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Does the Compact Design of Blower-Style Coolers Affect Graphics Card Performance?
If you know a bit about graphics cards, you probably have heard of blower-style coolers, which are commonly used by AMD and Nvidia for their reference or founder’s editions. Blower-style coolers have a distinctive fan that sucks air from within the card and blows it out through a narrow exhaust at the back, creating a single stream of hot air that can be easily expelled out of a PC case. Blower-style coolers have some advantages over other cooling solutions, such as open-air or custom water blocks, in terms of compatibility, reliability, and noise. However, blower-style coolers also have some drawbacks, such as thermal limits, acoustic issues, and aesthetic preferences. In this blog post, we will explore the question of whether the compact design of blower-style coolers affects graphics card performance, and if so, how much.
Before we start, we need to clarify some terms and concepts related to graphics card cooling. In general, a graphics card consists of a printed circuit board (PCB) that mounts various electronic components, including the graphics processing unit (GPU), the memory modules, the voltage regulators, and the cooling system. The cooling system usually comprises a heatsink, which is a metal block that conducts heat away from the GPU and the memory, and one or more fans, which blow air over the heatsink fins to dissipate the heat into the surrounding air. The thermal performance of a graphics card depends on several factors, such as the power consumption of the GPU, the efficiency of the heatsink, the airflow of the fans, and the case ventilation. When a graphics card reaches its thermal limit, which is the maximum temperature that it can handle safely without throttling or damaging, its performance may decrease due to thermal throttling, which reduces the clock speed and voltage of the GPU to lower its power consumption and temperature. Thermal throttling can cause frame drops, stuttering, and instability, which can affect the gaming experience negatively.
Blower-style coolers differ from other cooling solutions in two main aspects: the compact design and the single-exhaust layout. The compact design means that the blower-style cooler occupies less space than an open-air or custom water block, which can be useful for small form factor (SFF) builds, where space is limited. The compact design also means that the blower-style cooler has less surface area for the heatsink fins, which can affect its thermal performance negatively. The single-exhaust layout means that the blower-style cooler expels all the hot air through a narrow exhaust at the back, which can reduce the ambient temperature inside the case and prevent the hot air from recirculating around the GPU. The single-exhaust layout also means that the blower-style cooler may create more noise than an open-air or custom water block, as the fan has to spin faster to push more air through the narrow exhaust and maintain a sufficient airflow.
Now that we have some background on blower-style coolers and graphics card cooling, let’s answer the question: does the compact design of blower-style coolers affect graphics card performance? The short answer is yes, but the actual impact depends on several factors, such as the GPU model, the power draw, the thermal design power (TDP), and the cooling capacity. In general, blower-style coolers are better suited for GPUs with lower TDPs, as they can handle the heat more effectively and with less noise. GPUs with higher TDPs, such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 or the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, may require more advanced or customized cooling solutions to optimize their performance, as they generate more heat and consume more power. Blower-style coolers may also struggle to cool overclocked GPUs, which have higher clock speeds and voltage than their stock counterparts, as the blower-style cooler may not have the same capacity to dissipate the additional heat.
To illustrate the impact of blower-style coolers on graphics card performance, let’s consider some benchmarks and reviews of popular GPUs that come with blower-style coolers, such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. These benchmarks and reviews can provide some insights into how blower-style coolers perform in different scenarios and compare with other cooling solutions.
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a mid-range gaming GPU that comes with a TDP of 120 watts and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The GTX 1660 Ti is one of the most popular GPUs for SFF builds, as it offers good performance and efficiency without consuming too much power or generating too much heat. The reference GTX 1660 Ti comes with a blower-style cooler that has a single fan and a plastic shroud that covers most of the PCB. Some aftermarket variants of the GTX 1660 Ti may offer different cooling solutions, such as dual-fan open-air coolers or water blocks, but the reference GTX 1660 Ti serves as a baseline for our comparison.
According to the benchmarks and reviews from various tech sites, the reference GTX 1660 Ti with blower-style cooler can run most games at 1080p with high or ultra settings and maintain a stable frame rate of around 60 fps. The thermal performance of the blower-style cooler is adequate for the GTX 1660 Ti, as it can keep the GPU temperature below 80 degrees Celsius under heavy load and noise level around 40 decibels. However, the blower-style cooler is not as efficient or quiet as some custom open-air coolers or water blocks, which can lower the GPU temperature by 10-20 degrees Celsius and reduce the noise level by 5-10 decibels. In terms of overclocking, the blower-style cooler may limit the potential of the GTX 1660 Ti, as it may not be able to dissipate the additional heat from higher clock speeds and voltages. The sweet spot of the GTX 1660 Ti seems to be around the stock settings, where it balances the performance, temperature, and noise of the blower-style cooler.
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is a high-end gaming GPU that comes with a TDP of 225 watts and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The RX 5700 XT competes with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super and the GeForce RTX 2060 Super in terms of performance and price, but lacks the ray tracing and DLSS features that Nvidia offers. The reference RX 5700 XT comes with a blower-style cooler that has a single fan and a metal shroud that covers most of the PCB. Some aftermarket variants of the RX 5700 XT may offer different cooling solutions, such as dual-fan open-air coolers or water blocks, but the reference RX 5700 XT serves as a baseline for our comparison.
According to the benchmarks and reviews from various tech sites, the reference RX 5700 XT with blower-style cooler can run most games at 1440p with high or ultra settings and maintain a stable frame rate of around 60 fps. The thermal performance of the blower-style cooler is decent for the RX 5700 XT, as it can keep the GPU temperature below 90 degrees Celsius under heavy load and noise level around 45 decibels. However, the blower-style cooler is not as efficient or quiet as some custom open-air coolers or water blocks, which can lower the GPU temperature by 20-30 degrees Celsius and reduce the noise level by 10-20 decibels. In terms of overclocking, the blower-style cooler may struggle to cool the RX 5700 XT, as it may reach its thermal limit even at the stock settings. Some users have reported that adding a custom fan curve or undervolting the GPU can help to lower the temperature and noise of the blower-style cooler, but may also affect the stability and performance of the RX 5700 XT.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is a flagship gaming GPU that comes with a TDP of 250 watts and a boost clock of 1635 MHz. The RTX 2080 Ti is one of the most powerful GPUs for gaming and content creation, as it offers ray tracing and DLSS features that can enhance the visual fidelity and performance of compatible games and applications. The reference RTX 2080 Ti comes with a blower-style cooler that has a single fan and a metal shroud that covers most of the PCB. Some aftermarket variants of the RTX 2080 Ti may offer different cooling solutions, such as dual-fan open-air coolers or water blocks, but the reference RTX 2080 Ti serves as a baseline for our comparison.
According to the benchmarks and reviews from various tech sites, the reference RTX 2080 Ti with blower-style cooler can run most games at 4K with high or ultra settings and maintain a stable frame rate of around 60 fps. The thermal performance of the blower-style cooler is mediocre for the RTX 2080 Ti, as it can keep the GPU temperature below 85 degrees Celsius under heavy load and noise level around 60 decibels. However, the blower-style cooler is not as efficient or quiet as some custom water blocks or liquid cooling solutions, which can lower the GPU temperature by 30-40 degrees Celsius and reduce the noise level by 15-25 decibels. In terms of overclocking, the blower-style cooler may be insufficient for the RTX 2080 Ti, as it may reach its thermal limit even at the stock settings. Some users have reported that adding extra fans or liquid cooling can help to improve the thermal and acoustic performance of the RTX 2080 Ti, but may also require more space, power, and budget than the blower-style cooler.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the compact design of blower-style coolers can affect graphics card performance, but the actual impact depends on several factors, such as the GPU model, the power draw, the thermal design power (TDP), and the cooling capacity. Blower-style coolers are better suited for GPUs with lower TDPs, as they can handle the heat more effectively and with less noise. GPUs with higher TDPs, such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 or the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, may require more advanced or customized cooling solutions to optimize their performance, as they generate more heat and consume more power. Blower-style coolers may also struggle to cool overclocked GPUs, which have higher clock speeds and voltage than their stock counterparts, as the blower-style cooler may not have the same capacity to dissipate the additional heat. If you plan to build a gaming PC or upgrade your graphics card, you should consider the thermal and acoustic characteristics of the cooling solutions carefully, and choose the one that fits your needs and preferences. Blower-style coolers may not be the best or the quietest option, but they can be a viable and practical choice for certain scenarios, such as SFF builds or reference models. By understanding the pros and cons of blower-style coolers, you can make an informed decision and enjoy your gaming experience to the fullest.
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