Question GPU running hot, heating up my case considerably, trying to figure out how to cool it ?

[Cyber_Akuma]

I had asked about cooling this system before, but this GPU messes up what I was previously planning.

I have a Dell Precision T5810. This thing just has three fans in the front. One of which cools one set of RAM (and I think the CPU a little), the other cools the second set, the CPU and the first PCIe slot (not the GPU slot) and the last seems to blow towards the rest of the PCIe slots. That's basically all the cooling this thing has other than the small CPU cooler.

I noticed that the CPU tends to dump heat near the back of the case and it just lingers there, so I was planning to install a 80mm rear exhaust fan to help with that.

I was also planning to cut a hole in the side panel to install a 120mm intake fan on the side.

Recently I got a GPU upgrade for it, an EVGA 2060 Super (08G-P4-3062-RX, SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition). Testing the card to make sure it works fine and that the PSU/System can handle it I was hitting max temperatures of 80-82C, not great but I am pretty sure that's below the thermal throttle limit of 85C (Unless this card has a limit of 80C...) so I figured I was fine. However, I noticed that the case gets hot, very hot. Not quite too hot to touch but it actually comes quite close to that level.

Taking a closer look I noticed that unlike just about every other GPU I have ever had, even other EVGA cards, this thing had no vents whatsoever in the rear, it was just solid metal even though there was a lot of room to have put in ventilation. That's when I realized that the card doesn't expel hot air out the back of the card, but the "top", a.k.a. about an inch away from the side of my case that was getting so hot. There is practically no room for the hot air to go, it just hits the side panel and... no idea where it even goes after that, gets sucked back into the GPU? There are no fans in that area besides the GPU's to move the air. It also felt like the GPU was somehow blowing air below it too near the top.

As I said earlier, I was planning to cut a hole in the side panel to put in a 120mm intake fan, but now I am wondering if that would be a good idea. If making the fan intake would just make it even worse, preventing the GPU from expelling the air out the top by pushing it back, or just pushing the expelled hot air back towards the GPU. Maybe I should make that an exhaust fan, although then I have no idea where it would be pulling air IN from, and with the PC being on the ground that would expel the hot air towards my legs. I could also add a second 80mm (if 80mm would even fit, might have to go smaller) fan on the area of the unused PCIe ports below the card (any good adapters that let me screw a fan in place of the dust covers of those sockets? I don't mean that ancient blower fan with the molex connector, but something that would go in place of the PCIe slot covers that would allow me to attach a standard fan there), again though not sure if I should make this an intake or exhaust fan.

So what would be the best way to go about this? The 120mm on the side? The 80mm in the back below the card? Both? And which should I make intake and exhaust?

Here is a picture of the side of the case closed, open, and the underside of the GPU if it helps:

https://imgur.com/1iZFkGK

View: https://i.imgur.com/1iZFkGK.jpg

https://imgur.com/8p88vA5

View: https://i.imgur.com/8p88vA5.jpg

https://imgur.com/Ln1zoeU

View: https://i.imgur.com/Ln1zoeU.jpg

 

[Phaaze88]

EVGA 2060 Super (08G-P4-3062-RX, SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition).
it was hitting max temperatures of 80-82C, not great but I am pretty sure that's below the thermal throttle limit of 85C (Unless this card has a limit of 80C...)

The default is 83C, which it was most likely hitting. It can be increased to 88C with software(Afterburner, etc.), not that you'd really want to do that, but the option is there. ¯\(ツ)/¯

Taking a closer look I noticed that unlike just about every other GPU I have ever had, even other EVGA cards, this thing had no vents whatsoever in the rear, it was just solid metal even though there was a lot of room to have put in ventilation. That's when I realized that the card doesn't expel hot air out the back of the card, but the "top", a.k.a. about an inch away from the side of my case that was getting so hot. There is practically no room for the hot air to go, it just hits the side panel and... no idea where it even goes after that, gets sucked back into the GPU? There are no fans in that area besides the GPU's to move the air. It also felt like the GPU was somehow blowing air below it too near the top.

Yeah, this cooler design is VERY popular; most models are like this. The downside to this design, as you're seeing, is that it dumps all its waste heat inside the PC, heating up things around it and itself, so you throw more fans/ventilation at it.
What doesn't get absorbed by your side panel and motherboard is swimming around in the PC.
Whereas the blower/turbo models throw it right out the back, they were typically louder and operated at higher temperatures. Enough people complained, so we got the above solution that brought with it a different problem.

So what would be the best way to go about this? The 120mm on the side? The 80mm in the back below the card? Both? And which should I make intake and exhaust?

Air in through the front, out the back. Don't even consider rear intake here.
-A fan at the back of the case.
-Add a small fan behind the cpu cooler.

Consider cutting out a hole the length of the gpu's exhaust, but do NOT add a fan(s) here. It'll just fight against the gpu's fans. If the gpu is that close to the side panel, the heat should then go right out the side.
You might not even need the rear fans with this method.


No idea about an adapter - I wouldn't have a problem zip-tying fans if need be, LOL.
Those aren't dust covers, by the way. The spaces are too big for that. They keep kids and some pets from getting in and doing harm, all while allowing some air through.

 

[Cyber_Akuma]

Ok, I have been doing a lot of testing with the cover on/off and fans in different positions, with OCCT's 1-hour Power test to heat up both the CPU and GPU, as well as running Unigine Heaven on loop to just tax the GPU.

With the power test, both the CPU and GPU appear to hit their limit in a stock configuration, adding a 80mm fan on the rear near the CPU helps both, although it just makes the GPU perform slightly under 80C at around 78-77C, putting that fan under the GPU to act as a rear exhaust helped the GPU slightly more at around 76C. I tried one of the spare high-CFM fans I had from the front, and that one seemed to significantly lower both the CPU and GPU with the GPU being at around 70C regardless of where I put the fan, I also tried adding the 80mm fan to the opposite vent the high-CFM fan was and it made no difference, in fact, it seemed to make some temperatures worse. Unfortunately I did not have two of the same 80mm fan to test, also as effective as the high-CFM fan was it was FAR too noisy to use.

However, all of this paled in comparison to just simply.... taking the cover off. The GPU hit 70C easy with no additional fans at all that way.

I tried a simpler test then with Heaven to just tax the GPU. It was again hitting 80C, but just barely, many times dropping to 79C for a brief period, while on the power test it was hitting 82-83C at times, that coupled with how having an exhaust fan on just the CPU also had a noticeable drop in GPU temperatures makes me think it's not just the GPU's own heat but the CPU cooler also dumping heat on the GPU. Anyway so I put the 80mm fan as a rear CPU exhaust again, temperatures dropped to 77C, put it as a GPU exhaust, temperatures dropped to 74C (back during the power test there was barely a 1 degree difference when moving that fan between a CPU and GPU exhaust, but a significant difference when it's just the GPU being taxed). And with the cover off.... 68C.

Of course, one issue with this test is that I just had the fan connected to an AC adapter, so it was running at full blast the entire time. Since I plan to use PWM control it's not going to be as effective, but it's also a bit loud at full power, even though it's SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than the high-CFM fan.

Also this means I definitely need to cut a hole in my side-panel for a 120mm fan, just not sure if it should be intake or exhaust. Exhaust sounds like it would be more useful, but I will also put a second 80mm fan under the GPU (if it will fit, 60mm if it does not) and then it's all exhaust, with the front of the case being the only intake, and it will dump the hot air right on my feet which could make the PC uncomfortable to use. While if I make it intake I am worried about it fighting against the GPU's own exhaust.

I also would want some better way to mount the fan under the GPU than just screwing into the PCIe slot covers, but I can't find anything.

 

[Eximo]

Easier solution. Remove your remaining PCIe expansion slot covers, put a fan there as intake

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/overclocking/comments/y981wu/this_mod_drasticaly_lowered_my_gpu_temps/


Make a simple air duct out of plastic/thick paper/even tape if you want to go a step further.

Fan can also go on the inside.

Coupled with a typical rear exhaust, that should improve things.

 

[Cyber_Akuma]

An intake from the rear? That sounds like a bad idea, especially since putting just a 80mm fan ex exhaust there seemed to drop temperatures pretty well.

 

[Eximo]

You can still have the rear exhaust, which you should always have anyway. Having a fresh air intake for the GPU is exactly what you are proposing to do by cutting holes in the side panel.

The idea would be fresh air for the GPU gets sucked up into the GPU, then it exhausts out the sides of the fin stacks and gets carried up into the CPU area by convection, and finally the rear exhaust gets it out of the case.

Proven to work multiple times. I have seen people do ducting from the front of the case and all sorts of things.

Just a shame that custom GPUs make it nearly impossible to standardize. There is some positives to the fully passive workstation and server GPUs that rely on ducting alone to keep them cool.