Artic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GTX280 NOT SLI compatible

[1006231255]

Both the Scan & Artic cooling website list this cooler as being SLI compatible. However, after spending the entire afternoon faffing around fitting the coolers to both of my GTX 285s, imagine my surprise when it turns out that they are NOT SLI compatible, in fact they are very far from it (to the tune of about 15mm) If I try to place them far apart (1 in a 16x slot and the other in the 8x slot & use a 90mm sli bridge chip) then the cooler hits the bottom of the case stopping you being able to plug it in.

Any suggestions?

[sammorris]

Probably because your motherboard does not have correct slot spacing. Such coolers are only SLi compatible if you have double slot spacing on your board, i.e. PCIE16, Something else, Something else, PCIE16. If you just have PCIE16, Something else, PCIE16, they will not work.

[Jasp]

Possibly a issue with your case not being big enough? with it hitting the bottom.

[GoNz0]

im afraid to say the case is your problem, not the motherboard designers.

i have the same issue with my board, last pcie slot is on the bottom of the board, 1 slot after that is my PSU. im lucky to have water cooling, but i had to buy a single slot pci bracket to mount my water cooled 8800GTX as a physics card.

[1006231255]

I have a Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 with double slot PCIe. These coolers actually cover 3 slots. Yes if the case had more room at the bottom you could fit it in the 8x slot but you'd need a case with 60mm clearance from the last slot. If you know of any top quality cases where this is the case I'd be interested to know. So far I've discounted all Lian Lis, Silverstone Temjins & coolermaster cosmos & Cosmos s.

[sammorris]

The EX58-UD5 is single slot spacing.

Just read the post though, and yes you need six PCI slot spaces. If your motherboard does not place the first PCIe slot in the first backplate, space will be tight. If it doesn't place it in the second either (such as a Maximus II Formula), you're screwed unless you use a case that puts the PSU at the bottom, and you don't put the PSU at the bottom.

[Jasp]

The EX58-UD5 is single slot spacing.

Just read the post though, and yes you need six PCI slot spaces. If your motherboard does not place the first PCIe slot in the first backplate, space will be tight. If it doesn't place it in the second either (such as a Maximus II Formula), you're screwed unless you use a case that puts the PSU at the bottom, and you don't put the PSU at the bottom.

Hmmzz just wondering if the haf 932 with the PSU mounted at the top would work, you would have to loose the top mounted fan but this would leave plenty of space at the bottom.

http://www.overclock.net/attachments...t-img_4164.jpg

[sammorris]

The HAF is my case. No PSU at the bottom would leave AMPLE room, and the big side fan area, with a 230, or four 120s as I have it, would cool well. You lose one or two 120mm fans at the top, but you can still use the third (it doesn't do much, but better than nothing) or put a 140mm fan in it (with the 120mm mounting holes, the Scythe Kaze Maru or whichever fan it is)

[1006231255]

So how are Artic Cooling defining 'SLI Compatible"? I've looked closely at the documentation and on the website and there are no caveats for this 'compatibility'

[sammorris]

Meaning the cooler does not inhibit the operation by either covering the crossfire bridge connector, taking up more than 2.9 slots, or becoming ineffectual when placed alongside another full length card.