Scope next to graphics card (is this OK?!)

[DJ Mosley]

I've finally upgraded my motherboard and I am now running Windows 7. I bought the last motherboard that I could find with three PCI slots (Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4). All is well. The Sonic Core software installed very easily and put everything into Cubase so I was up and running much faster than I thought I'd be.

There is one concern that I have. The only place to put the graphics card is right next to the first of my three Scope Professional cards. It is a passive graphics card with a big heat sink (Gigabyte Radeon HD 5750 Silent Cell). The big heat sink doesn't touch the Scope card but it is very close (about 1/16 of an inch or a bit more than 1 millimeter). According to CPUID Hardware Monitor (software) the graphic card's core temperature is a steady 54° C (129° F). According to a physical reading taken by sticking the tip of a digital meter into the back of the PC and making contact with the actual heatsink, the reading is 42.3°C (108.1°F).

This is a music only PC. I have the Windows visuals set to the absolute minimum (no fancy translucent windows, shadows or animations). I am currently using two DVI monitors, and I may buy better DVI monitors in the near future. I've been using Cubase with no problems at all so far. What I want to know is, am I destroying my Scope card by having it constantly being next to a 42.3°C heatsink from that graphics card?

[dawman]

Brotha' Man Mosely.........
I don't think so.
I had case temps of 105 Farenheit on my 4U and the 3 x Pro's were the cause of most of that heat.
I use an XITE-1 now and the top lid is really hot.
I was concerned about that but after a year and a half I guess those DSP chips are meant to run hot.
I do have a suggestion though in case you are concerned.
I have a spec'd mobo built for heat because its a board meant to be overclocked.
But I just dont like RAM Sinks and believe they are all hype.
But I do know the RAM needed some extra cooling so I bought a pair of Antec Spot Cools.
They have 1 x screw hole posted on the bottom of a gooseneck, so you can aim them directly where you want.
They attach to an empty screwhole in a mobo or even directly on the plate below the mobo.
They work really well and I cant hear either of them.

[CarvinGuitarFreak]

Hi,

I had problems with my 3x cards beside a hot graphics card, it quite literally made my cards sqeal. I ended up changing the graphics card to a low power / less heat card (Matrox) and have a fan extracting air above it. I moved to a Akasa Mirage case because it fits into a rack space and has better ventilation.

Laters,
CGF