GPU why aren't there any blower style sff gpu's?

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
40mm fans in FlexATX PSUs can scream (though not always) when they're only dissipating the waste conversion heat of the PSU, which at typical gaming loads for a Platinum-rated unit for instance is only like 20-30W.

Almost ALL the power consumed by a video card ends up as waste heat, so for a GTX 1070 you're talking 150W of waste heat to deal with. Dealing with that much heat with 1-2 40mm fans will be a deafening (literally if you sit in close proximity for long enough) experience.
 
Last edited:

aquelito

King of Cable Management
Piccolo PC
Feb 16, 2016
952
1,122
@GuilleAcoustic so the centrifugal fan would (without the shroud) just suck air into the hole, so it would also cool the part of the heatsink below it?
as you can see on the picture below the heatsink would be bigger if they went this route, also because it is bigger wouldn't it be quieter because the fan doesn't need to spin up that hard because of the extra surface area.

The only GPU that might fit the bill the is the XFX RX460 Single slot.
Front and rear exhaust, short length.

Used to be pretty common, now seems completely sold out...

 

GuilleAcoustic

Chief Procrastination Officer
SFFn Staff
LOSIAS
Jun 29, 2015
2,967
4,390
guilleacoustic.wordpress.com
Sadly,since the back of the card is opened and the PCI bracket might be overcrowded with IOs, most of the air will be exhausted inside the chassis.

Heated air will take the less restrictive path.

Edit: The card has no opening on the PCI bracket. The air will exhaust from the back and the bottom (toward the PCIe connector)

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: aquelito

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
I really wish GALAX had vented the back of the GTX 1070 Katana like that. Luckily it's just the shroud on the backside and not PCB so it can be done DIY.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SeñorDonut
Mar 6, 2017
501
454


Reminds me of a mockup I did a while back, which could work and it's only 130mm long, but as Necere said,

The smaller the fan the more noisy it's going to get moving the same amount of air. Not just overall sound pressure level, either, but they tend to be higher pitched, which is usually much more annoying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phuncz

darksidecookie

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Feb 1, 2016
115
141
What I want to know is, why aren't there more blower style GPUs with the intake on the back of the card?

Like the old sandwich style GTX 295:
yea could you imagine two 1080 minis (or even the 1080ti mini's) like that?
but i believe the reason the stopped doing this was because of asetek's patent (..trolling as they have been known to do)

link to full article
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
but i believe the reason the stopped doing this was because of asetek's patent (..trolling as they have been known to do)

While it's debatable if they should have been granted the patents to begin with, to be pedantic it's not patent trolling since they actually sell a product using the patents they've sued over.

And the PCBs have cutouts in that figure even though it's water cooled because Asetek is just using the GTX 295 as an example: http://www.geeks3d.com/20090108/nvi...iews-the-new-pixel-killer-has-been-unleashed/
 

darksidecookie

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Feb 1, 2016
115
141
While it's debatable if they should have been granted the patents to begin with, to be pedantic it's not patent trolling since they actually sell a product using the patents they've sued over.
i wasn't talking about the cooler master thing (which i have no interest of getting into), but rather the patent shown in my previous post because they (to my knowledge) do not make this type of cooler.
And the PCBs have cutouts in that figure even though it's water cooled because Asetek is just using the GTX 295 as an example
i meant the sandwiching op gpu's with the heatsink in the middle
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
A water-cooled configuration may be problematic, but air-cooled would be fine because they're not patenting the idea of sandwiched GPU PCBs (at least not in this patent):

Generally, as shown in Figure 3, the dimensions of the thermal interposer component planar body are selected based upon the configuration of the computer adapter card 10a, 10b to which the thermal interposer component 200 is to be coupled, and are further selected to enable the combined assembly of the computer adapter card 10a, 10b, the thermal interposer component 200, and the operatively coupled cold plate assembly 100 to fit within the spatial requirements of either a single-slot or double-slot personal computer adapter card. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the thermal interposer component 200 may have any of a variety of different configurations based upon the particular physical space limitations associated with the electronic components being cooled, and upon the arrangement of heat sources in thermal proximity to the surfaces of the thermal interposer. For example, while the embodiment shown in Figure 3 illustrates a thermal interposer 200 of the present disclosure having a pair of planar bodies 202 and 204 disposed in a sandwiched configuration between a pair of circuit boards 10a and 10b, the embodiment shown in Figure 4 illustrates an alternate configuration of the thermal interposer having only a single planar body 202 disposed adjacent a single circuit board 10, sized to fit within a double-slot PC card configuration. The embodiment shown in Figure 4 illustrates an optional arrangement wherein only a single lower planar body 202 is utilized adjacent a single circuit board 10 and associated heat sources, without an upper planar body 204. The heat pipe 208 is routed through a serpentine path to facilitate transfer of thermal energy from the lower planar body 202 to the thermal transfer region 210, defined by a recessed seat or socket for receiving a modular cold plate assembly 100, and the associated cold plate assembly 100.

They're just using it as an example of the variety of ways the water block can be configured depending on the application.
 
  • Like
Reactions: darksidecookie

wiretap

Average Stuffer
Apr 25, 2017
55
142
What I want to know is, why aren't there more blower style GPUs with the intake on the back of the card?

Like the old sandwich style GTX 295:
That was an awful design IMO.. I had two for Quad-SLI, and I must have RMA'd them about 3 times each because they would overheat and cause artifacting. Then again, they were awful close to each other, haha.

 

DocH

G4G
Apr 2, 2017
312
306
That was an awful design IMO.. I had two for Quad-SLI, and I must have RMA'd them about 3 times each because they would overheat and cause artifacting. Then again, they were awful close to each other, haha.

probably didn't help that you had them right on top of each other without an air gap. LOLs
 

wiretap

Average Stuffer
Apr 25, 2017
55
142
Unfortunately, that was the only way they would fit. Utilizing the next available x16 slot, it wouldn't fit since that's where the radiator was up top in my Lian-Li v1000. XD
 

Necere

Shrink Ray Wielder
NCASE
Feb 22, 2015
1,719
3,281
What is the function of those backside vents ?
James is talking about the half circle cutout in the PCB behind the blower fan in this pic, to be clear:



The function of which is to act as additional air intake for the blower. This can especially help when you've got two cards in SLI/CF right next to eachother, in theory, since otherwise the intake of the first card will be largely obstructed by the second. Opening up the backside offers another way for air to get in.
 

aaahaaap

Cable Smoosher
Aug 15, 2017
9
2
Regarding small axial fans, Gigabyte's Windforce 5 cooler comes to mind, although that one had it's axial fans facing towards the PCI-e connector, not the backside/display connector side of the GPU.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-super-overclock-soc-windforce-5x,3253-3.html
And see this page for some noise measurements http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-super-overclock-soc-windforce-5x,3253-5.html

It's a 3 slot card with 40mm fans. I'd expect that an 80mm fan or larger in front of the GPU combined with some ducting will actually work better. Anyone ever done any experiments using a ducted setup for the GPU?
 
Mar 6, 2017
501
454
Regarding small axial fans, Gigabyte's Windforce 5 cooler comes to mind, although that one had it's axial fans facing towards the PCI-e connector, not the backside/display connector side of the GPU.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-super-overclock-soc-windforce-5x,3253-3.html
And see this page for some noise measurements http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-super-overclock-soc-windforce-5x,3253-5.html

It's a 3 slot card with 40mm fans. I'd expect that an 80mm fan or larger in front of the GPU combined with some ducting will actually work better. Anyone ever done any experiments using a ducted setup for the GPU?

Thermals are actually better than I expected :eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: AleksandarK