Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB (GV-N460OC-1GI) SLI HELP!

[Dark Mantis]

Oh well that was a shame(that the fan didn't help, not that you weren't a noob ).

I think I would be tempted to try turning the top fan around and trying it as an intake and see what difference it made. Normally you would expect to exhaust hot air from the top but in your situation it might just help.

[Lindrian]

Oh well that was a shame(that the fan didn't help, not that you weren't a noob ).

I think I would be tempted to try turning the top fan around and trying it as an intake and see what difference it made. Normally you would expect to exhaust hot air from the top but in your situation it might just help.

You dont think that would entierly destroy the airflow?

[Dark Mantis]

It's all "fluid dynamics" and it has to do with pressure as well as flow direction. If you work out all the cubic cm of air coming in you want to get as close as possible to the air quantity being exhausted. It can be a very complex design but sometimes it is worth just trying things. You have a problem in that you have an exhaust(PSU) that can't be changed so you have to configure all the other fans around that. What that should do is split the flow into two parts. The top flow will come in via the top fan and through the CPU cooler and out the rear fans leaving all the air from the front fans to cool the bottom half of the case and exhaust through the PSU and if neccessary an additional fan on the side. That's the theory, whether it will work as well in practice we shall see.

[Lindrian]

http://www.antec.com/pdf/manuals/1200_EN%20manual.pdf

At my speed this is how it looks:

Large fan: 82 cfm
120mm fans: 39

Means I have 39*3 = 156cfm in and 39*2+82 = 160 out, excluding the PSU.

[Dark Mantis]

Well I have two answers for that the first being that you can always alter the speeds of the fans and the second is "does it work efficiently as it is?" to which the answer is no as your graphics cards are not being cooled enough.

Obviously it is your choice and you must do what you think best but what is the harm in trying it out? If it doesn't work any better you can just put it back to how it was.

[Lindrian]

Well I have two answers for that the first being that you can always alter the speeds of the fans and the second is "does it work efficiently as it is?" to which the answer is no as your graphics cards are not being cooled enough.

Obviously it is your choice and you must do what you think best but what is the harm in trying it out? If it doesn't work any better you can just put it back to how it was.

It's just very hard to change the top fan. Nothing you'd willingly get into if you know what I mean...

[Dark Mantis]

I have a Antec 903 as my second case and I know it is a bit fiddly to get the fan off at the top but it would be worth it if you get better performance. Honestly it is a gamble but I think it is worth taking and if it was me I would do it. But then I do like ripping things apart!

[Lindrian]

I have a Antec 903 as my second case and I know it is a bit fiddly to get the fan off at the top but it would be worth it if you get better performance. Honestly it is a gamble but I think it is worth taking and if it was me I would do it. But then I do like ripping things apart!

I have to dismantle my CPU-cooler amongst other things in order to take it off (in order to make room for my hands to even get to the fan). I'll keep this modification on hold for now, thanks though.

[Dark Mantis]

Ok your decision. I wish you luck anyway and hopefully you will find a way around your problem that doesn't involve too much disruption. 

[Dark Mantis]

http://www.antec.com/pdf/manuals/1200_EN%20manual.pdf

At my speed this is how it looks:

Large fan: 82 cfm
120mm fans: 39

Means I have 39*3 = 156cfm in and 39*2+82 = 160 out, excluding the PSU.

All your fans are on the lowest setting available, so it's no wonder that you are complaining of cooling problems. You will need to ramp up those fans for a bit more airflow, I know it comes at a price , the noise , but you can't have everything(unless you go for liquid cooling )

[Lindrian]

http://www.antec.com/pdf/manuals/1200_EN%20manual.pdf

At my speed this is how it looks:

Large fan: 82 cfm
120mm fans: 39

Means I have 39*3 = 156cfm in and 39*2+82 = 160 out, excluding the PSU.

All your fans are on the lowest setting available, so it's no wonder that you are complaining of cooling problems. You will need to ramp up those fans for a bit more airflow, I know it comes at a price , the noise , but you can't have everything(unless you go for liquid cooling )

Ramping up the fans to max works wonders, but the noise unbearable... There has to be a silent solution. Can you recommend any fans that move ton of air (60-70+ cfm) with tolerable noise? Say 25dba or something. Else do you have any recommendation for a water cooling kit?

[Dark Mantis]

What about just putting all the fans on the middle setting? Surely that would help without being too noisy. As far as fans go probably the quietest ones that still move a lot of air are the Scythe Gentle Typhoons.
Forget about liquid cooling for now because of the cost. With a double GPU setup the cost of the blocks alone would be in the region of £160 and then there is the pump, reservoir and radiator plus odds and ends.

[Lindrian]

What about just putting all the fans on the middle setting? Surely that would help without being too noisy. As far as fans go probably the quietest ones that still move a lot of air are the Scythe Gentle Typhoons.
Forget about liquid cooling for now because of the cost. With a double GPU setup the cost of the blocks alone would be in the region of £160 and then there is the pump, reservoir and radiator plus odds and ends.

Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm 1450rpm moves 50cfm, doesnt seem that much really...

Yeah I guess water cooling is quite expensive.

[Dark Mantis]

The Scythe Gentle TYphoons do a 1850  version as well. See here: http://www.candccentral.co.uk/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-120mm-Case-Fan-1850-RPM.html  But don't forget that if you are running them at full speed they will be much quieter.

[Dark Mantis]

Yeah I guess water cooling is quite expensive.

Water cooling would be great for you though because it is almost silent if it is designed properly and gives a lot of headroom for overclocking. I would suggest that you look on it as a longer term project and start saving.