My DGX Spark extra cooling solution

[carterlewellyn]

Just wanted to give back to the community by sharing a solution I came up with to help cool my Spark. This adds two 40mm fans to push more air into the intake side. In my testing it lowered temps by about 10 degrees! I hope this can help some others cool their sparks down if they’re experiencing overheating or throttling. I used some fans that are powered via USB so it was super simple to setup.

Here is the free file:

https://makerworld.com/en/models/2717324-nvidia-dgx-spark-cooling-fans#profileId-3009691

[mashie]

Interesting, I was thinking the other day if something like this could be done the other way around so the fans suck the air out at the rear instead.

It is a shame to cover up that nice front.

[blainesworld]

Nice! If I had a 3d printer, I’d try it.

I put this underneath mine :D Amazon.com: Wathai Cooling Case Fan for Receiver DVR Xbox TV Box Router 120mm x 25mm 5V USB Power : Electronics

[azampatti]

I have something very similar (DYI) that I made with some parts I have laying around:

It helps, but not much (2-3 degrees C) in my testing. I’ll store the GX10 in my Closet Center (home-data center) and I will probably go with something like the OP pushing more air from the front.

I haven’t seen any throttling yet, though, but I’m always for running it cooler.

[Alexander-F]

@deathandtaxes made one for the DGX setup.

Quick note: if you have the ASUS ascent, it may not fit perfectly out of the box. You’ll need to wiggle it a bit and adjust the model slightly to make it work.

My setup is a DGX Spark with the ASUS ascent, and after a small adjustment it fits great.

This thing is seriously cool and works really well.

Creator: deathandtaxes
https://www.printables.com/model/1658764-dual-nvidia-dgx-cooling-cage/files

[mashie]

What material did you print with and what percentage infill?

Also, which Noctua fan is it designed to use?

[norman.2]

yeah I actually measured this and the DGX Spark case is build a bit different then all of the other devices. So none of the other devices will fit easily into the 46mm slots that are carved out in that design. you will need the full 51mm. Also the Asus device gets most of its air from underneath… I actually have a modified file for that. But printing this costs 100€ here anyway, so kinda expensive :D havent measured if the face plates still match though only modified the main case, in case anyone needs it. I did not test print this fair warning^^
Also the Asus power button is in the front which is kinda bad for this design for obvious reasons :D
dgx_spar_Case-52mm-modified.zip.zip (17.6 MB)

[norman.2]

Its a standard 120x120x25mm insert.

[aijoey]

this is great and so simple. thanks for sharing!

[mashie]

For Nylon which is the bare minimum based on temperature requirements, that is closer to £250 here.

[norman.2]

Only the DGX case is getting really hot though afaik. The actual external case temperature of my asus case is not really that high. ABS is rated up to 100C shouldnt that be enough?

[carterlewellyn]

I’m not sure how material concerns came about. Even the cheapest PLA is fine. The hottest the GPU gets is 80°C. Only the top of the case gets hot and obviously not as hot as 80°C. The sides and bottom stay cold.

I typically print in PETG as preference, but the example at the top of this thread was printed in PLA at only 15% infill and has been running with the spark under load for a few days with no issue. PLA has a glass transition temperature of ~65°C, that’s the point when it can soften or deform. But the sides and bottom never reach 65°C. If by some extreme condition it does deform, print another cheap one. Don’t waste money on exotic materials.

[mashie]

My two Sparks without external fans will hit 95 degrees during benchmarking. Now with a decent fan pushing air through the units that should hopefully not be the case.

When you added extra fans, is the side next to the power plug less hot as well as that is very toasty on mine.

[carterlewellyn]

The case/housing should overall become a bit cooler as more air is pushed through, but that means more hot air will be coming out the back and could warm up objects behind it.

Interestingly, it seems there are 2 general ideas to improve cooling. I think both are fine.

1. push more air through the unit to cool the chips
2. move more air around the housing so it can act as a better heatsink

If in a proper 18C server room, I suspect no extra cooling is needed. But I live in a tropical area where indoors is never less than 24C.

[haidang.nguyenson]

a cheap but very effective cooling solution for our 2 Node DGX Spark setup.

[sdamirsa1]

Not-a-Star-Wars-solution: raise the box + buy a desk fan

If you are here looking for a not-a-Star Wars solution:

Put your DGX above the surface. I used a metal plate with holes to raise it off the ground, hoping for some thermal exchange. In a 2-hour run, I was at 77 degrees, and for longer runs I reached 75 for the GPU and CPU. So this free metal gives you: minus 6 degrees on a <2-hour run, and minus 4 degrees on a >2-hour run.

If the room temperature is good and stable, it can be enough. Make sure the back of your device has enough space to avoid sucking the hot air back into the device.

If you want to take another step (and if your PI is paying), go for a fan. But not every fan.

Understanding Ventilation and Selecting a Fan

You should consider putting a fan with low turbulence and in the right direction (blowing air to the front of the device so that it would be blowing front to back) and at the right distance (there are two important things to consider for yourself: help the wind get into the device, and help the hot air go out). The device ventilation is sucking from the front and below, and then it blows hot air from behind. The NVIDIA DGX and ASUS DGX are a bit different, but I couldn’t find out how.

I think the best thing you can go with (low sound, good ventilation, and low budget) is the Noctua NF-F12 5V (30 bucks + extra for adapter + good availability), which is under the PC fan category. If you are going for the easiest buy, go with the Noctua NV-FS1 (120 bucks), a modified version in the desktop fan category. I will update the temps after getting it. The good thing about Noctua is that they are experts in PC fans, with a focus on PC ventilation (rather than cooling rooms). They considered the problems of turbulence, I assume:

P.S. I am still thinking about which direction I should put the fan. If I didn’t have a 2-year-old son, I would have time to set it on different axes and distances and benchmark it for fun, but I don’t. I would put it in front (and a little bit lower) so it blows wind from front to back, without blocking the device to suck air from the bottom. Will hopefully update you guys on the temp.

---

Just a follow-up:

Device: DDGX on top of metal mesh (DGX 10 cm up and flat) + Noctua NF-F12 Fan (20 cm distance, blowing from top to back and slightly from down to up (~10 percent incline)

Running Qwen-3.5-9b via vLLM Docker

GPU util: 95%

Power watag: 35-40

In 10 min run:

• without fan: CPU 81, GPU 69
• with fan: CPU 73, GPU 66

In a 2-hour run:

• loading…

[angryCougar]

Hello there,

so I just want to share my toolshop solution for cooling as well.

I bought:
4x Arctic P12 Pro Desktop Coolers.

i built:
a custom little desktop holding the DGX Spark in the middle of it, but sideways.

• 2 cooler blow from below (custom desktop → behind, black cover)
• 2 cooler blow from the front (custom desktop → front, black cover)

I can regulate the cooler intensities:

• with half the power: I can keep the GPU under full load constantly <= 73° Celsius
• with full cooler power (quiet noisy): I can keep the GPU under full load constantly <= 70° Celsius

therefore as cited from the 90ies tool time series: more power! → always does the trick ;)

have a good day
andi