diy passive GPU cooling

[invalid-user]

i was recently looking for passive PCs and found 2 main concepts
the first is a either a pre built like the  Compulab Airtop 3, or as a diy kit like the HDplex H3. and each of them have a problem.
the pre-built is expensive as heck and uses low end hardware, and the other is expensive as heck and uses low end hardware like a gtx 1060

i had an idea, why not make your own passive GPU heat sink that can cool a power hungry high-end card like an RTX 2080. the reason behind this idea is that you can cool ANY graphics car you want and be either the same price or cheaper
the idea goes like this :
  1 - you get a gpu water-block lke the EK-Vector, remove the plexi and flatten the top removing any micro fins and water ways.

       the reason for this is the water-block already has the perfect contact between the GPU die and the VRM and everything.

  2 - take a block of aluminium the same width and length as the water block but with a higher height and use a CNC to cut channels across it to become a heat sink.
  3 - take heat pipes and bend them to make contact with the GPU water-block where the die lies. 
  4 - bend the heat pipes like the image linked so they can make contact with the heat sink and spread the heat
  5 - either solder or use thermal epoxy to fix the heat pipes to the heat sink and then place all of that on the water-block using thermal epoxy or solder.

and there you have it a passive GPU heat sink that can be made for any GPU.

 

note the drawing is obviously not to scale

[PDifolco]

No way it'll work on a 200W+ GPU, heat dissipation will be too low, the case will go 60C+ and everything will overheat

Even the passive Noctua cooler which is quite big is only good up to 100W...

[Poinkachu]

29 minutes ago, invalid-user said:

i was recently looking for passive PCs and found 2 main concepts
the first is a either a pre built like the  Compulab Airtop 3, or as a diy kit like the HDplex H3. and each of them have a problem.
the pre-built is expensive as heck and uses low end hardware, and the other is expensive as heck and uses low end hardware like a gtx 1060

i had an idea, why not make your own passive GPU heat sink that can cool a power hungry high-end card like an RTX 2080. the reason behind this idea is that you can cool ANY graphics car you want and be either the same price or cheaper
the idea goes like this :
  1 - you get a gpu water-block lke the EK-Vector, remove the plexi and flatten the top removing any micro fins and water ways.

       the reason for this is the water-block already has the perfect contact between the GPU die and the VRM and everything.

  2 - take a block of aluminium the same width and length as the water block but with a higher height and use a CNC to cut channels across it to become a heat sink.
  3 - take heat pipes and bend them to make contact with the GPU water-block where the die lies. 
  4 - bend the heat pipes like the image linked so they can make contact with the heat sink and spread the heat
  5 - either solder or use thermal epoxy to fix the heat pipes to the heat sink and then place all of that on the water-block using thermal epoxy or solder.

and there you have it a passive GPU heat sink that can be made for any GPU.

 

note the drawing is obviously not to scale

Just buy the chonkiest card, remove the fan & shroud.

Simpler.

 

Still won't be good at it if we're talking about high power cards.

[thrasher_565]

there are passive case were the whole case is a heat sink but they cost alot...

if you wants quiet put 200mm fans in your case or water cool with a big enough loop fans can run low rpms and temps will be below 75c most likely.

 

 

[RollinLower]

this is basically how server GPU cooling works. just replace the waterblock with a vaporchamber.

 

thing is, servers have insane airflow due to server grade fans blowing through the chassis. Which is the only reason something like a H100 PCIe version can exist, if you wanted that thing with low airflow you would need a stupid big heatsink

[ki8aras]

if size isnt a constraint then the only way it would work is if you made a gpu cooler as big as an atx pc case, then it would be able to dissipate 200w+

why not just put your pc in a different room if youre going for quiet

[invalid-user]

35 minutes ago, thrasher_565 said:

there are passive case were the whole case is a heat sink but they cost alot...

if you wants quiet put 200mm fans in your case or water cool with a big enough loop fans can run low rpms and temps will be below 75c most likely.

 

 

yeah i know that but those go for hundreds of dollars 
i think the one youre talking about is this? 

 

but that one goes for hundreds of dollars and its massive, my goals is to make it smaller and fit a standard full tower or maybe even micro atx
the whole point of this idea is that it can work with any gpu, fits in a standard case and most importantly be cheaper.

 

[invalid-user]

19 minutes ago, ki8aras said:

if size isnt a constraint then the only way it would work is if you made a gpu cooler as big as an atx pc case, then it would be able to dissipate 200w+

why not just put your pc in a different room if youre going for quiet

some people dont have a different room
and the cost of having a bunch of extra long cables, drilling holes or running cable chanels will be more expensive than just doing this
at least on paper

[invalid-user]

32 minutes ago, RollinLower said:

this is basically how server GPU cooling works. just replace the waterblock with a vaporchamber.

 

thing is, servers have insane airflow due to server grade fans blowing through the chassis. Which is the only reason something like a H100 PCIe version can exist, if you wanted that thing with low airflow you would need a stupid big heatsink

no one seems to understand the reason behind my idea

its not "slap a loud fan on it and call it a day"
its not "oh just put it in a different room and run the fans on max"
its not "oh theres already a massive case thats worth 500$ to passivly cool your pc that can hardly fit on your desk or below it"


the reason behind this is that it can be cheaper, 
works with any gpu granted if it has a water block available

and fits a standard full tower or even micro atx towers

buy a water block for 100-200 dollars, 30$ on heat pipes and another 30$ on a pre made aluminium heat sink thats segnificantly cheaper than the 750$ monsterlabo the beast or a pre built pc that cant be upgraded

[Average Nerd]

11 minutes ago, invalid-user said:

buy a water block for 100-200 dollars, 30$ on heat pipes and another 30$ on a pre made aluminium heat sink thats segnificantly cheaper than the 750$ monsterlabo the beast or a pre built pc that cant be upgraded

The aluminum heatsink has to be enourmous for higher power cards, like the 2080 that you mentioned. Otherwise it will throttle itself to death.

[RollinLower]

1 hour ago, invalid-user said:

no one seems to understand the reason behind my idea

its not "slap a loud fan on it and call it a day"
its not "oh just put it in a different room and run the fans on max"
its not "oh theres already a massive case thats worth 500$ to passivly cool your pc that can hardly fit on your desk or below it"


the reason behind this is that it can be cheaper, 
works with any gpu granted if it has a water block available

and fits a standard full tower or even micro atx towers

buy a water block for 100-200 dollars, 30$ on heat pipes and another 30$ on a pre made aluminium heat sink thats segnificantly cheaper than the 750$ monsterlabo the beast or a pre built pc that cant be upgraded

welp, according to this quick and dirty calculator you need a heatsink of 4000cm3 to cover a 200 watt load with gentle to no airflow.

 

This is however very basic, heatsink calculations get stupid advanced very quick. i'm nowhere qualified to actually calculate the heatsink volume for a 2080 myself.

[ki8aras]

2 hours ago, invalid-user said:

some people dont have a different room
and the cost of having a bunch of extra long cables, drilling holes or running cable chanels will be more expensive than just doing this
at least on paper

are you in the same reality as me?
how is buying a long hdmi cable and using wireless peripherals more expensive than fabricating a passive cooler from scratch? especially at this scale
 

[invalid-user]

5 minutes ago, ki8aras said:

are you in the same reality as me?
how is buying a long hdmi cable and using wireless peripherals more expensive than fabricating a passive cooler from scratch? especially at this scale
 

crap i knew there was something weird
i jumped to univers c-113 thought this was 11-b5

my bad

[ki8aras]

Just now, invalid-user said:

crap i knew there was something were 
i jumped to univers c-113 thought this was 11-b5

my bad

look if you wanna give it a try, then go right ahead. Im pretty sure nobody in this forum is going to stop you.

 

but from what it seems like, the collective opinion is that something like this won't be enough

[thrasher_565]

thmrlright has done this on prototype gpus but nothing came of it. probly do to cost. can it ben done probly will it cost alot probly. how much is some one willing to pay for a cooler?

 

pluse you cant buy gpus with out a cooler or not new gpus anyway and who knows how much your paying for it.

 

think of it like a cou cooler it having hard time with 200w cpus let alone 400+w gpus

 

heat sinks only work with air going across it if you have no air flow you need a massive big surface area.

 

w/e the case it wont be small or cheap. and probably tower pcs are diying out. its just what happens over time.

 

if gpus can keep it say under 200w maybe but a fan cost like $1 to make and about of saving is save is huge. there a mod people do is ziptiy 120mm fan to gpus to cool them better and it works. maybe even if there was a 200mm fan size gpu might even be better

 

artic and thrmalright in the passed has made gpu cooler for quiet some time dont no if they still do but last i looked in to it was around the 1080.

 

i think the gpu cooler needs a change and how air going in it and out but no one wants to change it.

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/redditor-shows-off-passively-cooled-rtx-3080-prototype-but-it-might-not-work

Edited August 4 by thrasher_565

[invalid-user]

4 hours ago, ki8aras said:

look if you wanna give it a try, then go right ahead. Im pretty sure nobody in this forum is going to stop you.

 

but from what it seems like, the collective opinion is that something like this won't be enough

i for reall wanna try it
if i do it ill let you guys know

 

[invalid-user]

1 hour ago, thrasher_565 said:

thmrlright has done this on prototype gpus but nothing came of it. probly do to cost. can it ben done probly will it cost alot probly. how much is some one willing to pay for a cooler?

 

pluse you cant buy gpus with out a cooler or not new gpus anyway and who knows how much your paying for it.

 

think of it like a cou cooler it having hard time with 200w cpus let alone 400+w gpus

 

heat sinks only work with air going across it if you have no air flow you need a massive big surface area.

 

w/e the case it wont be small or cheap. and probably tower pcs are diying out. its just what happens over time.

 

if gpus can keep it say under 200w maybe but a fan cost like $1 to make and about of saving is save is huge. there a mod people do is ziptiy 120mm fan to gpus to cool them better and it works. maybe even if there was a 200mm fan size gpu might even be better

 

artic and thrmalright in the passed has made gpu cooler for quiet some time dont no if they still do but last i looked in to it was around the 1080.

 

i think the gpu cooler needs a change and how air going in it and out but no one wants to change it.

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/redditor-shows-off-passively-cooled-rtx-3080-prototype-but-it-might-not-work

you made some points there
i know it can be done

like i believe it could be,  like for example you can make the heat sink 3-5 slots wide and the length of your pc case and a fan at the end to make some air move

like i know it can be done, one idea i had a long time ago was to make a bracket that can make a cpu aio be mounted to the gpu, turns out the nzxt kraken g12 was already made. people dont believe your idea untill its made. and i believ this can be done and it will passivly cool a gpu if not slap a fan at like 700rpm for maximum silence

also the new video linus did. puting a pc in a box? no one would even think that, let alone think it can be done and it did work.

[thrasher_565]

15 minutes ago, invalid-user said:

you made some points there
i know it can be done

like i believe it could be,  like for example you can make the heat sink 3-5 slots wide and the length of your pc case and a fan at the end to make some air move

like i know it can be done, one idea i had a long time ago was to make a bracket that can make a cpu aio be mounted to the gpu, turns out the nzxt kraken g12 was already made. people dont believe your idea untill its made. and i believ this can be done and it will passivly cool a gpu if not slap a fan at like 700rpm for maximum silence

also the new video linus did. puting a pc in a box? no one would even think that, let alone think it can be done and it did work.

the nzxt aio mount killed gpus that didnt have vrm heat sinks something people didn't quite under stand as gpus before that had no cooling for them. my dad made a heat sink fit on a gpu vrm and use a hybrid cooler for water cooling as a full gpu block was $100 a hybrid was like $20-$40 as kits came with a gpu block.

 

you might be able to make it work with low wat gpus or putting low rpm fans but i doubt any bigger gpus it will work with and the cost wont make scene but hey can try it why not i guess. may of people have tried it.

 

as for making it fit may gpus like water blocks some might fit a few gpus but there too may gpus to make it work. and when it only fits a few it will cost more...

 

people dont like change and cases takes along time for change to happen. people wont give up there temperd glass any time soon making gpu cooling or other cooling optins not working as well as it could be.

 

back then we had plexyglass and well some had fans on the side for gpu air flow but we also slid and the gpus were so close to each other 1/8 we killd the gpus as most got blower gpus as they were cheaper...

 

and i deal case for a gpu now with no change would be vertical side intake and top bottom exhaust that would mean give up the tg side pannal.

Edited August 4 by thrasher_565

[Poinkachu]

1 hour ago, invalid-user said:

and a fan at the end to make some air move

At that point that's no longer passive, no ?

 

1 hour ago, invalid-user said:

like i know it can be done

Pretty sure almost anything can be done if you throw enough time, effort, and money.

Whether or not it is good enough performance wise, and/or makes sense enough cost/perf (or size) wise, that's a whole other question.

 

In fact, I believe somewhere out there, there's someone who tried it but didn't publish their journey.

I mean, peoples in PC community can be quite crazy and unhinged afterall, dipped a whole PC in mineral oil and throw LN2 at it, or y'know... make an automated LN2 cooling system. Especially with how china market for janky pc stuffs is ever growing, from one jank idea to another 20.

 

 

For me personally :

If I need to spend 100-200 each time I upgrade GPU, I may as well use that $100-200 for something else, like for example, maybe a higher tier gpu.

Or simply save the money for next upgrade because GPU prices is crazy now. (Hence why I'm never interested in custom watercooling)

 

That if the heatsink perf still capable of cooling the new gpu adequately. If not, then I need to make a new heatsink, which will cost me more, be it in form of cash, time, or effort.

And that cost will keep adding each time I upgrade.

 

While I do understand if i were to invoke my DIY-er soul, i might still be interested in doing it.... yeah.... I don't think I wanna spend time and money for mediocre perf.

[thrasher_565]

hmm just found this says 3090...

 

[Blue4130]

10 hours ago, invalid-user said:

also the new video linus did. puting a pc in a box? no one would even think that, let alone think it can be done and it did work.

Uhhh People have thought that. Companies even sell them... Linus didn't invent something new, he just made a shittier version of something that already exists.

 

https://www.quietpcusa.com/Rackmount-Cabinets/AcoustiQuiet/AcoustiQuiet-Mini-9U-Quiet-Rackmount-Cabinet

 

https://www.apc.com/us/en/product-range/61820-netshelter-cx-enclosures/#products

 

https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/2019/1/29/does-your-studio-computer-produce-a-lot-of-fan-noise-learn-how-to-build-your-own-soundproof-isolation-computer-case-with-basic-hand-tools-off-the-shelf-materials

[ki8aras]

5 hours ago, thrasher_565 said:

hmm just found this says 3090...

 

yes but the morpheus is not meant to be ran passively

[tkitch]

so, you literally cannot do what you're thinking of.

1) using a GPU Block as a cold plate is a waste of money, as most of them are $$$ EXPENSIVE

2) You're putting additional points of heat transfer between the die and the fins

3) the biggest passive CPU Cooler on the market can't even handle 100w of heat.  What do you think your half-assed idea is gonna cool?

https://noctua.at/en/nh-p1/specification

 

[thrasher_565]

On 8/5/2024 at 1:33 AM, ki8aras said:

yes but the morpheus is not meant to be ran passively

ya but you add bigger lower fans too it making it quiet. there people out there that thing a fan cant be quiet is not true or maybe they never had a quiet fan. back in the old days quet was 800-1200 rpm today fans are good that you can do like 1800+. thats with the side panels on the case. my d15 is un audible with the low rpm (with out its a bit nosey)

 

my test bench with fans that are like 2100 rpm are prity quiet the 140mm being slitly better.

Edited August 11 by thrasher_565

[Poinkachu]

13 hours ago, thrasher_565 said:

ya but you add bigger lower fans too it making it quiet.

What's the difference with deshrouding and slapping a better fan on the heatsink ?