Need GPU cooling advice...

[hexicGrind]

I just recently got into overclocking. Pushed my i7 960 to 4.05ghz and put in an H60 to compensate for the temp (runs high 70s to low 80s under stress, which is fine).

I put in a second Radeon HD 5770 (crossfire), and now I cannot keep the temperature under control, even when both are not oc'd... I have 4x 120mm fans (doing push/pull). The radiator for the H60 is sandwiched between 2x 80mm (i think they are 80s) fans, pointing the same direction (into the case).

I have no more slots for fans on my rig, and am trying to avoid gpu water blocks due to my inexperience, but I will go there if I need to.

Is there a case I can buy with extreme air cooling? Self contained water system I don't need to mount onto each gpu? Are gpu water blocks easier than they seem?

Thanks tons. I cannot wait to fix this so I can get back to playing BF3 at max settings with 50-70 fps...



Edit: I read somewhere that an inadequate power supply could cause gpu overheating. AMD recommends 600w for 2x 5770 crossfire, and i'm running a 750w. Just wanted to clarify that isn't an issue here.

 

[EarthDog]

I cant picture your airflow... why do you have a 'push/pull' fan config without a radiator betweem them? What case do you have?

For most cases your airflow should be:

Front/Sides = Intake
Top/Rear = Exhaust

Not sure where that H60 is located, Im assuming on the rear fan location...if so, flip that to exhaust. Yes, it will raise CPU temps a bit, but that will give your case better airflow.

 

[hexicGrind]

The radiator is for the H60 cpu cooler, which is sandwiched between 2x intake fans at the rear. I have 1x side, 1x top, and the 2x (sandwiched) radiator fans at rear as intake, and the other 1x top fan as exhaust. The case is NZXT Lexa S.

Edit: I originally had the radiator fans as exhaust, i'll turn them around if I need to but I changed them to intake to squeeze the 4ghz out of my proc.
Also: The top fan that is exhaust is very close to the radiator, the idea being to bring cool air from outside to cool the radiator better and then push the just-warmed cpu air back out of the case.

 

[EarthDog]

IMO, you will get better temps out of the GPU's if you have proper air flow. You do not.

Again...

Front/Sides = Intake
Top/Rear = Exhaust

Try that and see if it helps the GPU. It wont matter if you lower your o/c to compensate. H60 isnt exactly a great cooler in the first place (High end air beats it).

 

[hexicGrind]

I switched around the fans to what you said and did a stress test. The cpu is running about 5 degrees cooler, but no change in the gpus.

The H60, while not the best, is keeping my cpu 20-30 degrees cooler than I need it. But since it only cools the cpu, and not the gpus, it's clearly not a factor here.....

 

[grumperfish]

Do you have a manual fan profile set on the GPU's (not experienced with crossfire so I don't know if it's more complex than with a single card & Afterburner)? Might need to set the fans more aggressively.

 

[hexicGrind]

I have both GPUs set at 100% fan at all times when playing games, to no avail.

edit: So clearly you can see why I am exploring more aggressive methods of GPU cooling (more air-cooling optimized case, gpu water blocks, etc), because simply changing the airflow in my case is not sufficient.....

 

[Conumdrum]

Your GPUs are right next to each other? A SMALL space between them? Your need massive airflow.

That means you buy a bigger case, more fans, and mod some high speed fans to blow as much cool air into the teeny slot between the cards. And (I know) the first card still starves for good temps.

If you have a 3x PCI mobo, and the 3rd slot allows for a good PCI speed, use it for more spacing, it helps a lot.

If not, welcome to overclocking and pushing the envelope. Your budget has just gone up, or you drop to one card and no overclocking.

I forsee getting rid of the weak H60, a CPU/GPU SLI watercooling setup. Need 120x4 minimum radiator area, probably a new case to fit it inside.

Welcome to overclocking!

We have some awesome stickies in the WC section, and not just the beginners guide, lots to learn and tons of fun.

What's your budget?

 

[hexicGrind]

It is a dual-gpu capable motherboard. The case has plenty of room (designed with slots and accessibility for any water cooling systems). The 4x 120mm fans help, but are clearly not sufficient.

I can drop $200-$400 on cooling for each gpu. I highly respect the overclockers.com community, and would like to get some feedback before I take the next step as this is uncharted territory for me. It would also be preferable to choose an option with some degree of scale-ability, although in the grand scheme of things, it is not necessary.

Sincerely, thanks in advance.