Ready-to go water cooling for graphics cards: two sets reviewed

Introduction

It's no secret that graphics cards are getting more powerful and therefore also more power-hungry. The latest GeForce 8800GTX cards need a total of two power supply conectors to be supplied with enough juice. To cool these amounts of electronical muscle, conventional air cooling will not be enough and more drastic measures must be used to avoid overheating, especially when overclocking.

Graphics cards, which are often mounted right next to other expansion cards, have the problem that because of their placement in the case the supply of cooler air is a problem. Enough air circulation and a supply of cool air can not always be guaranteed, which means that graphics cards can build up enormous temperatures. Especially in SLI or Crossfire setups, which require the services of two cards right next to each other, this means extreme heat. In addition to this, the ATX form factor determines the videocard to be mounted face-down, making it more dificult to let the hot air rise. The heat basically "sticks" around the card. To prevent the fan on the card from simply circulating the warm air, high-end cards are often equipped with a cooler that blows the hot air out of the case. Most times, a second slot is required for this action. Regardless of its effectivity, it takes up a lot of space and causes an increase in noise levels. Most graphics cards do however still use a regular fan which blows the chip's heat back into the case, and thus heating up of the rest of the system.

Thermaltake Tidewater

Water Cooling

Because of the heat issues with graphics cards water cooling can be an extremely useful solution for cooling. The main advantage of such a cooling system is the efficient removal of heat and taking up little space: with a simple and compact water block mounted on the chip all heat can be removed from the graphics card directly, resulting in lower case temperatures. A radiator elsewhere in the case then efficiently disposes of the heat of the chip, which has by then been transfered to the cooling liquid in the sytem. Differently than as is the case with processors, where there is usually enough leeway to mount a large air cooler, this is not an option for the smaller graphics cards, automatically making water cooling an ideal aternative.
Cooling graphics cards with water is not a revolutionary new phenomenon as performance enthousiasts and casemodders have been building systems with "wet" cards for years. However, these are usually systems that have been made to size and self-built, using the same water cooling system for the videocard as for the processor. The results of this cooling can range from acceptable to excellent, depending on the size of the radiator, the placement of the graphics card in the water chain and the power of the pumps and fans used. Building a water cooling system oneself can be a daunting and expensive task, and this understandably prevents a lot of people from making the step to liquid cooling.

Cooler Master Aquagate Viva

Ready-to-go

Recently, several ready-to-go systems have been introduced, especially designed to equip a graphcis card with water cooling. These systems come completely assembled and filled with liquid, so installing it is no different than installing an aftermarket cooler. In this test we use sets from Thermaltake and Cooler Master, and it is apparent that each manufacturer uses a different method to achieve the same goal: better cooling for the graphics card.