Iray: If there’s no overclocking, is water cooling needed?
RobertDy
Posts: 277
I’m planning to use Iray by either upgrading my graphics card on my existing PC which has only fans, or getting a new PC with water cooling because my current PC’s build can’t fit it.
I was told by the shop that water cooling isn’t needed for rendering. Unless there’s overclocking of course. Anyhow can I have iray experts’ opinion? Thanks so much!
Post edited by RobertDy on
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Comments
Definitly not an Iray expert, but pretty sure water cooling is for the CeePeeU only. GPU on the other hand, which Iray has the option to use, & is many time faster, but can really tax the graphics card. I've an older Quadro4000 and had to turn GPU options off in Daz. Can't even do dForce sims.
All of that will be moot issue thoguh at end of week when my new system arrives from Boxx.
I'd suggest specing the video card first then see if your system can accept it.
Thanks, I don’t have the option of trying a card first then see how it turns out because if i really need water cooling I’d have to buy a new one completely. From what you said though, it sounds like water cooling isn’t quite needed for iray. Does anyone else have their experience to share?
If you have well-ventilated case then there should be no need for water cooling. I have an Antec V3-1200 case with three intake fans (120 mm) pulling air in past the drives and across the gpu cards and three exhaust fans (2 at 120 mm in the back of the case, and a 210 mm on the top of the case). I have a 980 ti and a 1080 ti that I can run for hours without hitting their thermal limits.(and if the temperatures start climbing it means I need to clean my filters . . .)
I'd agree with everything that namffuak said above, as I have a similar system - watercooled cpu and a 980ti and 1080ti. Having both cards in the case does raise the ambient temperature of the case slightly, but for rendering I tweaked the fan curves slightly on the cards, so during a long render they tend to run the fans at around 50% and the temperatures level out at 70 Celsius. I have two 120mm fans at the front of the case, one at the back and two more pulling air out of the case for the radiator.
As others have said you do not need watercooling for rendering if you have adequate case airflow and you are not manually overclocking the GPU.
There definitely are watercooled GPU's and waterblocks to convert GPU's to be cooled by open loop watercooling.
As someone who has built a fully watercooled system in the past I do not recommend it custome loop watercooling unless you are a PC hobbyist willing to invest the substantial additional cost and time in it. You'll need to periodically empty the loop and flush it and then refill. Plus you'll hqve to disassemble the loop to do just about anything to the rig.
Gettting a prebuilt watercooled graphics card is less hassle but you'll still have tubes running from the GPU to the radiator and if you also use an AIO to cool the CPU you're then talking about quite a lot of tubing and rads to mess about with.
With all that said if your system is to include threadripper or a high core count i9 CPU an AIO cooler for the CPU is likely your best option. But you still shouldn't need one for the GPU.
I do use a water cooled CPU , It really depends on you cpu and motherboard temps when rendering.
My GPU runs 176 F and it does raise the motherboard temp.
But good fans and in a combination of inward and outward air flow is just as good.
You want air to move in and out , all fans pointed in and you get 0 results.
Got it, it looks like fans are alright. Thanks everyone!