry, graphics cards do run hot but they are built to do so.
You may have to put up with high cooling fan speeds, and the accompanying noise.
I do not see your temperatures as a real problem.

Your stock cooler is a direct exhaust type, which I prefer. They get the hot air directly out of the case.
Some oem coolers do a good job getting heat off of the graphics die, but then they just dimp the heat back into the case where case cooling has to deal with it.
That will impact your cpu cooling; not good.

A 140mm intake fan should be able to draw in enough fresh air for your cooling needs. I suppose you could replace the intake with a higher cfm version, at the price of more noise.

I would think the funds would be better spent on a 22nm cpu like the 3570K particularly if your games are cpu intensive like BF3 multiplayer.

------------------------bottom line----------------
Do nothing, enjoy your gaming.

 

[irfan88]

Any cooler is limited to at best some number of degrees over ambient.

If you live in India, and perhaps do not have air conditioning, you are going to run hot.

But, do not worry, graphics cards do run hot but they are built to do so.
You may have to put up with high cooling fan speeds, and the accompanying noise.
I do not see your temperatures as a real problem.

Your stock cooler is a direct exhaust type, which I prefer. They get the hot air directly out of the case.
Some oem coolers do a good job getting heat off of the graphics die, but then they just dimp the heat back into the case where case cooling has to deal with it.
That will impact your cpu cooling; not good.

A 140mm intake fan should be able to draw in enough fresh air for your cooling needs. I suppose you could replace the intake with a higher cfm version, at the price of more noise.

I would think the funds would be better spent on a 22nm cpu like the 3570K particularly if your games are cpu intensive like BF3 multiplayer.

------------------------bottom line----------------
Do nothing, enjoy your gaming.

So you're suggesting me not to go for the Aftermarket cooler. Allright but the i7 875k that I have is Overclocked to 4.13 Ghz and if I do change the CPU to 3570K, do I get a noticeable difference in performance?

 

[geofelt]

So you're suggesting me not to go for the Aftermarket cooler. Allright but the i7 875k that I have is Overclocked to 4.13 Ghz and if I do change the CPU to 3570K, do I get a noticeable difference in performance?

A very good question.
Since you are adept at overclocking, you might be able to get 4.5 out of a 3570K.
That would translate into about a 20% improvement in cpu capability.
Will that make a noticeable difference? I don't know.
One way to see would be to reduce your current OC by 20% and see if it makes a difference in fps. If it does, you can presume that your gaming is sensitive to cpu power and a 3570K would be a good change.

 

[irfan88]

A very good question.
Since you are adept at overclocking, you might be able to get 4.5 out of a 3570K.
That would translate into about a 20% improvement in cpu capability.
Will that make a noticeable difference? I don't know.
One way to see would be to reduce your current OC by 20% and see if it makes a difference in fps. If it does, you can presume that your gaming is sensitive to cpu power and a 3570K would be a good change.

Well, I think I will hold for now (But there was a difference in FPS though when running reduced clocks 3.8 Ghz but not much. I would say 7 to 8 FPS). I will upgrade my CPU once haswell is released as the current one that I have is not bad by any means and as its overclocked to 4.13, it would definitely rival the i7 950 and any day better than what AMD has to offer.


About the 140mm fan, I have a Bitfenix Spectre Pro which is around 84 CFM I believe. Do I get a better fan, if yes, then which one? I really dont want more noise coming out of it.

And the GPU cooler, people say that it is worth putting one to a reference card, but I really dont know as I am confused. Maybe people who already have one installed might be able to suggest me on this.

 

[geofelt]

If you were operating at 60FPS, which is the refresh rate of many monitors, a reduction of 6-8fps represents a 10% reduction, and it so happens that your reduction of 4.13 to 3.8 is about 9%. That suggests to me that the cpu may be more of a limiter than you imagined.

But... how good do you need to get?
Once you get past 60fps, your monitor will not refresh faster as a rule. excepting the 120hz monitors or crt's.
Perhaps more important is what the minimum fps is which can be more annoying.

What is the purpse of a better GPU cooler? It is to allow you to OC the graphics card, but is that really worth it?
My take is to spend your money on a better card to begin with. Not that a GTX680 is a great bargain considering it's high price premium for a small improvement. Or... perhaps a better cooler will run quieter.

High heat is not dangerous by itself. Parts are built to tolerate heat. It is only when heat exceeds the limits that it is a problem and needs to be fixed.

If you live in a hot area, perhaps the best cooling purchase would be an air conditioning unit for the PC room.
And... it needs to exhaust the air outside the building. Just like any pc cooler needs to get it's hot air out of the case.

 

[irfan88]

If you were operating at 60FPS, which is the refresh rate of many monitors, a reduction of 6-8fps represents a 10% reduction, and it so happens that your reduction of 4.13 to 3.8 is about 9%. That suggests to me that the cpu may be more of a limiter than you imagined.

But... how good do you need to get?
Once you get past 60fps, your monitor will not refresh faster as a rule. excepting the 120hz monitors or crt's.
Perhaps more important is what the minimum fps is which can be more annoying.

What is the purpse of a better GPU cooler? It is to allow you to OC the graphics card, but is that really worth it?
My take is to spend your money on a better card to begin with. Not that a GTX680 is a great bargain considering it's high price premium for a small improvement. Or... perhaps a better cooler will run quieter.

High heat is not dangerous by itself. Parts are built to tolerate heat. It is only when heat exceeds the limits that it is a problem and needs to be fixed.

If you live in a hot area, perhaps the best cooling purchase would be an air conditioning unit for the PC room.
And... it needs to exhaust the air outside the building. Just like any pc cooler needs to get it's hot air out of the case.

You know what. I changed the stock thermal paste with the one that came with my Silver Arrow and wallah!!! My temps have now decreased by 7 degrees. i guess installing an aftermarket cooler will further decrease them atleast by 10 to 15 degrees minimum but they are all triple slot coolers. If I fit one of these, I wont be able to SLI another one (with a triple slot cooler) as it would be too close or even touching my Power Supply

 

[Souv_90]

what thermal paste you used to decrease your GPU temp by 7c in load??!

 

[Souv_90]

You know what. I changed the stock thermal paste with the one that came with my Silver Arrow and wallah!!! My temps have now decreased by 7 degrees. i guess installing an aftermarket cooler will further decrease them atleast by 10 to 15 degrees minimum but they are all triple slot coolers. If I fit one of these, I wont be able to SLI another one (with a triple slot cooler) as it would be too close or even touching my Power Supply

what thermal paste you used to decrease your GPU temp by 7c in load??!

 

[irfan88]

Best answer selected by irfan88.