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When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly. |
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On August 28 2012 11:41 invzergtroll wrote:I have absolutely nothing right now so I'll have to buy windows with office at the store and yes I need a monitor. Sorry if maybe i'm incoherent I have limited knowledge in the domain...
Make sure you cant get windows for free from your school (its ~$100), office is another ~$100, are you sure you want to spend that money when you can possibly use free programs. check out OpenOffice and LibreOffice to see if they could potentially meet your requirements.
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Please look at my build and see if there is anything wrong with it, anything that is not compatible, anything i should add/remove following my previous post.
Please help me! I have no idea what to look at..
CPU- Intel Core i5 2500k
Motherboard - ASUS P8268 - V/GEN3
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 4GB
GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB
PSU - Corsair HX650 650W
Case - ANTEC 300
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 32MB, 500GB
DVD Player - ASUS DVD/RW Drive
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Hey gang. Heads up on PC building with Radeons.
Do NOT recommend/buy XFX products with Double Dissipation or DD in the name. Generally we have recommended GPU's without respect to manufacturer, but that isn't the case anymore.
Right now it looks like they sell 7850/7870/7950/7970 with this cooler and it is pretty much confirmed defective at design time.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1200211/stay-away-from-xfx-7970-black-edition-design-flaw
No this isn't just me waging a holy war, this is an actual problem that is getting recognition in the community at large. Black box testing tells you the card simply overheats, more than a reference cooler in fact.
Explanation: I am guessing the reason why is how the cooler itself is planted onto the chip. There is no clamp which is common, and the screws only let the card touch the chip just barely, no overt pressure is placed upon the chipset. MOST tower configurations have you placing your card upside down, so in fact this cooler is simply not touching the processor. If I still had the card I would have taken pictures but I sent the card out for refund just recently. My guess is that the frame is too wide and the copper mold that pressures the chip is too high.
Judging from XFX's customer support I am guessing that the guys running the phones/tech support havent been briefed on the problem or are pretending it doesnt exist.
Reference
![[image loading]](http://www.abload.de/img/1n3wyk.png)
XFX
![[image loading]](http://www.abload.de/img/27t642.png)
VRM temps are a nightmare. 108C and higher has been reported, thats a fast track to RMA land. Other people have been saying this is because the cooler ejects hot air onto the VRM's or something, I dunno.
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Speaking of GPU cooling, is it possible to put heatsinks on the bottom of the PCB?
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No because then you would make a double wide card triple wide. Or single into double.
Additionally this is problematic because some board layouts place the first slot right next to the CPU heatsink. The best you usually see is a backplate.
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5930 Posts
Yeah if you think Medrea is going nuts, he isn't. For a long time, XFX's customer service has been rather middling and their aftermarket coolers are absolutely trash for some reason. Like they actually don't work and people have to RMA the GPUs.
Good to see the reason has been found.
Edit:
I have to admit, XFX being unable to design a working cooling system is quite funny. Even small time heatsink manufacturer like Thermalright, Prolimatech, and Scythe can design a cooler that more or less works as intended. Why can't XFX do the same? Who knows.
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It could just be some sort of quality control issue, rather than design. I don't use XFX, obviously, but maybe they did some cost cutting and now they're regretting it.
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It is just this cooler. That thread I linked is by NO means recent issue.
I have reference 7970 with the reference blower from XFX. The ASIC reading is shitty, but as far as I can tell the VRM temps and GPU core are decent.
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On August 28 2012 22:12 Nabutso wrote:
Speaking of GPU cooling, is it possible to put heatsinks on the bottom of the PCB?
Some rare designs wrap around a little. As mentioned earlier, that may block another slot. Check pictures of this (fanless HD 6850; you gotta do something):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131442
On August 28 2012 23:41 JingleHell wrote:
It could just be some sort of quality control issue, rather than design. I don't use XFX, obviously, but maybe they did some cost cutting and now they're regretting it.
I know what you mean, but I'd say that it's a design issue. Certain designs are much more prone to failure as a result of sample-to-sample variance, handling, etc. You want a design not to have problems in the first place.
With the kind of manufacturing volumes and prices, I'm not sure that there's really much quality control testing that goes on, definitely nothing extensive for every unit shipped. I guess you're talking about QC in terms of manufacturing consistency though.
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This issue is ancient though.
Like 8 months or more. Im embarrassed for having to learn the hard way. I guess they didn't feel like fixing it?
EDIT: Im guessing the OV/OC nature of the GE is bringing out the worst in the cooler.
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Or maybe they bought a huge run of the things and they're stubbornly clearing stock. Maybe some high level exec made a purchasing decision on a design or manufacturer and nobody wants to admit error. Sounds Dilbert-esque, but we all know it's funny because it rings true.
Either way, sucks.
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That makes more sense actually.
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Nothing you want it to do, effectively, and with a lot of potential for serious side effects like failing to work and voided warranties.
If you want the PCB to be cooler, you should focus on more efficiently cooling the parts actually generating the heat. Or stick a spot cooling fan into position to move cool air over the PCB.
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What's on the underside of the PCB? It depends on the design, but do you know what's actually there?
If it's something that needs cooling, it probably has heatsinks already. Usually there's nothing of real interest. Cooling the PCB itself isn't really doing anything.
What's the overarching goal or reasoning behind all this, anyway?
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What is your budget?
800-900
What is your resolution?
1920x1080
What are you using it for?
Gaming, I would really like to be able to play the next Starcraft at high/ultra settings and then WoW also at the highest settings.
What is your upgrade cycle?
3-4 years
When do you plan on building it?
I want to get started right away.
Do you plan on overclocking?
no
Do you need an Operating System?
Yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Maybe in the future, but wasn't planning on it for the first year or so
Where are you buying your parts from?
I'll probably use my local Microcenter and then an online resource like newegg.
Thanks for the help in advance!! :D
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Its just a side to draw heat out of. No actual components rest on that side.
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On August 29 2012 03:53 Medrea wrote:
Its just a side to draw heat out of. No actual components rest on that side.
Yeah I'm just looking for extra ways to cool it down (not that it's really hot, but it's something I'd like to try).
Should I be worried about shorting out anything on the bottom? I have a reference 680 from EVGA.
Another wacky but interesting idea, watercooling with heatspreaders on the tubes? Lol
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EPT
