My first water cooled rig! (pics)

A

AuroraProject

Gawd
Joined
Dec 13, 2004
Messages
820
I'm just about finished with my first water cooled build, I thought I'd share it with the good folks at [H]ard. I want to thank everyone who answered my questions during the planning phase, especially krotch, Arcygenical, and penguin. Without your help I would have been lost! It is a work in progress, (but then who's isn't) future plans call for a water cooled 8800GTX, and blocks on the north and south bridge. I will also be spending some quality time with the wires, as they need some work. Here's the specs and some pics: (the Matrix Orbital isn't connected yet)

EVGA 680i SLI
intel X6800 Core 2 Duo 2.93ghz @ 3.8ghz
2gb Corsair Dominator 1250
Dual EVGA 6800 Ultras (for now)
Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
2 74gb Raptors in RAID 0
2 320gb Seagates
Silverstone Strider 750
Sunbeam Rheobus
DVD-ROM, yada, yada, yada

w/c stuff:
Black Ice Pro 3x120 rad with 3 Yate Loons
Danger Den TDX
Swiftech MCP655
Danger Den fill port
Radgrillz 3x120 grill
MasterKleer 7/16 tubing


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:confused: Is 53C bad? Why would you lie about temps? (e-penis?) It's no phase change, thats for sure, but from what I've read about the air cooled Core Duos it seems some folks see load temps in the 70's! I'm very happy with 52C and 3.8ghz, I was hoping for a stable 4ghz, but life goes on. The temps will go up slightly when I add in the north bridge and a video card I suppose, but hopefully it wont be much of an increase.
 
No, that's a realistic temp. Lots of people spout out amazing (low 40's) load temps for a huge conroe Overclock, then get completely shut down when informed only coreTemp or intelTAT are valid monitoring programs.

If anything, it shows you know what you're doing...
 
Nice Rig....concrtaulationz....would be nice to have them 2x GPU's also with a waterhead.

Like the thick green tubes.
 
An update, I got tired of listening to the north bridge fan, so I picked up the DD 680i nb block and installed it yesterday. Cutting a new block in was much easier than I had anticipated! Coming soon, a water cooled 8800GTX! I decided against SLI 8800's for now, one should be plenty for what I need. I also added the Thermalright HR-05-SLI to the south bridge, which is a tight fit. I can't run SLI and my soundcard at the same time. Since I like having the front panel inputs the sound card won over the second video card. The washcloth you see the pump on is a temporary fix to absorb noise, I need to find a good piece of foam or something.

Some pics:

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very nice! Just 1 question, why did you go with a "T" line and not a res?
 
newls1 said:
very nice! Just 1 question, why did you go with a "T" line and not a res?
Click to expand...

Thanks! I chose the t-line to simplify hose routing, and I had read that reservoirs can sometimes make "water noises", sloshing and gurgling and such. I have no idea how true that is, but the t-line works fine for me.
 
Congrats on your OVERCLOCK DUDE! I just bought my W/C'ing parts about an hour ago and I too, am shooting for 4ghz! I am sooooo envious!
 
AuroraProject said:
Thanks! I chose the t-line to simplify hose routing, and I had read that reservoirs can sometimes make "water noises", sloshing and gurgling and such. I have no idea how true that is, but the t-line works fine for me.
Click to expand...

I am also new to water cooling (2 systems done in last 2 months). The noise from the res is true, seems to be caused from air bubbles (that keep recirculating). I have the swifttech micro-res on one of my systems and it makes no noise (allows the bubbles to rise out).


Oh, and congrats, nice setup. I will also post pix of my first as soon as the water blocks for my 1900's (crossfire) come in.
 
annaconda said:
When are you going to show us the Temperature pictures :D
Click to expand...

For which overclock? I haven't been able to stabilize 4ghz yet. It's down right now, I had to rma the memory. Once it's back up and running I'll post some temp shots of various speeds.
 
Very nice!! Much nicer than my frankenstien rig LOL!

Resivoirs can (and DO!) make sloshing noises, mine does. I actually like it though, maybe I'm just weird. =P
 
AuroraProject said:
The washcloth you see the pump on is a temporary fix to absorb noise, I need to find a good piece of foam or something.
Click to expand...

Hey.. I believe I have a solution for you! Are you familiar with a product called DYNAMAT? It is used in reducing and asborbing sounds and vibrations and was introduced into the car stereo market many many years ago. It has since found several uses for different applications, over the years.. This is the stuff I plan on buying to eliminate what is causing your very issue! BTW, it can be found MUCH cheaper than what is advertised here: http://www.dynamat.com/products_architectural_dynamat_xtreme.html
 
Well all of my stuff arrived today and in less than an hour, I will be tearing my system down for this install.. Wish me luck. I'll need it. (Keeps fingers crossed for a stable 4ghz overclock)!


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Nice, be sure and post some build pics, and finished shots. Along with screenies of the overclock! I still have not received my ram back from Corsair, so the box just sits cold and lifeless.
 
Thanks.. Its PrimoFlex 1/2" ID / 3/4" OD PVC UV Blue Tubing. I am still putting my system back together. I am pretty much finished fabricating and installing the water cooling part of it but I need to cycle the fluid throughout the loop and bleed out all of the excess bubbles / air. Is there a way I can do that without turning my system on? I have a spare PSU if that helps. I just need to turn the pump on at this point to help cycle the fluid through.. Any help would be appreciated.

BTW, I have been doing a pretty good job about taking pics along the way and documenting my build.. I had to cut ALOT of stuff and fabricate several pieces to bring it all together. Hope its worth it in the end!
 
Plug your pump into your spare power supply, make sure the power supply is switched off or unplugged until you are ready to run the pump, using a piece of wire or a paperclip connect the green wire to the black wire next to it on the main atx connector, turn on the power supply and the pump will come to life. Do not run that pump dry!
 
AuroraProject said:
Thanks! I chose the t-line to simplify hose routing, and I had read that reservoirs can sometimes make "water noises", sloshing and gurgling and such. I have no idea how true that is, but the t-line works fine for me.
Click to expand...


On top of your LL I saw a DD fillport. Since you don't have a res, you could a the DD fillport res.
 
AuroraProject said:
They look like Sunbeam rheobus.
Click to expand...


Yep.. Thats exactly what those are. And, I just started filling the line up with fluid XP and guess what? My darn radiator has a tiny tiny pinhole leak.. Oh i am upset.. I am UPS'ing this thing out today and hopefully I can find one locally.
 
nice wc rig, but the oc is nicer. overall A+, cant say anything less. enjoy it. wish i have the money to get a conroe.
 
Since my radiator has a small leak, I am RMA'ing it.. I went ahead and bought another radiator and I am having it overnighted.. Should be in sometime tomorrow!
 
Alright, I received my new ram today from Corsair. I'm running memtest on it now. I will resume overclocking tonight and try to get some temp shots at 4ghz.

Martinez, hows the build going?
 
Its going good.. Just got my "new" radiator in today and I am water testing it for leaks. When I get home tonight, I plan on going straight to bed and waking up early. I will start installing the rest of my stuff in it and see what she will do.. So far, I've done over 16 hours of water testing and I have no leaks.. I have plenty of photos, but they are on a different thread.. I will post up pics and screenies when I get everything situated. I fabricated a few things and modded my case a little to accommodate the routing of the water lines.. All in all, I am very happy with the overall install. Can't wait to see if I can reach my goal!
 
Then I trimmed up the install by adding some "legs" to the mounting bolts. I also dressed up the wiring a little..


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