Watercooling

[ddrueding]

Finally decided to make a move on this. I have the following parts coming from Danger Den:

MC-TDX for Intel I7/Nehalem/1366
i7/1366/Nehalem Back Plate
DD-5870 Water Block
DD-CPX-Pro 12V Pump
Black Ice GTX560 - Xtreme
Fillport Reservoir
1/2" Clear UV Blue DD-TFC Tubing (30 ft)
Feser One - UV BLUE - F1 - Coolant

That radiator is downright huge (4x 140mm) and should be able to move significant heat without much noise. I plan on combining the 5870 I have now with a 5970 for a tri-fire configuration when I feel the need.

Never done a watercooling project before, really looking forward to it!

 

[CougTek]

Pub & Brewery? Could you moderate your post and move it to the Computers forum?

 

[MaxBurn]

Is there a power supply on that list? That and the video card have to be the loudest things I have.

 

[timwhit]

Pub & Brewery? Could you moderate your post and move it to the Computers forum?

I moved it for you.

 

[ddrueding]

Thanks for the move, I was in a hurry to get out on the boat (we didn't win).

The power supply is an Antec CP-850, one of their larger power supplies with a 120mm fan. It is very quiet. My main reason to watercool is the 5870; it is the loudest thing I have and still crashes due to overheating while gaming.

 

[CougTek]

Wouldn't it have been both cheaper and more effective to simply install an Arctic Cooling GPU heatsink instead of going for the watercooling kit? I've seen tests of AC's Accelero heatsinks for graphic cards and they are very efficient. Always quieter than the reference heatsinks too.

Thanks for moving the thread.

 

[ddrueding]

I have run those coolers before, and they were very effective. They also take up even more slots of the motherboard. While the primary goal is being able to play with a watercooled rig, a secondary is to be able to run my Auzentech X-Fi, Z-Drive, 5870, Intel dual-GbE adapter, and a soon-to-be purchased 5970.

While I won't need to WC the sound card, the 5970 and Z-Drive will be added to the loop

 

[MaxBurn]

Also whats the budget on this, seems expensive? I would not mind quieter but the price holds me back.

 

[ddrueding]

I certainly went "price is no object" on this one, about $650 in parts. With this being my first project, I wanted some overkill. The parts should be in tomorrow with assembly over the weekend. Pictures, testing, and recommendations to come.

 

[ddrueding]

How to mount the radiator is another concern. This system will not be portable. I think I will mount the radiator under my workbench, and have a t-line reservoir running up the wall, so I can keep an eye on the water level.

Radiator Dimensions:

• Width: 6.02" (153mm)
• Height: 23.82" (605mm)
• Thickness: 2.19" (55.70mm)

 

[ddrueding]

Just received 6 140mm Cooler Master "Silent Fans", Scythe KazeServer fan controller, and 120vAC-to-Molex power brick.

The fans are quieter than my existing system at their stock 12v and 1000RPM, moving an (advertised) 60CFM+. Very significant airflow. All but one are dead-silent at 390RPM and still move a respectable amount of air. That one has a slight click to it (good thing I bought two spares).

The external brick will be able to power the water pump and fans separately from the system for leak testing.

 

[ddrueding]

All the bits came in today. Currently cleaning out all the gunk from the rad, pump, and other bits. I turned my loop into a line, drawing from a 60-gallon sink of really hot water and dumping into another sink 5' down the counter. System volume is roughly equivalent to the faucet on full-blast (quite significant).

 

[Mercutio]

That seems like a lot of money and a lot of work.

What I found out when I got my system noise to satisfactory levels was that there was nothing I could do about the noise from my fridge, from the road outside my apartment or from the train tracks a few blocks away.

Also, since I've had a computer in my bedroom for the last 20 years, I can't fall asleep without a decent source of fan noise. So I turn on a box fan every night, even when it's -20F outside.

 

[ddrueding]

I really like quiet, and have gone to great lengths to achieve it in my office. If my computer is off, I start to hear a light ringing in my ears that is only drowned out when I breathe. Did I mention I really like quiet?

 

[ddrueding]

I have a loop built and testing now, just to make sure I know how to make watertight seals. I still don't know how I'm going to bleed all the air from a system I can't move/shake/rotate. I'll just have to be very careful to not let any hoses create high spots.

 

[ddrueding]

I've now rebuilt the loop with the blocks mounted to the hardware, but outside the chassis. Leak testing now without the system powered up, so all that water that ended up on the motherboard will have a chance to dry

My most recent complication is that the backplate for the CPU waterblock is so deep that the motherboard tray gets in the way. I'll need to take the chassis down to the shop and have it modified.

 

[MaxBurn]

To bleed the air why not put in a T fitting at the high point and have a hose just run up six inches to a stopper? All you have to do is get the majority of the air out, if a little air gets stuck in this high portion, than that's OK as it will just park there out of the way. Its weird but most of the systems I have seen don't really have a provision for this, or even to fill the system easily.

So I turn on a box fan every night, even when it's -20F outside.

Me too, actually I graduated to an industrial shop fan a couple months ago when my box fan died. Also when traveling and the room hvac unit doesn't have a setting for fan on all the time there is this site:
http://simplynoise.com/

 

[ddrueding]

Typing on this rig right now

 

[Santilli]

Why is my first instinct to think bong from the 60's? ;-)

 

[Santilli]

David:
Any noticeable difference, human wise, between 3.11 ghz and 4 ghz?

 

[Handruin]

What's the square black block on the left do? It's not on any cards, but is part of the water cooling chain. Edit: is that the water pump?

 

[ddrueding]

David:
Any noticeable difference, human wise, between 3.11 ghz and 4 ghz?

Not unless you are going hardcore computing stuff. PTGui (panorama stitching program) can use it, so can some photoshop scripts, but my boot times aren't getting any faster.

 

[ddrueding]

What's the square black block on the left do? It's not on any cards, but is part of the water cooling chain. Edit: is that the water pump?

Pump it is. It doesn't make much noise, but it vibrates like crazy. So long as it is isolated from any hard surfaces, it is nearly silent.

 

[ddrueding]

As I am removing the major sources of heat via water and turning down the airflow, I'm finding secondary sources of heat that need addressing. The processor on the RAID card that is part of the OCZ Z-Drive it the hottest bit on the system (48.3C even with a small heatsink) so it is getting a block for sure. The northbridge already has a factory water block on it, so that will be included as well.

 

[ddrueding]

Interesting temperature response on the CPU. 36C while idle (the water is 30C). When I execute the Prime95 torture test, it jumps in less than a second to 60C and holds there forever. When I stop the test, it drops in less than a second back to 36C. Looks like I need to improve the thermal interface between the CPU and the water to improve that at all.

This radiator (the largest they make) is still massive overkill; the water temperature stays at ambient no matter what load the system is under. I'll experiment with removing some of the fans.

 

[Bozo]

Don't you need heat sink compound between the water blocks and what they are attached to?

You might want to try an anti-freeze/water combo as the anti-freeze conducts heat much better than water.

 

[timwhit]

Don't you need heat sink compound between the water blocks and what they are attached to?

Just make sure not to use too much.

 

[ddrueding]

An appropriate amount of arctic silver 3 thermal compound is in there, otherwise it would fry immediately I think.

I suspect that the water is nowhere close to it's capacity; the water going into the radiator is barely a degree warmer than the water coming out of it, which is the same as the ambient room temp. This is perhaps an indication of the level of overkill I have achieved (0.5in ID tubing, massive radiator running 4 140mm fans, pump powerful enough to circulate water at a massive velocity, etc).

They do now sell diamond-based thermal compound, and I could always sand down the top of the CPU casing and the bottom of the waterblock...but that would be crazy.

I think I'll just live with max CPU temps that are still 40C below max rated operating temp.

 

[Stereodude]

An appropriate amount of arctic silver 3 thermal compound is in there, otherwise it would fry immediately I think.

I'm pretty sure they have thermal protection to stop that. You could fire it up without the HSF and not cook it (if it's like past models).

 

[ddrueding]

I think your right, Stereo, but forgive me for not testing on an i7 Extreme Edition

 

[Stereodude]

Oh sure... now you get thrifty...

 

[ddrueding]

When I have the 980X on the way I'll think about it

 

[Bozo]

You might also need to regulate the water flow. Slow it down a little to allow some heat absorbtion.

 

[ddrueding]

You might also need to regulate the water flow. Slow it down a little to allow some heat absorption.

That doesn't make sense to me. If this water molecule doesn't pick up the heat, the next one by will.

 

[ddrueding]

Interesting.

There is enough thermal capacity in the system to run max load with no fans (so long as the pump is going) for about 5 minutes. With the fans just above stall speed (420RPM, completely inaudible), it will idle forever, but at load it will slowly build temps for about 15 minutes before crash. I now have the fans at 600RPM (subjectively the same volume as the 120mm PSU fan on the CP-850), we'll see how it does.

Another interesting note: At full load (Prime95 tortue test plus COD:BC2), the system draws exactly 300 Watts.

 

[ddrueding]

700RPM is required to maintain 70C at full load. Still fairly quiet, but not enough. I could wire in a thermal management system to ramp up the fans, but I really don't like noise. I'm reconsidering sticking the radiator and pump in another room. This would make my office free of moving parts if I got a water-cooled power supply.

 

[Bozo]

That doesn't make sense to me. If this water molecule doesn't pick up the heat, the next one by will.

There is a lot of heat in a small area. The water has to have enough time to absorb the heat.

Ground source heat pumps and tankless water heaters have some type of flow control to maximize the transfer of heat.

If you can, try adjusting the flow when the system is stable, heat wise. Can you adjust the speed of the pump?

Can you change the fans on the radiator for some with a thermocouple on them? They would only speed up when needed.

 

[Howell]

There is a lot of heat in a small area. The water has to have enough time to absorb the heat.

Ground source heat pumps and tankless water heaters have some type of flow control to maximize the transfer of heat.

If you can, try adjusting the flow when the system is stable, heat wise. Can you adjust the speed of the pump?

You are pulling his leg, right? :scratch:

 

[ddrueding]

I am planning on slowing the pump, but only to reduce the noise.

As far as heat absorption goes, I'm not looking to heat any part of the water to a certain temperature so that isn't really an issue.

 

[Bozo]

You are pulling his leg, right? :scratch:

No.

If the water could absorb the heat instantly, you could put a pan of water on the stove, and as soon as you turned on the heat, the water would boil.
But it doesn't because the water needs time to absorb the heat.
If you put a pan of water on a stove then turned on the heat but kept a constant flow of cold water into the pan, the water would never come to a boil. But if you slow the flow of cold water down to a trickle, there is a posibility the water would boil (depending on how hot the heat source is). But it would get a lot hotter than having the water flow through the pan as fast as posible.