GIGABYTE WindForce 5X Cooling Solution on GTX 680 SOC Pictured - 5 Fan Mayhem

[btarunr]

Here are the first pictures of GIGABYTE's new WindForce 5X graphics card cooling solution, which will likely feature on its upcoming GeForce GTX 680 SuperOverclock graphics card. It turns out that the "5X" in its name indeed denotes the presence of five fans. It's the arrangement of the fans that is its defining feature. While most graphics cards have their fan(s) arranged along the plane of the PCB, on the obverse side of the card, the WindForce 5X cooler has five 40 mm fans (the ones usually featured in rack servers) arranged perpendicular to the plane of the PCB, on the top side of the card.

This unique arrangement of fans ensures that hot air from the heatsinks are ventilated in a single direction and not all over the card (like with WindForce 3X), heating other components on the motherboard. The front-side of the card has just a swanky-looking molded brushed aluminum shroud. On the flip-side, the card spans across three expansion slots, and appears to be both taller and longer than reference design. GIGABYTE's GeForce GTX 680, featuring this cooling solution, and aggressive clock speeds, will be launched very soon.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[InnocentCriminal]

I refuse to own a GFX card cooler that has more than 3 fans.

 

[Ghost]

40mm? They'd have to spin like crazy to achieve decent airflow. Oh, the noise... THE NOISE!!!

 

[HumanSmoke]

Looks like some kind of mutant Voodoo 5 (with an extra fan for good luck presumeably). Airflow should be fun in a chassis without side fans

 

[arterius2]

"the WindForce 5X cooler has five 40 mm fans (the ones usually featured in rack servers) arranged perpendicular to the plane of the PCB, on the top side of the card. "

YEA, this is why rack servers are noisy as f***, ever been to a server room? idiots.

 

[arterius2]

Looks like some kind of mutant Voodoo 5 (with an extra fan for good luck presumeably). Airflow should be fun in a chassis without side fans

no it would pretty much disrupt any decent airflow I had inside my perpendicularly cooled Silverstone Raven 2 and Raven 3 case.

 

[_JP_]

40mm? They'd have to spin like crazy to achieve decent airflow. Oh, the noise... THE NOISE!!!

YEA, this is why rack servers are noisy as f***, ever been to a server room? idiots.

You two summed it all up. Congrats.

Looks like some kind of mutant Voodoo 5 (with an extra fan for good luck presumeably). Airflow should be fun in a chassis without side fans

Notice that the fans are set to extract the heat from the heatsink and not to blow air into it. Not that that's any better. xD

 

[neliz]

That has to be the most stupid cooler I've ever seen on a graphics card

Anyway that has ever stood near a server with those fans on full blast know that its jet-noise-a-go-go.

 

[RCoon]

Gigabytes entire design department has autism.

5th fan looks like it was slapped on for good measure.
I like the design, and the card would be entirely awesome, if they used 4 sensible fans similar to the gentle typhoons. Server rack fans are purely for cooling in a room where sound isn't a problem, that's why they are never implemented into gaming builds where we like to hear things!

 

[bencrutz]

looks nice, IMHO

the girl, not the card

 

[arterius2]

looks nice, IMHO

the girl, not the card

she looks average at best, by Asian standards.

 

[neliz]

Fixed the shirt!

 

[zsolt_93]

Holy batman... Even the Windforce 2x is enough for a card that uses less power than the GTX580. Why the hell would you mount such a piece of junk to ruin that card. If you have no side vents or your case is narrow.. it will be utterly useless with all its 5 fans touching the side panel.

 

[theonedub]

and the logos are upside down when installed? This thing looks like a train wreck- I hope they pull it together or surprise us all. There really wasn't anything lacking on the Windforce 3X that was on the 580 SOC.

 

[erixx]

GB are crazy but they are freaks for sure!

The girl is a wonderfully beautiful human girl, not some dispensable puppet.

 

[DOM]

wtf is that

 

[hhumas]

wtf is that

its crazy stuff

 

[DOM]

its crazy stuff

not in a good way, who ever came up with this dumb idea should be shot

if it was a guy, sure he doesnt have any kids

 

[btarunr]

After 0:17.

 

[THE_EGG]

GB, why oh why did you change it. I was and still am very happy with the windforce X3 on my 580 SOC. Surely that would have been more than capable for the GTX 680 considering it uses less power.

 

[Quantos]

What the hell, it looks like they just strapped 5 server fans on top of the thing with duct tape and plan to release it? :shadedshu

 

[NdMk2o1o]

I can only fathom one thing...... WTF

That's the craziest, biggest ass GPU cooling solution I have seen from a vendor (as in not a ghetto mod)

 

[parkcah]

not sure if the card is huge, or the girl is tiny

 

[HumanSmoke]

Notice that the fans are set to extract the heat from the heatsink and not to blow air into it. Not that that's any better. xD

It was noted. Likewise, not all side fans are used as intakes- esp in cases where the side panel lacks filters and/or the graphics card doesn't vent air through the back of the chassis, and/or the normal front-to-back cooling is disrupted (i.e. rear fan is set to intake - Corsair closed loop watercoolers etc.). Regardless, this cards airflow is set up to be perpendicular to that of virtually every chassis cooling layout.

 

[entropy13]

she looks average at best, by Asian standards.

I would blame the camera.