Trouble deciding between a GTX 780 Ti and the GTX 780 Ti with the ACX cooler

[Justazombie]

So both are super-clocked and the ACX version has a bit better of a base clock.  I also really like the look of the regular 780 Ti because the green illuminated text will match the LED on my liquid CPU cooler.  (It only glows green because of a bad LED)  What I would like to know are what the pros and cons are of each graphics card.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GFZMI3G/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=053GEMCVPN196N3KKQVE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMTGJIU/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=053GEMCVPN196N3KKQVE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

 

Both are priced the same too.

Sorry if this post does not belong here, this is my first post.

[TheKDub]

 

-snip-

Go with the ACX version, the cooler is much better.

 

Also follow your posts so you know when someone replies!

[I/O]

Go with 290 VaporX ... Better, smoother gameplay and less cost.

[Yuval]

Was thinking the same, and chose the 780 Ti Reference over a 780 SC ACX

[Justazombie]

Thanks guys for being so nice and informative! Keep the input coming 

[Abaris]

I'm with that struggle as well. And I think I'll go with the reference cooler.

[Yuval]

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/194319-reference-780-ti-or-evga-sc-acx-780/

 

Had a thread about this, maybe it could help

 

 

Derp, thought this is ref 780 ti vs SC ACX 780

 

Go with EVGA ACX 780Ti for sure, no reason not to!

[I/O]

290 non reference is cheaper,cooler and faster than reference 780

[Shroomster]

290 non reference is cheaper,cooler and faster than reference 780

The card in question is a GTX 780 TI, not a GTX 780. And i don't get these AMD comments as OP was asking between two nVIDIA cards.

[Abaris]

True, OP was clear about nVidia.

Also: If you get the reference cooler you can do this: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/191191-guide-modding-your-gtx-780-ti-colour-scheme/

[Shroomster]

Also i would get the ACX as it is cooler and quieter. The ref cooler looks nice, but for me at least is not worth the noise.

[Thebman712]

i would perfer the non super clocked reference card because;

 

reference pcb for water cooling

still has room to overclock for lest cost.

reference is sexy 

[Faceman]

I own an EVGA GTX 780(non-Ti) w/ ACX Cooler.  While the cooler is very very good for the GPU, it can cause issues if you have radiators on the top of your case.  The design of the ACX Cooler blows air down, and all around the inside of your case.  That hot air rises.  If you have a radiator that is exhausting out the top of your case, after 30min of gameplay, the heat from the GPU is going to increase the temperatures of your AIO.  By 10C+  The longer you play, the hotter it gets, plataeuing at around +15C.  I ended up doing the G10 mod to my GPU, not because my GPU was getting hot, it would barely touch 70C, but because the cooler design of the ACX was heating up my CPU's AIO.  The G10 mod did drop my temps by a lot though, 20-23C depending on the application.

 

Just my personal experience with the ACX Cooler and one of its potential pitfalls.

 

Also I do think you should take a long hard look at what AMD has to offer.  Their price to performance, and higher resolution scalability is very appealing.

[Abaris]

I own an EVGA GTX 780(non-Ti) w/ ACX Cooler.  While the cooler is very very good for the GPU, it can cause issues if you have radiators on the top of your case.  The design of the ACX Cooler blows air down, and all around the inside of your case.  That hot air rises.  If you have a radiator that is exhausting out the top of your case, after 30min of gameplay, the heat from the GPU is going to increase the temperatures of your AIO.  By 10C+  The longer you play, the hotter it gets, plataeuing at around +15C.  I ended up doing the G10 mod to my GPU, not because my GPU was getting hot, it would barely touch 70C, but because the cooler design of the ACX was heating up my CPU's AIO.  The G10 mod did drop my temps by a lot though, 20-23C depending on the application.

 

Just my personal experience with the ACX Cooler and one of its potential pitfalls.

 

Also I do think you should take a long hard look at what AMD has to offer.  Their price to performance, and higher resolution scalability is very appealing.

 

Wut? But ACX cooler is supposed to get rid of hot air from the rear of your case. Correct me if I'm mistaken but I'm pretty sure this is the reason of the ACX cooler.

[Faceman]

Wut? But ACX cooler is supposed to get rid of hot air from the rear of your case. Correct me if I'm mistaken but I'm pretty sure this is the reason of the ACX cooler.

No, the reference cards exhaust heat out of the rear of your case.  The ACX Blows the air down and out the side of the card.

[Justazombie]

I own an EVGA GTX 780(non-Ti) w/ ACX Cooler.  While the cooler is very very good for the GPU, it can cause issues if you have radiators on the top of your case.  The design of the ACX Cooler blows air down, and all around the inside of your case.  That hot air rises.  If you have a radiator that is exhausting out the top of your case, after 30min of gameplay, the heat from the GPU is going to increase the temperatures of your AIO.  By 10C+  The longer you play, the hotter it gets, plataeuing at around +15C.  I ended up doing the G10 mod to my GPU, not because my GPU was getting hot, it would barely touch 70C, but because the cooler design of the ACX was heating up my CPU's AIO.  The G10 mod did drop my temps by a lot though, 20-23C depending on the application.

 

Just my personal experience with the ACX Cooler and one of its potential pitfalls.

 

Also I do think you should take a long hard look at what AMD has to offer.  Their price to performance, and higher resolution scalability is very appealing.

This is very informative thank you so very much.  I currently have a EVGA GTX 660 ACX cooler and I am pleased with it but is time for an upgrade.  However it may be messing with my airflow... I want all the air to come out the top of the case.

[Abaris]

No, the reference cards exhaust heat out of the rear of your case.  The ACX Blows the air down and out the side of the card.

Good to know, I mixed things up

One more reason to get the reference cooler (at least for me).

Thanx

[Faceman]

Happy to help guys.  This is a very overlooked aspect of the ACX Cooler.  While it is quiet and keeps temperatures very low for the GPU, it can have a negative impact on other components of your build.

 

Of course, you can always do like me and watercool your GPU.  It could be avoided if you went with a reference design card though.

[alexleov]

My choice would be super clocked with acx. You get better cooling now and it's still a reference PCB if you decide to go water in the future.

[79wjd]

Go with 290 VaporX ... Better, smoother gameplay and less cost.

If amd would focus a bit more on compatibilty then is agree, but I'd still never go with an amd card myself as I've had some issues in the past and I see far more issues with amd vs. nvidia these days.

Was thinking the same, and chose the 780 Ti Reference over a 780 SC ACX

I really wish the acx cooler didn't look like garbage

[79wjd]

Happy to help guys. This is a very overlooked aspect of the ACX Cooler. While it is quiet and keeps temperatures very low for the GPU, it can have a negative impact on other components of your build.

Of course, you can always do like me and watercool your GPU. It could be avoided if you went with a reference design card though.

It's only negative if te airflow in the case is terrible...usually the heat output by the card won't really affect anything in a good setup, as ideally, the only thing which should be affected by the added heat should be the CPU, which a good cooler can handle.

/double post because I can't edit my posts *sigh*

[I/O]

If amd would focus a bit more on "compatibilty" then is agree, but I'd still never go with an amd card myself as I've had some issues in the past and I see far more issues with amd vs. nvidia these days.

I would have to cal BS on that. Me smellz a fanboy trying to spread the nvidia rhetoric. First off compatibility with what ? Linux ? and second what issues exactly are you talking about.

[I/O]

Happy to help guys.  This is a very overlooked aspect of the ACX Cooler.  While it is quiet and keeps temperatures very low for the GPU, it can have a negative impact on other components of your build.

I never had a problem with GPUs having a negative impact on PC components. Please elaborate.

[Faceman]

 

 

 

The CPU is what I'm talking about, the GPU having a negative impact.  I have amazing airflow in all of my builds as you will see in the pictures I am about to provide.  Be prepared to see lots of pictures with tons of ghetto-building techniques used to help with airflow.

 

     I first had a crappy mid-tower case, called the Ultra Defender II.  When doing my build, I found out that when I have the side panel closed, my EVGA GTX 780 SC would reach temperatures in the mid to high 70s.  Quick solution?  Remove the side panel and temperatures immediately dropped to the mid/low 60s.  I never saw my GPU go above 66C when I removed the side panel.  When looking at the card, you can see that the exhaust is on the sides of the card, put your hand next to the side of the card next time you play, and you will feel the burst of hot air coming from the side.

     I was only using a CM 212 EVO at this time on my CPU.  Temperatures while very good, were not as good as a 240mm AIO.  I found the deal on the Seidon 240M for only $56 and I bought one.  Problem is, the radiator never fit inside my crummy mid-tower so I would leave it off the side of my build, with the side panel still removed.  My temperatures were amazing like this because each component's cooler was far away from the other and temperatures didn't impact the other.  My temperatures were admittedly better like this than when I have the components inside my full tower case.  My CPU would idle at ambient temperature, and when playing BF4, Crysis3, CPU would never go above 52C with 1200rpm on fans and 1050rpm on pump.  GPU remained at 66C max.

 

Please note that all of the pictures you see of my computer outside the wooden enclosure, it looks like it is on a carpeted floor, it is actually on top of a hard plastic chair mat.

My idle temperatures when ambient is 24C.

 

     From the pictures, you can see that it was cramped, but the airflow was good, and each cooler was independent from the other, even when it was inside the wooden desk. The 200mm fan that you see tied down is blowing as an exhaust in order to get the heat out and away from the GPU.  I used this rig from Early February 2014 until Early August 2014, so 6 months.  This rig is perfectly fine, and handled anything I threw at it, even with the 212 EVO, it was fine.  But we are enthusiasts, and we always like to find a way to take our system to the next level, so I was always in constant progress mode.  After some time, I decided that I didn't like the ghettoness of my rig, about the same time I saw the video for Phanteks Enthoo Pro.  I took the old rig out for pictures just before building in the Phanteks Enthoo Pro, here are what the Enthoo Pro pictures look like:

 

For this picture above, imagine a 3rd 140mm fan on top of the two Cougar Fans.  This was the stock Phantkes 140mm that fit perfectly right there, giving me even more airflow.

Those last two were glamor shots.  Only thing ruining the look of this build is the brown PCB of the Asus Z87-A.  I might buy a Z97-AR just to make it look better.  I'm sick, I know.

 

     So, an overall much cleaner aesthetic with very good airflow.  It is a full tower case after all, and that included Phanteks 200mm fan in the front is a beast!  That thing is quiet but it blows tons of air, much better than the NZXT 200mm that I was using in my old rig.  This rig, I do have to keep by my side because it doesn't fit inside my wooden desk.  I measured my wooden desk, and I also looked at the dimensions of the Enthoo Pro online, it should have fit.  I don't think the online dimensions took into account the rubberized feet on the bottom of the chassis.  I will probably have to get out some power tools and create more room on the top of the wooden enclosure.  Because my PC is right next to me, I am much more aware of its going on's inside.

 

     The problem I was having now, is that my radiator for the CPU was set to exhaust or push and blowing air out of the top of my case.  Airflow went from the front to the back and out.  My GPU's temperature did rise to 68-72C depending on the application, which is to be expected because the side panel was now closed, but this is still very good for this GPU, and 4C better than when inside the Ultra Defender II with a closed side panel.  Just going from a mid to a full tower helped because there is more airflow while closed.

     My problem was that after 30 minutes of game play, my CPU would start to rise from 52C to 66C, and possibly higher if I played longer.  Because my computer is right next to me, I can feel the hot air being expunged from the top of my case, and it is hot.  I already had the idea in my head that it was the ACX Cooler because of its design, and how it reacts when the side panel is removed/open, but I wanted to confirm my suspicions.  I went to the OC.net 780 Owner's Club and started asking around.  Turns out a few people experience this same phenomenon.  They didn't care enough to do anything about it though.  I did.

 

     My solution to getting rid of this heat from the GPU that rises up and creates a hotbox of sorts was to water cool my GPU.  I first looked into a custom loop, but decided that it was too much money and frankly, too much trouble.  Maybe someday I will tackle the custom water loop, but not now.  My 2nd option was the G10 bracket, I had my reservations because of the VRM and VRAM problems.  My 3rd option was the Corsair HG10, problem with the HG10 is that it is specifically for reference models, not reference PCB, reference model card N1.  The HG10 incorporates the blower cooler from the reference card into its design, so any non-reference type cooler wouldn't work.  I was left with NZXT's G10 as my only option.

    OC.net's G10 Owner's Club was again very helpful in trying to figure this out.  You have to be conscious of the VRAM and VRMs, and with my card, some special modifications needed to be made in order to keep my backplate and midplate attached.  I finally did the G10 mod to my EVGA GTX 780 SC.  I bought all of the necessary heatsinks, adapters, thermal tape and paste along with a Kraken X31.  This was a tough mod, and is very time consuming, you might require the help of a 2nd person to help you mount it.  I have my Kraken X31, a 120mm AIO set to exhaust out of the back of my case. 

   I did this recently, just last Wednesday so a full week ago today.  I am happy to report that my GPU doesn't even touch 50C and my CPU doesn't reach 50C either, in part to the G10 mod and Gelid GC Extreme Thermal Paste.  I have done long play sessions to try and increase the heat, but it doesn't happen.  No matter the game, my temperatures will not go above 50C, and this is with some moderate fan settings.  For the CPU: 1200rpm 2 Fans and 1200rpm Pump, for the GPU I have 2 fans in Push/Pull set to 1500rpm, Pump at 3200rpm.  The pump on the Seidon only has a range of 800 to 1450, while the Kraken has a range of 3000 to 4000.   All of the heat from the GPU is exhausted out of the back and away from the CPU's radiator.

 

I keep my old 200mm fan there to cool down the VRAM and VRMs.

 

You can see the full G10 Modification in my profile Gallery, those are just two pictures of the finished product before cable management was done.  I will eventually get around to posting a guide for the G10 modification to the EVGA GTX 780 SC w/ ACX Cooler which allows you to keep the backplate and midplate attached.

 

I hope this is explanation enough as to why the ACX Cooler can have a negative impact on your CPU's temperature if you use a top radiator.

[I/O]

 

 

I can't reply to nothing. Also I won't reply to a walk of text. Come on man.