GPU advice/thoughts?

[Dawelio]

Hey guys,

So I just wanted to ask you guys for your thoughts on this pretty much... I will soon get my new Dan Case A4 SFX V2 and I currently have an ASUS 1080 Strix.

My question is if I should get a blower style cooler instead of my Strix? Since everyone pretty much recommends an blower style cooler in an mITX system. Specially in pretty much the smallest case, which I’m getting. Hence it’s lack of zero system fans.

I’m just brainstorming here, since I do like how quiet the Strix is, specially when I mostly just browse the web and watching online content, hence it’s zero rpm mode/fanless mode. Also during gaming it’s extremely quiet.

Which an blower style cooler doesn’t have this feature, nor is known for being quiet overall ^_^

So what do you guys recommend?...

Thanks,
Chrazey

 

[Surfie]

A caveat: i have no experience with matx cases in general, or blower style cards, so there's a pretty good chance that I'm talking out my butt here...

Given what i know of thermal dynamics, air pressure and what you have typed, you are in a lose-lose situation here.

With the blower style card, you will end up with slightly negative pressure in the case. Not a big problem, but you will need to blow the dust out of it pretty regularly. The plus side is that your thermals will be a bit better on the gpu, as it will be forcing air into the case.

With the strix, the air pressure should be somewhat neutral, as that style cooler simply utilises the air around it (if anything, maybe slightly positive pressure), so you won't have the dust problem. What you will find though is that the air in the case will heat up faster, and as a result, the gpu might suffer (probably not though, as the 1080s tend to have a lot of thermal head room), or it might cause the cpu to start throttling, depending upon what you are doing.

My recommendation would be to do more research to ensure that the case choice is optimal for you. If it is, pick your preferred scenario from the above (which if i had to pick one, i would opt to keep the strix, but i don't really know your work loads).

 

[AlienALX]

Hard to say really. A blower would exhaust at least the heat from the GPU.. However, don't buy a 1080Ti blower expecting it to be quiet. It will be anything but. I would try the Strix first personally and see how you get along

 

[Dawelio]

With the strix, the air pressure should be somewhat neutral, as that style cooler simply utilises the air around it (if anything, maybe slightly positive pressure), so you won't have the dust problem. What you will find though is that the air in the case will heat up faster, and as a result, the gpu might suffer (probably not though, as the 1080s tend to have a lot of thermal head room), or it might cause the cpu to start throttling, depending upon what you are doing.

Hard to say really. A blower would exhaust at least the heat from the GPU.. However, don't buy a 1080Ti blower expecting it to be quiet. It will be anything but. I would try the Strix first personally and see how you get along

Thanks for the replies guys... What do you both think regarding the EVGA 1080Ti FTW3?. And the Dan Case A4 SFX V2 has the GPU in a different compartment to the CPU. They aren't in the same area as in a normal chassi.

 

[Surfie]

Thanks for the replies guys... What do you both think regarding the EVGA 1080Ti FTW3?. And the Dan Case A4 SFX V2 has the GPU in a different compartment to the CPU. They aren't in the same area as in a normal chassi.

Ok, that just makes me lean further to the strix tbh.

I would question why you think you need a ti though. In most use cases, it is overkill. Nothing wrong with that as such, but in a situation like this, you are adding complexity (and heat).

The 1080s have a good amount of thermal headroom, the tis, don't.

So for me, in this situation, i would make a judgement call on whether i actually need/can use the extra grunt of a ti, and if not: simply stay with the strix.

Side note: i have a 1080ti, and i honestly don't think they are worth using, if not liquid cooled: it ramps up the fans as soon as i put any sort of decent load on it. They run quite a bit hotter than the 1080s.

 

[AlienALX]

I kinda guessed you would upgrade to a Ti. Yeah custom cooled cards are much better than blowers. My Titan XP blower drove me nuts and I could barely overclock.

Try the Strix first. If you don't run into any major issues the Ti should be a good upgrade.

 

[NeverBackDown]

The EVGA 1080 is kinda loud tbh. The ti will be even louder.

 

[Dawelio]

Ok, that just makes me lean further to the strix tbh.

I would question why you think you need a ti though. In most use cases, it is overkill. Nothing wrong with that as such, but in a situation like this, you are adding complexity (and heat).

The 1080s have a good amount of thermal headroom, the tis, don't.

So for me, in this situation, i would make a judgement call on whether i actually need/can use the extra grunt of a ti, and if not: simply stay with the strix.

Side note: i have a 1080ti, and i honestly don't think they are worth using, if not liquid cooled: it ramps up the fans as soon as i put any sort of decent load on it. They run quite a bit hotter than the 1080s.

I kinda guessed you would upgrade to a Ti. Yeah custom cooled cards are much better than blowers. My Titan XP blower drove me nuts and I could barely overclock.

Try the Strix first. If you don't run into any major issues the Ti should be a good upgrade.

The EVGA 1080 is kinda loud tbh. The ti will be even louder.

Well thanks all alot for your inputs. I just quite starting to fall for the EVGA 1080Ti FTW3 in all Black. Would look quite sweet in the Dan case. This one:

I recently upgraded from my previous ASUS PG278Q to an Acer Predator Z35P ultrawide, an 120Hz monitor. So while my 1080 Strix does cope with it, an 1080Ti would have a bit more grunt in it, as Surfie put it, for the 3440x1440p resolution at 120Hz.

Although in the tiny Dan case, my 1080 Strix will most likely still be better due to it’s lower TDP and lower overall temperatures. Since I’ve always gotten the idea, and correct me if I’m wrong here, but the highest end card in a new generation, is always more efficient than the later released Ti card?. Ie, 980 to a 980Ti, 1080 to a 1080Ti?...

 

[MacLeod]

I like that EGVA card. I also like you upgrading to the Ti. That little extra horsepower will definitely come in handy at the 1440 resolution.

You could always just stick with the Strix 1080 and see how it works. The Strix is among the best built cards you can get and the Ti really doesn't have that much of a performance advantage over it, at least not one worth the price premium even after considering what you could get selling the 1080 for. Since you say you're not a big gamer, I think the money you'd spend on a Ti could be used better elsewhere like a bigger SSD or M.2 drive.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Well I personally think any Ti version will be loud. May as well go with the best looking one that you like.

My RX480 was quiet or at least at the level where anything higher would have been noisey and the 1080 is slightly above the 480 in terms of power consumption so I don't really think quiet matters much here. I hate noise as I have pretty good ears. So that's always my #1 consideration. That's why I keep bringing it up.

Really though for you the EVGA is probably fine. I doubt there's much between any version of those cards in any aspect.

 

[Surfie]

I like that EGVA card. I also like you upgrading to the Ti. That little extra horsepower will definitely come in handy at the 1440 resolution.

You could always just stick with the Strix 1080 and see how it works. The Strix is among the best built cards you can get and the Ti really doesn't have that much of a performance advantage over it, at least not one worth the price premium even after considering what you could get selling the 1080 for. Since you say you're not a big gamer, I think the money you'd spend on a Ti could be used better elsewhere like a bigger SSD or M.2 drive.

I tend to agree with this, for much the same reasons.

If your primary use is playing games, fair enough. But you said you only game a bit, and that video watching and general web use is your primary use case. In which case, even at 1440p, the 1080 is already overkill.

Having said that, you will get more longevity out of a ti, but honestly: i would only go that route, if you plan on skipping the next generation of gpu, at a minimum.

 

[Dawelio]

I like that EGVA card. I also like you upgrading to the Ti. That little extra horsepower will definitely come in handy at the 1440 resolution.

You could always just stick with the Strix 1080 and see how it works. The Strix is among the best built cards you can get and the Ti really doesn't have that much of a performance advantage over it, at least not one worth the price premium even after considering what you could get selling the 1080 for. Since you say you're not a big gamer, I think the money you'd spend on a Ti could be used better elsewhere like a bigger SSD or M.2 drive.

Well I personally think any Ti version will be loud. May as well go with the best looking one that you like.

My RX480 was quiet or at least at the level where anything higher would have been noisey and the 1080 is slightly above the 480 in terms of power consumption so I don't really think quiet matters much here. I hate noise as I have pretty good ears. So that's always my #1 consideration. That's why I keep bringing it up.

Really though for you the EVGA is probably fine. I doubt there's much between any version of those cards in any aspect.

I tend to agree with this, for much the same reasons.

If your primary use is playing games, fair enough. But you said you only game a bit, and that video watching and general web use is your primary use case. In which case, even at 1440p, the 1080 is already overkill.

Having said that, you will get more longevity out of a ti, but honestly: i would only go that route, if you plan on skipping the next generation of gpu, at a minimum.

Yeah, I get you all here. I do... But I can’t deny that it’s the enthusiast in me that is also pushing for the 1080Ti. As well as a bit more ”future proofing”, than my 1080.

Well unfortunately the 1080Ti Strix won’t fit in the Dan Case, due to being 2.5 slot. This EVGA one barely fits as well, but it’s compatible though, hence why considering it. And that black shroud though :wub:...

And MacLeod, I do understand where you’re coming from here, although I do already have everything else that I can get in terms of hardware, which already is ballz to the wall in terms of mITX. What I have, is pretty much the highest end you can go in a mITX in terms of performance, temps etc. As you all know, when it comes to ITX, heat and temperatures is the most important and difficult thing to control.

And I’ve come to the point where I have everything that I want and need, in terms of overall hardware. The only thing that I can really change is the GPU haha! :lol:

 

[MacLeod]

Just curious, why are you building a mITX system? Not knocking them and I know they have their uses but like you're saying, the heat and room limitations make them not that attractive to me.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Just curious, why are you building a mITX system? Not knocking them and I know they have their uses but like you're saying, the heat and room limitations make them not that attractive to me.

Because nothing is worse than having a massive case on your desk and you look inside and it's half empty. Anything more than MATX is just annoying.
That's also why I'm considering getting the newish Caselabs ITX case. It's roomier and smaller than my Phanteks ITX Evolv.

But back on topic. ITX is easier to make room for.

 

[Dawelio]

Just curious, why are you building a mITX system? Not knocking them and I know they have their uses but like you're saying, the heat and room limitations make them not that attractive to me.

Because nothing is worse than having a massive case on your desk and you look inside and it's half empty. Anything more than MATX is just annoying.
That's also why I'm considering getting the newish Caselabs ITX case. It's roomier and smaller than my Phanteks ITX Evolv.

But back on topic. ITX is easier to make room for.

I’m not building an mITX system, I already have it. And like NBD said, I don’t like a massive case. I’ve had pretty much everything, ATX -> mATX -> mITX -> mATX -> mITX and I’ve now stayed on it. Ever since 6700K, I believe, they implented 32GB ram on ITX platform. Earlier you were limited to max 16GB.

 

[The_Governour]

I would go for the FTW3 1080ti. I had the Zotac AMP Extreme 1080ti that is a MONSTER and I loved it.

Saying that now I am getting the new Ghost Itx case when it comes out then I have bought the FTW3 and trying it out its a great great card. Dual slot.

My monster atx days are over.

 

[Surfie]

I would go for the FTW3 1080ti. I had the Zotac AMP Extreme 1080ti that is a MONSTER and I loved it.

Saying that now I am getting the new Ghost Itx case when it comes out then I have bought the FTW3 and trying it out its a great great card. Dual slot.

My monster atx days are over.

Yeah, gotta admit that Ghost case looked awesome. My only concern is that it it's not going to be as watercooling friendly As i would like ( it's not bad for an itx system, but it's not fantastic either).

 

[Dawelio]

I would go for the FTW3 1080ti. I had the Zotac AMP Extreme 1080ti that is a MONSTER and I loved it.

Saying that now I am getting the new Ghost Itx case when it comes out then I have bought the FTW3 and trying it out its a great great card. Dual slot.

My monster atx days are over.

Yeah, gotta admit that Ghost case looked awesome. My only concern is that it it's not going to be as watercooling friendly As i would like ( it's not bad for an itx system, but it's not fantastic either).

Are you both talking about this case?: http://www.louqe.com/

 

[Surfie]

Are you both talking about this case?: http://www.louqe.com/

Yep. That's the one I'm talking about.

 

[Wraith]

I wouldn't recommend putting that EVGA 1080Ti in a small case, trust me. I have that GPU in my RIG right now and even with the front panel off of the Define C with 2 140mm fans in the front and a 120mm at the rear exhausting she gets really warm while gaming, these EVGA 1080 Ti's dump heat, most of which comes from the back plate now I know it's normal for the Ti's to get warm and it's not a loud card either despite "popular reports" at 70 - 75c in my case I just couldn't imagine what it would be like in the Dan ITX.

A founders or AIB blower style would be better suited to the Dan as it would feed itself air from the side panel vents and exhaust as designed, rather than dumping lots of heat into a tiny space.