GPU editions better if going to water cool?

[Juan71287]

Hi all. So I am new at this and need some help.

I been seeing a lot of videos online and something came to mind because of what someone said. He mentioned that his 1080 SC comes with better clock speeds right out of the box and better blower fans and ACX 3.0 cooler so he will get better thermals. That made me think and ask this question.

Would the cheapest 1080 or 980/Ti be able to OC and do everything the same way an expensive 1080 or 980/Ti with SC and ACX coolers if I am going to take everything off the card for water cooling?

If my questions is hard to understand I'll try to explain again. Since I don't know much I know it might not make sense.

Thanks.

 

[EarthDog]

it should... yes. However, the power delivery systems on some of the higher end cards are more robust allowing for more power and more stable power to reach the GPU/Memory. If you plan to push your overclocks under water, I would make sure the card is not a 'reference' design as far as the PCB/Power delivery.

 

[Juan71287]

Thanks so much for the information. Appreciated.

How would I know if it's not reference for the PCB and power delivery

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Look at a picture of the PCB beside a picture of a reference PCB.

If you're not planning to mod the BIOS, go reference with a nice full cover block.
A good full cover block will also water cool the VRM's, keeping their temp way down.

If you're planning to mod the BIOS you want to stick to a modified PCB, but you'll want to double check there is a block for it first.

 

[LoneWolf121188]

Is it possible to have a board with better power delivery but will still fit a reference waterblock? Looking at some of the early reviews, it seems like the card is going to be very power limited under water...I'd really like to get a card with better power delivery, but still use a reference waterblock. Non-reference waterblocks are usually harder to find, a little more expensive, and harder to sell when you upgrade!

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Is it possible to have a board with better power delivery but will still fit a reference waterblock? Looking at some of the early reviews, it seems like the card is going to be very power limited under water...I'd really like to get a card with better power delivery, but still use a reference waterblock. Non-reference waterblocks are usually harder to find, a little more expensive, and harder to sell when you upgrade!

Possible, but not probable.

 

[EarthDog]

It's power limited from the bios really...not so much the physical VRM area.

 

[LoneWolf121188]

I was thinking about the power connectors...6 pin vs 8 pin vs 6+8 pin...more watts!!

 

[EarthDog]

Doesn't matter much when the bios limits it. You would have to modify the BIOS to get any more out of more power connectors... there is also some built in headroom.

 

[Vellinious]

Some of the cards will have a higher power limit set in the stock bios. The FTW / Classy versions of the 1080 immediately come to mind. However....they still look pretty low, and will still probably end up needing a bios flash. The nice thing about some of the aftermarket pcbs, is that they come with dual / triple bios. Completely removes the possible dangers involved with bios flashing.