Question about 6850 cards, and heat exhausting.

Now that i'm 99% set on buying a Radeon 6850 GFX card, I keep looking at options for either non-reference cooling (such as this ASUS), or possibly an aftermarket VGA Heatsink & fan.

Essentially, I want the heat generated by graphics to be vented out the back of the case (since i'm looking to change my current Antec P180 downsized to something much more compact - possibly a shuttle, or much more likely a Silverstone SUGO or similar).
I remember some years ago Arctic Cooling used to make many products such as this, however their website shows that the most recent graphics card supported by that style was an Nvidia 5900 !! :surprised:

I also remember HIS producing a whole bunch of GFX cards based on the arctic cooling principle, and whilst i can find an 6850 with their claimed "ICE-Q" Heatsink & fan system, it actually looks to be a standard (non rear-venting) system from what I can tell.

I have then come across this Antec VCool device which would seem to do much of what i'm after, however appears to a) not physically connect to the graphics card, but simply sit beside it and therefore b) would mean that a single graphics card would then take up 4 slots...:juggle:

Am I missing anything? Logic tells me that hot air is still best vented away from other internal components instead of being left to swirl around and heat everything up, but maybe i'm wrong?

http://www.behardware.com/articles/7...teristics.html

Can't be much more help I'm afraid but the numbers should be there (no 3870 either..).

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Originally Posted by MSIC

I have then come across this Antec VCool device which would seem to do much of what i'm after, however appears to a) not physically connect to the graphics card, but simply sit beside it and therefore b) would mean that a single graphics card would then take up 4 slots...:juggle:

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That cooler appears to be an intake rather than exhaust - so if your GPU is expelling hot air in the same area you'll have a nearly closed loop for the heat! You might also wish to check the noise profile too.

My current graphics card dumps most of the heat in the case - which is fine in winter but really not any good in the summer - I had to have the case side off when it was hot as the cooling in my case is dire. I'd certainly advocate a card that dumps all heat outside the case (or get a case with good cooling).

Blimey, I hadnt noticed that it was in intake.... that seems bizzare to me!
A quick google search shows this review, and you are quite right. (Also, that reviewer's own data shows very minimal reductions of heat, and so i'd disagree with his conclusions).

I thought the reference cooler vented at the rear.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-a...-d-hdmi-minidp
Why not one of these ?

i would have thought buying something with an improved cooler already on it would be the best way to go. Something like a Vapour-X?

Indeed I think you may be correct Phage...
That air is contained within a red 'tube' that is exhausted out of the case via the exhaust vent that can be seen on the PCI panel bracket.
This causes me to wonder though, that if this method is effective, why is nearly every card that you can actually buy using a totally different style of cooling? (I also want it to be quiet - yes I want my cake and to eat it!!)

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Originally Posted by Biscuit

i would have thought buying something with an improved cooler already on it would be the best way to go. Something like a Vapour-X?

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You might well be correct, but my logical brain continues to ponder that 'improved cooling' shouldnt only be about cooling the immediate GPU chip, but to also consider the heat within the case as a whole.
Maybe it's just me?
Please keep the opinions, experiences, discussions and links coming though, it's all good.

http://www.ixbt.com/video3/images/ba...oler-small.jpg

I'm still confused.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MSIC

Indeed I think you may be correct Phage...
That air is contained within a red 'tube' that is exhausted out of the case via the exhaust vent that can be seen on the PCI panel bracket.
This causes me to wonder though, that if this method is effective, why is nearly every card that you can actually buy using a totally different style of cooling? (I also want it to be quiet - yes I want my cake and to eat it!!)

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This is the compromise. The reference cooler will exhaust outside the case, but it not as quiet or as efficient (for the GPU) as dumping inside the case. You can see how this would be true, as moving air along that red duct and away, would be noisier and less efficient than just letting the hot air spin out in all directions.

The question is, how much heat can you deal with inside the case ? If you have a large OC on the CPU, a poorly ventilated case or similar, then a reference design may be a better deal. OTOH, if you have plenty of airflow, and if your other components are relatively heat insensitive then one of the other designs would likely be a better fit.

I am looking at HD6850 cards which vent the exhaust out of the case too.

Ulti has the following HD6850 1GB:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-x...-dvi-i-hdmi-dp

It seems to vent the exhaust out of the case although Ulti has not confirmed this when I asked him:

http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardwa...-pictures.html


The HD6850 1GB Toxic does vent the exhaust out of the case but requires a pair of PCI-E power connectors:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-s...vi-hdmi-2x-mdp


The Sapphire and Powercolor HD6850 1GB cards may vent the exhaust out of the case too but I cannot confirm this ATM:

http://www.thinkcomputers.org/sapphi...o-card-review/

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon...w-32056-6.html

Another alternative is to use the Akasa Vortexx Neo aftermarket cooler:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa...e-blue-led-fan

It did fit on my HD3870 and HD4830 but I am not sure if it will work with the HD6850.

CAT: can't see how that XFX is going to vent more than a little air out of the case since it's using two axial blowing fans - the air will spread following contact with the PCB and while *some* will undoubtedly be forced out of the rear vent the majority is going to circulate back into the case. The only coolers that *can* vent the majority of the hot air out of the case must have a radial fan at the far end of the PCB, as that's the only way you'll get significant movement of air towards the back of the case.

As long as you have sufficient air flow in the case using a non-venting graphics card isn't a problem: the only real question then is whether you can fit sufficient fans and venting elsewhere in the case to compensate for the extra heat from the graphics card. In anything down to a standard mATX tower this should be a problem, as you should easily be able to add a couple of quiet cooling fans. It only starts being a problem in very confined cases like cubes, shuttles and mITX. However, as other people have mentioned, if you get a shuttle then choose a rear-venting card, it will be somewhat noisier.

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Originally Posted by scaryjim

CAT: can't see how that XFX is going to vent more than a little air out of the case since it's using two axial blowing fans - the air will spread following contact with the PCB and while *some* will undoubtedly be forced out of the rear vent the majority is going to circulate back into the case. The only coolers that *can* vent the majority of the hot air out of the case must have a radial fan at the far end of the PCB, as that's the only way you'll get significant movement of air towards the back of the case.

As long as you have sufficient air flow in the case using a non-venting graphics card isn't a problem: the only real question then is whether you can fit sufficient fans and venting elsewhere in the case to compensate for the extra heat from the graphics card. In anything down to a standard mATX tower this should be a problem, as you should easily be able to add a couple of quiet cooling fans. It only starts being a problem in very confined cases like cubes, shuttles and mITX. However, as other people have mentioned, if you get a shuttle then choose a rear-venting card, it will be somewhat noisier.

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I have a Shuttle so I need a card which vents air out of the case.

Remember too, for some reason, the reference cooler isn't completely closed either. You can see it in the photo above, the red section deosn't go all the way to the back of the case and a gap is left for some air to escape into the case anyway.

Sounds like a good idea for an article. Have the reference design tested against one of the better performing coolers that vent into the case, and test to see just how much difference it makes to internal component temperatures. Obviously the poorer the cases airflow the more effect rear exhaust will have so could be interested to try the same over a couple of case airflow setups.

I saw a 4C drop on my CPU temps (Realtemp) when I moved from a 4890 Vapor-X to a reference 5870. The 5870 vents out the back, the V-X in the case.

It looks like it is a choice between an HD6850 Toxic or a reference HD6870 or HD5850.