{"id":255958,"date":"2025-08-11T14:12:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/?p=255958\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T01:22:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:22:56","slug":"asus-tuf-geforce-rtx-5070-ti-2x-noctua-nf-a12x25-deshroud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/en\/asus-tuf-geforce-rtx-5070-ti-2x-noctua-nf-a12x25-deshroud\/","title":{"rendered":"Asus TUF GeForce RTX 5070 Ti: 2\u00d7 Noctua NF-A12x25 Deshroud"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few days ago, I tested how repasting affects the thermals and noise<\/a> of Asus\u2019s TUF GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Today, we\u2019ll take it a step further. We\u2019ll take advantage of the fact that the card\u2019s design allows easy removal of the shroud and and mount different fans directly onto the heatsink\u2014in this case, a pair of Noctua\u2019s classic NF-A12x25. We\u2019ll measure how the noise profile changes while keeping temperatures under load the same.<\/p>\n

Graphics cards from Asus\u2019s TUF series are usually built so that you can unscrew the shroud with its fans without having to remove the heatsink from the GPU die. On top of that, they often come with an above-average-sized heatsink, making them attractive candidates for a deshroud\u2014removing the original fan shroud and replacing the stock fans with quieter, larger, more powerful, and higher-quality ones. Swapping fans can change the noise level or acoustic character of the cooler, or replace fans that produce undesirable sounds.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll try this on the same card I disassembled last week to replace the thermal paste. On GPU coolers, fans are usually mounted into the shroud. Once it\u2019s removed, you need another way to secure the fans to the card.<\/p>\n

The quickest and easiest method is to attach the fans directly to the heatsink using a twist tie\u2014the kind you find on nearly every cable. More commonly, people use disposable nylon zip ties. Unless you have the special reusable type, they\u2019re not very practical. If you need to undo them\u2014say, to reposition a fan slightly\u2014the small ones don\u2019t open quickly, and most people don\u2019t have the patience for it, so they just cut them off.<\/p>\n

The ideal solution would be to design and make a new shroud to hold the fans. That would also restore the benefit of the original robust shroud, which is screwed to the I\/O bracket and helps reduce sag, easing stress on the PCB. But designing a full shroud would take too long for a quick experiment, so I went for a compromise. I took advantage of the fact that the heatsink has a sturdy metal frame along its perimeter. I designed simple clips that slide into the heatsink fins and hook onto this frame.<\/p>\n

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The clips have holes for standard rubber vibration-damping fan mounts, the kind you can get on Aliexpress. These mounts not only reduce vibration transfer from the fans to the heatsink but also create a slight gap between the fans and the fins, which helps lower noise.<\/p>\n

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Compared to the prototypes shown above, the clips have had some minor tweaks\u2014I curved the top surface\u2014but the basic concept is unchanged. They\u2019re printed from PETG on a Bambulab A1 using a standard 0.4 mm nozzle and a 0.15 mm layer height. With inexpensive PETG, each clip costs just a few cents.<\/p>\n

For strength reasons, the parts are printed so that the clips are stressed along the layer lines. This means the small \u201ctooth\u201d ends don\u2019t look perfectly clean, as they\u2019re printed from breakaway supports in mid-air.<\/p>\n

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Width-wise, the heatsink is practically made for a deshroud with 120 mm fans\u2014the fit is nearly perfect. The fins are also divided into two blocks. In length, however, it\u2019s less ideal: too long for just two 120 mm fans and too short for three. The stock shroud with three fans makes the card 33 cm long, but with three 120 mm fans, you\u2019d stretch it to 360 mm, and the rear quarter of the last fan would blow into empty space.<\/p>\n

I had two spare first-generation Noctua NF-A12x25 fans on hand, so I tried a dual-fan setup. Since the rear fin block is slightly longer, I positioned the second fan to cover the widest section of the heatsink. Another option would be moving it closer to the card\u2019s rear edge so more of the impeller blows through the cutout in the backplate.<\/p>\n


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Four-pin PWM fans can, with the right adapter, be connected directly to the card\u2019s seven-pin header. The pins aren\u2019t labeled on the card, but they are on the fans\u2019 PCBs, so the wiring can be figured out with a multimeter. For now, I skipped that experiment and connected the fans to a Corsair Commander Pro controller, regulating them purely via software in FanControl.<\/p>\n

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Standard 120 mm fans are 25 mm thick, meaning the card becomes significantly taller than with the stock shroud, occupying four slots. You can seal the gap between the fans and the heatsink so airflow is forced directly into the fins, but it\u2019s not essential.<\/p>\n

I measured the temperature difference with the gaps sealed, and in this case, the change in operating characteristics was well within the margin of error.<\/p>\n


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