m17x R2 w/ 6970's. Temps/benchmarks

Hey guys, I just finished getting my 6970's put into my R2. So far, they've been nothing short of a dream and the perfect way to extend the life of one of the greatest gaming systems ever designed.

I installed IC Diamond thermal paste and have my R2 on a NZXT Cryo LX. The three photos show my baseline temps, temps after one hour of Witcher 2, and stock clock Vantage scores. Because of the possibility of tripping power limits on the stock R2 power supply, I didn't push any kind of overclock, although iChime has shown that a mild OC can be stable.

Baseline Temps

After one hour of the Witcher 2

Stock Vantage run

I had two screenshots from within Witcher 2, but Imageshack said the files were too large. With all settings maxed except for ubersampling (which gives 580 desktop cards trouble), I get between 40-60 FPS. The game runs incredibly.

If anyone has any requests, I'll do my best to post replies. I can download 3dmark 11, or any other tests/benches you guys would like.

I really hope you all see this as a viable way of keeping your R2's in tip top shape because I have not encountered ONE problem with them so far, and I'd recommend it to anyone confident enough to switch the cards.

 

congrats on your new 6970Ms bro, our R2 still keep going on

 

Awesome! Glad they are working out great for you. Thanks for the update and the benchmarks as well. I'm hoping to get my cards in the somewhat near future.

 

Those temps are even better than what I last remembered! I looked over at the M18x section to check out how warm the 6970Ms run in their machines. Considering that some of them also use the Cryso LX/other external cooling and this is Witcher 2 we're talking about, they seem to run cooler than the cards in the M18x!

I'm pretty much convinced now to get a Cryo LX. Seems to fit perfectly well with the R2's design. The sad part is that I had one when I bought an Asus W90 and even did a fan mod for it to make it circulate more air. Now I search online only to find these coolers going for $20 more than what I got it for 2 years ago. Talk about resale value...

 

I have a Cryo Lx myself and absolutely love it. Not something I'd want to carry around, but luckily my alienware never leaves my desk. As some folks have stated it does have some sharp corners (again not something to really worry about unless you are carrying it around), but as far as the build quality and overall look when matched with an alienware it just can't be beat in my opinion.

 

Repped FTW!

Did you use the thermal pads that came with the original heatsink from clevo for the memory? Darn good temperature you got there.. amazing

 

Nice temps! I've used my Cryo LX on my R3 and it makes like no difference at all on full blast. The location of the fans on the R3 just don't go well with the design of the Cryo.

 

Without the Cryo LX my temps hit into the upper 70's or low 80's on the Witcher 2 after an hour or so of gameplay, so it makes a huge difference.

And yeah, all heatsinks were stock except for the additional IC Diamond.

It's a true testament to the cooling power of this machine, especially on the Cryo. I think it's the perfect cooler for the R2.

On the cooler, I really couldn't believe my Witcher 2 temps. Unbelievable. That's why I wanted to show you guys, you can upgrade the cards and with minimal effort have OUTSTANDING temps on much more powerful cards.

I also think the IC Diamond has a fairly large impact here. Once the paste started to break in, I noticed a good few degrees reduction in overall temps.

 

About the thermal paste.. i only have AS5 and Shinetzu..

I was thinking to try the shinetzu on the gpu die, but it is thick, so the half grain of rice drop wont work. Any sugestion for the application?

 

Half grain of rice wont work well on thick pastes, its thickness will prevent it from spreading well. I usually do not recommend spreading the paste manually because of the risk of getting bubbles on the surface, but in this case I would use the "credit card method" to evenly spread the paste over the surface.

 

Would you recommend the same for OCZ freeze (the paste I will be using). I know for CPU's on their website they recommend the half grain of rice method, but for the GPU's in this case I was considering the spread method myself. Just curious on your thoughts.

 

I used spread method with ICDiamond and my top temps over seen at stock clocks in vantage and 3dmark11 was 73 i think. My cards run real cool.

 

Awesome thanks again!

 

Shin Etsu is thicker than OCZ Freeze. Either method will work well with OCZ Freeze.

I would probably manually spread it, because it is still rather thick (like peanutbutter).

 

I have a feeling that even with an oveclock to 750/1000 on Witcher 2 (which I tested without a cooler), that these cards wouldn't touch 80 degrees.

I'm pretty excited now my Cryo LX has been shipped

 

Nice Vantage score!

What is the status of the M18x PSU compatibility? I cant push my rig more than in my sig without tripping the supplied flextronics unit.

Patiently waiting.

As for cooling, has anyone considered " The Book Mod"?

 

anyone with 6970M cf on m17x can bench nfs shift 2 on max setting please?
thanks in advance ;

 

Hey dude, congrats on the new cards

Can you please show me your results on a 3d mark 06 test? THANKS!!

 

That test is a waste to show the cards ability. Since its 5 years old its bottlenecked by the cpu. Vantage is a better representation as it Does a good job of isolating cpu and gpu tests.

 

Hey DR650 are you drunk by any chance

 

Haha. I wish. I was walking up some stairs typing on my driod fixed it