8800GTS in a p180

[NL mkII]

Yo there peeps,

Got bored of playing Oblivion on low res so I've just ordered myself the EVGA 8800GTS ACS3 edition! Judging by what people have said and the power or these beasts I can only imagine that it is going to be an absolute furnace in my pc!

I'm just wondering whether I'm gonna need to put the extra fan on the front of the p180. With summer almost upon us my gut feeling says yes. What you all think?

 

[Leros]

You bought an 8800 but are questioning whether or not you need a $5 fan?

I'd say get it just in case. It won't hurt.

 

[sthaznpride17]

Adding a fan would be a good idea. I don't have the side panel to my case on because my 8800 runs hot and heats up everything else. I may have to go extreme for summer

 

[NL mkII]

Its not about the cost, I care much about the noise levels!

I know I could just get a really really quiet fan, but then is that gonna do anything anyway?

 

[NYHoustonman]

I have an 8800GTX and a P180 - and I've found that a PCI slot cooler below the card is almost needed. It lowered my idle temps from high 60's to 58-60C. I also have a front 120mm fan (Yate Loon - they're cheap, no reason to not have a few around for occasions such as this ) but I've never tried operating it without.

 

[NL mkII]

That sounds like a good idea, any good reviews of PCI slot coolers?

 

[gramboh]

I don't have a front fan for mine (just the stock 3 Antec fans on low/low/med) and my EVGA 8800GTS 640mb @ 600/1900 idles at 57 and peaks in the low 70s. A slot cooler is probably the most efficienct thing to do if you are concerned though. Not sure on brands.

 

[Boyo]

Get a slot fan and I think you will be good to go.

 

[mooncancook]

I think a slot cooler make more sense if the video card exhaust hot air into the case instead of exhausting out the rear. Why not add a quiet intake fan to draw more cool air into your case. I even inverted the top exhaust fan to be an intake and it makes a difference for my setup because it draws cool air that immediately cools my ram and CPU, while I think the CPU HSF, rear exhaust fan, and VGA cooler are enough for exhaust purpose.

 

[idiotekniQues]

i had a yate loon in the front as an intake fan, it made zero difference on my cpu temps when i took it out.

i gave it away though so i cant test it out with my 8800gts now, but my temps are fine the way i am now.

 

[PClark99]

the video card does through heat out the back of the case in the lower slot.

It won't get as hot in there as you think.

 

[NL mkII]

Yeah, however the 8800 is such a large card it will impede overall airflow so it might be worth getting another quiet fan on the front to get the air moving around a bit more.

 

[NickelPlate]

I'm a quiet freak too. Here's a super easy case mod. I did this on an Antec Sonata but it would work with anything. I went down to my local ACE hardware and had them cut a piece of acrylic for me and mounted the whole thing to the case with magnetic tape. I mounted a 250mm fan to the side and it has solved ALL of my issues with heat and blows on top of everything. I have a fan mate 2 connected to the side fan and run it on low most of the time and it spins around 500 rpm. My system is not "silent" but extremely quiet and runs cool. The picture looks like there is no side panel but there is, it's just transparent.

http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture001fk2.jpg

 

[Deadalus]

Originally posted by: NickelPlate
I mounted a 250mm fan to the side and it has solved ALL of my issues with heat and blows on top of everything.

Wow!

Incidentally, is that the Zalman 9500 or the 9700?

 

[nZone]

I used pci cooler (the 2 slots from Antec -- Super Cyclone). Or you could tape-off the heat vent on the GTS; this is where the heat is coming from.

 

[Fraggable]

My 8800GTS hasn't had much impact on overall temps in my P180. I moved the 3rd fan from the bottom compartment to the front of the case because I like to run wires through that area of the case and airflow seems ok. I also have 2 hard drives right in front of the fan and that can't help airflow but I'm too lazy to move them to the bottom.

 

[NickelPlate]

Originally posted by: Deadalus

Originally posted by: NickelPlate
I mounted a 250mm fan to the side and it has solved ALL of my issues with heat and blows on top of everything.

Wow!

Incidentally, is that the Zalman 9500 or the 9700?

It is the 9700NT.

 

[idiotekniQues]

Originally posted by: gramboh
I don't have a front fan for mine (just the stock 3 Antec fans on low/low/med) and my EVGA 8800GTS 640mb @ 600/1900 idles at 57 and peaks in the low 70s. A slot cooler is probably the most efficienct thing to do if you are concerned though. Not sure on brands.

yyup. me too.

except i have two of my tri-cools on medium and my temps get to the mid 70's, even with my heat on pretty high during the recent cold spell.

fyi to the OP, i had a yate loon middle intake fan and it did zero for my cpu temps. i took it out before i got my 8800gts