Best cooling solution for a HAF XB quadfire setup?

[Slomo4shO]

I currently have all fan slots filled (2x 80mm at bottom, 1x 120mm rear, and 200mm top but am currently looking for replacement fans) and a Seidon 240M mounted in the front in push configuration with stock fans (looking for fans for a push/pull config).

The CPU temps are bearable and the drives remain cool. The issue I am running into is the GPUs. I currently have a quadfire setup with 4 MSI TF3 7950 and the 3rd card is having a real difficult time maintaining acceptable temperatures. Under load, cards 1 and 2 remain around 85C and card 4 usually sits at 73C but card 3 goes above 103C. I have tried both intake and exuaust for the top fan and didn't see any noticeable difference in load temps.

Besides an extreme custom water loop, what steps can I take to reduce the temps of this GPU? I do have a spare Seidon 120M with which I may be able to red mod the 3rd card and mount the radiator to rear exhaust but this would leave the memory and VRM exposed. Thanks.

 

[Smoblikat]

Not much. You could either get a water loop, or some aftermarket air coolers.

 

[Slomo4shO]

Do you have any product recommendations or retail sites for custom cooling? I am seeing that the water blocks alone are going to cost around $500

 

[Face2Face]

There is not much you really can do without spending a ton of money on a custom loop. Open air coolers like the 7950 TF3's are not very good for a quadfire setup. Even aftermarket coolers will take up more than two slots like the one I have(Accelero 7970) and the Arctic Hybrid setup. You might be able to sell or trade one of two of your cards for a reference cards? I assume you use this setup for mining? For now you can you try to downclock the third card and undervolt it as much as possible? Can you post a picture of you setup?

EDIT: Maybe you could find a TTT/Dwood bracket with a fan attachment. I believe they are only two slots?? You could use the Seidon 120mm with it or get it to work.

Like this

 

[Nec_V20]

I also have the HAF XB case and I would suggest that you get yourself a combination of fans for your water cooler. You should set it up so that you have the air being drawn into the case and pushed through the radiator.

This of course means sucking in dust and then you will end up with a clogged radiator over time. I got over this by placing these over the fans:
http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/p/120mm-Aluminium-Fan-Filter-Black_140.html

The problem is though that the screws to attach the H100i which I have were not long enough. This is easily remedied by buying eight of these (6/32*35mm):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phobya-6-32-35mm-Cross-Screw/dp/B004CLE6IK

Now you want a fan that will actually push air through the radiator and I would suggest these to you (Noctua NF-F12):
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=42&lng=en

On the other side of the radiator you should put in fans which will spread out the air so I would go with something like these (NF-S12A FLX)
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=55&lng=en

The fans pushing the air through the radiator can be set by PWM to vary according to how much CPU cooling you need, however the fans on the other side should be set to running full speed (which is why you would want a silent fan which the Noctua is).

The Seidon 200M is identical to the original Corsair H100. I would go with the Corsair H100i if I were you, which has better cooling performance.

 

[Slomo4shO]

I am ordering new case fans this weekend and am trying to decide between the following:

Noctua NF-P12
BitFinix Spectre Pro
Antec True Quite Pro
Corsair SP120 quite or performance editions.

Also considering Antec True Quite and SilenX EFX-12-12 since they match the aesthetics of the Z87-WS

Obviously the Noctua are the best choice of the lot but they are also hideous. Also, the Seidon 240M performs slightly better with the same fans since it has the better pump. Asus's Fan Xpert 2 software performs well enough that there really is no need to pay a premium for the H100i

I have already clocked the 3rd card to 869MHz (from 960MHz) at .975V and it still exceeds 100C.

EDIT: Maybe you could find a TTT/Dwood bracket with a fan attachment. I believe they are only two slots?? You could use the Seidon 120mm with it or get it to work.

Dwood hasn't taken any orders for months now. I would be happy to pick a couple up if I can learn where I can buy these brackets.

 

[Nec_V20]

Whichever fans you choose make sure they have a square frame and not a round frame. Otherwise you will not get the air pushed through the radiator for the amount of revs the fan does.

 

[spat55]

There is not much you really can do without spending a ton of money on a custom loop. Open air coolers like the 7950 TF3's are not very good for a quadfire setup. Even aftermarket coolers will take up more than two slots like the one I have(Accelero 7970) and the Arctic Hybrid setup. You might be able to sell or trade one of two of your cards for a reference cards? I assume you use this setup for mining? For now you can you try to downclock the third card and undervolt it as much as possible? Can you post a picture of you setup?

EDIT: Maybe you could find a TTT/Dwood bracket with a fan attachment. I believe they are only two slots?? You could use the Seidon 120mm with it or get it to work.

Like this

Static

 

[Skott]

Noctua is best IMO. I use them in my builds.

 

[Face2Face]

What's going on with Dwood? is he out of the business? or just taking a break?

 

[Slomo4shO]

What's going on with Dwood? is he out of the business? or just taking a break?

Your guess is as good as mine.


I ordered some CLU and plan on changing the paste on the cards later this week. I'll post the results.

 

[Slomo4shO]

CLU still hasn't shipped so not sure if I will get it by this weekend

Nonetheless, I have 2 Noctua NF-R8 PWM and 6 NF-F12 PWM fans on their way and should arrive today or Thursday and I should be able to get a rough estimate of temps with the new fans installed and maybe the stock TIM replaced with MX-4.


Also, anyone have any recommendations for a replacement for the CM MegaFlow 200 that actually fits the top 200mm mounting holes of the HAF XB?

 

[Face2Face]

CLU still hasn't shipped so not sure if I will get it by this weekend

Nonetheless, I have 2 Noctua NF-R8 PWM and 6 NF-F12 PWM fans on their way and should arrive today or Thursday and I should be able to get a rough estimate of temps with the new fans installed and maybe the stock TIM replaced with MX-4.


Also, anyone have any recommendations for a replacement for the CM MegaFlow 200 that actually fits the top 200mm mounting holes of the HAF XB?

Let me know how the CLU does. I have an unopened one sitting here. I was going to delid my cpu, but decided not too. I am interested to see how it does on a gpu. Be careful, it's conductive and make sure not to slob it on there.

 

[Slomo4shO]

Let me know how the CLU does. I have an unopened one sitting here. I was going to delid my cpu, but decided not too. I am interested to see how it does on a gpu. Be careful, it's conductive and make sure not to slob it on there.

I had to order the CLU through a different vendor as the merchant I originally ordered from ended up being out of stock. It is expected to arrive on Thursday :whiste: I got lazy and decided to wait for the CLU instead of using the MX-4 for a week.

I did load up the case with the Noctua fans but see no discernible difference in temperatures however the case does look hideous and it is quieter now :twisted:. I also ordered an Asus Maximus VI Extreme and will be replacing the Asus Z87-WS later this week.

 

[adnank77]

I have a question beside the main point if you would allow me ..

What are you using QuadFire setup for ? If it's gaming, what resolution you game at ?

 

[Slomo4shO]

What are you using QuadFire setup for ? If it's gaming, what resolution you game at ?

5760x1080 gaming and mining when I am not gaming. Will likely move to a 2 or 3 card setup around black friday if I can find some solid deals on the new AMD R7 lineup which is expected to release in late October.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Honestly, with quadfire, water is your best bet. It is pricey (so is quadfire..) but I'd recommend going full custom loop. Do full coverage blocks on all 4 cards, pick up a bridge that fits and cram and much radiator as you can fit in the HAF XB.

Especially if you plan to mine, the heat the cards can kick out under those circumstances is pretty staggering, much more so than gaming scenarios.

edit: I see you are looking for next gen. I'd say spend nothing on cooling now, and when the new gen comes out, go full coverage blocks and water.

 

[Slomo4shO]

edit: I see you are looking for next gen. I'd say spend nothing on cooling now, and when the new gen comes out, go full coverage blocks and water.

This may be necessary if I decide to go with 3 or 4 cards. I don't want to spend $4-500 on GPU water blocks just to sell them in 3-4 months. I will likely need to switch to a larger case or get creative with the reservoir and pump placement in the HAF XB. I would want 3 radiators in the XB if I stick with the current case. 200mm top rad, 120mm back rad, and 240mm front rad.