Best waterblock for Core i7

R

rennocneb

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
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Ok im now building a loop for cooling just my processor. ITs a Core i7 920 currently at 3.6ghz hoping for more. Right now i cant increase vcore beyond 1.285 because my temps are out of control. Im looking at the EK blocks, Swiftech, Danger Den, etc. What block is best? i cant find a comparasion. Im thinking either a swiftech dual 120 or triple 120 raiditor for this setup. Also what pump would you reccomend. I have a 655 driving my GPU system now and its working well. The guy at crazy pc told me to just splice another raiditor and the cpu block in line and that the 655 can handle it? IF so great it saves me the purchase of another pump. IF not then what pump would you recommend for the cpu only loop. I plan to run the skythe 110cfm 120mm fans. I know a bit loud but i can live with it.

How much better realistically can i expect my temps to be?
 
from latest review EK LT series, and koolance 350 are the best so far. although some people say swiftech gtz still best.
 
for a CPU only loop look at the Koolance 350 or the EK Supreme, they often give the highest temps but restrict flow to other blocks (like gpu/NB) so you shouldn't add anything other than CPU

for multi block (or if you plan to upgrade) the GTZ and Fuzion v2 are pretty close in temps (within 1C) with the GTZ slightly ahead; but the Fuzion v2 offers lower restriction than the GTZ so your secondary (GPU/NB) would get higher flow if you were to upgrade
 
From what I understand (from friends) they run so cool you can use just about any water cooler. :)
 
I don't have anything to compare it to but I am using a Koolance 350 with an Aquaextreme 50z pump and a Black Ice Xtreme 2 X-Flow Radiator. I have no complaints with the block other than it is very easy to cross thread the studs in the back plate. I have a core i920 OC'd @ 4040mhz with HT on and a 1.41 vcore. When stress testing the cpu overnight with different apps like linx, occd and prime temps stay around the mid 60's. Idle temps are around the low 30's. I had temps up around 70 with more vcore and the cpu @4.2 with HT on.
 
some ppl said heatkiller is pretty good, but i suggest buy something that already has some review, like koolance 350, ek LT, gtz
 
ended up with a fusion v2 block and 1366 pro mount hopefully i made a good purchase?
 
Why is it that you rarely here of DangerDen's water blocks? Do some not feel they perform as well as others or what may be the reason?


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I am currently using a DangerDen block on my i7...Idle temps ~34c and never seen over 63c using core2maxperf after 1 hour of 100% cpu load. This is with vCore @1.32v 4Ghz. No other program ive found pushes this proc. as close to full load as this either for a i7. This is with only CPU in water loop.
 
Put it under load using Linpack (Intel test) with at least 5 cycles. You'll probably get at least the same temperature.

Dangerden isn't mentioned much probably because they haven't been making blocks competitive with the top tier of performers. However DD is well-known everywhere.
 
I have also used IntelBurnTest.......10 passes maxes out @ 61c....it also does not push cpu as much as Core2MaxPerf.

This DD block has performed very well for me....used it for 2 months now.....
 
Dad_of_Three said:
Why is it that you rarely here of DangerDen's water blocks? Do some not feel they perform as well as others or what may be the reason?


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I am currently using a DangerDen block on my i7...Idle temps ~34c and never seen over 63c using core2maxperf after 1 hour of 100% cpu load. This is with vCore @1.32v 4Ghz. No other program ive found pushes this proc. as close to full load as this either for a i7. This is with only CPU in water loop.
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gtz has a better mounting system
 
I've used DD blocks against swiftech and found they are comparable, with DD being 1-2c warmer on average across 775 and 1366 i'd call it a draw. The DD is cheaper and maybe not as pretty so...
 
You haven't seen many reviews because the Heatkiller blocks have not seen any availability worth speaking of in the U.S. until recently. The manufacturer, Watercool, is based in Germany and has been making watercooling products for quite some time and the quality is outstanding. The recent testing by the community on XS has been very favorable. The Koolance 350 blocks are also very good performers but they require a lot of flow and need a CPU only loop to perform at their very best.
 
My swiftec block had a crack in it, I wasn't really happy with it anyways, so i dumped it and got a Danger Den MC-TDX, and wow, this thing is great. 3-4C cooler on all four cores and I love the lucite top.

I should have gone with the DD in the first place, but in reality, they are all similar and a couple degrees isnt going to make or break your OC. Get what matches your price and tastes and run lola run. :)
 
I use a swiftech apogee gtz and it keeps my cpu cool enough for me. Linx 20 pass HT on 4ghz. 1.378v high 60's low 70's with a 120.2 rad.
 
thats my next question where am i safe running vcore at 24/7 my cpu doesnt seem to be a great core i7 it takes 1.4 in bios about 1.360 at load according to cpu-z to get stable 4ghz clocks. and about 1.445 in bios to get stable at 4.2 are these voltages safe if my temps are low 70's?
 
That's a little on the high side. I think its generally accepted that 1.4v should be about the max for 24/7 operation. Of course it always just comes down to what you are comfortable with.

I run 3.9GHz right now at 1.275v just cause the extra 100MHz is not worth the heat and voltage I need for 4.2GHz.
 
PAo_ReVoLT said:
how is the aquacomputer doing?
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I wondered the same and all the places you used to be able to buy aren't carrying them anymore. like sharka. so I don't know if they are going belly up or if they just weren't selling enough here in the states to make it worth it.
 
Syndicated_Death said:
I wondered the same and all the places you used to be able to buy aren't carrying them anymore. like sharka. so I don't know if they are going belly up or if they just weren't selling enough here in the states to make it worth it.
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you can get them direct from their site
 
PAo_ReVoLT said:
the have great service too, but too bad they don't have silver version : (
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Yeah, they're great. If you want something I'm sure Gary'd be willing to get it on an order from Germany for you so you could probably save a bit on shipping and not have to deal with customs or anything (shipping starts at $30 I think, or 30€ ($40))
 
I can't reccomend Sidewinder Computers enough. Gary is great to deal with, he met me locally to drop things off so i could get a build rolling that night. A1 customer service all the way around.
 
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