NCASE M1, best ampere option, 15mm vs 25mm

teamet

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Mar 17, 2018
19
1
Dear All,

I need a new GFX to produce more frames in Warzone. Currently rocking the ncase m1 v5 with a 3700x and a gtx 1070 short PCB. The gfx is deshrouded as the single 90 mm fan was too loud. So now it thermal throttles and runs at 82 degrees but with fair clocks.

I wanna go into the ampere scene, and I can see that there aren't any viable 3080 options which are available for purchase anytime soon. Also perhaps 300-350 W is just a little too much for my little ncase. So I am looking at 3070s, and I've found that Gigabyte produces the most ncase friendly variants.

Gigabyte Eagle (OC) can fit two 25 mm thick fans but has a slightly smaller heatsink
Gigabyte Gaming (OC) cannot fit two 25 mm with fans, but they will fit nicely if deshrouded

So my question is, what is the best option noise-wise? Is the Eagle OC acceptable or is a deshroud needed? If yes, then I'd might aswell go with the Gaming card..

I would rather avoid the deshroud, but if the card has better acoustics with the deshroud I would certainly do it. Though realistically I will not get 3D printed air-ducts or similar.

Looking for someone with some experience to share - and also completely other cards for suggestion is more than welcome. Sadly, the founders editions are not available in Europe and most likely never will be (damn you nvidia for making such nice heatsinks and not letting me buy them!)
 

elvendawn

Average Stuffer
Nov 12, 2020
60
27
Hi teamet,

Have you looked into the M1AF build guide? Lots of good information there
You sound a bit adverse to deshroud but I think it is the way to go for silent gaming, it's easy enough to remove the shroud on most cards, and reinstall later if needed. It's very quiet for me, and I can keep my video card under 70c at max load with 40% fan speed on the 2xNF-A12s which is basically not audible above ambient. However I'm still using a 2080, not a 3070 yet but I suspect the temperature difference wouldn't be that much between them. You don't really want to use shroud fans + two 120mm case fans, in close proximity, it will create some turbulence which can generate more sound and can put extra wear on non-static pressure fans. I recommend going with one or the other (Shroud fans or case fans).

This spreadsheet might be helpful as well to choose between the two cards, but I would pick the one that fits with 25mm thick fans flush with the heatsink deshourded, something like a 2.7in card.

I plan to get a MSI Ventus v3 3080 when I get a chance and deshroud that, should fit perfectly without much fuss.
 

teamet

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Mar 17, 2018
19
1
Thank you for your detailed answer and sorry for not getting back earlier. Work.. Yes! I am well aware of those ressources and I have myself used them. I would have prefered and FE version (3080 for sure), but they are just not available in the EU. My question is, if cooling is good enough can I avoid deshourd; if yes, then the Eagle version is preferred as there can be 25mm fans below. If I need to deshroud then I might aswell go for a Gaming OC card. Someone on reddit said their Eagle was noisy in a well ventilated cabinet, so I'll end up deshrouding anyways..

I do not believe the MSI Ventus v3 3080 will be a fit without much fuss. You will end up having to remove the I/O ports according to this ressource: NCASE M1 V6 GPU Compatibility List | SFF.Network (smallformfactor.net)
 

teamet

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Mar 17, 2018
19
1
I'll end up paying 5100 DKK = 680€ for the 3070 Gaming OC btw.. Which is perhaps 100€ more than "fair", but I guess that's the price currently ..
 
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elvendawn

Average Stuffer
Nov 12, 2020
60
27
Not ideal, but given the long duration of low stock, and rise of crypto mining again, getting one close to MSRP is still an achievement at this point, I hope you get one! It's worth just using it without any modifications to see if it is "too loud" for your liking and only consider deshroud + fan as a secondary option if it doesn't meet your needs.

The Ventus V3 3080 should fit fine, from that same spreadsheet linked above there is a link to a reddit thread with pictures of the card deshrouded with the I/O module in place.
 
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