Gigabyte’s
Super Overclock card that utilizes the Windforce 5X cooler has definitely caught
the attention of most PC enthusiast. Unfortunately the cooler takes up 3 slots,
just like Asus’s Direct CU II cooler that was on the GTX 580 and HD 6970. The
card features five 40mm fans that are placed facing upwards to exhaust the air towards
the top if your case, if placed in a standard orientation. This design seems to
be made for someone not annoyed by loud fan noises. The five 40mm fans cool down
the cards heatsink arrangement, consisting of a vapor chamber and five 8mm heat
pipes.
Some may
decide a traditional heatsink and fan arrangement (92mm/80mm fans) may be a
better option, like what was on the previous windforce cards. The fact of the
matter is the smaller fans spin faster and provide a more equivalent airflow
than a larger fan; however faster spinning equals higher noise output. Until
proper testing results have been made we won’t know if the noise will be a
resulting factor in the construction of the card.
