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GPU ram cooling?

C

CoW]8(0)

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
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Is it necessary? I've noticed more and more GPU blocks out now that cool the GPU as well as the RAM around it. I've also noticed that these blocks cost 3 times more than the older blocks which only cool the GPU. Now I wonder, is it necessary for cards like nVidia's 8xxx series and ATi to have their RAM actively cooled?
 
No. You can use heatsinks and be fine.

The advantage with a full cover block is that all of the heat is removed from the motherboard area.
 
Ont thing you have to watch out for with the full coverage blocks is that they have to be machined to very good tolerances to fully contact both the GPU (this they do well) and the ram chips (not so well) In several of the blocks I have looked at there is a significant gap between the full coverage block and the ram chip. So much of a gap that thermal paste cannot be effectivly used and the block manufacturer includes thicker thermal pads to fill the gap and provide heat transfer. A lot of people do not like thermal pads.

In a situation like above (which I ran into on my card) I felt it was much better to go with a GPU block and then use Artic Epoxy to glue small ram sinks onto each memory chip and then install a pci slot fan cooler below the video card to provide lots of airflow to make sure everything on the card, including the ram sinks gets plenty of airflow.

IMO the above while much more of a pita, its a better solution from a purely performance view than a full block with pads. The OC on my cards memory is extreamly good.

Disclaimer: Not all full coverage block may have this issue and if you are not OCing your card it matters not one bit. (well anything that gets heat off of electronics components is a normally good thing.)
 
BillParrish said:
In a situation like above (which I ran into on my card) I felt it was much better to go with a GPU block and then use Artic Epoxy to glue small ram sinks onto each memory chip and then install a pci slot fan cooler below the video card to provide lots of airflow to make sure everything on the card, including the ram sinks gets plenty of airflow.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, I just put a loop together with a MCW60 gpu block that I already had onto a 8800 GTS by swaping to the new plate, and swiftech ram sinks. But the crappy adhesive that comes with those sinks gives up after hanging upside down for a few minutes. I'll try some Artic epoxy.
 
Is there a RAM sink on the stock cooler? And is it part of the heatsink on the GPU or is it seperate piece?
 
The stock cooler is a lump of roughly cut aluminium, with a fan mounted to suck air from a shroud, across parts of the aluminium which form a heatsink.

The stock aluminium covers both processors, all memory chips, and VRM.
 
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