Water cool my current 680 or wait for future models (4gb)

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Boyiee

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 20, 2010
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Basically I'm going to be doing a GPU loop sometime in the very near future. I have an EVGA 680 and I get about +135/400-500 clocks on it and it stays just under 70C. A healthy card.

Since I'm going on water, I'm not sure of which direction I should take. These are my options:

1. Buy a block for my 680, probably a EK-FC680 Acetal+EN.
2. Buy an EVGA Hydro copper when one pops up in stock and sell my current 680. This also saves me the trouble of having to take the card apart, and I can probably get a good price for my 680 since they're still hard to come by.
3. Wait for the next round of 680s, lets say the 4gb model, and then water cool that with one of the options above. Selling my current 680 of course.

I run at 2560x1600 currently, and I really don't see myself adding a second or third 30inch at any point in the near future. Games seem to be handled just fine by the single 680, and while I could potentially see myself adding a second it won't be for a long time.

Thoughts?
 
Honestly, I would go Hydro Copper with EVGA... I pay for ease and I'd gladly pay $150-200 extra for it to be all ready to go.
 
It really isn't even that much extra considering the block is going to cost $100-125.
 
Exactly. I may just go for the hydro... I'm still sporting the 480 and its so fricking hot I can't stand it.
 
I dont see the point of water cooling a 680 if you cannot adjust the base clocks.
 
Silence and higher clock speeds maybe? The same reasons people water cool anything?
 
Boyiee said:
Silence and higher clock speeds maybe? The same reasons people water cool anything?
Click to expand...

But you can't adjust the base clocks, only boost clocks. There are too many limits for now to make watercooling worth while.
 
At that resolution - it would be pointless to get a 4gb card, so scratch that off your list for God's sake.
 
As a watercooler myself I don't really find the hydros a good deal. The blocks are pretty restrictive and you don't have any choice over which block is used.

Installing the waterblocks on my 580s was literally the easiest part of building my entire loop. If you're looking to get into watercooling installing blocks on a GPU should be a walk in the park.

I think given your options I'd choose #1, get a block for your current.
 
I wc and agree with jdk, I blocked a 4870x2, dual 580s and blocks are on the way for my 680s. However, I bought a 5870LCS (factory waterblock) and it was a good purchase since I felt Fermi failed and I got a decent resale value on it and that was the only thing I was worried about, because when you go to sell a used factory wc card, you have a smaller market than air. I like wc'ing for the hands on fun as much as the silence/cooling, but some ppl aren't into it.

You have some good oc's on your 680, there is no point in throwing it back into the luck of the draw for your next one, it could be worse as I've read about some oc'ing duds. It's actually possible to get a little more out of it on water, but I wouldn't expect it.

If you wait for a 4GB, you may be waiting longer for a compaitable block, if one is made at all. Of course, some reference blocks may also fit some 4GB models, we'll have to wait and see. If the HC was a single slot, then that would be a better sell imo, but they have the same dual slot bracket as any other 680.

BatJoe said:
I dont see the point of water cooling a 680 if you cannot adjust the base clocks.
Click to expand...
BatJoe said:
But you can't adjust the base clocks, only boost clocks. There are too many limits for now to make watercooling worth while.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's just semantics, but when I add 106 (or whatever) offset to the base clock, I get a new base clock. For example, at stock with Dirt 3, my clocks lock at 1110MHz (higher than advertised I know) and when I offset +106 to core, they lock at 1215MHz same game. To me, that's an oc on the base, and "lock" may be a bit demanding of a word as I've seen these clocks adjust +/-15MHz during a race or even drop to 8-900MHz range in the menus, which is precisely where you don't need the clocks on that game.
My 680 base acts like 1110MHz almost a solid as the 797MHz of the 580SC, when I raise the offset I get a new base clock like raising the 580 to 900MHz.
 
Considering the base clock of the hc is +146 stock, and the additional power options (extra vrm), i'm planning on replacing my gtx680 with the 680 hydro copper. If it wasn't for the extra vrm/8pin connector, i'd keep the card i have and get an ek block/backplate for it.
 
Well thanks for ruling out the 4gb for me. As mentioned I'll probably be staying with the single 30inch for a while, only other change I may have made would be to add the 2 20s on the side ala eyefinity setups but thats a ways out even.

If the HC pops up I'm going to grab it, but I'm only giving it a few more days. Otherwise I'll grab the ek block.
 
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