[SOLVED] Vertical GPU install, give me your thoughts

[punkncat]

I recently got a vert adapt kit for my Phanteks case.

What has been your experience and opinion of installing your GPU fans to (side of case)?

 

[hotaru.hino]

If there's not much clearance between the fans and the side panel, it'll end up choking the card. That's really the only issue I see with them.

 

[dotas1]

For most (system) cases it looks good but has issues with temps if it's an air cooled GPU. Not enough airflow as most of the time the side of the case is too close to the fans of GPU.

 

[punkncat]

Yup,

I picked up the vert GPU conversion kit for my Phanteks P400 months ago not realizing that it required case modification to install. Had to cut out all the PCI slot dividers on the back of the case. I probably could have done a better job had I been willing to take the build apart and use a dremel/zizz wheel to cut those out, along with a little paint. I got a wild hair this weekend and went ahead with the install. Measured distance (from side glass as opposed to basement bottom) with this conversion and the original install is minimal, but BOY do the GPU temps change.

I am seeing between 4-6 C higher temps for the same load almost regardless of where I set my fan curves. I can have this thing sounding like a remote drone and it just isn't helping a lot. It isn't heating enough to go beyond design limits, but I can certainly tell the card is getting hotter than it ever had by smell....
It does LOOK astounding, but now that the case is modded, read as damaged beyond coming back, it isn't something that can be readily undone and not trigger me with the gaps. On the aesthetic it turns it all the way up to 11. The function loses all it's cool points (literally).

I have to say that based on this particular case and the heat production of this older gen card it is something I would like to go back in time and change my own mind. Can't even imagine had I decided to do this with a planned upgrade. -1 Interwebz for vert GPU brackets.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Love the look of the vertical GPUs. I always wondered why GPUs had beautiful coolers, colors and logos, now lights, just to turn them upside down? Hotter GPU? If we had cases with side fan/grill, maybe not such a problem?

Mounting the video card vertically seems to be purely for looks, which means the only practical material to use as both a window and have something for a fan mount is acrylic. There have been cases that have acrylic side panels with a fan mount, but tempered glass has been all the rage and you can't really make a cost effective, structurally sound glass side panel with a fan mount/grill.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

It looks great, but I do agree its not worth the temp increase. Anymore looks are prioritized over airflow with tempered glass.

A vertical GPU mount would work great with a vented side panel like was commonplace a decade ago.