Accelero S1 in a slim MATX case

They make noise, too.

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fuzzymath10
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Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 5:52 pm
Location: Toronto

Accelero S1 in a slim MATX case

Post by fuzzymath10 » Tue May 03, 2011 6:06 pm

I'm new here but post a bit on anandtech. I experimented with passively cooling a low profile HD 5750 in an NSK1480. This required bending the heatsink significantly, but with a bit of effort, it fits, although it is now a quad-slot video card. Generally it works well. I'm having some issues with blue screens which I think are caused by overheating (in a dual display config with the Intel HD 2000 IGP, only the Radeon display shuts off while the IGP display displays whatever was showing before, and then the computer resets after another 10-15 seconds).

The weird part is that the AMD utility is showing very acceptable GPU temps of around 75-80C at load; with the stock cooler I was hitting 95C without crashing. Also, the two exhaust fans (Noctua + S-flex in pics, 2 Noctuas now) make a difference. If I run them at 900rpm and stock GPU, I get no crashes. Overclocked, I need to run at 1300rpm to not crash. Either way, the GPU temp readings are good so I'm thinking it's either the memory or voltage control.

Any suggestions which? Am I being greedy? :D

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Cryoburner
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Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:25 am

Re: Accelero S1 in a slim MATX case

Post by Cryoburner » Wed May 04, 2011 3:57 am

I don't know exactly what is overheating, but that's some pretty impressive bending. : )

It does seem like it might be a bit tight below the card though, potentially creating a pocket of warm air. Have you tried removing one or both of the unused PCI slot covers to improve air circulation down there? If that seems to work, you could optionally add mesh slot covers in their place.

andymcca
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Location: Boston, MA, USA

Re: Accelero S1 in a slim MATX case

Post by andymcca » Wed May 04, 2011 4:31 am

WOW.

Nice. Did you do that free-hand? Did you bend it around something? Which end did you fix/clamp?

I may have to buy another accelero just to play with it!

Edit: PS I agree with the vrm/memory theory. Is there a fan in front of the HDDs? I think you need to look for some airflow across the bottom of the video card. If you have +/- case pressure you could use that grilled pci cover that comes with the accelero, but obviously air has to be pushed/pulled to/from somewhere.
Edit2: Is your airflow right-to-left or left-to-right? Maybe you could try just switching the direction and see if it changes where hot spots develop?

boost
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Re: Accelero S1 in a slim MATX case

Post by boost » Wed May 04, 2011 6:59 am

Nicely done sir!

If you oc your memory you usually get artifacts on the screen before a crash, so I'd say it's the VRM.

fuzzymath10
Posts: 69
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 5:52 pm
Location: Toronto

Re: Accelero S1 in a slim MATX case

Post by fuzzymath10 » Wed May 04, 2011 4:29 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. A few points:

1) I bent it bit by bit by pressing it on the floor/carpet. Kind of like rolling sushi.

2) I use the case in a vertical orientation. The only intake is the fan by the PSU; I removed the fan by the SSDs because I felt there was no need to cool them (vs the hard drives I had before). Would it make a big difference to have another fan there? I have two horrible-sounding S-flexes lying around so I could always test it before buying another Noctua (the only good quiet option I've found).

andymcca
Posts: 404
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Location: Boston, MA, USA

Re: Accelero S1 in a slim MATX case

Post by andymcca » Thu May 05, 2011 4:49 am

I would be inclined to just remove PCI covers below the video card and see what happens :)

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