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Watercooled 480 GTX Reaching 80 degrees.

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Taller51169

Taller51169

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Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Hello all
Ive recently switched my watercooling setup since i got hands on a 480 gtx. Unfortunatelly, my cards idles at 38-41 degrees and on full load it reaches 85 degrees. This is after 15 minutes of Furmark/ OCCT. This is very strange to me since ive never really had problems with watercoling before so i would like to get some opinions on what is going on. Here is my setup:

Asus Croshair V Formula
- AMD Phenom 2 810 @ 3.9 Ghz
- 8 Gb Mushkin Redline DDR3 @ 1600 Mhz
- 1x GTX 480 @ 835/ 1113 V
- Coolermaster 1000 PSU
- Cooler Master Haf X Chassis
- 1x WD Caviar Black 1 TB
- 1x OCZ Vertex III for Windows

Cooling
- Radiator : Swiftech MCR220 QP 2x120mm Fun
-Pump : Swiftech MCP655-B
- Cpu Waterblock : Swiftech Apogee XT
- Gpu Wateblock : EK FC 480 GTX

As far as the loop goes, all tubing is 1/2 ID 3/4 OD, and water goes - Pump - Radiator - CPU Block - VGA Block. Radiator is mounted at the top while the pump sit on the ground next to the PSU. This is probably reducing the overall flow of the system a bit, but i believe that it should be able to handle the setup. im getting stuck :(. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Not enough RAD.

TDP for a GTX 480 without any overclocking is 300W.

The Swiftech MCR220QP dissipates 200W if I recall correctly.

This also does not factor in your CPU at all.

(Someone correct me if I am wrong)
 
Bijiont, thanks for the fast reply :). Cant find any reference about the TDP of the MCRX22QP but if this is the case, is it possible to sugggest a good 3 fun radiator for my setup? Else i will have to do some study for it and i wont be able to get it today :S. Thanks again for your help
 
You shold just add another Swiftech rad. You want quiet? MCR320. A MCR220 is barely enough.

I'm more worried about your CPU temps while prime 95 and furmark is running, I bet it gets realllllly toasty.

In fact don't till you get another rad added to the setup.
 
Depending on the RAD you will need more than a 3x120 as well.

I am not an expert in the 120 RAD section, so I can't give recommendation in terms of brands. I would check out skinnee's site for that information. In terms of RAD amount I think two 2x120 should cover it. 2x120 and a 3x120 would probably be better.
 
Thanks for the help. Ill propably grab a 360 GTX in the loop and see how it goes. Shame cause i wanted to use 1 radiator only inside the case tho.
 
360 GTX, you know about FPI and the fans you'll need?

If your not sure about the different rad charecteristics, or how to size your cooling vs your heatload, you should head to the stickies FIRST.
 
Have you checked your mounting pressure? Too much or too little can make temps go crazy
 
Thanks all for your fast replies. I've decided to go with an Aquacomputer Airplex XT 360 after all. According to them it can provide a 1000W heat dissipation when mounted with 3 x 120mm fans which should be good for my setup. Do you guys think that it will be enough or should i use the Swiftech rad as well? I dont believe that my mounting is the problem btw, it should be ok since i double checked it.
 
1000W? With what kind of fans and holding at what temps? I bet you'd need some screamers to get 1000W dissipated, like 4000RPM+
 
I know it sounds strange. Tbh i dont think something like that can be achieved lol. 1000W sounds a lot to me. That is using 3 fans at 3200 rpm. Thing is tho, i saw similar systems on the net with good temperatures using 2 x fan radiators so im a bit afraid that there might be something else going on.
 
The GTX480 is a huge heat monster, even at stock clocks, and you have a good OC going as well which adds to the heat; plus the CPU and its OC. You probably have 450-500W to dissipate, and a MCR220 just won't do the job well. I mean, it works because your GPU reaching 80C is within its thermal spec, but air cooling can do that. I'm 99.9% sure your problem is not enough rad.

What fans are you using or plan to use?
 
I'm pretty sure that 120.2 is enough rad for a single 480...unless you're not using fans or something. Also, never trust numbers from the company, always get numbers from an independent review. Speaking of which, have you looked at the equilibrium DT for an mcr320 (skinneelabs has the numbers) for your given fanspeed and heatload? You seem like you're flying pretty blind here.
 
Sry for the late reply, too much work lately. I have not looked at skinneelabs about that rad no, but when i looked for the mcr22qp it could handle a heat dissipation of around 200 - 250 if i am right. that was with an 1.5 GPM Flow. There were also some tests showing that using the specific rad with 1.5 GPM and a total of 320 W would raise the coolant temperature above ambient by 16 degrees which put me into thoughts as to why i have such huge temps on my card. On my current setup i have 2 x 120 fans spinning at 2000rpm. My mounting must be correct also since if the mount is bad i would see bad temps while idleing. ( Currently idleing at 38 degrees). Problems occur when the card is pressed were i suspect the rad is not enough to cool the water therefore the water is cycling hot giving me the bad results. In fact, water temperature went so high that i did start to have several licks due to pressure. Maybe my rad is failing dunno. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks again
 
The GTX480 is 250W at stock and your CPU is 95W, so that's 345W before adding voltage and overclocking. With the low FPI, thin MCR220, I just don't think it can handle what you're putting out.

You should check out Martin's Rad Optimizer spreadsheet.
 
That is a bad temp at idle. I had a 470 idleing in a better loop a few C above ambient. The amount of rad for a CPU/GPU loop is too little.
 
Ok, so i think i have pretty much concluded that the rad is not enough since everyone is saying the same thing. Now i just have to find a way to fit 2 rads on my Haf X :S. Thanks for all the help guys
 
Somewhat of a side tangent but related to the OP.

Where did you get GTX480 @ 250W? Not being a smart*** just curious because when I looked I could have sworn I saw TDP was 300W. Just wondering if you have a better source MattNo5ss or just going based on the spreadsheet?
 
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