Has anyone changed coolers on a Chelsio NIC?

[donkmeister]

I recently bought some used Chelsio T520-CRs for a very good price (for the UK). As they are ex-server, they have the low-profile heatsinks expecting a massive airflow. I totally didn't consider this rather important point!

For my two air cooled machines, my plan is to swap the heatsinks for more substantial versions and add fans blowing directly on/through the heatsinks.

For my water cooled machine I will add a waterblock and plumb it into the loop (yes, a water cooled NIC!).

Before I embark on this journey of discovery/torment, has anyone tried/achieved similar?

 

[Constantin]

I placed a tiny cooler fan on the heat sink for the on-board HBA HX fins. It made a significant-enough difference for me to leave it there. I didn't tap anything, just used the interference from the fins vs. the screws of the fan to hold it all in place. I would proceed VERY carefully to ensure that no shavings are produced.

I also replaced the stock CPU HX with a copper one that features a fan. Now the CPU runs about 20*C above ambient (just under 40*C). That said, the CPU is also benefitting from a very low work load and a direct air supply from the from (120mm fan on side of case w/a funnel).

 

[NickF]

You know!
A gripe here. I bought a several Chelsio T520s over the years. Granted they were used on eBay. But 2 of them in particular had a problem: the heatsink fell off!
Now, the hestsink on my particular cards was not mounted through the pressure holes, and rather thermal epoxied to the die directly. Also granted, they were being used in a desktop computer xD!
/rant end

But anyway, my anecdote aside, I’ve also strapped 40mm fans on the side of a bunch of Intel T540s, I’ve seen a bunch of folks perform similar mods for other folks who throw these cards in desktop computers.

What is it you are trying to accomplish? Obviously the engineer who designed the hestsink thought it was more than adequate to work in a server chassis. But if you are planning to run them in some other manner, whatcha trying to do?

 

[donkmeister]

Well, running them reliably, 24/7, in non-server chassis is the nutshell version! So I either have to replicate the sort of airflow the heatsinks are expecting to see, or replace the heatsinks with something to transfer the heat in a way compatible with the cases they're mounted in.

Good to hear at least two people who've had success cooling this sort of power level with a bit of simple fannage, I think that will be my first step. Still likely to go water-cooled on my workstation as it is silent (until I added the 10G that makes the case fans spin up lol )

 

[Constantin]

I have no doubt that some folk have made water cooling work quite reliably. At the same time, I note how little success water cooling has had in the world of data centers and like high-availability systems (with notable exceptions like the liquid-cooled Cray-2). I hope you can post your experience, etc. as I'd love to see how you fared.

 

[NickF]

Quick google search:

Sticking a tiny noctua fan seems to be a common mod, and in my own testing was sufficient for my usecases.

If you search for NF-A4x10 on Google, Reddit, YouTube, ServeTheHome, here, etc, I am sure you will find similar recommendations.

NF-A4x10 FLX

Featuring advanced aerodynamic design measures such as Flow Acceleration Channels and Noctua’s AAO frame, the NF-A4x10 FLX is a highly optimised, premium quality quiet fan in 40x10mm size. Smooth Commutation Drive technology and Noctua’s reference class SSO2 bearings guarantee superb running...

noctua.at

This:

Building a NAS

jro.io

Is an extremely good and detailed build log on creating quiet servers for TrueNAS.

 

[Constantin]

FWIW, so much depends on the case. The Q26A from Lian Li remains the gold standard in my book for a a brilliant SOHO design, as long as you only need room for a mini-ITX and less than 10 drives. Sadly, they no longer make it. The Q26 has excellent air flow, the case is compact but not cramped, the backplanes make hard drive swaps easy, the built-in clasps make panel installation and removal a snap (literally). I like this case far more than the allegedly more-user friendly MiniXL case because working on the various cables inside the XL is cramped at best. In the Q26, it's all right in front of you.