View Full Version : My PC, Watercooling Question...
Here are a couple of pics of my desktop. I took it to the workshop today and did a "blowout" with the compressor so thought it rude not to take a couple of pics while it was out.
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/desktop/DSCF0755.JPG
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/desktop/DSCF0756.JPG
Now a question, Do you think i could fit watercooling it in?
Its not so much noise (Well its a part of it) but its mostly heat in terms of what the PC puts out. My room is south facing and also has good insulation so it gets really hot in here.
My CPU is about 40 playing games and the GPU is 50 at idle so its going to go alot higher playing anything.
You can get lian-li top panels that take 2 or 3 rads but i might have to move the HDD rack about a bit.
The pump/resivor could go in the front where the speaker is?
Im only thinking of the graphics (GTX 280) and the chip (i7 920)
So what do you think?
Mat:D
Andrew Moore
24-01-10, 13:26
Because of the overclock you run a single tripple rad would be sufficiant to cool both the 280 and CPU. In sure with a bit of thought you could get some cooling inside the case. Looking at it I would suggest a nice thick dual rad in the top to CPU, then a single thick rad then to gpu (just so the gpu doesn't get warm water) then to res, the to pump an finally back to the dual rad.
You could overclock a little futher whilst keeping temps down and fan speeds to a minimum too! Should leave you with a very quet system indeed.
A single loop (incase you had missed what I'm trying to say) would be fine for your requirements. A decent pump such as the 18w mcp355 would be ideal mind.
Andy
Thanks for the help Andrew.
Ive just had a quick mesure up and would only be able to fit a double rad in the top of the case before the PSU gets in the way.
I guess a dual rad wouldnt run both the CPU and GPU?
So if ive got a dual rad in the top i need space for a single rad, Pump and reservoir:|
Is there such a thing as a 3.5" reservoir to fit in a spair bay i have.
Pump can then go where the speaker is and also the single rad right on the front of the case.
If i used 2 rads would that be classed as dual loop?
Do i still need fans on the rads?
Cheers
Mat:)
PeterStoba
24-01-10, 14:49
As I said last night, it's going to be very very tight!
I doubt you could get a 240mm in the roof, as your PSU is up there and it isn't the biggest of cases in the first place. Your drives (depending on how many you have) could be moved to the FDD rack, but it's still going to be hard to get the radiator in the roof.
A DDC 18w is a good pump, but for a single radiator loop a 10w would be fine. You could go with a DCP which provides pretty much the same power in a smaller footprint if you orient it correctly.
There are 3.5" reservoirs available, but you don't have to have a bay reservoir, you can go with a reservoir and pump top combination, which would save space, that'd probably fit at the front of the case. You could even get away without a reservoir at all and just go with a fill port, saving you some valuable space.
A 120mm in the front and a 240mm in the top (if it fits) would probably be enough to cool the card and CPU, but you will definitely still need fans on it. Two radiators in one loop is still only a single loop. A dual loop would involve two pumps with separate radiators and blocks.
Andrew Moore
24-01-10, 14:55
As with what peter has said I would agree.
Anyway I've looked into it, a mcr220 rad "should" fit in the top but it's going to be tight! A single rad of any sort (make sure it's thich ie rx120) would go in te front. As for a pump, a single dual rad would be fine with an mcp350 (10w) but adding another rad would push me towards the mcp355 just for flow. You can get an xspc res top for both of those rads too which is a bonus.
Bring up all measurements of Case with pay installed. Available space etc etc. You may need to run the rad suspended (fans on top in pull fashion) to get it to fit but that's just a maybe. That way any overlap from the rad would be free of the frame of the case.
Andy
A dual Rad would fit in the top but i might have to loose 1 HDD, This is ok as i was looking at putting my SSD in the spair 3.5" bay i have so that makes space for it.
As for getting fans on that too, Thats a challenge. I think the only way would be to install the fans outside of the case on the top bearing in mind i only have 40mm to play with before it hits the desk!
The front single rad is pretty easy, Somthing like a XSPC RX120, Still with the current 120mm fan i have on there. Its going to be sticking into the case quite a bit but i might be able to sort somthing there with a bit of cutting...:lol:
I looked at a Pump and reservoir combined and it looks like a good idea.
Somthing like Peter suggests, The EK DCP. Would i be able to install this at the bottom where the PC speaker is or does the reservoir need to be installed high?
Just a couple of example water blocks.
EK-Supreme LT Intel 1366 for the i7 & a EK-FC280 280GTX for the graphics.
Just making an example shopping list here so that would be:
XSPC RS240 = £29.32
XSPC RX120 = £35.53
EK DCP = £69.47
EK-Supreme LT = £30.64
EK-FC280 280GTX = £73.56
---------------------------
Total: £238.52 Inc VAT:cry
Plus all the other little bits, Tube, Water, clips, barbs etc:o
Andrew Moore
24-01-10, 15:53
Right bud. The reason why I suggested the mcr220 is because it's very thin but also a fantasic unit! A couple of slim 120mm fans and your laughing! Makes for no
more than 45mm! Brilliant!
The rx120 is still what I'd use in the front to ensure suficient cooling, I'm thinking something les substantial like the rs120 is probably pushing things a little!
Andy
PeterStoba
24-01-10, 16:13
the mcr220 is because it's very thin but also a fantasic unit! A couple of slim 120mm fans and your laughing! Makes for no more than 45mm! Brilliant!
Didn't know you could get 11mm fans ;)
If you go for the DCP then that could be mounted at the bottom with a T piece used for filling up, wouldn't require as much room then.
It is going to be expensive, and I'm not 100% confident there will be a great improvement in temperatures over your current air cooling setup if you have to start mounting fans externally etc...
Is there no way you could get a larger case?
Nah, Not got anywhere to put a larger case because of my room layout. I like it under the desk out of the way.
Im think im better off holding off untill coolit comes out with there GPU cooler all in one system as thats the only part that needs it really.
Been playing Dirt2 for an hour and temps are around 50 for the GPU and PCB, The VDDC phase1 temp is 56, Not sure what that is:confused:
Wow, Ive just noticed somthing. The fan on my card is locked to 40% fan and it doesnt seem to go above that playing any games.
Ive just put it up to 100% (Noisey) and the temps have gone down to about 30 in a matter of mins!
Obviously the fan is not goting to last long at 3000RPM but why is it not clicking in auto?
PeterStoba
24-01-10, 17:15
Wow, Ive just noticed somthing. The fan on my card is locked to 40% fan and it doesnt seem to go above that playing any games.
Ive just put it up to 100% (Noisey) and the temps have gone down to about 30 in a matter of mins!
Obviously the fan is not goting to last long at 3000RPM but why is it not clicking in auto?
It double be down to settings in the Nvidia driver page thingy, ntune is it?
You could use something like rivatuner to make it spin up to 70% when it's loaded, to keep temps in check.
Seems odd that you idle at 50c and load at 50c too though.
Andrew Moore
24-01-10, 17:21
Peter, mcr220 is 23mm thick (just measured my spare here) and I'm sure you can get 22mm thick 120mm fans if not 20mm thick ones.
As for your fan issue, the fan speeds are set on a sliding scale, 40% on my cards before I water cooled them didn't increase until about 70c and even then it ony hit 43% sometimes 50%
Andy
Small edit here! Re-measured and its 33mm thick! Obviously gone a bit crossed eyed there for a second! Indeed, you will struggle to find an 11mm fan lol! Remove a hard disc or 2, make some space!! Sell the drives and buy a bigger single drive ;) M4T VW
Andy
If you're using a nVidia based card, look at RivaTuner for your overclocking and fan controlling needs.
No need to mess about with vendor loaded driver/controller crap they put on CD's these days.
Has a nice section where you can set the rules for how the fan reacts with temperature.
msi afterburner is a much easier app to use for setting fan profiles compared to rivatuner, but underneth the cool gui its the same software.
it does overclocking, overvolting (on cards that support it) and the fan profiles.
iirc by default the driver only spins the fan up when it gets to about 80c with these you can set it so @50c the fan spins @50% 60c @ 75% and so on till you find what you like so its not getting hotter than you want and only get as noisey as you want.
Just downloaded MSI afterburner (Had it before) and didnt realise how good it was!
Now have multiple steps in the fan speed:D
The trouble is, Im saying its my PC when i know its not...Its my Dell monitor:mad:
I cant believe how hot that gets and thats where all the heat is coming from:cry
It would be possible to w/c that case but it would be very tight. You would be best with a DDC + res top or using a T piece line as other have said to save space.
Failing that, just get an aftermarket cooler for the graphics?
Now with H50 Watercooling:D
Had a small problem with the braiding on the power cable for the pump, They only heatshrink the braiding a few mm so as i was moving it the braiding came out and started to fray.
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/DSCF0761.JPG
Not good enough for me so out with the heatshrink. Took the connector off the cable and while i was doing that the plug end came out too!
Use more heatshrink corsair!:mad:
Re-used the braiding (Im out of 4mm) and just cut 2 new longer bits of heatshrink, Job done.
I couldnt use the corsair fan as i dont have a 4 pin fan extention cable so just kept my skythe one on, Moves more air then the corsair one anyway.
All installed, Such a space saver!
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/DSCF0762.JPG
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/DSCF0763.JPG
All fans are on low and temps are about 30-35 idle.
I was hoping for lower but i think its the crappy thermal pad they use, Oneday i will take it off and put some artic silver on. 10 min job one day...:rolleyes:
Had a few crashes and a blue screen in Battlefield last night:confused:
Not sure whats going on. Temps were no more then 45 max and the rad was stone cold:thumb:
Could your NB/mboard be overheating now there's reduced airflow with you switching to w/c?
I'm assuming 45c is your CPU temp.
Motherboards shouldn't require airflow to not overheat if passive cooling has been put on my the manufacturer.
Wrong, some Asus boards come with optional fans to cool the NB if watercooling is in place.
wonderlust
15-02-10, 13:10
Will, the passive cooling is designed to pick up the air from the standard cooler
Yes, Hence the heatsinks next to the CPU and the pipes going to the chipset.
Im sure the temp for the chipset was about the same as the CPU.
There is still air getting to it from the front through the rad so im sure it cant be that.
I think WL missed out a crucial comma in his post.. :lol: I think it was meant to be:
"Will, the passive cooling....."
Makes all the difference from it being a question to a statement! :lol: :lol:
wonderlust
15-02-10, 14:00
better? :D
From previous WL posts i guessed it had a comma in there:lol:
wonderlust
15-02-10, 17:31
:redface:
Couple of updated pics (Playing with new camera)
Now all cables braided, New ram, Fans etc
Got a blue and black theme going on, By accident!
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/desktop/DSCF0273800x600.jpg
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/desktop/DSCF0274800x600.jpg
http://www.addy.co.uk/images/desktop/DSCF0276800x600.jpg
:D:thumb:
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