New to folding! Hello!

[jrweiss]

From what I've read, the 750 Ti would be a great card for Folding only, since it draws very little power, hence generates very little heat. However, none of the ones I've seen so far have a backplane exhaust for the cooling fan, so all the heat will be dumped into the case.

To mitigate that problem, I would do 2 things: (1) Ensure your rig has positive pressure airflow, i.e., the intake fans have higher total capacity than the exhaust fans (including PSU fan). (2) Put a slotted backplane cover in the slot adjacent to the GPU to help direct the flow of warm air from the GPU fan out of the case.

I use a similar concept on my rigs that both have fanless PSUs and GPUs. Also, the CPU cooler fan blows right into the rear exhaust fan.

[billford]

To mitigate that problem, I would do 2 things: (1) Ensure your rig has positive pressure airflow, i.e., the intake fans have higher total capacity than the exhaust fans (including PSU fan). (2) Put a slotted backplane cover in the slot adjacent to the GPU to help direct the flow of warm air from the GPU fan out of the case.

My 780 Ti pushes out quite a lot of heat, so I've added an extra intake fan like you, but rather than a slotted backplane cover I just leave the side of the case off.

[WestX64]

Thanks for your input, jrweiss and billford! So it seems like the two of you think the GTX 750 Ti is a nice card to go with for folding which is within my budget. Here is the card I was thinking about specifically:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814487024

The issue I just thought of is that I have a 650w power supply in my build right now (Corsair HX650) and I'm not sure if that would be enough if I added a GTX 750 Ti into my machine... Would you all recommend I also bump my power supply to something higher? Right now, running under full load with Folding@Home, the hottest sensor on my motherboard is reporting 48C (TMPIN2) which I'm assuming is the northbridge. The hottest core in my CPU is sitting at 58C max, and the GPU had been sitting at 68C max for more than 48 hours but suddenly (about fifteen minutes ago) it shot up to 73C and has stayed there it looks like. It shot up to 73C right when another WU just finished so I'm thinking that this new WU requires more power to process or something.

Everywhere I can put a fan in my case, I have put a fan. Currently, there are two 140mm intake fans in the front, one 140mm intake fan at the bottom of the case which blows into the GPU, one 140mm exhaust on the back of the case behind the CPU, and then at the top of the case I have my Corsair H100i mounted with it's two 120mm fans acting as an exhaust for the case. The H100i fans blow quite a lot of air, way more than my case fans even though the case fans are all at 100% speed. I'm thinking about flipping around the rear exhaust fan so that it acts as another intake and the only exhaust fans would then be the two 120mm fans on the H100i since when the H100i fans are blowing faster while the system is under full load the rear exhaust fan doesn't seem to be blowing much air at all when I put my hand over it.

The PSU has an intake fan that pulls in air from the bottom of the case and then blows it right out of the back of the case, so the PSU fan doesn't contribute to the rest of the PC at all really. It lives in it's own little bubble. Here are my case fans, maybe I should upgrade these to something different / more powerful too?:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

Also, if it helps you all answer my questions easier, here are the full specs for my PC once again (since we're now on a new page):
Case = Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl Silent ATX Mid Tower
Motherboard = GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD3H LGA 1150
CPU = Intel Core i7 4770K @3.50Ghz (Thinking about overclocking this a little bit to 4.00Ghz)
GPU = EVGA SuperClocked w/ ACX Cooling GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0
PSU = Corsair HX650 650W ATX12V v2.2 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC
Memory = Vengeance LP 2x4GB DDR3 1600 1.5v
SSD = Samsung 840 EVO 120Gb SATA3
HDD = WD Black Series 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
CPU Cooler = Corsair H100i
Case Fans = 4 X 140mm Fractal Design R2
Optical Drive = ASUS 24X DVD Burner

by posting all this, hopefully someone who knows a little more than I do about power consumption can tell if I really need to upgrade my PSU or not. Or maybe someone else who has the same case I do can tell me how they managed to get better cooling out of it.

[bruce]

I often leave the cover off my case, too, but that's not necessarily the best option. The air from the intake fan is not ducted toward the hot spots and out the back-plane. An 18"x18" opening (or whatever) pretty well assures you that the intake fans don't help much.

Another vote for the 750 Ti. Right now the GM107 is the only Maxwell-based chip for the desktop,

[jrweiss]

TDP of the GTX770 is 230 Watts; 70 for the 750 Ti, and 84 for the 4770K. Add 50 W for the MoBo, fans, drives, etc, and you're still below 450 W or 70% of the design output of the PSU. It should be fine; I wouldn't worry until you got above 80% constant load.

Added to your 4x 140mm case fans, you have the PSU and GPU exhaust fans, so I'd use 3 of the case fans for intake and 1 for exhaust. If you already have the H100 fans set up as top exhaust fans as well, you're probably running negative pressure (exhaust fans sucking in air from all the crevices), so you could experiment with all 4 case fans as intake fans at lower (and quieter) speed.

Leaving a cover off is not always a good idea. Some airflow/thermal management design goes into at least the higher-end cases, so managed and/or directed airflow is your goal. For example, the rear fan can directly feed the CPU cooler if it is set as intake. Then the front and side/bottom fans feed the GPU and PSU after flowing over the HDDs. Excess air flows through backplane slots; cover some with tape if you like.

[Gooders]

It has to be 10+ WUs completed that are bonus eligible. There are still some WUs available for GPUs that do not get a bonus and so do not count towards the 10 count.

Are the points for a completed WU that register on the stats pages like EOC now matching what the client estimates? If yes, then you are getting the bonus.

7im,

Could you pm me the GPU ones that dont get bonus? Save going off topic

[7im]

Core_11, _15, _16, all End Of Life .

Core_11 no longer assigned, _15 and _16 are finishing up existing projects.

[WestX64]

TDP of the GTX770 is 230 Watts; 70 for the 750 Ti, and 84 for the 4770K. Add 50 W for the MoBo, fans, drives, etc, and you're still below 450 W or 70% of the design output of the PSU. It should be fine; I wouldn't worry until you got above 80% constant load.

Thank you very much for that, jrweiss! That was some very useful information there! I'm glad to know I should be find with my current PSU since a new one would have surely cost me a pretty penny. I'm going to pick up a 750 Ti today and pop it into my PC and see what happens. Hopefully everything is good like you said, but if not, oh well.

you have the PSU and GPU exhaust fans

Actually, I only have the GPU exhaust fan since the PSU pulls air in from the bottom of the case and then blows it right out of the back of the case. So the PSU lives in it's own little airflow bubble if you will. I think I will flip my intake case fan around and see if there is any noticeable changes in temps. If not, then I may just make it an exhaust again.

@Gooders: That wasn't off topic at all really since we're talking about how to get the most PPD and I'm glad 7im posted that in here instead of PMing you since it is really good information to have.

Okay everyone, so looking at the different GTX 750 Ti cards and I am trying to decide between these two:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814487024
or
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4335 ... Video_Card
The difference of $10 doesn't really bother me, I just want whatever folds better and would work best with my PSU.

I'm also looking to upgrade all my case fans with these:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/3892 ... _Twin_Pack
And my radiator fans with these:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/3892 ... _Twin_Pack
However, if you know of better fans which are cheaper, please let me know!

[jrweiss]

What about the CPU radiator? Is it not also set up as an exhaust with 2x120mm fans? You might be able to estimate the airflow of those plus the GPU fans (2x80mm or 92mm?) by looking at specs of other mainstream fans of similar size. I think you can easily use all 3 (rear, 2xfront) case fans as intake fans in this rig, especially after adding the 750 Ti and a slotted backplane cover (or 2).

For choice of cards, see the Tom's hardware review (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gef ... ,3750.html). One statement from it: "With that in mind, MSI's GTX 750 Ti Gaming OC appears to offer the best compromise between quiet operation and high performance. It's just too bad that the MSI and Gigabyte boards employ such big, bulky coolers. The whole point of Maxwell is efficiency; we'd like to see vendors start introducing thermal solutions to match." He didn't test the EVGA, and I am not familiar with them. The Superclocked and ACX specs are very close. I don't think the 750 Ti needs a dual-fan cooler, but if 2 slow fans are quieter than 1 fast one...

I've replaced all my case and cooler fans with Noctua fans (http://noctua.at/main.php?show=produkte&lng=en#fans). IMO they are the quietest and highest performing fans available. Note the specs of the NF-S12A-PWM (17.8 db(A), 107.5 cuM/hr [63.2 cuFt/min]) compared with the Corsair fans you cite (23 db(A), 37.8 cuFt/min). Check Newegg and Amazon for current prices/sales once you decide. You can find lots of cheaper fans, but you may get what you [don't] pay for...

[WestX64]

@jrweiss: Yes, the CPU radiator is indeed setup as an exhaust with 2x120mm fans (the stock fans that came with the H100i which are rather loud even at only medium spin but they do push quite a bit of air). The GPU fans don't seem to exhaust the hot air from my graphics card out of the case, but instead they seem to push the hot air out of the graphics card and into my case. When I put my hand over the slot where the GPU should be pushing air out of the back of the case, I don't feel any movement, just a little warmth. However, when I hold my hand over the top of the GPU inside of my case, it's moving lots of air - the only problem is that the side of my case has a window and no vent so the hot air just gets disbursed throughout my case. I decided to make things easier and take a picture of my case with my fan setup with red arrows (representing hot air) and blue arrows (representing cold air). Here is a link to the image of my case and how I have all my fans setup now:
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=C ... hoto%2cjpg

It's sad that Tom's Hardware didn't review the EVGA cards at all. EVGA is my favorite card because it has a more sleek design than the other ones imho. I've also never had any issues with any of the EVGA cards I've bought throughout the years. Anyway, I was thinking maybe I would get the card with the dual fans even though I'm sure the 750 Ti only needs one simply to improve air flow and noise within my case. What do you think?

I see what you mean about the specs of the Noctua fans vs the Corsair fans. The only thing that is keeping me from jumping all over those Nocula fans is their ugly design / color scheme... As I mentioned before, my case has a side window and I quite enjoy looking in at all my parts. I feel those fans would offer me the performance I so desire but would destroy the uniform look of my case interior. Are these good as radiator fans as well? Will the Corsair H100i be able to control the RPM?

[jrweiss]

The PWM versions of Noctua fans will work with any PWM controller. FWIW, I think the novelty of looking in the window will wear off quickly. I had a window on my first homebuild case, but now look for windowless cases. besides, the Noctua color tends to grow on you...

There are specific Noctua fan models designed for radiators (e.g., NF-F12-PWM). I really don't know what the trade is between static pressure and air flow, but these are slightly noisier with slightly less flow. You can look through the Noctua site and decide which you prefer. Still, IMO, I would go with the quietest and highest air flow, and not worry too much about "focused flow" designs, etc.

I see now how your setup works. I had previously thought the bottom compartment with the big bottom intake fan was isolated with the PSU, away from the rest of the case. Make sure you have good filters on the bottom fan and the PSU air intake! With 3x140mm intake fans, the current setup makes sense.

I am a bit disturbed with the EVGA design with the open fins along the long side, that does not duct most/all of the GPU fan flow out the backplane. It appears the 750 Ti model has the same design. I would think that rotating the fin orientation 90 deg would have helped push hot air directly out of the case.

I would try taping over the slots in the backplane cover above the GPU, and (until you add the second GPU) the 2 middle of 4 backplane covers below the GPU. That should focus more flow along the top of the PSU and on the intake side of the GPU fans. Ideally you will have exhaust flow through the remaining backplane slots.

I think I would buy the single-fan version of the 750 Ti. The longer card will tend to block direct airflow from the bottom and bottom-front fans to the big GPU. With all that air coming in the bottom, I doubt the 750's fan will ever hit top speed.

[WestX64]

The PWM versions of Noctua fans will work with any PWM controller. FWIW, I think the novelty of looking in the window will wear off quickly. I had a window on my first homebuild case, but now look for windowless cases. besides, the Noctua color tends to grow on you...

There are specific Noctua fan models designed for radiators (e.g., NF-F12-PWM). I really don't know what the trade is between static pressure and air flow, but these are slightly noisier with slightly less flow. You can look through the Noctua site and decide which you prefer. Still, IMO, I would go with the quietest and highest air flow, and not worry too much about "focused flow" designs, etc.

Yeah, you're probably right about that... Eventually I may end up just getting the Define R4 side panel without the window (the windowless one has a side vent) if the Noctua fans really turn me off of the looks of the inside of the case. Performance is more important to me than looks at this time anyway and I have been looking up many reviews of the Noctua fans since my last post and they really do seem like they offer the best performance while staying rather quiet. Here are the Noctua fans I'm considering for my radiator:
http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-F12-PWM ... noctua+f12

I see now how your setup works. I had previously thought the bottom compartment with the big bottom intake fan was isolated with the PSU, away from the rest of the case. Make sure you have good filters on the bottom fan and the PSU air intake! With 3x140mm intake fans, the current setup makes sense.

Well I'm glad to hear my layout makes sense after you were able to see it! I'm thinking about replacing the 4 case fans with better ones down the road but not currently. Also, yes, I have dust filters on all my intake fans and my PSU. =)

I am a bit disturbed with the EVGA design with the open fins along the long side, that does not duct most/all of the GPU fan flow out the backplane. It appears the 750 Ti model has the same design. I would think that rotating the fin orientation 90 deg would have helped push hot air directly out of the case.

I would try taping over the slots in the backplane cover above the GPU, and (until you add the second GPU) the 2 middle of 4 backplane covers below the GPU. That should focus more flow along the top of the PSU and on the intake side of the GPU fans. Ideally you will have exhaust flow through the remaining backplane slots.

Now that I've been playing with airflow, I have to agree, the EVGA ACX cooler design really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You would think they would design the cooler to push the hot air out of the back of the case instead of circulate it throughout the interior of the case. There is a big open vent at the back of the card where it looks like hot air is supposed to be vented out but that doesn't happen with the open top of the card. I'm not too sure, but I think the bottom of the card is open in the same way, but I would have to power down my PC and pull the card out to have a look. I will do that later and let you know.

When you said I should tape over those open slots, is there a specific type of tape you would suggest I use? Would electrical tape work? I don't want the tape to melt onto the card or catch fire or anything (even though I don't think the card would get hot enough to catch fire, but you never know)... Is there a prettier way of covering those slots besides tape?

I think I would buy the single-fan version of the 750 Ti. The longer card will tend to block direct airflow from the bottom and bottom-front fans to the big GPU. With all that air coming in the bottom, I doubt the 750's fan will ever hit top speed.

Yet again, I would have to agree with you. That makes a lot of sense. I want my more powerful GPU to get more airflow. I also found the card $30 cheaper on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IDG ... PDKIKX0DER
So that saves me some money and saving money is always nice. Also, I can get it delivered tomorrow with one day shipping for just $4! I know I'll probably get about the same performance with this card as I will with the FWT version. Also, the FTW version is not a reference design. That doesn't matter a whole lot unless I decide to so custom water cooling in the future which I may or may not do. It's just nice to have the option just in case if you know what I mean.

[WestX64]

Okay, so I turned my computer off for a few minutes and pulled out the GPU to have a closer look... Now I know exactly why I don't ever feel any hot air being exhausted out the back of the GPU, the back vent is completely blocked the GPU ACX cooler fins! Here is a snap shot of my GPU:
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=C ... hoto%2cjpg
Also, both the bottom and top of the GPU are open, so not only is the GPU blowing hot air throughout my case, but also down onto my motherboard. Here is a picture I took of the bottom of the card too:
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=C ... hoto%2cjpg
So it looks like I can't just block off the vents with tape or anything because then the card cannot cool itself at all...

[jrweiss]

The NF-F12 PWM fans should work just fine for your radiator. They're quieter than the Corsairs at full blast, with 2.5x the max air flow. You probably couldn't tell the difference between them and the S-12As, especially behind the radiator. Given the significant increase in available airflow, you might try them first with the LNA (low noise adapter) cable installed. That limits the top speed to 1200 instead of 1500. Then if you decide to OC the CPU later, you can simply remove the LNA if the temp gets too high.

I don't want you to tape off anything on the card itself, or the slots on the card's backplane. I'm talking about the backplane covers for the empty PCIe slots. The idea is to help direct the airflow by covering up extraneous escape routes (or intake routes, if you wind up with negative pressure), keeping the flow routes closer to the components. I use Scotch Magic Transparent Tape, because it's virtually invisible. You can also use transparent packing tape to cover larger holes (e.g., unused side fan vents).

[WestX64]

The NF-F12 PWM fans should work just fine for your radiator. They're quieter than the Corsairs at full blast, with 2.5x the max air flow. You probably couldn't tell the difference between them and the S-12As, especially behind the radiator. Given the significant increase in available airflow, you might try them first with the LNA (low noise adapter) cable installed. That limits the top speed to 1200 instead of 1500. Then if you decide to OC the CPU later, you can simply remove the LNA if the temp gets too high.

Well, I just drove up to MicroCenter and bought two Noctua NF-F12 PWM fans and I'm about to shut down my computer to install them. The stock H100i fans are super loud and hopefully I will notice a drastic difference when I install these Noctua fans like everyone is saying I should. Heck, I don't even care if my temps stay about the same, I just need something that will perform at least as good as my stock fans but much quieter. Also, do you have any suggestions when it comes to replacing y case fans with better ones? Currently, I am using these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
They are running at 100% speed but I feel as if they don't move that much air, especially when I look on NewEgg at what it claims the CFM is...

I don't want you to tape off anything on the card itself, or the slots on the card's backplane. I'm talking about the backplane covers for the empty PCIe slots. The idea is to help direct the airflow by covering up extraneous escape routes (or intake routes, if you wind up with negative pressure), keeping the flow routes closer to the components. I use Scotch Magic Transparent Tape, because it's virtually invisible. You can also use transparent packing tape to cover larger holes (e.g., unused side fan vents).

Haha, I really misunderstood your suggestion then! I get it now though and it makes sense. I might try that tomorrow night when I get home from work. I also ordered the GTX 750 Ti that I linked to on Amazon and did the one day shipping thing so I should be getting that tomorrow. I hope it really bumps my PPD!