Triple Monitor Setup - Advice

I didn't want to butt in on Charles' thread (Triple Monitor Help) but after reading a couple of the responses there I'm not sure which way to go. Current System :-

Asus Crosshair IV Formula AMD 890FX ATX Motherboard
AMD 11OOT 3.2 GHz Phenom II X6 Processor (Corsair Water Cooled)
8 Gb Corsair Dominator memory
2 x ATI Radeon HD5770 1Gb PCI-e Graphics in Crossfire (O/C to 900 MHz GPU / 1400 MHz memory)
Corsair 950W Power Supply
3 x 24" Acer 1920 x 1200 monitors

FPS on F1 2011 was exceptionally poor, averaging around 20fps, but have now come across forum postings re F1 2011 and Eyefinity and have recently updated the drivers. Now getting around 40fps so playable but still not too good and I expected much better. C.A.R.S. was running around 40-50fps but has dropped since the latest 124 release to around 30-35fps.

I want to improve the fps and have been considering a move to 2 x MSI R6870 Hawk cards. Using an AMD processor I shouldn't have the same problem with Eyefinity as Alex had (using an Intel processor) but have been surprised to see the postings from members using a single HD 6950 card, running a triple screen setup and getting huge fps figures in comparison to mine.

I can't do much until I sell my Nixim GT Racecraft rig but I would like to get a good idea of what to go for to achieve a good increase in fps without having to sell body parts to raise the cash (not a banker you see !!).

Advice would therefore be appreciated. Mostly run C.A.R.S., GTR-2 and F1 2011.
Thanks
 
It gives a more stable cooling because the water flows directly on top of the CPU always replacing hot with cold.
With a air cooling you have to let the heat transport itself horizontally then the hot air gets cooled by a fan of some sorts (or maybe transported is a better word) (I use Noctua 12mm, works great with 4.2 GHz i7 950)

We shall also not forget that what makes the most noise in your box is not the CPU, it´s the GPU´s going full blast under load.
Those have tiny fans with a pretty shitty way of transporting heat.

It gives more stable temps but without any super high end stuff you do just fine with a regular air cooled CPU.
 
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That is simply not how it works! It all depends on the cooling capacity. The water will not be cold, but a certain amount cooler or less warm after passing through the radiator. You reach a temperature that depends on the heat of the processor and cooling capacity of the cooler, just like with 'air' cooling.

But yes indeed, the GPU tends to use more power and is these days the bigger problem.
 
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First off, let me apologize for the thread being taken over by this discussion, it was not my intent. Nor do I wish to take up more space on this thread, but I really dislike when people talk about something and are not correct for what ever reason and talk with supposed authority.

Thermodynamics teaches you that energy in the form of heat can only be handled to a specific efficiency depending on the type of material used to transfer the heat from one place to another. Specific materials are better at radiating heat off of an object, and other materials are better at transporting that heat away from the object.

The reason copper tubes are used and a copper plate in most heat sinks is because copper is very good at radiating the heat from the CPU but it can't hold the heat, and gets hot itself rather rapidly, which is why fans and aluminum fins are used to cool the copper.

Water is the most efficient material for transporting heat away from an object as it will hold the heat longer and when coupled with a radiator has superior capabilities when it comes to dissipating the heat.

The design of the cooling system determines exactly how efficient it will be at keeping the CPU cool. Most heat sink and fan setups have to have extremely large surface areas in order to keep temperatures at or below acceptable levels just as a water cooling system has to have a sufficiently large radiator. The more heat the CPU puts out, the larger the heat sink, or the larger the radiator needs to be. In some cases the heat sink can get so large that unless you have a very large and expensive case, the heat sink won't fit inside and still be able to put the covers back on.

The main difference is that the water system with the radiator transports the heat away from the CPU instead of allowing the heat to stay at or near it, thus making it more efficient at keeping the temperature of the CPU down. Most water systems require that the radiator be mounted outside the case, though some are small enough to allow the radiator to be mounted inside.

Both systems use fans, and both systems fans will make a little noise as is the nature of the fan. The water system also uses a pump to circulate the water and this can make a little bit of noise as well.

Because the heat sink sits directly on top of the CPU inside the case, air flow inside the computer case becomes a major factor on the cooling capacity. If the air flow is not done properly and with sufficient volume, the heat sink won't work as well as it is designed to do.

Water systems also have an advantage in that they can be used not only for the CPU but also for the GPU with equal efficiency and noise level.

In the end, the laws of thermodynamics will tell you that as long as both systems are made to the same efficiency, the water will be able to keep the CPU cooler.
 
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That is simply not how it works! It all depends on the cooling capacity. The water will not be cold, but a certain amount cooler or less warm after passing through the radiator. You reach a temperature that depends on the heat of the processor and cooling capacity of the cooler, just like with 'air' cooling.

But yes indeed, the GPU tends to use more power and is these days the bigger problem.
It will be cold relative to the temperatures of the CPU.
And it DOES flow on top of the CPU.

Thermaltake-All_in_One-Water_2-0_Extreme-Water_2-0_Pro-Water_2-0_Performer-LCS,U-X-336777-13.jpg


It replaces hot water with colder water (again relatively speaking)
Hot water goes to radiator, it gets cooled, comes back in, passes over CPU, get´s heated and round and round and round it goes. Like the wheel on a bus... :)

It is more stable then letting heat transport itself horizontally and then get cooled by fans because you have nothing that cools it at the very source.
Watercooling does just that.

liquid-cooled-pc-3.jpg
 
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Not knowing all of the drives and USB devices that would be connected, nor the number and size of fans I can only guestimate, but from calculating just the basics he would be looking at a minimum of 507 watts of power, clearly a little over the 500 mark you are saying. I calculated with a single 7200RPM drive, a single DVD read/write drive, 2 120mm fans and 4 80mm fans. I also figured roughly 4 USB devices and allowed for an H70 Corsair water cooler.

Though the calculation can be technically right, I think I have not used the DVD drive at the same time that I am playing and squeezing the GPU since... well, never. And most of the USB devices you are likely to use while playing have near to null power consumption (mouse, kb, wheel usually comes with a plug).

I am also not very keen in oversizing 'for the future'. If you buy a PSU with a lot of spare power, in case you put another card, you would either need to change your motherboard or have one already with dual graphic slot. Extra money now or in the future. And that, to end up with a sli of two dated cards (by then) that will probably deliver much less performance than a single card of the future (sli is usually not very good, and with two old cards...). Which in addition will probably have by far better performance per watt (the new card) than what you have.

The reason copper tubes are used and a copper plate in most heat sinks is because copper is very good at radiating the heat from the CPU but it can't hold the heat, and gets hot itself rather rapidly, which is why fans and aluminum fins are used to cool the copper.

I don't want to enter into much nitpicking, but copper is good at conducting (not radiating, although 'radiator' itself is a misnomer that should have been called 'convector'). The low heat capacity of copper is not a problem and not the reason for using aluminum. For thermal properties copper is much better than aluminum, the reasons for using aluminum are mainly weight (you don't want to hang half a kilo of heatsink on your motherboard), prize (much easier manufacturing of aluminum, and the material itself is cheaper) and it doesn't get ugly with time.

You can make a pretty silent water cooling system. But the mini circuits that I see sometimes with that tiny amount of water and radiators that fit in the box... I fully agree with Niels that you are just swapping a noise maker for another, and losing money in the process.
 
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