MSI RTX 3080ti watercooling worth it?

[zerasse]

Hello!

I noticed that the Alphacool has AIO (Eiswolf 2) watercooler for RTX 3080 ti and got interested about it. I have an RTX 3080 Ti Ventus 3x from MSI that im not really satisfied with performance wise. My card can hold steadily only 1845mhz boost clock which i consider quite low from what i've read about from the forums.

I was wondering if i can get better performance under water? I know that i'll get a quieter setup and would expect the thermals to drop ~15c but would the card perform better than now?

The temps are not bad with stock cooler as the GPU maxes out 65-67c (100% fans), VRAM ~75c, Hotspot ~80C so the low clockspeed shouldn't be because of thermals (right?). Card is constantly hitting powerlimit of 350w even though i've undervolted the card. The stable undervolt profile is 1845mhz @ 0.825v. The card can actually hold 1905mhz @ 0.850v in Heaven benchmark but crashes in other benchmarks and games.

I've never watercooled any of my components before that's why i made this post and all tips considering the subject or guide to achieve higher clockspeeds are welcome.
Do you think its worth the 250eur to watercool the GPU? Of course i know all chips are different and the results can only be confirmed after trial.

If it matters here's my setup at the moment:

i7 10700k @ 5,0ghz cooled by NH-D15
MSI Geforce RTX 3080Ti Ventus 3x
Asus Prime Z490-P
Kingston Fury 3466mhz CL 16 DDR4 2x8gb
Corsair RM750x 750w

 

[Vya Domus]

I'm pretty sure you can get the card to clock about as high on air as on water plus as far I know these cards are more constrained by power rather than temperature. The only difference will be the noise, there is no way for us to tell you if it's worth it or not, you decide that.

In my opinion, it's not, you'd get a couple of single digit % improvements for less noise and that's about it.

 

[looniam]

for the last few NV gens it's been a general rule of thumb that every -10c in temps is 200-300Mhz in clock speed (leaky chip depending) at the same voltage(!) if you care to dance with the card again; you'll go back and find you may be able to undervolt a little more to hopefully get some more wiggle room for the power throttling.

however its not going to magically get you top scores benchmarking; all in all it will be more looks/noise/longevity (being cooler). if you got the cash for a holiday gift for yourself.

 

[Deleted member 215115]

It's not worth it but it's fun. You WILL NOT get the crazy boost of a Strix/FTW3 card even if you flash a 500W bios but the noise will be reduced a lot. I can now game at 30 dB with lower temps than on air.

If you do get the Eiswolf, you will have to replace the fans because the ones it comes with go up to 60 dB and are loud at low RPM as well. And it may or may not be worth it to get better thermal pads than the 3W/mK ones provided by Alphacool. I didn't bother with this yet.

 

[Valantar]

for the last few NV gens it's been a general rule of thumb that every -10c in temps is 200-300Mhz in clock speed (leaky chip depending) at the same voltage(!) if you care to dance with the card again; you'll go back and find you may be able to undervolt a little more to hopefully get some more wiggle room for the power throttling.

however its not going to magically get you top scores benchmarking; all in all it will be more looks/noise/longevity (being cooler). if you got the cash for a holiday gift for yourself.

Just one note first: This will not affect longevity whatsoever - a GPU at 65°C avg./80°C Hotspot is not going to see thermally induced degradation of any type during its useful lifetime. The GPU would likely last longer than it needs to even if it was pegged at tJmax the whole time while gaming (though that would of course hurt performance). People go way overboard on their ideas of the benefits of low temperatures.


That being said, OP: I would expect a marginal increase in undervolting potential, but nothing with a major effect on performance as you're power limited. A few percent at best. It might be quieter (depending on the cooler on that gpu) and will definitely run cooler, but whether that is worth the major cost is something only you can decide on. It is definitely going to be a luxury purchase, and one with a poor cost-benefit ratio. But that might still be fine, obviously.

 

[looniam]

Just one note first: This will not affect longevity whatsoever - a GPU at 65°C avg./80°C Hotspot is not going to see thermally induced degradation of any type during its useful lifetime. The GPU would likely last longer than it needs to even if it was pegged at tJmax the whole time while gaming (though that would of course hurt performance). People go way overboard on their ideas of the benefits of low temperatures.

i am not going to argue your specific conditions when my first hand experiences > "likely". the chip and components will last longer when cooler - google will help.

 

[xtreemchaos]

id do it for looks alone, quiet is nice to have too . if you have the cash why not bud eh.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Considering the heat and noise a GPU can generate, i would always say yes if you can.

 

[Valantar]

i am not going to argue your specific conditions when my first hand experiences > "likely". the chip and components will last longer when cooler - google will help.

But cooler than what? Five years ago or more, it was normal for GPUs to run in the 80s if not higher. The OP's GPU runs in the mid-60s. That is not a temperature range that the silicon cares about whatsoever, even if hotspot temps are in the 80s. Those 5+-year ago GPUs didn't have hotspot temperature measurements after all, and it's thus safe to assume a similar delta over the average for them (i.e. hotspot temps in the 100-degree range). This GPU, and current GPUs in general with their beefy coolers, are mostly more than sufficiently cooled for longevity. Of course, poorly cooled VRMs are far more likely to kill your GPU than any GPU temperature, as those are rarely closely monitored, typically have no effect on fan curves, and run far hotter overall, meaning they are more likely to fail outright (and thus potentially short 12V directly into the GPU die, for example) or just cause board warping due to thermal cycling. Water cooling will help with that too, but only if your GPU has a sub-par VRM cooling setup in the first place. Some still do, most thankfully don't.

 

[looniam]

But cooler than what?

then what its running right now and that is all that matters. what a gpu chips can handle and what stock cooling solutions are provided is just to ensure it makes it past the warranty period. if anyone who cares to have their purchase last longer would certainly want to consider better cooling.

you made the comment previously about lower temps being overblown; well excuse me for *just mentioning it* seems to me you're going in the opposite direction and undervaluing them. i don't care what assumption or theories you have - my first hand experience w/cards of 3 generations is much more reliable.

capisce?

if you really want to help the OP, talk to them - we are done.

capisce?

 

[Valantar]

then what its running right now and that is all that matters. what a gpu chips can handle and what stock cooling solutions are provided is just to ensure it makes it past the warranty period. if anyone who cares to have their purchase last longer would certainly want to consider better cooling.

you made the comment previously about lower temps being overblown; well excuse me for *just mentioning it* seems to me you're going in the opposite direction and undervaluing them. i don't care what assumption or theories you have - my first hand experience w/cards of 3 generations is much more reliable.

capisce?

if you really want to help the OP, talk to them - we are done.

capisce?

Sigh. This was the whole point of my comment. And no, sorry, I'm not letting it lie, as it's a weirdly misunderstood way of thinking that too many people hold on to. "Cooler is better and leads to better longevity" is not a universal truth for PC components. The starting temperature determines whether that is a true statement or not. No reasonably modern piece of CPU or GPU silicon in a normal home or office use situation running at even remotely sensible voltages has ever suffered damage from being in the 65-degree range. Period. That is a perfectly safe thermal range. Period. Even under 100% load 24/7 for years and years. Improved longevity from lowered thermals is only applicable if the starting point is warm enough to potentially cause damage. 65° avg. and 80° hotspot is not "just [enough] to ensure it makes it past the warranty period". You can add 20 degrees to those numbers and still make it past that just fine. If this GPU was running hot, I would completely agree with you. But it isn't. Not even close. So while there are definitely arguments for water cooling even in this scenario, increased GPU longevity is in no way one of them.

And, for the record, pointing out poorly argued advice is helping.

 

[looniam]

He even has a water cooled gpu, hypocrite much, and also he loves his soap box.

doesn't matter - it grinds my gears when someone asks a question only to have arguments start crapping the thread. no wonder why OPs disappear - who would want advice where everyone is argumentative - leads to no help.

@zerasse ya still here?

 

[Valantar]

He even has a water cooled gpu, hypocrite much, and also he loves his soap box.

Lol, how is that hypocritical? I have never said that I have a water cooled GPU because of longevity, have I? Nor have I argued against water cooled GPUs in general. Jeez. At least bother to read before you start with the personal attacks? For the record, I have a water cooled GPU for I would say two reasons: history (getting into water cooling due to a deal on an EK block for my very whiny Fury X) and high performance SFF (fitting a 300W air cooled GPU into a case as small as mine would be pushing it). I have zero illusions of this affecting the longevity of my parts - but then I don't share the thermal anxiety of many PC enthusiasts.

even assuming i'm incorrect, when used as an excuse to get on a soap box, no its not.

Yes, because informing people about poorly reasoned conventional wisdom is "getting on a soap box", sure. Absolutely. Hey, let's not discuss things, it's not like that's what forums are for, right?

As for OPs disappearing, might that perhaps also be influenced by them getting poor advice that raises more questions than it answers (like "wait, are my current temperatures harmful to my GPU?")? Or people getting defensive when confronted with the poor reasoning of their advice?

doesn't matter - it grinds my gears when someone asks a question only to have arguments start crapping the thread. no wonder why OPs disappear - who would want advice where everyone is argumentative - leads to no help.

I generally agree with you - as I did with most of the initial post I responded to, outside of that comment on longevity - but the problem is that if people stop doing this, people end up getting bad advice. And what help is that? If the question asked is even remotely complex (and the value of water cooling GPUs most definitely is), then discussion is necessary, as the person asking the question needs to be sufficiently informed to weigh the variables that matter to them and make a decision based on that. This can be done without arguments, but that rarely happens, as people rarely give that kind of comprehensive feedback.

 

[Ahhzz]

There are several off-topic bickering posts here that will be dealt with shortly. Any future posts in the same vein will be met with points. Find the topic, stick to it.

 

[ratirt]

I'd go with liquid if i had to pick and if the price difference is reasonable between air and liquid. Still thinking about mine GPU with a water block. No harm in having some 'chill' on the card and mind I think it if stays cooler that's better.

 

[dgianstefani]

Liquid for GPUs is only necessary for high overclocks and low noise. Otherwise just repaste/pad and it's more reliable, with less maintenance on air.

Also most liquid blocks are insanely overpriced for what they are, Heatkiller and Optimus make ones that are actually worth the price however.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Liquid for GPUs is only necessary for high overclocks and low noise. Otherwise just repaste/pad and it's more reliable, with less maintenance on air.

My 980ti is probably a high OC at 1492, it runs really cool too. i am biased and if you already have a loop, add your GPU or if setting one up add your GPU, no harm done running it cooler. Plus the benefit is less noise and no fan cleaning every few weeks. And as for maintenance, i set my loop up 3mths ago and haven't touched it since, it is still fine.

 

[dgianstefani]

If you need to clean your fans every few weeks I would consider improving the state of your air quality or cleanliness in the house.

The 3080ti does actually run hot for modern gpus, which are typically excellent, this is because it's basically a 3090 using a 3080 cooler.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

If you need to clean your fans every few weeks I would consider improving the state of your air quality or cleanliness in the house.

The 3080ti does actually run hot for modern gpus, which are typically excellent, this is because it's basically a 3090 using a 3080 cooler.

I did not mean literally, i was generalizing. As i said i set my loop up about 3 mths ago and have not touched it, or the fans. Oh and my house is clean

 

[ratirt]

I did not mean literally, i was generalizing. As i said i set my loop up about 3 mths ago and have not touched it, or the fans. Oh and my house is clean

Don't you bounce around since you are a tiger? Bouncing literally leaves a lot of mess around (joke)
I'd still consider liquid cooling. It is not just due to low temps though. There's always more things at stake here.
On the other hand if you can keep the core below 80c on air with reasonable noise level, there isn't a lot of sense getting liquid unless you value quiet and you dont mind spending a bit more.

 

[95Viper]

Stop the bickering; or, take it to PMs.

Thank You

 

[looniam]

Yes, because informing people about poorly reasoned conventional wisdom is "getting on a soap box", sure. Absolutely. Hey, let's not discuss things, it's not like that's what forums are for, right?

capacitor expantacy goes as follows; Lx=Lnom*2(T0-Ta/10) or how about Lx=Lnom⋅10(T0-Ta/20); Lnom-endurace T0-operating temps Ta-ambient temps.
there you go "poorly reasoned convictional wisdom." it doesn't matter what the temps are now period. as i said google is your friend.

 

[Jazz107]

Don't expect much (if at all..) performance wise.
You're power limited and will stay power limited even under water (same will apply for any 2x8pins 3080 Ti).