Aftermarket VGA cooler for 980 ti in NCASE M1

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hippopotamusk
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:03 am

Aftermarket VGA cooler for 980 ti in NCASE M1

Post by hippopotamusk » Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:55 am

I just acquired an NCASE M1 for my first build. My first priority is cooling a GTX 980 ti quietly in it. I like the idea of using my own 120mm fans with an aftermarket VGA cooler like this (I think that's an Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV). I'd like to avoid any water-cooling, as seen in the most recent build guide with the M1.

Questions:
Would an aftermarket cooler with two 120mm fans yield quieter results than any stock 980 ti coolers?
Are there better options than the Accelero Xtreme IV and the MK-26? (that fit in the NCASE M1)
Would my two Noiseblocker M12-S1s be sufficient for a 980 ti with such an aftermarket cooler? (750rpm max)

This is my first build and first time posting, so I apologize if these questions are misplaced or ill-suited for this forum. If someone answered these questions already, please point me in the right direction. I did about as much research and forum-crawling as I could and this [H]ard|Forum post is the best I found.

Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: Aftermarket VGA cooler for 980 ti in NCASE M1

Post by Abula » Sat Jul 25, 2015 10:45 pm

Welcome to SPCR,
hippopotamusk wrote:I like the idea of using my own 120mm fans with an aftermarket VGA cooler like this (I think that's an Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV).
It might be, but the Accelero IV has a big backplate, that basically the way it cools the VRMs and the memory, without it, you will need to add some heatsinks to the VRMs and memory, like on the Accelero III.
hippopotamusk wrote:I'd like to avoid any water-cooling, as seen in the most recent build guide with the M1.
Personally i think its not such a good idea to put high end hardware in a small box, that said, this is a hobby and some of us like things that are out of the standard, take a loot at the following videos,
NCASE M1 Mini-ITX PC Case - A Space Saver Without Compromises?
SilverStone SG13 Computer Case - Small form factor with extreme versatility
The MOST Compact Gaming PC - Titan X & 18 Core Xeon CPU in a Shoebox
R9 Fury X vs GTX 980 Ti - Small Form Factor Gaming Showdown
hippopotamusk wrote:Would an aftermarket cooler with two 120mm fans yield quieter results than any stock 980 ti coolers?
In standard cases, most aftermarket coolers will be quieter than the slot design, that said, the Ncase M1 is a very small case with very little room, putting high end components inside will require good air circulation, a slot cooler can be a good options in these scenarios, not saying its better, but its tough to predict on such a small case. Personally i would probably go with Nvidia refrence, and if not quiet enough i would go with an Accelero III.
hippopotamusk wrote:Are there better options than the Accelero Xtreme IV and the MK-26? (that fit in the NCASE M1)
The best imo is the MK26, but you should forget about it, it wont fit the Ncase M1, there was one from Thermalright some years ago, but was discontinued, with that said, i think the best option if you go aftermarket for the Ncase would be the Accelero III.
hippopotamusk wrote:Would my two Noiseblocker M12-S1s be sufficient for a 980 ti with such an aftermarket cooler? (750rpm max)
The S1 even though they are rated at 750 accorindg to Noiseblocker, when i bought mine, they were 850rpms. One thing to consider is weather or not you will want to control the fans with the GPU PWM fan design. On my GTX780, i changed the nvidia reference toward accelero III and then IV, but the PWM fan design of the gpu was not standard, on the Accelero III i coudlnt control it, the fans ramp up and down at will, on the Accelero IV they change the way it works, you can now control the fans normally, that said, the lowest i could achieve with those were around 1000rpms, which was quiet, but not silent.

Now if you go with 120mm fans like the pictures you showed, my suggestion is to go with Scythe Gentle Typhoons, all the version undervolt well, around 350 rpms on Asus FanXpert2, reviewed by SPCR Fan Roundup #6: Scythe, Noiseblocker, Antec, Nexus, Thermalright, on the bottom they fans are going to be on horizontal placement where Scythe Gentle Typhoon, real ball bearing will be a better pick, i would probably use those fans even on the top, wonderful fans for high static pressure, and still very quiet if you need them to by undervolting or using a program like FanXpert2 or Speedfan. My suggestion is the 1150rpm version and undervolt it with software.

hippopotamusk
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:03 am

Re: Aftermarket VGA cooler for 980 ti in NCASE M1

Post by hippopotamusk » Sun Jul 26, 2015 2:42 am

Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate the feedback.
Love the Linus Tech videos, I referred to their NCASE review before purchasing mine.
Abula wrote:Personally i would probably go with Nvidia refrence, and if not quiet enough i would go with an Accelero III.
At this point, I'll likely do the same but perhaps not a reference. I have my eyes on the EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti SC+ right now—fans are off at idle at the least. Wondering if I could keep its slim backplate if I ever opt for something like the Accelero III.
Abula wrote:i think the best option if you go aftermarket for the Ncase would be the Accelero III.
Good to know about the Accelero IV backplate, effectively takes it out of the mix for me. I read a few posts indicating the heatsinks included with these VGA coolers rarely cool VRM and VRAM as well as the reference coolers do, which can sometimes make them redundant if the card throttles there.
Abula wrote:Now if you go with 120mm fans like the pictures you showed, my suggestion is to go with Scythe Gentle Typhoons
Everything I've read about the Gentle Typhoons sounds fantastic, but I happen to already have three Noiseblocker M12-S1s. If I dive into an Accelero III I'll be getting some of the 1150rpm ones as you suggested. Until then I'll probably have two S1s at the bottom blowing toward the card.

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