Time to go back to air?

S

SuperToast92

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
130
Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro user here...

I've just recently noticed my temps haven't been all that great (or at least, it's just now bothering me...). I'm in the 80s with p95 running at 1.24V on my 3570k @4.4GHz. I backed down from 4.5GHz because I just noticed recently I wasn't 100% stable like I thought I was for nearly a year. Who knows, maybe I was; I updated the BIOS awhile back and like the genius I am, I never wrote down/backed up the BIOS settings. I was trying to squeeze 4.5 out of this chip with a measly 1.26V after Vdroop, which, I know, isn't all that impressive voltage wise. Not the best binned chip, but good enough for me. :)

I did just get a new PSU, upgraded from a 650 watter to 850 in anticipation of my second 680 on the way. While I was in there, I noticed my thumb screws holding the pump on weren't the tightest. Problem is, the cheapo plastic backplate won't hold the nut in place as I'm tightening. So I'm wondering...do you guys think I should try tightening the cooler further? I wouldn't want to damage anything, and the pump doesn't move at all...but I can't tell if it's snug enough on the board.

Or, am I expecting too much out of my cooler? I've seen this guy around for quite awhile, with much praise too. I've been contemplating upgrading (?) to that. I do have a Hyper 212+, but it wasn't very impressive at all for the OC I was trying to achieve (4.5GHz).
 
Thing about all-in-ones is that they're really no better than air coolers in the same price range. You haven't really left air with those all in ones. Although 80s at 4.4 is a bit high, you might want to recheck your TIM and see if you can tighten down your waterblock more.
 
If you really want the best cooling solution, do a custom water loop with a good water block.

/thread
 
Exactly what Skillz said. Even the 2x120 all in ones are only marginally better than a good air cooling setup. The only benefit they offer is not having a huge heatsink hanging off your motherboard, but you run the risk of leaks or the pump dying.

If you want to go watercooled, do it right, build a custom loop.
 
Your own loop is the best. Can be done for $200ish. Well, at least 3 years ago when I did it.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I don't think I'm up for going to a custom loop, so I'll try repasting + seating. Hopefully that changes things. By the way, what kind of temps would you expect from a 3570k @4.4, pulling 1.24V core?
 
custom loop with swiftech stuff since P4 socket 478
thermaltake is an ok starter kit but nothing compared to custom
 
My 3570K reaches 80's quickly at 4.4 and less than 1.2v (thermalright Archon, 2x ty-140 fans).

I think we (both of us) need to de-lid (retaining the IHS for protection, replacing the TIMs) if we want temps to drop appreciably w/o a significant investment.

I've been happy at 4.3Ghz and 1.13v or so (can't remember). I have a lot going on, so I haven't messed with it. I probably will eventually if I don't feel the need to upgrade to Haswell (I have a microcenter nearby).

When I upgrade cooling, it'll be because I've decided to switch back to full water.
 
The thing that I find annoying with custom loop (CPU + GPUs) is the regular maintenance and the extra work required for upgrading video cards (something that I do once or twice a year).
 
regular maintenance= drain and refill every 6 months along with windows install radiator and fans would need cleaning just as often as an air cooler
 
d50man said:
regular maintenance= drain and refill every 6 months along with windows install radiator and fans would need cleaning just as often as an air cooler
Click to expand...

Not even... if you have a properly set up loop, it's just filling it whenever water gets low, with a drain maybe once a year.
 
SonDa5 said:
IB runs hot. Have you delidded yet?
Click to expand...

Nope, haven't had the cojones (or desire) to do so yet...lol. I have seen threads showing great results from that, though.

I'm still waiting on my new TIM to arrive, probably won't get here til next week (no Prime service for the MX4 unfortunately, went with that instead of AS5 for once).
 
I was a water guy for a long time. Custom loop, before water water solutions came in one box and back when we were using car heater cores for radiators. I was really happy with the temps and the nice hum of my old eheim pump, but eventually got tired of maintenance. It is infinitely easier to take a can of air and blow a system out than to drain and refill a loop, plus there is no real risk of anything bad happening (leaks). There was a trade off in noise, which was why I went to water in the first place, but newer/bigger fans have greatly helped that.

After living with stock parts and cooling while I was in Iraq, when I got home I upgraded to the cooling in my sig. It's nearly silent and low maintenance, plus it cost less than a good water set up. I've had 0 problems with heat too, though I don't OC as much as I used to, it just hasn't been needed with modern games.

Call this blasphemy if you want, but you can probably get better results by tuning your OC back a bit and it won't make a bit of noticeable difference for you in games. Most tests have shown that if you're only running 1 gpu, then you end up being gpu limited in even modern games.
 
Devilpup said:
I was a water guy for a long time. Custom loop, before water water solutions came in one box and back when we were using car heater cores for radiators. I was really happy with the temps and the nice hum of my old eheim pump, but eventually got tired of maintenance. It is infinitely easier to take a can of air and blow a system out than to drain and refill a loop, plus there is no real risk of anything bad happening (leaks). There was a trade off in noise, which was why I went to water in the first place, but newer/bigger fans have greatly helped that.

After living with stock parts and cooling while I was in Iraq, when I got home I upgraded to the cooling in my sig. It's nearly silent and low maintenance, plus it cost less than a good water set up. I've had 0 problems with heat too, though I don't OC as much as I used to, it just hasn't been needed with modern games.

Call this blasphemy if you want, but you can probably get better results by tuning your OC back a bit and it won't make a bit of noticeable difference for you in games. Most tests have shown that if you're only running 1 gpu, then you end up being gpu limited in even modern games.
Click to expand...

This

It used to be even if you had all the best hardware available, you would still only get marginally acceptable frame rates in certain games. Now a days an i5 and a gtx660 will play most anything at 1920x1080 with good frame rates. And air coolers have gotten so much better, as has quality low noise fans.
 
The added expense and maintenance required for a custom loop is somewhat prohibitive to the user who upgrades or exchanges hardware regularly. I usually upgrade processors and GPUs every year and the added cost of blocks can quickly add up. I have found that even though custom loops offer better temps I still prefer the simplicity of a solid air setup.
 
RadXge said:
The thing that I find annoying with custom loop (CPU + GPUs) is the regular maintenance and the extra work required for upgrading video cards (something that I do once or twice a year).
Click to expand...

I'm on year 5 of my watercooled setup.

I think I've topped off the liquid in my reservoir about 3 times, total. I did NOT use hose clamps, never had a leak. I've got no clouding of coolant. Pick your pieces carefully. Do your homework. Take the time to set it up and test it before you install it. Lay it out carefully. Make sure your res/T-line is accessible because you do have to top off evaporated coolant; there is no getting around that part.

And "regular maintenance" is really no more than blowing dust out of radiators once in a while exactly like you would for an air cooling setup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top