Higher Air Pressure vs Efficiently?

[Xplorer4x4]

I just got my 7770 in and it has a three fan modes.
1) Single Fan Mode - just the built in fan.
2) Double Airflow - You stack the extra fan directly on top of the stock fan. The booklet for the card says it offers higher air pressure and enhances the dissipation.
3) Dual Fan Mode - There is only a small overlapping area of the fans. It claims it provides a bigger area of effect and cools the PWM module and memory on the PCB more efficiently.

Which mode would you go with for the best cooling?

[oshunluvr]

IMO and in very general terms: Pressure (mm/H20) helps when there's a restriction when there's no restriction, Volume (CFM) is better.

I my case, I use water cooling so I use high Pressure fans for the radiator and high Volume fans for case cooling.

In your case, I would recommend a high pressure fan if it's mounted against a heat sink, but high CFM if it's in free air.

[oshunluvr]

BTW, in case you're wondering, I use Corsair AF (high flow) and SP (high static pressure) fans. Very pricey, but great results while still quiet.

[Teunis]

Wrong thread

[woodsmoke]

LOL
a HARDWARE question! woah!

already deleted because its not relevant! lol

wooddeletedsmoke

[Xplorer4x4]

In your case, I would recommend a high pressure fan if it's mounted against a heat sink, but high CFM if it's in free air.

Well..look at the pics. I can do both methods. If I do method 2 I cover less area but push more air. If I do method 3 both fans sit right on The metal heatsink.

Guys I am only interested in feedback on my op. Oshun I did like the feedback on corsair fans but just not in this thread. No disrespect intended.

Would a mod please delete wood smokes thread for lack of relevance.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

[oshunluvr]

Well, the thread title is "Higher Air Pressure vs Efficiently?" which I tried to address rather than answer the question in the post directly, since there's no info on the fans themselves.

My main point, although I guess I didn't state it clearly, is which works better depends on the fan and the situation. IMO, MSI's labeling of your options is incorrect. Stacking two fans will not "Double the Airflow" but it will increase (double? maybe) the pressure.

The added pressure will have some effect of increasing the airflow up to the point the resistance is overcome, then the benefit will drop off. The side-by-side fan arrangement will double the airflow, but the overall airflow is inherently reduced by the fact that the fans are against the sink.

Since we don't know the specs of the fans there's no way intelligently to know which method will work better. I did find a review that tested the "stacked" arrangement and found a 6c drop under load with only 2+ in DBA which is real good.

From what I read and know, here's my opinion: If you're going to be running this card overclocked or otherwise in a heavy-load situation often, stack the fans. If your case is smallish and/or full of gear and may not ventilate well, stack the fans. If your case is well vented and has lots of free air, put the fans side-by-side. If your case is well vented and you're not going to be stressing the card, one fan will do the job. If we knew the fan specs and/or the back-pressure of your case: high pressure fans or low pressure case; side-by-side, low pressure fans or high pressure case; stack them.

Regarding your last post, and also with respect: This is a forum after all. People are free to post whatever comments they want. That's rather the purpose of a forum. Occasionally, people are going to post things they think are funny - like woodsmoke often does, and I often post information I have that may not answer the OP's question but I feel is relevant to the topic - like a little about how fans work in PCs or a specific recommendation - because you're not the only person who will read this thread. If you're not interested in a particular post or thread, you'll get more mileage just ignoring them rather than asking a mod to edit your thread or informing everyone what you like or don't like. While forum etiquette generally dictates following the OPs intended path, there's no rule that prohibits anyone from commenting how they see fit. I can say with experience, no posting on this forum will be deleted unless it is abusive. A forum should be a place for public discourse, even if one doesn't care for some of it.

Possibly, you'd have been happier asking this question on a video card or MSI support forum, rather than a linux forum.

[Xplorer4x4]

Well, the thread title is "Higher Air Pressure vs Efficiently?" which I tried to address rather than answer the question in the post directly, since there's no info on the fans themselves.

Yes, I realize what the thread is titled, but the title is simply a main iea while the OP has the details. Do you assume you know what a book is about based on it's title? You may know a rough idea but you don't know the details unless you flip it over and read the synopsis.

As for the fan specs good point. I was rushing when I posted the OP. I will see what I can come up with. From the way MSI labels the second fan, it sounds like it has a higher RPM.

there's no rule that prohibits anyone from commenting how they see fit.

A forum with no rules about being off topic? That seems unlikley.

Possibly, you'd have been happier asking this question on a video card or MSI support forum, rather than a linux forum.

Actually, I asked several places as I often do on hardware questions such as this. I like to hear feedback directly on the issue at hand from multiple view points. I can read reviews all day long but I like to get out in forums and here *people's* pov. Not those on Newegg which have long been rumored to paid for to some extent, users who are generally knowledgable and not users who say "it works," and so on. I am all for information but let's keep it relevant to the specific topic at hand rather then talking abouse case fans.

Lastly I don't see the relevance to linux in this question. If it was linux relevant I would have posted in the 12.10 hardware forums.

[Teunis]

The cooling effect of air (a gas) passing a heat sink (a metal surface) is a complex matter.
To get back to your OP, air with a (substantial) higher pressure (higher density) can carry more thermal energy.
In the case of one or two fans this air density difference will be negligible, it'll end up being a velocity difference.

The way the air passes the metal surface can have great effect on the heat transfer, turbulent vs. laminar flow is the main difference.
As it'll be near impossible to predict which fan configuration is the most efficient your best option is to measure the results.

[HalationEffect]

A forum with no rules about being off topic? That seems unlikley.

Lastly I don't see the relevance to linux in this question. If it was linux relevant I would have posted in the 12.10 hardware forums.

I trust you see the irony in those two lines above. This entire thread is technically off-topic for a forum that is specific to Kubuntu (or indeed any Linux, as you noted). So you posted it in the Social / Casual Talk sub-forum, where the already fairly relaxed rules about being on topic are relaxed even further. It is basically the 'anything goes' (within certain reasonable bounds) sub-forum.

Considering all of that, to complain about off topic posts within an off topic thread within the most lightly moderated sub-forum seems just a little hypocritical.

Further, and as oshunluvr already said, because other people may read this thread you cannot expect that every word within every post is for your sole benefit. You may have started the thread, but that doesn't mean that you own it, and it most certainly doesn't mean that you can dictate what other people post within it.

[Xplorer4x4]

I trust you see the irony in those two lines above. This entire thread is technically off-topic for a forum that is specific to Kubuntu (or indeed any Linux, as you noted). So you posted it in the Social / Casual Talk sub-forum, where the already fairly relaxed rules about being on topic are relaxed even further. It is basically the 'anything goes' (within certain reasonable bounds) sub-forum.

Considering all of that, to complain about off topic posts within an off topic thread within the most lightly moderated sub-forum seems just a little hypocritical.

Further, and as oshunluvr already said, because other people may read this thread you cannot expect that every word within every post is for your sole benefit. You may have started the thread, but that doesn't mean that you own it, and it most certainly doesn't mean that you can dictate what other people post within it.

Hey HaltionEffect, while I do understand your rationale of my comments, no I do not see the irony. Is the subject off topic since this is a linux forum? I guess it would be hard to disagree with that. However, the individual forum is designed to encourage or at least provide a place for misc discussion and get away from the world of linux while sharing a common place where you can do so with familiar faces. While the forum may be off topic in regards to linux, each thread still has a specific topic of discussion. Sometimes the topic is serious, as in this case. Sometimes, the topic is not. In the later case, it is is to see where discussion may very, but in this case, I was trying to have a serious discussion based on the available colling options of the new gpu I bought.

As for the beneficiary, in this case, it had nothing to do with the topic at hand so how does that benefit any one? If you see a thread discussing gpu cooling, are you going to read through it for advice on linux? Providing precise on point responses benefits every one far more as it provides easy to find answers.

[HalationEffect]

Hey HaltionEffect, while I do understand your rationale of my comments, no I do not see the irony. Is the subject off topic since this is a linux forum? I guess it would be hard to disagree with that. However, the individual forum is designed to encourage or at least provide a place for misc discussion and get away from the world of linux while sharing a common place where you can do so with familiar faces. While the forum may be off topic in regards to linux, each thread still has a specific topic of discussion. Sometimes the topic is serious, as in this case. Sometimes, the topic is not. In the later case, it is is to see where discussion may very, but in this case, I was trying to have a serious discussion based on the available colling options of the new gpu I bought.

As for the beneficiary, in this case, it had nothing to do with the topic at hand so how does that benefit any one? If you see a thread discussing gpu cooling, are you going to read through it for advice on linux? Providing precise on point responses benefits every one far more as it provides easy to find answers.

I do agree with you that there have been off-topic posts in this thread, and indeed several posts now that are completely irrelevant to the topic. I even sympathise with the sentiment that such posts are unwanted. I'd feel the same way if a thread I'd started got derailed.

I pretty much agree with everything you said in the above quote; however, that isn't the point.

Although I didn't quote this in my last post, this is what I was referring to:

Guys I am only interested in feedback on my op. Oshun I did like the feedback on corsair fans but just not in this thread.

Would a mod please delete wood smokes thread for lack of relevance.

That really isn't how KFN does things. We don't do strict topic adherence in any part of the forum, nor do posts get deleted due to irrelevance, so to insist upon either, is just... (searching for the right phrasing here)... not resonant with the ethos of KFN. To demand it within the 'Social / Casual Talk' sub-forum goes beyond merely non-resonant - under that circumstance, it's essentially antithetical.

[Xplorer4x4]

Well glad to see we are a bit more on the same page here, however, and maybe it is a bad choice of wording on your part(looking back on it, I guess I could have worded that a little bit nicer) demanding seems like a really strong over tone and makes me feel like you have the wrong idea. I was not demanding anything. simply asking people respect my wishes to keep the topic focused.

[HalationEffect]

Heh - I actually wanted to use a word or phrase a bit milder than 'demand' but couldn't think of one (and because I have a foible of being averse to reusing phrases, using 'insist upon' again was out) so I just went with it, mea culpa

[dibl]

I like the dual fan approach, PROVIDED HOWEVER that your "case exhaust" fan(s) can move out as much heat as the dual fans move off the 7700 card, plus the rest of the interior heat. In other words, lots of hot air coming off the card needs to get moved out of the case at the same volume, or you're only warming the interior.