My "Quiet" Galaxy GeForce GTX 480 SLI Build

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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My "Quiet" Galaxy GeForce GTX 480 SLI Build - Take two screaming loud Galaxy GeForce GTX 480 video cards and put them into the "wrong" chassis and you will get an earful of noise. Take those same cards and put them into the "right" chassis and you end up with a system that almost quiet. Our Quiet Fermi Build that was put together with speed in mind as well.
 
Now.. if you could just hook your Raven up to this.. you might have something!!:p

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Now I have to go RTFA!! So far all I did was look at the pics!! Good job Kyle!!

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Because of temps, I will never ever own a 480 SLI setup. I can't even begin to imagine the temps of quad sli with these cards.
 
Yeah! 3 30" panels and some GTX 480 SLI - all to play games?

Far be it from me to tell a rich fella how to spend money, but if I had that much money to spend, I couldn't be bothered to spend it that way.

For one, there aren't any games out there that are so much fun that it'd be worth the trouble.

For another, I'd rather pick up a couple of Sea Doos and take some buds out on the water or something.

Lastly - all that heat is just not, er, cool :rolleyes:

It's fascinating and all, but better to see someone else do it than do it myself - kinda like a circus act.
 
I know what you mean about the heat and I don't own an i7 or Fermi. When gaming I can feel the temperature in my room increase two or three degrees (F).
 
That new case looks great, but I'm surprised about the heat output.

nVidia is going to turn is all into HVAC experts soon. We beeks will be drilling holes in the wall to directly vent hot air out of the room.
 
You can also get the FT-02 case which is nearly identical to the RV-02 except that the case looks a little 'cleaner' and kind of mac-like. I think performance should be similar, but maybe I am missing something.

When I built out my system I watched so many reviews on the FT-02 and RV-02 before deciding on just the FT-01 which doesn't have the 90 degree MB change. My deciding factor was the size of each case. The FT-01 is significantly smaller than the 02s. For anyone considering the RV-02, just keep in mind that the case is REALLY long. Fry's carries them, so if you have a local Fry's you can see one there.
 
Damn Dirty Ape said:
Isn't the FT02 a quite similar version of the rv02?
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Pretty much. The RV02 is just newer, all black, cheaper, and has horrible quality on/reset buttons.

I can't hear my two 5850's in mine. I did however put my TRUE the wrong way by accident and I've been too lazy to change it (fans are blowing sideways).

Here's a pic of mine a few months ago when I had water cooling before it leaked oon me,

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King Icewind said:
Pretty much. The RV02 is just newer, all black, cheaper, and has horrible quality on/reset buttons.
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I do not like the buttons either, but I think they made those hard to press so they would be actuated easily. Bad design on buttons and button placement either way, but I don't hardly ever use those anyway. My other complaints are only 2 USB external jacks, and no FireWire external also I am unsure if it has a HD activity light as I can't seem to get it to work.

But these are small complaints on an overall really nice chassis.

The length front to back is just under 26", and it is 19" tall.
 
EvilJohn said:
That new case looks great, but I'm surprised about the heat output.

nVidia is going to turn is all into HVAC experts soon. We beeks will be drilling holes in the wall to directly vent hot air out of the room.
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I was just going to adapt a dryer vent duct and run it up the chimney during the summer.

Great article by the way.
 
Nice setup, good to know there's a case that can tame the 480s loudness. Almost got a RV02 case but ultimately went with the CM690II.

Kyle, do you have a pic showing off the whole desk? I want to make myself a desk down the road and that is fairly similar to what I had envisioned.
 
Here is a picture of the corner of that desk from a few years ago. I bought it from a used furniture company in Dallas. It is actually a corner cubical with a cantilevered desktop. PM and I have a couple I can mail to you. I doubt they will help you though in your search.
 
I agree with you in principle, but me personally, I'm not sold on that design. I also think it's silly that the only way to get GTX 480s to be cool and quiet is to spend extra money. I'll stick with my Radeon 5870.
 
Kyle, have you ever thought about building an external radiator box?

A large one that you could put a 2-3 radiators, pump, reservoirs, fans and the like. Then you place it away from your desk. Bye, goes the heat and noise.

Using quick disconnects like the Colder HFC12 Series (sold by McMaster-Carr btw part # 51545K54 and 51545K34) would be a must. And they don't lower your flow rate very much. Reviewed over at Skinnee Labs.

I just built an external loop with my Thermochill PA120.3, dual Swiftech MCP355 pumps, EK Waterblocks Dual DDC top, and 400mm reservoir, along the Colders, and I love it. Not a rad box, just bolted to a piece of plywood. Rad box is next.



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I would love the ability to have some sort of external water system. I could even run hoses through a wall or out a window in the winter :)

I just can't figure out a way to get it done.
 
jebo_4jc said:
I would love the ability to have some sort of external water system. I could even run hoses through a wall or out a window in the winter :)

I just can't figure out a way to get it done.
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Well, you baiscially just build a box, and mount everything inside. A lot of people just use particle board for the box. It's cheap. The hard part for me, is I don't have the space for the table saw and drill press. to build mine. I live in an apt. I may just have to pay someone to build mine.
 
If I'm not mistaken, SilverStone now offers a "red" FT02 with AP181 fans. Supposedly, they provide even better airflow. I think the new RV02 revision (RV02-E) will use the AP181 fans and HDDdrive bays like on the FT02.
 
Wow, entirely too hot. If I had that kinda heat in my PC I would duct the exhaust to the attic or outside.
 
I have been trying to save and get my hands on one of these, While I really don't need a case that large, I really want it for the sound suppression. I checked out the overall size and it's actually fairly compact height wise. I also like the look, and if the heft is any indication it's really built solidly.

Something else that I think is an advantage, is placing heavy video cards vertically puts there weight on the chassis and not the PCI slot. Not a real big deal probably but it seems that especially multiple large cards would line up better and not put as much pressure on the Motherboard.
 
6gb RAID 0?

I hope you've got some serious backup solution.
 
qdemn7 said:
Kyle, have you ever thought about building an external radiator box?
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Yes I have. Too much trouble and too expensive for my personal needs. I just don't see spending that much money to water cool those cards. NVIDIA needs to get its shit together, not me. :)
 
EvilJohn said:
That new case looks great, but I'm surprised about the heat output.

nVidia is going to turn is all into HVAC experts soon. We beeks will be drilling holes in the wall to directly vent hot air out of the room.
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don't think i haven't thought of that

i'm trying to figure out a way to crack a window and seal it like this.

also, to the guy who didn't know what one would do with this: folding is the first thing that comes to mind tbh

 
mjz_5 said:
why didn't you choose the AMD route, they're not that hot
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My video card progression lately goes like this.

5870
5970
5870 CFX
GTX 480 SLI

Seeing that part of my job is to write about the technology available to my readers I think it is in my best interest to have as much hands on experience with it as possible. I certainly know that gives me a better position in the industry to talk about these things when I can rely on my personal experience outside of reviews and other articles that are produced by HardOCP.
 
Concerning the RV02 or FT02, is there ample room around the top 120mm exhaust to mount my Corsair H50. When I looked at the RV02 at Fry's last week, it looked like the fan area was recessed and might be a problem in mounting the radiator.
 
There's absolutely no way your GTX 480 box meets my definition of "quiet". To be fair, you did leave quotes around "quiet", and it is a relative, subjective term.

2x GTX 480s, a GTX 260, plus an overclocked i7-980X probably runs around 700W DC while gaming (and maybe as much as 900W during FurMark/Prime95). If we assume 87% efficiency, you're looking at 805W AC or around 105W that has to be dissipated in the PSU. There's just no way that that power supply can be "quiet" by my standards at that power level.

I have no doubt that your system is much, much quieter than most boxes with the GTX 480. But in my book "quiet" means "making sure my Hiper 212 plus fan stays below 800RPM". Quiet means that I could put it next to my TV and not be bothered during movies.

The fact that this card needs an expensive case and tons of fans blowing at it just to be reasonably usable (and I don't consider a noisy card at the edge of overheating to be reasonable) just means that the industry is making up for NVIDIA's screw-ups. That's good for people who want the absolute best performance, but it sucks for the 90% of us who just want games to run well on our cheapshit 1920x1080p TN-panel LCDs.

In a very real way this reminds me of the P4 Prescott era. Intel wanted us to change everything else so that their power-piggy CPUs could be cooled. Remember BTX? Remember the stupid side air ducts? Hell, even the ATX12V power connector came about because the P4 required so much power.

We put up with this crap because we want the performance. Eventually there has to be a limit, though.

Congratulations on your new system. It sounds like a kick-ass way to experience gaming.
 
ituggle said:
Concerning the RV02 or FT02, is there ample room around the top 120mm exhaust to mount my Corsair H50. When I looked at the RV02 at Fry's last week, it looked like the fan area was recessed and might be a problem in mounting the radiator.
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I have installed a H50 and H70. I even installed the H70 with one fan on the exterior, but I had to make some mods to the grill that covers the top to make it close all the way.
 
bsoft said:
There's absolutely no way your GTX 480 box meets my definition of "quiet". To be fair, you did leave quotes around "quiet", and it is a relative, subjective term.
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Thanks for your thoughts and for what quiet means to you. And thanks for pointing out the subjectiveness of the statement. That is why it is in quotes numerous times and I did give you specific dBA data as well.

The system is quiet enough that it in no way shape or form bothers me at any time sound-wise. You however are probably a lot more sensitive than me. Too many times in the mosh pit up against the speakers....

As for the ST1500 PSU, I never hear it. There is a link to our review if you want to read more on it and get Paul's opinion on noise as well.
 
I swapped my HAF 932 for a Raven 2 case when I bought 2 x GTX 470's. TBH the cards were loud and hot in both cases forcing me to go back to water......
 
Boo no video :(

Nice build though, i have the fortress 2 and my 295 is pretty much silent as well thanks to the card basically having its own dedicated intake fan :)
 
The RV01 to me is reminiscent to a stealth fighter jet (F-117A) with all those angles. I like the idea of the 90 degree flip but I'm not fond of the RV02. I like the RV01 better.
 
Found this regarding the buttons.
The power and reset button switch design from the initial production of RV02 was very sensitive. But due to the location of these two buttons, users frequently shut down their computer by accident when touching it. In order to prevent this situation, SilverStone engineers revised the switch to have longer travel. The new button and switch are less likely to activate when accidently touched so we suggest users to press the center portion when performing power or reset actions.
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Jeffredo said:
Kyle, can you give an anecdotal comment about the heat impact on the room between those last two builds (noticeable difference or inconsequential)?
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188w TDP for 5870

300w TDP for 480

There is a WORLD of difference between the two. Never felt the heat BOILING from under my desk with the 5870s.
 
Nice setup, although I think its a lil too much money to spend just to keep video cards quiet.

Hell in 2 months you will changing up those 480 gtx's
 
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