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Can Blower-Style Graphics Cards Keep their Cool under Heavy Loads?
If you have been shopping for a graphics card recently, you may have noticed that there are two main designs for the cooling system: open-air and blower-style. Open-air cards have multiple fans that blow air directly onto the heatsinks and heatpipes, while blower-style cards have a single fan that draws air from the case and exhausts it through a vent at the rear of the card. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages, but in this post, we will focus on blower-style cards and explore their cooling efficiency, noise level, and overclocking potential.
Introduction
Before we begin, let’s define some terms and concepts related to graphics card cooling:
– TDP (thermal design power): the maximum amount of heat that a component can generate without exceeding its safe operating temperature.
– GPU (graphics processing unit): the chip that performs most of the computations for graphics rendering and gaming.
– VRAM (video random access memory): the memory chips that store the textures, shaders, and other data that the GPU needs for rendering.
– Heatsink: a metal plate or fin array that absorbs heat from a component and dissipates it into the air.
– Heatpipes: copper or aluminum tubes that transfer heat from the heatsink to the fan or radiator.
– Thermal paste or pad: a material that fills the microscopic gaps between the component and the heatsink to improve the heat transfer.
– Fan curve: a graph that shows the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature of the component, usually adjustable in the graphics card driver or software utility.
– Overclocking: the process of increasing the clock speed or voltage of a component to achieve higher performance, but also higher heat output and power consumption.
Cooling Efficiency
The first question we need to answer is whether blower-style cards can keep their cool under heavy loads, such as gaming, rendering, or mining. The short answer is yes, but with some caveats.
Blower-style cards have a few advantages when it comes to cooling:
– They can better manage the airflow inside the case, by not recirculating the hot air that the open-air cards blow onto the nearby components, such as the CPU, the RAM, or the motherboard.
– They can handle space-constrained builds or multi-GPU setups, by expelling the hot air directly out of the case, instead of relying on the ambient airflow to carry it away.
– They can cope better with dusty environments, by not accumulating dust on the heatsinks or blades, since the air goes in from one side and out from the other.
However, blower-style cards also have some drawbacks:
– They can generate more noise than open-air cards, because the single fan needs to spin faster to move the same amount of air, and the exhaust vent can create a whistling or hissing sound.
– They can have weaker cooling performance than open-air cards, especially when the TDP of the component is high, or when the thermal design of the card is suboptimal. For example, some blower-style cards may have smaller heatsinks or fewer heatpipes than their open-air counterparts, or may use lower-quality materials or assembly practices that affect the heat dissipation.
– They can be less effective at cooling the VRAM or other components on the card that don’t have direct contact with the heatsink, because the hot air may not reach them as efficiently as with open-air cards. This can lead to higher temperatures or instability, especially when overclocking or using memory-intensive applications.
To illustrate these points, let’s compare two popular blower-style cards from NVIDIA and AMD, respectively: the GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition and the Radeon RX 5700 XT reference model.
The RTX 3080 FE has a TDP of 320 watts and uses a triple-slot, dual-fan blower-style cooler with a vapor chamber, a full-cover backplate, and a unique cooling design that channels the air through the PCB and the memory modules. According to several reviews and tests, the RTX 3080 FE can keep its GPU temperature around 75-80 degrees Celsius under full load, with a noise level of around 40-45 dBA. These values can vary depending on the case airflow, the ambient temperature, and the fan curve settings, but they are generally considered good for such a powerful and compact card.
The RX 5700 XT reference model has a TDP of 225 watts and uses a two-slot, single-fan blower-style cooler with a modest heatsink and a plastic shroud. According to some reviews and tests, the RX 5700 XT can reach its thermal limits (about 100 degrees Celsius) under prolonged heavy load, which can trigger the driver’s automatic throttling mechanism and reduce the performance. The noise level can also be high (>50 dBA) due to the fan’s high-speed operation and the exhaust vent’s turbulence. These values can also vary depending on the ambient temperature, the case airflow, and the fan curve settings, but they are generally considered mediocre for a mid-range card that competes with open-air models that offer better cooling and lower noise.
Of course, both of these cards are just examples, and there are many other blower-style cards on the market that have different cooling systems, heat dissipation capacities, quality control issues, or manufacturer-specific optimizations. Therefore, when choosing a blower-style card, it’s important to read reviews, compare benchmarks, check the warranty and support, and consider the specific use case and budget.
Noise Level
The second question we need to answer is whether blower-style cards can keep their cool without becoming too loud or annoying. As we mentioned earlier, blower-style cards can be noisier than open-air cards, but the actual noise level depends on several factors, such as the fan speed, the blade design, the exhaust vent shape, the bearing type, and the case acoustics.
One way to reduce the noise of a blower-style card is to adjust the fan curve, which determines the fan speed based on the GPU temperature. Some graphics card drivers or utilities allow users to customize the fan curve, either manually or through presets, that balance the cooling performance and noise level. For example, one can set a more aggressive fan curve that ramps up the fan speed faster when the temperature rises, but may also produce more noise, or set a more conservative fan curve that keeps the noise level low but may let the temperature reach higher levels, which can affect the stability or longevity of the card.
Another way to reduce the noise of a blower-style card is to optimize the case airflow. By having more intake fans or better cable management, one can improve the ambient temperature inside the case and reduce the workload of the graphics card cooler, which can lead to lower fan speeds and noise levels. Conversely, having a cramped or poorly ventilated case can increase the ambient temperature and the load on the graphics card cooler, exacerbating the noise issue.
A third way to reduce the noise of a blower-style card is to use aftermarket cooling solutions or modifications, such as water blocks, hybrid coolers, or shrouds. However, these options require some technical skills, additional investments, and potential risks, such as voiding the warranty, damaging the card, or leaking coolant.
Overclocking Potential
The third question we need to answer is whether blower-style cards can be overclocked to achieve higher performance than their stock settings. Overclocking can be a risky and tricky process, as it involves increasing the power consumption, the heat output, and the voltage of the component, which can damage or degrade it if done improperly or excessively.
However, overclocking can also be a rewarding and fun process, as it can unlock the potential of the component and improve the gaming or rendering experience. Moreover, some blower-style cards may have more overclocking headroom than their open-air counterparts, as they can handle the heat and the power more efficiently, thanks to their exhaust vent and their airflow management.
To overclock a graphics card, one needs to use a software utility, such as MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision X1, or ASUS GPU Tweak II, that allows one to adjust the clock speed, the voltage, and the fan speed of the card. One also needs to stress test the card using a benchmark or a game that stresses the GPU and the VRAM, such as 3DMark, Heaven, or Metro Exodus, and monitor the temperature and the stability of the card using a program such as HWINFO, GPU-Z, or AIDA64.
The specific overclocking results and settings depend on the card’s architecture, the silicon lottery, the cooling system, and the ambient temperature, among other factors. Therefore, we cannot provide a universal guide or recommendation for overclocking blower-style cards. However, here are some tips and insights to keep in mind:
– Overclocking the memory and the core clock simultaneously can lead to higher performance gains than overclocking only one of them, as they both affect the overall throughput and bandwidth of the card.
– Overclocking the VRAM can be more challenging than overclocking the core clock, as the VRAM chips have different characteristics and may not be stable at the same frequency or voltage. One needs to test each VRAM chip separately and find the lowest stable frequency and voltage that they can handle.
– Overclocking the fan speed can help to reduce the temperature of the card and increase the overclocking headroom, but may also increase the noise level and the wear and tear of the fan. One needs to balance the fan speed with the cooling performance and the noise level, using the fan curve or the manual adjustment.
– Overclocking the card beyond its safe limits can lead to instability, crashes, artifacts, or even damage. One needs to use caution, backup the data, and read the guides and forums for other users’ experiences and tips.
Conclusion
In conclusion, blower-style graphics cards can keep their cool under heavy loads, but may require some trade-offs in noise level, cooling efficiency, and overclocking potential. When choosing a blower-style card, consider the TDP, the heatsink and heatpipe design, the manufacturing quality, the warranty and support, and the use case and budget. When using a blower-style card, optimize the fan curve, the case airflow, and the overclocking settings, while monitoring the temperature, the noise level, and the stability of the card. And when gaming, rendering, or mining, enjoy the performance, the visuals, and the immersion that the graphics card can provide, while keeping an eye on the temperature and the noise level, and taking breaks and stretching to avoid eye strain or repetitive motion injuries.
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