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Other => CPU/GPU Bitcoin mining hardware => Topic started by: vesperwillow on November 20, 2013, 08:19:27 PM



Title: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 20, 2013, 08:19:27 PM
I find myself in need of some aftermarket coolers. I like the Accelero Hybrid 7970, but the price is loopey. The Accelero Extreme 3 7970 is priced right, but they're out of stock everywhere. Deepcool Dracula has dropped off the planet.

Am I missing something, why have all the reference 7970/7950 cooling options disappeared? What do we do ?


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: HellDiverUK on November 20, 2013, 08:20:22 PM
What do we do ?

Get with the times and buy an ASIC.  ???


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 20, 2013, 08:26:05 PM
What do we do ?

Get with the times and buy an ASIC.  ???

This isn't for mining bitcoin. i figured I'd ask here, however, since many folks have GPU experience.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: frojoe on November 20, 2013, 08:30:12 PM
Watercool?


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 20, 2013, 08:33:09 PM
That's what the Accelero Hybrid 7970 does, but it's twice as much as the Extreme 3 7970. The latter is what I want but nobody has them in stock.

The Deepcool Dracula is a nice option too, but again, can't be found anywhere. 3 international sellers on ebay have them for a 200% markup.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: HellDiverUK on November 20, 2013, 08:36:29 PM
What do we do ?

Get with the times and buy an ASIC.  ???

This isn't for mining bitcoin. i figured I'd ask here, however, since many folks have GPU experience.

Ah, sorry. :)  Umm...I guess now that most manufacturers have got their act together with cooling, there's not so much need for aftermarket ones.

I suppose eBay would be a decent place to start - you might get used ones.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 20, 2013, 08:38:40 PM
What do we do ?

Get with the times and buy an ASIC.  ???

This isn't for mining bitcoin. i figured I'd ask here, however, since many folks have GPU experience.

Ah, sorry. :)  Umm...I guess now that most manufacturers have got their act together with cooling, there's not so much need for aftermarket ones.

I suppose eBay would be a decent place to start - you might get used ones.

The aftermarket units are still 2x quieter and better at cooling, hence one of the reasons I'm looking for these particular units.

Not to mention, MSI is probably going to grow tired of me constantly sending back pallets of video cards under warranty because the fans are dying haha.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: madcratebuilder on November 21, 2013, 12:09:11 PM
I have some Sapphire vapor-x gpus, they run 68C with 50% fan, 24/7.  VRM's run about 10C higher.  There are so many different variations in the 7950/7990 cards that it's hard to find any cooling options right now.  I have looked for water blocks for mine and can't find one that fits Sapphire.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 21, 2013, 03:59:29 PM
Yeah it's funny, I started looking the past few days, and quantities for certain cooling options were good across several sites.. Amazon, Newegg, ebay, other computer sites. Then, quantities starting dropping quick. Also, it looks like some companies aren't making coolers for the reference/79xx designs any more, which isn't helping.

After some reviews and talking to some folks who are into hard core GPU abuse, I went with a bunch of Prolimatech MK26 universal coolers. Had to scrounge across the net to find enough using several vendors. So if any of you folks see 'sold out' on that particular model, you can thank me lol.

I had also considered simply getting a bunch of closed-loop liquid coolers (Corsair H55 for example), and then a 20x20x.5mm copper shim, as many have done that with great success. Price-wise it came out the same as using the Prolimatech units, though in talking to the GPU abusers, the Prolimatech edged out closed-loop liquid cooling by being quieter. Temps were equal to 2 degrees cooler, depending on factors.

Plus, the Prolimatech is bolt-on whereas the custom liquid cooling would require more effort on my part.

Hope this helps anyone also looking. Any questions let me know.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: YipYip on November 21, 2013, 10:23:52 PM
Yeah it's funny, I started looking the past few days, and quantities for certain cooling options were good across several sites.. Amazon, Newegg, ebay, other computer sites. Then, quantities starting dropping quick. Also, it looks like some companies aren't making coolers for the reference/79xx designs any more, which isn't helping.

After some reviews and talking to some folks who are into hard core GPU abuse, I went with a bunch of Prolimatech MK26 universal coolers. Had to scrounge across the net to find enough using several vendors. So if any of you folks see 'sold out' on that particular model, you can thank me lol.

I had also considered simply getting a bunch of closed-loop liquid coolers (Corsair H55 for example), and then a 20x20x.5mm copper shim, as many have done that with great success. Price-wise it came out the same as using the Prolimatech units, though in talking to the GPU abusers, the Prolimatech edged out closed-loop liquid cooling by being quieter. Temps were equal to 2 degrees cooler, depending on factors.

Plus, the Prolimatech is bolt-on whereas the custom liquid cooling would require more effort on my part.

Hope this helps anyone also looking. Any questions let me know.

Gelid ICy VIsion works for 79xx & the new 280/290x cards



Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 22, 2013, 04:20:10 PM
I considered it until I saw it in comparison with some others at independent review sites. The Prolimatech blew it away.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: winner999 on November 23, 2013, 08:48:31 PM
I find myself in need of some aftermarket coolers. I like the Accelero Hybrid 7970, but the price is loopey. The Accelero Extreme 3 7970 is priced right, but they're out of stock everywhere. Deepcool Dracula has dropped off the planet.

Am I missing something, why have all the reference 7970/7950 cooling options disappeared? What do we do ?

Take a look at Corsair H60, it can be mounted on 7950/7970 if you have some basic "modding" skills :D


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: B.T.Coin on November 24, 2013, 01:15:15 AM
I'm in the same boat as you are.
My MSI 7950 fans are also grinding to a halt and I need another solution.
I'm also very surprised that all accelero extreme 7970's have disappeared into nowhere.

I'm currently looking at this option:
http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-vga-supreme-hf-hd7970-cu-adapter.html
I think that this will allow us to mount almost any other aftermarket cooler to the 7950 but I still have to order one to try.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: verloren on November 24, 2013, 02:06:14 AM
GPU Cool or Kepler Dynamics Sigma Cool.

GPU Cool can be used with any AIO water cooler on market

SigmaCool is limited to Antec 620/920, Zalman AIO CPU coolers, NZXT X40/X60 or the previous generation of Corsair AIOs.

Still cheaper than a custom water system.

I'm currently looking at this option:
http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-vga-supreme-hf-hd7970-cu-adapter.html
I think that this will allow us to mount almost any other aftermarket cooler to the 7950 but I still have to order one to try.
Mounting holes on a VGA card are different than the ones for a CPU.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: slikes on November 24, 2013, 04:47:25 AM
I find myself in need of some aftermarket coolers. I like the Accelero Hybrid 7970, but the price is loopey. The Accelero Extreme 3 7970 is priced right, but they're out of stock everywhere. Deepcool Dracula has dropped off the planet.

Am I missing something, why have all the reference 7970/7950 cooling options disappeared? What do we do ?

Take a look at Corsair H60, it can be mounted on 7950/7970 if you have some basic "modding" skills :D

I tried that with my 7950s. Even with heatsinks, the vrms reached 120C. It didn't really work out for me. If you want to try it, it's pretty popular on overclock.net.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1203636/official-amd-ati-gpu-mod-club-aka-the-red-mod (http://www.overclock.net/t/1203636/official-amd-ati-gpu-mod-club-aka-the-red-mod)


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: B.T.Coin on November 24, 2013, 08:32:40 AM
I'm currently looking at this option:
http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-vga-supreme-hf-hd7970-cu-adapter.html
I think that this will allow us to mount almost any other aftermarket cooler to the 7950 but I still have to order one to try.
Mounting holes on a VGA card are different than the ones for a CPU.

Yes, I know. I meant almost any other GPU cooler on the market.
On the 7950 / 7970 the GPU die is placed at a 45-degree angle on the PCB and surrounded by a metal box that is higher than the GPU die, which makes it impossible to use any other GPU coolers, unless you use the adapter I pointed to.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: clicksmoney on November 24, 2013, 09:34:27 AM
Since I'm unsure of the purpose of GPU use I consider you might be doing something rather very heavy duty. *wink*

Here's a Mineral Oil article from earlier in the year:-
http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/06/password-crackers-go-green-by-immersing-their-gpus-in-mineral-oil/ (http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/06/password-crackers-go-green-by-immersing-their-gpus-in-mineral-oil/)


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: verloren on November 24, 2013, 12:33:17 PM
I'm currently looking at this option:
http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-vga-supreme-hf-hd7970-cu-adapter.html
I think that this will allow us to mount almost any other aftermarket cooler to the 7950 but I still have to order one to try.
Mounting holes on a VGA card are different than the ones for a CPU.

Yes, I know. I meant almost any other GPU cooler on the market.
On the 7950 / 7970 the GPU die is placed at a 45-degree angle on the PCB and surrounded by a metal box that is higher than the GPU die, which makes it impossible to use any other GPU coolers, unless you use the adapter I pointed to.
I think most aftermarket heatsinks for GPUs (Gelid, Accelero etc) have built in ways around it.

What I meant in my prev. message was a difficulty in slapping on a CPU cooler due to mounting brackets. The contact between the cooler and the GPU wouldn't be a problem with that shim.

People have zip-tied AIO water coolers to a GPU before.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: tom99 on November 24, 2013, 01:32:24 PM
I think you better off with Accelero Xtreme 7970 and it's work better http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dracula-7970-accelero-xtreme-7970-review,3288.html

I already installed one on MSI HD 7970 TwinFrozr III OC Boost Edition and I got 4 cards but I still need to change one burned fan.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: B.T.Coin on November 24, 2013, 08:12:40 PM
I think you better off with Accelero Xtreme 7970 and it's work better http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dracula-7970-accelero-xtreme-7970-review,3288.html

I already installed one on MSI HD 7970 TwinFrozr III OC Boost Edition and I got 4 cards but I still need to change one burned fan.

Yes, I know. This is the one I want too but they are not for sale anymore and nobody has any stock left :(


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 25, 2013, 02:18:08 PM
The Prolimatech Mk26 beat out the Accelero products, including the Hybrid closed loop liquid cooler, by 1-2* in 3 independent tests. The Accelero systems were my top choice until that point.

Larger dissipation area + larger fans.

Yeah, as I mentioned above, you can get a copper shim and use most any generic cooler if you need to. I think the reason a lot of 79xx coolers have been disappearing en-masse is because of people like me who have a bunch of cards with fans dying all at once.

I could keep shipping them back to MSI, but this is just the better option overall.


Title: Re: Aftermarket cooling for 7950/7970 Cards - Where are the options?
Post by: vesperwillow on November 25, 2013, 02:20:49 PM
Also to the gent who mentioned high VRM temps with the liquid cooling, you have to use  heatsinks on them and the memory, and then provide a 120mm or larger fan to blow on them. That's how the Accelero hybrid works, and it does a fine job.