980ti Kingpin - dismantled and under water

[the54thvoid]

So, got my Kingpin a week ago - now all i had to do was get rid of all fan noise. My D5 Vario pump makes no noise and my six Noctua's run at sub 800rpm, so they make a reassuring noise that my PC is actually being cooled. It's so quiet I can hear the gentle ringing in my ears - that's why I use water.

I tried some Benchmarks (Valley's giving me probs but that might be the Nvidia drivers) but a 20 min loop of Unigine Heaven at 1502Mhz was kept at and under 50 degrees, with the fans at 700rpm. Bliss

Started here....

Then had to take it back out (hopefully avoiding any disasters like last time...)

Rip off the cooler (notice how well the paste had been applied by EVGA)

Ill fitting water block (before all cleaning of card). The memory doesn't line up but I followed TiN's advice from Kingpin Cooling forums. Bit scary tbh. You have to create extra areas for Vram and also take out a bolt from the block so it fits.

Jump forward past the terrifying parts where I couldn't think about pics

Cool thing is the Bitspower block has some LED points so once I'm settled with it and sure it's not badly mounted, I'll get some bling colours in.

I'm allowed to be indulgent and selfish - my old 780ti Classy's are up for grabs, see the thread:
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/t...y-active-ends-8-7-more-to-come.202061/page-39 post 964.

 

[Norton]

Sweet!

 

[the54thvoid]

Sweet!

I really need some 5mm red LED's to use - I only have 3mm white ones currently. It has 3 holes along the base of the acrylic for lighting it up. Trip to Maplin tomorrow I think.

 

[manofthem]

Sweet card! Can't wait to see and hear more!

 

[natr0n]

looks nice.

 

[the54thvoid]

Sweet card! Can't wait to see and hear more!

The amusing thing is (and I knew this before purchase) is that it wont clock much higher than a good 980ti. Maxwell really only hits 1500-1550Mhz on ambient. Kingpin really was meant for LN2 (something I won't be doing). That said, running at 1500Mhz on about 1.16 volts and staying under 50 degrees is kind of silly.

 

[mx500torid]

Wonder how many points that monster would put out in folding!! Amazing that you would give up those 780 Ti.

 

[radrok]

Hey mate how much voltage can you put through the core? I am thinking about getting one for my phase, just to have a bit of fun.

Great setup though, test benches are op

 

[the54thvoid]

Hey mate how much voltage can you put through the core? I am thinking about getting one for my phase, just to have a bit of fun.

Great setup though, test benches are op

How cold will phase go? I've read through all of the thread on Kingpin Cooling and it only responds to voltage when it's sub zero. Precision X (not sure if it's Kingpin specific) allows up to 1.3v. Otherwise you can still use the Classified tool to go higher. The OC and LN2 bios switches allow 150% and 173%(?) power limit. But there are many things to play with and a few dip switches on the back of the PCB for Vdroop, extra voltage etc.

On air, I can't really get above 1530 - 1550Mhz but I've not tried 1.3v (only 1.25v) - Kingpin forums, well Vince himself, says that the cards don't respond well to voltage with 1.19-1.21 being the 'sweet spot' without LN2. Been gaming on BF4 at 1500Mhz and 1.17v. Took frame limiter off on config for 140-150fps but temps hit 55/56 degrees. But again - my fan speed is anemic to suit my volume tastes.

 

[radrok]

It can hold about 400-450W at -30ish degrees, it's not extreme but it's a solid custom unit.

Definitely not a 24/7 setup, no way any human being can bear that noise.

Thank you for the info.

 

[Cybrnook2002]

Looking sharp! Where's the second though?

Side note: keep an eye on the BP waterblock. I had one on a 290X lightning, and the plexi above the GPU had a tendency to muck up now and then needing a good cleaning.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

When I think of what you can get for the price of a Kingpin and all that WCing, it makes me cringe.

While I DO think there really IS something to bin selection and high ASIC quality, and have even argued the point despite many here in the ASIC quality thread claiming it's often not a determining OC factor, the pricing is almost criminal.

I've read they cost $850 for mere 72% ASIC and a whopping $1050 for 80%. Is that really true? Seems utterly ridiculous. At those prices they should be benching vs just checking ASIC, so you're assured of getting a better tier card.

I still feel the Giga G1 is the best way to go, even more so after reading how EVGA markets these.

 

[the54thvoid]

When I think of what you can get for the price of a Kingpin and all that WCing, it makes me cringe.

While I DO think there really IS something to bin selection and high ASIC quality, and have even argued the point despite many here in the ASIC quality thread claiming it's often not a determining OC factor, the pricing is almost criminal.

I've read they cost $850 for mere 72% ASIC and a whopping $1050 for 80%. Is that really true? Seems utterly ridiculous. At those prices they should be benching vs just checking ASIC, so you're assured of getting a better tier card.

I still feel the Giga G1 is the best way to go, even more so after reading how EVGA markets these.

Cringe away, I'm not here to defend my buying of something I 'wanted' to buy. I didn't buy the G1 because I would have to water cool it anyway (it's a thing). No G1 block is out yet but EK are making one. Also, the Kingpin boost clock is 1375 versus the G1 1275(?). Besides, my card auto boosts to 1430 at stock on 1.15volts. At that level with a quiet fan profile it would get to about 67 degrees. The ACX fan is shown to be quieter than the G1 fan so that works for me too.

I'm a simple person, if I'm going to spend £600 (on a G1), I may as well spend a little more on something special. Besides - I eyed up one when the 780ti was out and again when the 980 was out but i waited for this.

FTR, EVGA haven't marketed this badly at all. If anything it made it very hard for people to buy so more likely the enthusiasts (not me!) would snaffle them up. The blurb is clear and if your follow the breadcrumbs you get to Kingpin Cooling. The guys tells people it's pointless having one unless you're going to 'use it'. LN2 he says or just buy a regular 980ti - they all clock fairly well. The Kingpin's are pretty much guaranteed to hit close to and above 1500Mhz though.

So again - worth it? Feck yes. One card giving about 90-95% the performance of my two 780ti Classifieds (again, fastest in their class at the time) and I'm saving about 200 watts gaming now.

I'm happy and I have zero regrets about my purchase.

 

[theonedub]

90+% of the performance of the 780ti SLI setup is insane.

That all copper ACX looks good, but the card looks even better under water

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Cringe away, I'm not here to defend my buying of something I 'wanted' to buy. I didn't buy the G1 because I would have to water cool it anyway (it's a thing). No G1 block is out yet but EK are making one. Also, the Kingpin boost clock is 1375 versus the G1 1275(?). Besides, my card auto boosts to 1430 at stock on 1.15volts. At that level with a quiet fan profile it would get to about 67 degrees. The ACX fan is shown to be quieter than the G1 fan so that works for me too.

I'm a simple person, if I'm going to spend £600 (on a G1), I may as well spend a little more on something special. Besides - I eyed up one when the 780ti was out and again when the 980 was out but i waited for this.

FTR, EVGA haven't marketed this badly at all. If anything it made it very hard for people to buy so more likely the enthusiasts (not me!) would snaffle them up. The blurb is clear and if your follow the breadcrumbs you get to Kingpin Cooling. The guys tells people it's pointless having one unless you're going to 'use it'. LN2 he says or just buy a regular 980ti - they all clock fairly well. The Kingpin's are pretty much guaranteed to hit close to and above 1500Mhz though.

So again - worth it? Feck yes. One card giving about 90-95% the performance of my two 780ti Classifieds (again, fastest in their class at the time) and I'm saving about 200 watts gaming now.

I'm happy and I have zero regrets about my purchase.

I'm mostly going off the prices I read the other day, and after reading your response, I'm still not sure it was incorrect.

$850 USD just to be assured a mere 72% ASIC rating is nuts. Taking it and putting it on water, perhaps even more so. High ASIC ratings are supposed to work better on air, lower ones on water. Do the math, it's W1zzard's chart, not mine. I trust what he says to have merit.

I'm not here to insult you, and sorry if you are, I just think there's some serious flaws in EVGA's marketing of the this card, and many seem unrealistically overwhelmed by it, esp considering the prices they're charging and methodology they're using to arrive at them.

 

[the54thvoid]

I'm mostly going off the prices I read the other day, and after reading your response, I'm still not sure it was incorrect.

$850 USD just to be assured a mere 72% ASIC rating is nuts. Taking it and putting it on water, perhaps even more so. High ASIC ratings are supposed to work better on air, lower ones on water. Do the math, it's W1zzard's chart, not mine. I trust what he says to have merit.

I'm not here to insult you, and sorry if you are, I just think there's some serious flaws in EVGA's marketing of the this card, and many seem unrealistically overwhelmed by it, esp considering the prices they're charging and methodology they're using to arrive at them.

You seem hung up on the ASIC part. Okay, in UK money I paid £700 for a 74 guarantee ASIC. It's actually 75.9, which is a nice thing. But apart from that:
It's designed in VERY limited quantities, its designed specifically for a niche market, its blinged to the max with lights and that copper cooler, its got Samsung memory for tighter timings, its got....
Lots going on far and above any other top end 980ti.

The Precision X software has focussed support for it as well. All in, if a good 980ti is about 550-650 then 700 isn't overkill.

As far as ASIC goes, Kingpin agrees with W1zzards evaluation except on Maxwell its different. Higher volts don't help at ambient temps so its better to have higher on air as it takes less volts to clock.

Anyway, I'm only filling in some gaps. Your opinion is yours but just so you're sure - I buy what I want and you haven't offended me. I'm more quizzical about why you're so hostile to an object you don't want.

EDIT: and when you mention EVGA's 'flawed marketing', it wasn't flawed at all as marketing goes - they all sold out in less than 5 minutes. And I'm pretty sure it was people who knew exactly what they were buying that got them. Rather EVGA sell the card so it doesn't go to dumb ass retailers who'll not giver you all the info EVGA did.

 

[petedread]

£700 British money is not crazy pricing. Ref cards go for £550 but nearly all non ref cards are £600, £630 or £650. So it's £50 more but you get, if nothing else £50 worth of copper lol. I feel it's priced right.

When I saw the post at the top of the page I thought, I hope that is the54thvoid's thread. Happy for you mate, great card.

 

[HammerON]

Nice mod to get the card under water
Thanks for sharing pics
I hope to get my Classified under water soon. I am going to wait for EK or Heatkiller to come out with a block for it.

 

[the54thvoid]

Nice mod to get the card under water
Thanks for sharing pics
I hope to get my Classified under water soon. I am going to wait for EK or Heatkiller to come out with a block for it.

Wise move. If a Kingpin 980ti (or compatible) block is released, I'll maybe switch over. The Bitspower 980 block works but I don't know if it's 99% there or 80% there - in other words if I push the card, will something fry. I'm not seeing VRM temps (or memory temps) through GPU-z or PX so I'm wary... I've def noticed on air that my Kingpin drops a 13Mhz increment at close to 60 degrees - so I figure I need to be safely under that with water to get mid to high 1500's (if at all possible).
Thinking the Nvidia drivers aren't Valley stable though. I get crashes at predictable points under certain clocks that run fine on Heaven, 3DMark11 and 3DMark. I'd like to get a 1550 run done with memory overclocked but knowing the memory isn't bang on the button with the thermal pads causes me to hesitate.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

You seem hung up on the ASIC part. Okay, in UK money I paid £700 for a 74 guarantee ASIC. It's actually 75.9, which is a nice thing. But apart from that:
It's designed in VERY limited quantities, its designed specifically for a niche market, its blinged to the max with lights and that copper cooler, its got Samsung memory for tighter timings, its got....
Lots going on far and above any other top end 980ti.

The Precision X software has focussed support for it as well. All in, if a good 980ti is about 550-650 then 700 isn't overkill.

As far as ASIC goes, Kingpin agrees with W1zzards evaluation except on Maxwell its different. Higher volts don't help at ambient temps so its better to have higher on air as it takes less volts to clock.

Anyway, I'm only filling in some gaps. Your opinion is yours but just so you're sure - I buy what I want and you haven't offended me. I'm more quizzical about why you're so hostile to an object you don't want.

EDIT: and when you mention EVGA's 'flawed marketing', it wasn't flawed at all as marketing goes - they all sold out in less than 5 minutes. And I'm pretty sure it was people who knew exactly what they were buying that got them. Rather EVGA sell the card so it doesn't go to dumb ass retailers who'll not giver you all the info EVGA did.

1. I'm not "hung up" on ASIC, EVGA are, to the point of charging ridiculous prices for what aren't really that high of ASIC ratings really. There IS some merit to their clocking them higher and testing those clocks to be stable, but not enough so to charge as much as they are. Pretty much EVERY manufacturer now has factory OCed versions of cards. This is the first time I recall seeing anyone justify pricing them so high, and what's different, the ASIC tiers. It's a selling point gimmick really.

2. Yeah I agree, the copper cooler is nice. Maybe you can sell it as an upgrade for someone that might be able to fit it on their card, but it's not so nice if that's part of the high price and you can't manage to sell it.

3. I'm not surprised you aren't offended, as pretty much everything I've said is a direct example of what I think of EVGA's business practices, not your personal shopping preferences. Maybe if you'd keep it in that vane you'd see I'm not attacking you like you make it sound.

4. And GTA and CoD will always sell in mass quantities. Doesn't mean it's a better product. I've surfed EVGA's forums and chatted with their customers both loyal and not so loyal, and experienced their staff's way of handling things. I don't see them as any better than any top brand. I feel they're quite overrated really.

The high price for mediocre ASIC only verifies that. Here they are, the longest running Nvidia exclusive partner, and they can only guarantee 80% ASIC for a $1050 card. Yeah, bees flock to honey, but so do files to, well, you know.

 

[terroralpha]

1. I'm not "hung up" on ASIC, EVGA are, to the point of charging ridiculous prices

correction. people with more money than sense are hung up on ASIC scores. EVGA is just taking advantage of the situation and making bank. they found a market where others did not and are catering to it, even though it's a market that should probably not even exist. capitalism at its' finest.

you seem like you know this, but thought I'd clarify for the ones who are reading this and do not.

 

[the54thvoid]

Like I say, I'm happy.

If anybody wants to criticise EVGA, or the merits of capitalism, please do it in another thread. And while @terroralpha can bring in that bullshit about more money than sense please don't sling it anywhere near me. I buy what I want and lack of sense has nothing to do with it and I give away what I want as well.

 

[basco]

have fun with your card 54thvoid-who gives a fick about asic when the card oc`s good

 

[HumanSmoke]

Like I say, I'm happy.

If anybody wants to criticise EVGA, or the merits of capitalism, please do it in another thread. And while @terroralpha can bring in that bullshit about more money than sense please don't sling it anywhere near me. I buy what I want and lack of sense has nothing to do with it and I give away what I want as well.

Keep up the good work! Hopefully the thread crapping takes a holiday and from here on out, and the thread concerns itself with an enthusiasts experience with the Classy KPE - I know why that's why I've been reading it.

 

[RCoon]

Keep up the good work! Hopefully the thread crapping takes a holiday and from here on out, and the thread concerns itself with an enthusiasts experience with the Classy KPE - I know why that's why I've been reading it.

Enthusiast experience? I came here for the pretty pictures. That and I like to see what the case I'll inevitably end up buying is up to these days.