XPS 8930, GPU and CPU Liquid Cooler, PSU, Case Swap, Upgrade

Finally.

Solved the issue with the Sea Hawk GPU temps.  Getting consistent GPU temps at load in the mid to high 50 C’s.  I was about to kick this machine and GPU to the curb. 

Anyone wishing to put a MSI or EVGA hybrid GPU in the XPS 8930 or Alienware R7, it’s possible to get optimal temps in the 50 C’s with just a little more effort.  The underlying issue was the radiator and fan not being coupled efficiently for cooling.  The sheet metal present between the radiator and the fan restricted airflow enough to prevent proper cooling.  A few more cuts and all is well.

Picture of shrapnel.

Given the temperature problems with the hybrid GPU in this case, I did some testing of the hybrid GPU with the radiator outside of the XPS 8930 case. This was to see what were the best possible temperatures that one could achieve with the GPU cooler.  I did the testing with the stock Corsair SP120 fan that came with the unit and then with the Noctua 15mm thin fan used with the installation.  The results were surprising..

You can also see the Phoyba 10mm compressible foam fan gasket used for installation in these pictures

First with the Corsair SP 120 Fan.  OEM fan with the MSI Sea Hawk and is 120 x 120 x 25mm 3-pin white LED static pressure fan rated to 1650 RPM and 57.24 CFM at 26.4 dBa.  

I ran the fan at maximum fixed speed of 1650 RPM.  Running Firestrike Benchmark I got a max temp of 54 C with the onboard fan max ~1450 RPM.  Considering that the GTX 1080 is meant to run at its upper limit of 83 C under load with the onboard fan screaming at 80-100% fan speed, the hybrid GPU setup is really amazing how it can control temperatures and accordingly fan speed and noise.  I can see why they paired this fan with the GPU. It is a little noisy at full throttle at 26.4 dBa.  I ran the test four times, twice in a push position and twice in a pull position.  Temps were the same.  Fan is a little more quiet in a pull position when slightly muted by the radiator.

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I then ran the test with the Noctua 15mm slim fan, expecting to be disappointed.  It’s a newer fan in their line and answered the need for a slim fan to be used in mini ATX case and ITX configurations at 120 x 120 x 15mm . 

Specs: Noctua NF-A12x15 FLX  1850 RPM  23.9 dBA  55.44 CFM / 1400 RPM 16.8 dBA  41.67 CFM).

I ran the fan at a fixed speed of 1400 RPM, which is what I would use installed outside the XPS 8930 front chassis area.  It’s similar to the same fan used on the CPU cooler radiator, which continues to manage temps and noise really well in the XPS 8930.   Running Firestrike Benchmark I got a max temp of 56 C with the onboard fan max ~1540 RPM.   Considering the 15mm thickness and the reduced noise levels of the fan at 1400 RPM I was still able to get within 2 C degrees of the Corsair fan.  That’s really great.   I ran this test twice in the push position and was pleasantly surprised by how well this fan works given its dimensions. 

Results:

Corsair SP120: max 54 C, onboard fan max ~1450 RPM
Noctua NF-A12x15: max 56 C, onboard fan max ~1540 RPM

At least I knew the fan size wasn’t the factor in the high temps I was getting with the GPU which have been inconsistent and would vary from 62C to 72C depending on ambient temps.  Those 62-66 C temps were with the AC running with the vent right over my desk.  In the evening gaming, I was still seeing temps up to 72C consistently and the onboard fan running at 70% @ 2300 RPM.   

From the testing, at least I saw with the slim Noctua fan properly coupled to the radiator, it's possible to get temps in the mid 50 C’s with onboard GPU  fan speeds ~1500 RPM even with warm ambient room temps. That would be the benchmark for desired GPU temps.

So I had a choice to cut another 120mm hole at this location or just remove the fine grill work which would be easier.  I taped off the case and got to work with some tin snips which got me 50 % of the way there and with a Dremel cutting wheel and some patience it wasn’t that difficult to get a nice clean opening and get rid of all the grill work which restricted the airflow between the fan and the radiator. I left the metal steps at the edges of the grillwork untouched and just took away the grill work and that ugly round thing. 

I do wish I had removed the pesky 1" wide flange inside the chassis when I did the initial cuts. 

That's the piece that the Alienware intake fan bracket rests against when installed.  It does get in the way of the radiator installing flush against the front chassis and I would not have had to use the foam gasket to clear that obstruction as pictured in the initial post of this thread.   Two more small cuts with the reinforced dremel cutting wheel and that would have been gone.

Pic after grillwork removed, "steps" still present.  Double stick tape still there from front fan install.  Small rectangular opening at very bottom is where I should have made a couple more cuts to remove the 1" long flange at that location.

Pic of GPU radiator fan mounted on left with sheet metal grill work still present: (that’s the black Phanteks Halos RGB fan frame on the fan, dust filter in place on the CPU cooler fan on the right, wiring now run under the chassis through bottom of case, I also painted the grill work black when I cut the 120mm hole.)

Fan mounted with grill work gone (you can see one of the metal steps inside the fan on the upper left still there):

So with the sheet metal out of the way, I ran Firestrike again.  With the front bezel off I was able to see 56 C and the onboard fan max at ~1520 RPM.  Similar to temps earlier with the radiator and fan outside the case.   Looking good!

I then put the front bezel back on.  With the bezel in place and fan filter present behind the scarab front grill I ran Firestrike and am seeing 58 C at load with the onboard fan running at ~1670 RPM.  Yay!

So getting rid of the sheet metal grill work is essential if you want to get optimal temps with these hybrid GPU’s if you are putting the fan in front of the chassis.   The 15mm slim fan works great and is able to manage GPU temps if coupled correctly to the radiator.

A hybrid GPU in the Alienware R7 with optimal temps should be achievable as there are intake vents in the front bezel so no further cutting should be required once you get rid of the sheet metal grillwork.  A 25mm fan looks like it might just fit under that front bezel as well.

Done.

Sheet metal grill present:

Grill gone:

Phanteks Halos RGB at upper exhaust fan mounted on top of grill under cover, will fit mounted on fan inside case if you use one of the slim 15mm fans as an exhaust fan.

 140mm dust fan filter inside bezel.   Trimming some of the plastic inside the bezel as needed, fit under plastic tabs on right side where I cut slits, trimmed some of the fan filter frame at bottom and attached on 4 sides with double stick moulding tape.   Just vacuum the dust occasionally from the front of the machine.

Notes for XPS 8930 and Alienware Aurora cases:

It is a tight fit under the XPS 8930 front bezel with the 15mm fan, Halo RGB fan frame and the 140mm fan filter.  There is just enough room under the bezel and it does fit and lock into place okay.   

The Aurora R7/R8 cases have a deeper front bezel and a 25mm fan just might fit there centered under the bezel.  Also the Alienware front bezels have an airflow friendly grill on the front of the case.  (Edit 01/05/20: from this post, the 25mm thick fan will not fit under the front bezel of a R8 case.  Use the 15mm black Noctua A12x15mm fan instead centered to the chassis and front bezel.)

In attaching the fan to the case, notice that in the last picture of the bare fan on the case there are no screws holding the fan in place.   I used the two way moulding tape on the corners with the rubber corners removed on that side of the fan to attach the fan to the chassis.  It is VERY secure and isn't going anywhere.  The screws you see on that fan in another picture are to hold the Phanteks Halo Fan Frame in place, they do not go through to the chassis.

I found that you needed only two or three screws to hold the radiator in place, so if you can't get all 4 holes lined up, it's okay.  And don't forget to cut out that pesky 1' long metal flange that holds the Alienware fan bracket out when you cut away the grill.  The radiator will fit flush against the chassis if you do so and you will not have to use any type of radiator gasket as a filler for that space!

I wish I would have tried cutting away the sheet metal first and tested temps with the bezel in place before cutting a blowhole in the front bezel.  Cutting the sheet metal and coupling the fan/radiator properly had a big impact on lowering temps.  Differences in liquid cooled CPU temps with the front bezel in place was +3C.  For the GPU it was +8 to 10C without the grill work cut away.  With the grill work cut away, the airflow with the bezel in place should not have such a profound effect.

I thinks it's worth repeating to check to make sure the side of the radiator is clear of the swinging arm of the PSU bracket before deciding on the final mounting location.  Worst thing that could happen is to mount the radiator only to find out that the arm comes down onto one of the rivets on the side of the radiator....sigh.

The limiting factors for installing a GPU cooling radiator would be the length of the GPU and the height of the radiator so it can slide in sideways under the length of the lock flange used for the Alienware intake fan bracket.  

The MSI Sea Hawk GPU in this install is 10.6"  (270mm)

The height of the radiator is 151mm and does fit under that flange with about a 1/8" to spare.   (151mm H x 120mm wide x 27mm thickness.)   It is possible to totally cut away the lip under the flange or the flange entirely if the height of the newer models of the hybrid GPU radiator is an issue.  Similar to what was done with the CPU radiator here.

The space in this install between the GPU and the radiator inside the case is approx. 11mm.

So in theory if you have a liquid cooled GPU that gets closer to 10" long (15mm shorter) then you should be able to mount the radiator and slim 15mm fan inside the case.   It would be really tight installing and uninstalling the GPU out of the machine as you need some clearance to do so.  You risk damaging the back side of the fan in the process.  A simple workaround could be to not install the fan in the pull position behind the radiator until you install the GPU and use just the two accessible two screws to install the fan to the radiator after the GPU Is in place. That should be enough to couple the fan/radiator properly.   Removing that pesky 1" long flange should get you 3-4 mm more as well as the radiator should fit flush against the chassis. 

The end of the GPU will block some of the airflow from the rear of the radiator but that shouldn't matter much with cold intake air coming through the radiator.  With this shorter card install there is a high likelihood that cutting the front grillwork would NOT be required to get those desired temps.