sli reference or non?

[Doge much wow]

If you would SLI lets say 2 780's would you go for reference model like the evga model or a non reference cooling? Is there any difference 

Also which one is the best brand for you guys?

[sonarctica]

Well I'm planning on getting a second reference 780 soon, I don't see the problem, your system runs just hotter but I'm fine with that. There are other pros having a non-reference cooling on your gpu though, for example it'll run more silent than a reference one most of the time. You also get more headroom for overclocking too.

[Hecknologist]

While the reference runs slightly warmer then aftermarket, I believe it is a better option for SLI as non reference cards would throw the heat from the bottom card up to the top card. This would make the top card hotter (convection), whereas reference would simply throw it out the back of the case. Either way you will need good airflow to keep them breathing nicely.

[jezza39]

Reference, you'll toast the top card if you go non reference. They also look 100000000 times better with that sexy reference cooler

[Jackbe]

I really like backplates, so I'd go non reference. It is true that the top card runs hotter. My top asus DCII GTX 670 runs around 70 degrees and my bottom one runs around 60 degrees (under load). When I had one card, it ran at 40-50 degrees under load. I think that's cooler than the reference cards run by themselves, so, as long as your air flow is good enough, I think non reference cards run cooler.

 

Also, non reference coolers are much, much quieter.

[Blecter]

Reference, you'll toast the top card if you go non reference.

 

Not true at all.

 

My SLI'd EVGA 760 SC ACX's haven't "toasted". Both have a decent overclock over the factory one. In my system my top card actually runs cooler under load (anywhere from 2-10C game/benchmark dependent).

 

The reference cards do move more heat out the back, but if you've got decent airflow in your case than you won't have any worries with either reference or non-reference.

[The_Strict_Nein]

I've heard some people recommend one reference and one non-reference card

[jezza39]

Not true at all.

 

Wow that's a pretty definitive statement, and it's usually true.

 

I've heard tons of people complaining here http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/ about having a top card throttling and under-performing. 760s don't output the same heat as 780s plus OP might live in a warmer climate. You have spacing between GPUs, OP might not. As a blanked rule, reference blowers are the way to go in SLI unless you're ok with god awful noise. 

[Blecter]

Wow that's a pretty definitive statement, and it's usually true.

 

I've heard tons of people complaining here http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/ about having a top card throttling and under-performing. 760s don't output the same heat as 780s plus OP might live in a warmer climate. You have spacing between GPUs, OP might not. As a blanked rule, reference blowers are the way to go in SLI unless you're ok with god awful noise. 

 

Your statement was the same.

 

Having a card throttle/not boosting fully isn't a "toasted" card as you said. That could be due to a variety of issues, including software/airflow/heat/etc. The end user needs to acknowledge the environmental/space factors that will have an affect on GPU performance. Coolers on these products are built for the average climate, so if you're on the hot side then you'll need to compensate for that.

 

I have not heard of, nor seen, a top card in an SLI configuration die simply because it was of a non-reference design. I have however heard of/seen cards die due to improper setup/inexperience (IE no case airflow, not monitoring temps/etc). I've seen single card setups suffering from the same thing.

 

OP, the reference vs non-reference design battle will always continue. I'm impartial, regardless of the fact that I've got non-reference cards. You need to keep in mind the big picture of your case internals. As jezza mentioned, you need to keep in mind your GPU spacing, but you also need to be aware of your airflow situation. Regardless of the cooler, bad airflow = higher temps and good airflow = lower temps.

[nj4ck]

if you have a full slot of space between both cards and good airflow, you can do pretty much any card. If you're sandwiching them right next to eachother, blower-style coolers are a must. 

[othertomperson]

While the reference runs slightly warmer then aftermarket, I believe it is a better option for SLI as non reference cards would throw the heat from the bottom card up to the top card. This would make the top card hotter (convection), whereas reference would simply throw it out the back of the case. Either way you will need good airflow to keep them breathing nicely.

 

If your airflow is so poor that this is a problem, you'd have a problem regardless of if you went reference or not, and sli and not. Aftermarket coolers nearly always cool better.

 

The exception is if you're trying to 3-way or 4-way sli on air cooling and the cards being too close together blocks their fans. Then a reference blower would be better, but I would really hope anyone trying to do that would be water cooling them anyway.

[TLBranch]

Also have to factor in your motherboard, for example on the Asus Max VI hero that I have it is triple spaced between the slots so that there will still be a one slot space airflow between cards. Personally I am going to eventually go with dual non-reference cards.

[Faa]

If your airflow is so poor that this is a problem, you'd have a problem regardless of if you went reference or not, and sli and not. Aftermarket coolers nearly always cool better.

Kinda wrong. A reference at 100% fan speed will cool better than an aftermarkt at 100% fan speed. I couldn't keep my DC2 below 90° when mining with a fixed 1.21V with 100% fan speed, the 2nd card could stay at 75° with the fan setting on auto. After I switched them out for 2 reference cards since my case is heavily optimized for blowerstyle coolers, I can keep them both below 60° when mining. When gaming there was always a good 10-15° difference between the 1st & 2nd card with aftermarkt coolers but now with reference the temperatures are just exactly the same on both cards. The problem with aftermarkt coolers is that the 1st card breathes the hot air from the 2nd card, it takes awhile before its vented out. The best airflow you'd get is from a Silverstone FT02/RV02 or TJ11 cases with a 90° rotated motherboard tray with a big static pressure optimized 180mm fan.

 

 

My SLI'd EVGA 760 SC ACX's haven't "toasted". Both have a decent overclock over the factory one. In my system my top card actually runs cooler under load (anywhere from 2-10C game/benchmark dependent).

A 760's bios is locked to somewhere around 130W where as 780's are locked to 250-275W. You're not going to compare 2x130W gpu's with 2x250W cards really. And that your top card is running cooler is BS unless it has a more agressive fan profile. 

[othertomperson]

 

Kinda wrong. A reference at 100% fan speed will cool better than an aftermarkt at 100% fan speed. I couldn't keep my DC2 below 90° when mining with a fixed 1.21V with 100% fan speed, the 2nd card could stay at 75° with the fan setting on auto. After I switched them out for 2 reference cards since my case is heavily optimized for blowerstyle coolers, I can keep them both below 60° when mining. When gaming there was always a good 10-15° difference between the 1st & 2nd card with aftermarkt coolers but now with reference the temperatures are just exactly the same on both cards. The problem with aftermarkt coolers is that the 1st card breathes the hot air from the 2nd card, it takes awhile before its vented out. The best airflow you'd get is from a Silverstone FT02/RV02 or TJ11 cases with a 90° rotated motherboard tray with a big static pressure optimized 180mm fan.

 

 

A 760's bios is locked to somewhere around 130W where as 780's are locked to 250-275W. You're not going to compare 2x130W gpu's with 2x250W cards really. And that your top card is running cooler is BS unless it has a more agressive fan profile. 

 

 

Please, I'm using two GTX 580s in SLi with aftermarket coolers. Like I said, if it takes "a while" for air from the bottom GPU to move then your case has shoddy air flow and that's the source of your problem, not the non-reference cooler.

[DudeWazap]

I would just get non refrence cards.

[Faa]

Please, I'm using two GTX 580s in SLi with aftermarket coolers. Like I said, if it takes "a while" for air from the bottom GPU to move then your case has shoddy air flow and that's the source of your problem, not the non-reference cooler.

Your air 540's airflow isn't even close to my case. You didnt get it do you; the heat the 2nd card dumps in your case the 1st card will breathe it. You can't stop this but you can only minimize it by using more fans or higher speed fans. And we forgot that it heats your CPU up as well, since the case ambient goes atleast by 10° up. With reference cards the issue is complety isolated since they dont dump any heat into your case. 

2 reference cards will run cooler in a TJ11 or FT02 than 2 aftermarkt gpu's in a standard atx case like air 540's with much less noise

[othertomperson]

Your air 540's airflow isn't even close to my case. You didnt get it do you; the heat the 2nd card dumps in your case the 1st card will breathe it. You can't stop this but you can only minimize it by using more fans or higher speed fans. And we forgot that it heats your CPU up as well, since the case ambient goes atleast by 10° up. With reference cards the issue is complety isolated since they dont dump any heat into your case. 

2 reference cards will run cooler in a TJ11 or FT02 than 2 aftermarkt gpu's in a standard atx case like air 540's with much less noise

 

The air 540 is pretty much enough. Or the Cosmos 1000 modded to have two 120mm fans over the GPUs and two more above them I used to have was more effective in this respect. As long as you have air blowing level with the GPUs you disturb the flow enough that it vents quickly and the top GPU has a supply of fresh air. Your case interior temperature needn't go up at all. As for the CPU, that has its own cooling and it is without exception *drastically* more effective than the poultry solutions bolted onto GPUs so I'm not too bothered about that.

 

As for my case, the only thing I'd do from an airflow perspective is switch out the stock fans on my H110 for static pressure fans with a better CFM. They're quiet enough (my room's not exactly a silent environment anyway) and they're adequate for cooling the CPU but somewhat lacking considering they need to function as case fans as well.

[One Who Craves Souls]

For a case with good space I'd use non-reference, specifically EVGA's ACX, I love the look of that cooler too.

[Faa]

The air 540 is pretty much enough. Or the Cosmos 1000 modded to have two 120mm fans over the GPUs and two more above them I used to have was more effective in this respect. As long as you have air blowing level with the GPUs you disturb the flow enough that it vents quickly and the top GPU has a supply of fresh air. Your case interior temperature needn't go up at all. As for the CPU, that has its own cooling and it is without exception *drastically* more effective than the poultry solutions bolted onto GPUs so I'm not too bothered about that.

You're not going to keep the first aftermarkt 250-300W gpu below 90° in SLI unless you sacrifice a lot of quietness. Standard atx cases with lowspeed fans aren't just enough and the air 540 has more gimmicks than it actually moves air: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2013/06/19/corsair-carbide-air-540-review/3 10° difference between 540/FT02

http://i.imgur.com/jxXmLkq.jpg

Chassis 3 fan is the pump of my enermax liqtech 120x aio, cpu fan is a nf-f12 pwm and the one in yellow are both of my AP181's which I disabled and you barely see the gpu's going above 80° with an overvolt of 63mVt & overclock running both at 250W (100% TDP=250W) with complety no airflow at all. That reference cards are better in SLI is pretty much it. When you're using a single card, aftermarkt all the way.

[othertomperson]

Chassis 3 fan is the pump of my enermax liqtech 120x aio, cpu fan is a nf-f12 pwm and the one in yellow are both of my AP181's which I disabled and you barely see the gpu's going above 80° with an overvolt of 63mVt & overclock running both at 250W (100% TDP=250W) with complety no airflow at all. That reference cards are better in SLI is pretty much it. When you're using a single card, aftermarkt all the way.

 

Why are you arguing from a perspective of "completely no airflow at all" when my point has consistently been "decent airflow negates any deficiency in aftermarket coolers"? Obviously the blower will be better without airflow.

[Blecter]

 

A 760's bios is locked to somewhere around 130W where as 780's are locked to 250-275W. You're not going to compare 2x130W gpu's with 2x250W cards really. And that your top card is running cooler is BS unless it has a more agressive fan profile. 

 

 

I can see you're out for an argument. Have at 'er bud, I pass.

[Faa]

Why are you arguing from a perspective of "completely no airflow at all" when my point has consistently been "decent airflow negates any deficiency in aftermarket coolers"? Obviously the blower will be better without airflow.

Sorry but you're the one here arguing from a total different perspective. I thought you said aftermarkt coolers are better for 2way sli?

 

The exception is if you're trying to 3-way or 4-way sli on air cooling and the cards being too close together blocks their fans. Then a reference blower would be better, 

That the 1st card runs 10° or more than the 2nd card is a complete fact with aftermarkt gpu's which you can't deny so you were wrong about it. That your ambient temperature in your case will be higher is another fact, that will impact your cpu temps as well and since people are afraid to run their cpu above 70° theyre just most likely going to backoff their cpu overclock.

I hope I covered enough why reference cards atleast the 780's coolers are better for SLI.

[Hecknologist]

reference for sli, unless amd.... fk that, no jet engines are going in my system.

[theawesomejman]

I have two 780ti's in SLI

 

both from evga

 

ONE is ACX (non reference)

 

and the other one is reference

 

Best of both worlds.

[2xShi_2xSon]

Sorry but you're the one here arguing from a total different perspective. I thought you said aftermarkt coolers are better for 2way sli?

 

 

That the 1st card runs 10° or more than the 2nd card is a complete fact with aftermarkt gpu's which you can't deny so you were wrong about it. That your ambient temperature in your case will be higher is another fact, that will impact your cpu temps as well and since people are afraid to run their cpu above 70° theyre just most likely going to backoff their cpu overclock.

I hope I covered enough why reference cards atleast the 780's coolers are better for SLI.

 

I can see you're out for an argument. Have at 'er bud, I pass.

Guys what if you have a 750 D with 2x sp 120 fans in the front and 2x sp 120 on my h100i and one af140 in the back (all are quiet edition not perfomance) would you reccomend me a reference or non reference 780ti's in sli 2 way

room temperature about 25 celcius converted if you want