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280X airflow question


subn3t

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Here's my current configuration:

 

1dVSQTFh.jpg

 

I just ordered an EVGA 2080 Ti XC Ultra. Current card is an EVGA 1080 Ti FTW3. Since the 2080 Ti is (almost) a 3-slot cooler, there won't be much clearance between the bottom intakes and the 2080 Ti. The 280X already struggles with airflow. I've found that the bottom intakes help, but I'm not sure if it'd be better to let the 2080 Ti intake without the 2x120mm fans. I've heard that stacking fans can wear out bearings. I don't care about worn out bearings on replaceable LL120s, but I do care about the 2080 Ti cooler.

 

Thoughts?

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I would suggest opting for the ML- fans for optimal cooling. The XC Ultra has pretty good cooling but the front intake will choke by themselves if they are just LL fans.

Thanks, could you expand on the ML vs LL fans?

 

Stats for LL fan: 63 CFM / 3.0 mmH2O

Stats for ML fan: 47.3 CFM / 1.78 mmH2O

 

The LL fans seem to have higher airflow and SP?

 

When you said front intake, you mean the intake not on the bottom, right? With a 3-slot card, I'll have like 1cm clearance between the fan and the GPU. Should I keep fans there or remove them entirely?

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I would suggest opting for the ML- fans for optimal cooling. The XC Ultra has pretty good cooling but the front intake will choke by themselves if they are just LL fans.

Also, do you have any recommendations regarding swapping out the H100i stock fans (white LL)? Should I change them for ML or SP fans for higher cooling performance?

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Thanks, could you expand on the ML vs LL fans?

 

Stats for LL fan: 63 CFM / 3.0 mmH2O

Stats for ML fan: 47.3 CFM / 1.78 mmH2O

 

The LL fans seem to have higher airflow and SP?

 

Airflow and static pressure are both RPM dependent. You must run that white LL fan at 2200 rpm to get those values, a pretty substantial noise difference to the ML-Quiet or ML-RGB at 1600. Presumably, you won't be keeping your fans pegged at 2200 rpm. However, that is still only half the story. Fan specification numbers are determined in a free air situation. No case, no filters, no glass panels. In reality, there is always some resistance and this is where fan blade design comes into play. The ML blade is wide and flat. At lower speeds or when faces with heavier resistance, it will move more air than more open, 9-11 blade fan like the LL. The steeper angle, high blade count fan will move air at higher speed and lower resistance, but is will also push the air in a wider conical path. This may not matter for simple intake/exhaust air exchange, but for direct cooling of an object a more direct flow works far better. The flatter blade of the ML is more direct.

 

I can't say which will move more air through the front of the 280X since I have not tested that case. However, for most people the fan aesthetic values likely trump 1-2C changes in temperature. As for the bottom, assuming the fan stacking thing is real, it would be the GPU fans that take the brunt of the force, not the much larger LL/ML fans on the bottom. You would need to create a very high speed/force difference between the bottom fans and the GPU fans for this to even become slightly plausible. Still, I don't see much value in blasting fans at bottom. A slow to moderate speed would be plenty. You can't cooler the GPU with external fans. You can move the heat around it away. It doesn't take 1000 rpm to do that. I am not sure I really like fan within 10 mm of the GPU base anyway. I would probably not use them at first and see how things go.

 

If you were to change out the LL120 High Speed fans, you would want ML120 fans for the same reasons as above. However, given the white cooler, adding black and grey fans may not be pleasing. ML is more effective than LL on a radiator, but I would want to see some coolant temperature delta values before recommending a change. Once again, there is only about 2C to be gained. This may not be worthwhile.

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  • 2 months later...

What if the top was Intake and the front was exhaust ?

You would just be reversing the order of airflow and the cpu would stay cooler right?

 

I currently have the save setup, just no bottom fans. I want to put them in but they would be extremely close to my gpu and what was said above worries me to have fans pushing air and maybe hurting my 3 Asus rog Strix fans

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Yes this may be an up sell BUT, have you considered paying a smidgen more for the EVGA 2080Ti FTW3 Ultra Hybrid? I have a bigger case but that card and its a two slot with a 120 radiator with the added bonus of great temperature (honestly surprised how well the 120 is handling the thing with the overclock I have on it, which would be pretty much as high as it can go with the power limit where it is at 373w :)

 

Had to back the RAM down from 8200 since while its more than happy to run that speed the heat became an issue.

 

Anyway, it's a touch more but you get a two slot card with better cooling.

 

Edit: Probably helps to give you an idea of the temps I am seeing. At those settings it doesn't break 55c under load (idles around 50c due to where I have the curves set) with a LL120 just loping along at 1000 rpm.

Edited by Waukeen
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What if the top was Intake and the front was exhaust ?

You would just be reversing the order of airflow and the cpu would stay cooler right?

 

I currently have the save setup, just no bottom fans. I want to put them in but they would be extremely close to my gpu and what was said above worries me to have fans pushing air and maybe hurting my 3 Asus rog Strix fans

 

Yeeeesssssssss.....it's just you typically find the filters on the front, top and side(s) of a case, not so much on the rear.

 

As for hurting the other fans I could see you strangling them by restricting the airflow if those other fans aren't on, and then I don't know if they would be pulling air in the same direction (spiral). But you mentioning that reminds me of something that happened to me that I didn't even think was possible. Old CM 830Evo case and had fans on the side of it one sat on top of the CPU cooler (Zalman CPNS 9700) and it was causing an oscillation in the CPU cooler that was being transmitted down to the socket and it was rocking my QX6700 enough to cause it to lose connection at times. To fix it I flipped it from exhaust to intake :P never had a problem after that.

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I want to get bottom fans but I am worried about the fans pulling air in at a higher rpm then my gpu fans. I feel the force difference might mess with the 2080ti that I have in it.

If anything I would get the LL fans because as was said before it’s a wider spread of air than just direct so the gpu fans wouldn’t take the blunt of the force.

 

Is it silly to think the gpu fans could be negatively affected by adding bottom fans?

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I want to get bottom fans but I am worried about the fans pulling air in at a higher rpm then my gpu fans. I feel the force difference might mess with the 2080ti that I have in it.

If anything I would get the LL fans because as was said before it’s a wider spread of air than just direct so the gpu fans wouldn’t take the blunt of the force.

 

Is it silly to think the gpu fans could be negatively affected by adding bottom fans?

 

Again, I don't think there is any issue here adding bottom fans. I have an LL fan in intake position below my 2080ti and it actually contributes to cooling the GPU. Made a 5C difference in my setup.

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Again, I don't think there is any issue here adding bottom fans. I have an LL fan in intake position below my 2080ti and it actually contributes to cooling the GPU. Made a 5C difference in my setup.

 

Could you post a picture? I’m wondering if they would fit under my 2080ti rog Strix 3 fan. It’s fat.

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