Alternative STRIX 1070 cooling options?

LanzoCommando

Commendable
Feb 21, 2016
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Are there any alternative options out there to cool these non-reference cards? I just purchased the new Resident Evil 7 and it's making my temps rise pretty good...into the low to mid on the high end 70s at 90-100% fans.

I've seen people say there's NEVER hit that, but mine hit it from pretty much day 1. I have the OC 8G version, but I've got it clocked 75mhz over the the pre-programmed boost clock and +750mhz to the memory clock. Power target is open to the maximum (120) and I think I add one click to the voltage as a precaution...can't remember.

Right now I can get rid of the CPU cooler I have if I want and I saw where EWKB has pre-filled AIO solutions with expandable quick disconnect options for cards. Basically I could get their CPU cooler and then expand later...but I wasn't sure if their water blocks would fit the non-reference cards. From what I can see on the internet the layouts look different.

Anyway...I plan on moving to the 1080TI when it comes out so this all may be mute, but I can't find anything online like "Strix 1070 AIO" or just an option in general so I thought I'd open it up to here.

Anyone know of anything? Or if you have the Strix 1070 what are your temps like? Should I be worried about low to mid 70s and running the fans at 100% all the time to get there? I wear headphones so noise isn't a concern.
 
Solution
What is the temp in your case (your mobo should have at least one temp sensor on it that you can use to judge case temp)? And what CPU do you have?

It seems unlikely that this is a case airflow problem. You have a single, 150-200 W card and a decent sized case with plenty of fans. Maybe if you were running high powered cards in SLI and a heavily OCed CPU you'd really have to worry about optimizing air flow and pressure, but a GTX 1070 isn't really throwing off that much heat relatively speaking.
I see nothing of concern.
high 70s for a GPU is nothing...

Non reference design blocks are a crap shoot. They may come out, maybe not. They will be card specific and advertised as such.

Water cooling will help a bit. But you're not gonna get much lower than 70s. Might be quieter, but not much lower, if at all.

If noise is OK, and at 100% fans with your card at 100% load for extended periods of time peaks in the 70s.. .I'd say you're doing very well.

My settings allow my GTX 1080 to hit 80degC before 100% fans even kick in, because i'd rather have a bit of heat than a spooled up fan.
 

You're right that high 70s is fine, but not at 90-100% fans.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_1070_strix_gaming_review,9.html
Max temp of 65 C at 46% fans...

OP I would contact Asus before spending money out of your own pocket to fix what sounds like a factory issue with the cooler and/or thermal paste application. That should be covered by warranty.
Although I would first revert to stock settings and see what temps and fans are like then.
 


With those temps it seems like I might be in average shape then. I can't find the part where they list the fan % they are using...but I know my idle temps are low 40s so I'm already above their curve up to 8 degrees so given the same gap under load low 70's is where I should be...IF they are running fans all out.

Not to mention they are running their 1070 stock, and at a lower clock and power rate, so there is that as well.

I've thought a lot about the paste....thought maybe putting some on myself but I think taking the card apart nixes the warranty right? I'm not sure how long the warranty is anyway...and I also think I took the SN sticker off the backplate when I put it in so I'm probably screwed there as well.

By the time I'd get everything done with ASUS in the RMA process the TI will be out anyway so I might be better off trying some GLEID paste or something to see if it makes a difference.
 
That doesn't make any sense at all. High fan speeds are not to make the card EXTRA cool. If the temperature was reduced to 65deg, the fan speed would reduce too, obviously. Fan speeds are meant to prevent the card from getting too hot. Why would a card be at 100% fans if it was at 65deg C, just doesn't make sense at all.

Besides if 75degC is fine for one situation, then it is fine for all situations...

I see a lot of people with low temps, but there is no guarantee they are accurate or even truthful. Everyone who seems to know what they are talking about, and directly mentions their OC and testing programs are reporting temps in the low 70s, just like you.

It could be poor contact, but when i have misapplied coolers in the past it has been closer to 90degC, and reaches that point in seconds.

That said, OP - did you tighten the screws on your cooler prior to installing it? This is almost always required for the cards i have purchased recently. - They aren't tightened to spec in the factory.
 


Card manufactuers are typically very liberal with their warranties. As long as it isn't spray painted, water logged, or visibly burnt - they will most likely honor it without a problem.
 


This is what I was gathering. I know for a fact now the boards are different layouts so a reference block wouldn't work anyway.

I wonder though if the 1080 block would fit the TI coming out...that's the real question. If it does it may be worth it to change out the AIO I use to get ready for the future purpose, but like we are saying there is really no way to know without seeing the card to compare.
 


So you are saying they run the tests with fans set to auto then? I'd rather the card be cool so I set my own curve that results in higher RPMs sooner than the auto setting.

As for tightening screws I took it straight out of the box into the build. It goes right to 70 when the game starts and I run the fans all out because I don't care about the noise.

I wonder what % the fans are at when they record those temps in the test.
 


I have a Phateks Enthoo Evolv mid tower. I've got 2 140's pulling air in the front...then a 280 radiator, and then two more 140's pulling on the opposite end of the radiator into the case.

There's 1 140 exhausting in the back and then I have 2 120's exhausting up out the top, but I haven't closed off that empty square up top that the radiator blocks on the far end (mostly because I'm not sure what to use or how to do it) and I'm reading online I need to do that somehow to keep air from coming back in.

I'll open the case and run the card under the auto curve and see what happens tonight or tomorrow...have to be back into work super early tomorrow so I wont have time tonight.
 
I would say Asus's cooling solution should help a fair bit.. but..

"but I've got it clocked 75mhz over the the pre-programmed boost clock and +750mhz to the memory clock. Power target is open to the maximum (120) and I think I add one click to the voltage as a precaution...can't remember."

Are you saying you increased the OC? of which i wouldn't imagine Asus designed it's cooling solution to go any higher, and would probably suggest you lower it back unless you get a watercooling solution that will void the warranty.


Those cards run mighty hot on the Founders edition, nevermind when OC by the board manufacturer, who would design a stable cooling solution around that, and no more.
 


I've thought about this as well.

Yes...i've OC'ed the OC. Haha. From what I've seen online I'm pretty much squeezing EVERYTHING out of the card as I have it set right now. When the 200hz jump kicks in from the GPU Tweak utility it's running at 2100something on the core. I haven't really put much into the memory side of the overclock and it doesn't crash so i've had no need to increase the voltage.

But yes. I set it to "OC Mode" and then enabled manual control (you have to select it in the GPU Tweak settings) and went farther from there and set the fan curve to be in the 90%'s from 65 up and to hit 100 by 75. (Can't remember the exact specs off the top of my head).
 

As I said, their fan is only at 46%. Scroll down and look at the graphs on the page I linked, one of them is fan speed (%).

Here's another review showing max temp of 65 C with 45% fan speed: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/10/05/asus_rog_strix_geforce_gtx_1070_o8ggaming_review/10

In that same review they overclock it and set the fan speed to a fixed 75% and the max temp was 58 C: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/10/05/asus_rog_strix_geforce_gtx_1070_o8ggaming_review/4
They're running it around 2100 MHz, 120% power limit, just like you.

Unless you have very high ambient temperatures, your cooler seems to be underperforming in a big way.
 





It will probably be that, i know i saw the Founders Edition glowing red on the backplate.. oh here:


http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1080-pascal,review-33557-11.html

So imagine with Asus OC going, ofwhich i would hope they designed their cooling solution to handle that.. but then yours on top?
 


Are all these tests open air? I think that would play a large role as well maybe? I know for sure the second set is totally open air because they have a picture of it set up...but the first (I see the fan % graph now) doesn't make mention of a case in the "Testing Equipment" section.

Anyway...I'm torn because I've never seen a heavy discussion where I wasn't close to the same temps, but I'm definitely WAY off those bench's. I'm inside a case that isn't known for great airflow from what I can gather though.

Do you think replacing the thermal paste on my own may make a difference? I've heard the RMA process through ASUS can be ATROCIOUS and I'd be without a card the whole time. A thermal paste swap would be something I could do in house myself in less than a day.
 


That link makes me feel a lot better. I'm 7 or so degrees higher at idle but almost 10 degrees lower under gaming conditions (and the same clock, fan %, and ambient room) but I'm inside a case.

I'm wondering now about taking the card apart, cleaning it, and putting some high end paste back on before tightening it all up well.
 
Idk, I don't think an open test bench would make that much difference. And from what you describe you should have pretty decent airflow.
Here's another review that definitely has a closed case, and they're getting low 60s temp with ~1500 RPM fans (fan speed from the Guru3D article ~1700, corresponding to 46%).
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/94156-asus-rog-strix-geforce-gtx-1070-oc/?page=11

Regarding the thermal paste, not sure. If you're comfortable repasting it (and have some paste), and not worried about voiding your warranty it couldn't hurt. How long have you had it? You may even be able to exchange it for another one if you contact the store you got it from, but it would probably have to be pretty new (couple weeks to a month max).
 


For sure been to long for an exchange. I looked into that but I'm several months past (easy to find out on Amazon).

Did you see what kind of case they used in that test? I couldn't see it and I'm curious. We have the same idle temps but I'm WAY hotter under load....especially if their fan %'s are that low.

They got that temp without overclocking though so I think I need to run the card under everything default to see where I fall.
 

Nvidia's reference cards for the 1070/1080 (AKA "Founder's Edition") are well known to have sub-standard cooling and run hot. Those results have little relevance in this discussion. Partner cards such as the Strix have much better cooling solutions. The fact that his Strix (which are known for having good coolers) is ~10 degrees hotter than a reference card (known to have a bad cooler) is another sign that something is wrong with his card as far as I'm concerned.
 

On their test methodology page they list a Fractal Design Define R5 as the case.
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/94156-asus-rog-strix-geforce-gtx-1070-oc/?page=2

Edit: I would recommend reverting back to stock settings and posting fan speed, GPU temp, and ambient temp. This will allow better comparisons to be made with results seen in reviews to establish whether your card is performing significantly differently.
 


Alright so I played a little Res Evil tonight to test it out. Put the card in "gaming" mode which is zeros across the board and fan to auto.

The highest temp I got was 77 (for a split second) but it hovered around 74 the entire time with 60% to the fans. When I shut the game off it immediately dropped about 20 degrees and was back at 46 idle with no fans shortly thereafter.

So...given I'm higher than their idle I think it's just where my "groove" is right now and not really a problem with the card itself. I'll try leaving the case open tomorrow and see if it lowers the temp any but I thought I'd report back and see what you think.

I played for almost an hour I think, definitely more than 30 minutes, so at the very least 46 is a good representation of where my idle temp is.
 
Dont Panic
The 1070 has a TMax of 94C then it will either heavily throttle itself, lock it's clock to a incredibly low amount until you reboot (my old GTX460M would lock at 250Mhz whenever I hit 87C) or it turns off the computer as if the power had gone out (RIP unsaved game progress:lol: As a general rule you have to keep your temps 10-15 degrees lower than the Tmax while under load, meaning you can safely run the 1070 80C for its lifetime. I ran my old GTX460M overclocked to 810Mhz hitting into the 80s under heavy load for 6 years, it still works. But now I have a desktop.

Case
What case are you using?

Overclock Clarification
you said you added to the preprogrammed clock?
the 1070 strix OC editions come with gaming mode default. So you have a set turbo boost clock of 1910Mhz? (Show us a picture of your Overclock settings in whatever overclocking software you use (Win10 takes screenshots with Window key+printscreen))
OC Mode - GPU Boost Clock : 1860 MHz , GPU Base Clock : 1657 MHz
Gaming Mode (Default) - GPU Boost Clock : 1835 MHz , GPU Base Clock : 1632 MHz
OC Mode - GPU Boost Clock : 1860 MHz , GPU Base Clock : 1657 MHz
Gaming Mode (Default) - GPU Boost Clock : 1835 MHz , GPU Base Clock : 1632 MHz
OC Mode can be adjusted on GPU Tweak II

Personal 1070 Strix non OC Edition OC Experience
I have my non OC Asus strix 1070 at overclocked to 2088Mhz 112%power target (only OC editions get 120% no fair 😛) I maxed my voltage slider to +100 (you can max it without worries the cards are locked by Vbios to a max safe over voltage by Nvidia) Just yesterday I managed to break one of the fan's blades. Now I can't run it at over 60% fan speed until my replacement fan comes in or it rumbles more than an N64 rumble pack 🙁

Personal RE7 Experience
Played RE7 for about an hour (Just Now, Specifically for the sake of this answer) I set the fans to manual steady 45% I was using the highest settings at 1080p with a bit over 100 frames on avg and the highest temp I have recorded on HWinfo is 65C.

Ambient Temps?
What is you ambient temperature on HWinfo?
what is your temperature in your house?
Set your GPU fan to 100% with the Nvidia control panel power management at optimal power. check the GPU temp. If there is a temperature variance of more than 10-20C. You might need more case fans. My house is at 22.7C and my GPU idled with 50% fan speed at 28-30C (before I broke off one of my fan blades). I only have the 1x 120mm rear exhaust and 1x 120mm top exhaust that came stock with my NZXT S340 They are NZXT FN V2 fans with only 1 speed rated at 1200 ± 15% RPM.

Case Fans
How are your case fans setup? You always want the exhaust fans on the top and rear, Never put intakes there. (heat rises, setting intake fans up there will just create a vortex of hot air)
2reskrc.jpg


Possible CPU Bottleneck
What temperature does your CPU max at when playing RE7? It could affect you GPU temps.

Maybe it is Defective?
As for aftermarket cooling solutions. I am surprised you need one with the ASUS strix, Maybe it is defective. What temp does it idle at with the fans completely off and the Nvidia control panel Power management set to Optimal Power. (Prefer max performance is pointless on the 1000series GTX. Why would anyone want their GPU running at max Clock and voltage on the desktop :lol: Optimal power raises it based on need, I have not noticed any difference in performance ) It should hit around 35-40C. (unless your house is hotter than that) If not it might be defective.

Possible Aftermarket Air Cooler
this seems compatible and highly effective.
https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/accelero-xtreme-iii.html
https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/downloads/dl/file/id/298/accelero_xtreme_iii_height_restriction_drawing.pdf

Use IC7 Diamond Thermal Paste on the installation of an aftermarket aircooler https://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Cooling-Diamond-Carat-Compound/dp/B0042IEVD8
It is the best Thermal paste out there (I can't believe I used to swear by Arctic Silver 5) IC 7 is 92% diamond powder (synthetic ones of course. (yes synthetic diamonds are a real thing)) This makes it extremely thick, and is what makes it so damn good. Thermal paste is meant to fill in the gaps between chip and heatsink. With a stated liquid content of only 4%: Overtime it should not create air bubbles/gaps between the chip and heatsink. This leads to superior performance in the long run. Although compared to Arctic Silver 5 instant performance increase is only about 5C. I used to have to change my AS5 thermal paste every 6 months or so as I would see temperatures rise to 60 idle on my old alienware laptop after application I would get 40C. The IC7 removes that hassle.

Still not sure about compatibility with aftermarket coolers?
When I take apart my card to change the fan I broke I could give you the measurements of the components on the naked GPU.If someone hasn't given a solution by the time I change my fans. I'll come back.

Liquid Cooling?
Sorry I do not feel confident in my knowledge on liquid cooling to advice you with that. But unless you want to run a Custom loop on all your components it seems pointless.
 


I don't understand the logic of this setup...

you say the CPU's hot radiator is being fed air from the front as well as pulling air from the front into the case?.... I think I see the problem now. You have 4x 140mm Fans pulling not just air, but hot air from your radiator into the case.
Your exhaust simply cannot keep up with only a single 140mm and 2X120mm. What you have created is positive airflow. Intake: 4*140=560 Exhaust: 2*120+140=380 You want Negative airflow. ie. More air leaving than entering. Especially on a high performance oriented build. (More fans isn't always better.)

For a positive air pressure system you need a blower style 1070 that blows the hot air inside it out directly out. The Strix 1070 takes in air and dissipates it off of itself through vents in the shroud, thus all your CPU heat being blow off the radiator is being used to [strike]cool [/strike] warm your GPU.

Please read this http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058-5.html

My Suggestion

If I understand correctly your Radiator is in between 4 fans.

What you could do is make a goofy setup and have one pair push air in and the other pair push air out. looking like this.
<-[]ll[] in
out []ll[]->
Then keep the rest the same that will give you 660 exhaust and 280 intake. Creating a large amount of Negative Pressure. Since your specific case has so many vents the negative pressure will be able to take advantage of them creating a vacuum sucking in a ton of cool air from them while releasing all the hot air faster than it can come. If you do setup the rad that way make sure the bottom ones are the ones blowing out.

Likely the best and easiest solution
Simply reverse everything. Have all the 4x140 mm fans exhaust through the front.
and use the rear 140mm and 2x120mm as intakes. This will also create a nice negative pressure. 560 exhaust and 380 intake. Plus the added bonus of having all that hot cpu radiator air leaving the case not heating the case. As well as making full use of all those vents in your case for a nice vacuum effect. All the hot air will leave faster than it can be produced.

hopefully this works.
 


I've had my hand inside the case and the air coming off the radiator is not hot. It feels cold against my hand. It's like this...

||||||| is the radiator
[][][] is the case wall (front)
<--Air---FAN (pull)|||||||<--Air---FAN(pull)[][][] <-----Outside Air

The reason I have the second set of 140's pulling air is because the matchup isn't quite perfect, so I wanted as much air as possible moving across the largest surface area of the coils.

I have to swap out the board again this weekend so I'll read that article and maybe try something different.

Question...would I be better off moving the radiator up top you think? This way the 140 rear is exhaust and then the top 2 140s would be technically exhaust as well blowing over the radiator and out the top.

I had it up top before when I had a 240 radiator but I thought I'd get better CPU cooling by getting the coldest air possible against the coils in the front.