Too Much for One Loop?

J

JMcQueen

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 27, 2008
Messages
146
I'm currently building a new system and plan on going the custom loop root. I have the reservoir, pump (swiftech/laing 355) installed but wondering what I can load on to the loop. I intend on using a two pass 2x120mm radiator as that all space will allow.

Obviously the main concern is the processor (overclocked i7 920) which will be cooled by a Heatkiller v3.0 but I'd also like to add the mosfets, north and south bridges but dont know if that would be too much thermal heat to discharge out of the loop before it returns.

Any thoughts?

If the full setup would be too much how about just the processor and Northbridge as that gets very toasty and I have had the one occasion of a thermal shutdown (Asus Rampage II Gene)
 
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Here is the thing, the memory controller is built into the CPU now. (that was the primary hardware in the Northbridge affected by attempts to OC as its work/heat increased as the FSB increased) and the southbridge is all about your I/O and disks and has never needed much in the way of a heatsink. The caps around the mosfets are likely the weakest link in the components around the CPU area and in the CPU voltage regulation area and even with the more sturdy solid type now used, still benefit greatly from some airflow as do the clock chips and pwm controller chips in the same area.

What I a getting at is that if you intend to do anything beyond a mild OC a fan moving some air around the CPU area to make up for the lost air movement by the downward blowing stock fan is very desirable. The mosfet block is a good idea. The Northbridge and especially the southbridge blocks are really, in my opinion, a waste of money, and all that is needed is to rework the factory thermal paste and mounting (replacing any crappy plastic push pins with real hardware) and the fan you need for the caps etc will be more than sufficient. Water blocks on the NB and SB will do little or nothing for your OC and cost quite a bit. If you want to spend the money they certainly will not hurt anything as those blocks are usually very open flow simple blocks and the heat those components, NB and SB, generate are trivial. In summary, blocks on the NB and SB are of no real concern to the loop as far as thermal load/number of rads or flow restriction if plumbed with decent size tubing that matches the rest of the loop.

Hmm ASUS Rampage II GENE. I see comments about the NB being hot. What is happening is the heatpipe is not working well. Well actually it is (or it would not be getting hot) but it is not getting sufficient air moving over it to cool because everyone gets rid of the stock intel cooler. You can pull that off and trash it but all it needs is to be removed and modded with decent thermal compound and hardware and get a fan, even a low speed one, positioned in the case so some direct air movement hits it. Google "heatpipe mod" for several examples on the net.

Trouble is with your second idea is that the heatpipe assembly cools both the NB and the mosfets and unless you can disassemble it somehow it is an all or nothing proposition.

Ok summary,
With just a dual rad and intentions of OCing the i970 I would not want to add heat to the loop I did not have too. The cost of N and S blocks when you have a decent heatpipe that with tweaking and a fan which is needed in the area regardless will do the trick seems a waste of cash, unneeded complexity in the loop and more places to leak/mounting issues etc. Done right it would look impressive but I have serious doubts it would do a thing for your OC. Fix the heatpipe, get a spot fan, just the cpu in the loop and OC the piss out of it.

Now all that said, I dont have the board in front of me and you do. Also I have no first hand experience with that exact board. You might be rolling in spare cash and really love having tubing in your case. Who knows, you didnt say and it really does not matter, what ever floats your boat, or not. Above is what I am thinking, and only offered as a suggestion/food for thought. Now lets see what other people think... (and if they have first hand WCing experience with that board I would listen to them over my generalizations).


edit: forgot my "oldie but goodie" comment when high performance OCing is desired.

You can turn a high speed radiator fan down with a controller to balance cooling vs noise but you cannot turn a low speed fan up.
 
Hi Bill,

I've been running the processor with a Corsair H50 for about a year now at 4.2ghz and have only experienced the thermal shutdown once. You are entirely correct in what you say about placing a spot fan and replacing the thermal compound, thats what I've done ever since.

But ideally, I want to do away with the need for fans (except the GPU) inside the case. The cost of the additional blocks isnt too much of an issue, it just depends if the loop can discarge the heat adequately. Im using 3/8 ID and 1/2 OD tubing with bitspower compression fittings so flow should be ok.

This is the board with the MIPS blocks in place that id use (not my board btw)

 
I was just rethinking my reply as I forgot to see if that board has the Nvidia chip to allow SLI.

If it has that, gahh what is the name, NF200 ??? chip that is what is helping heat up the northbridge and I would be concerned if a NB block would cover it too or just what the situation with that chip is.

Still running my old 965 board and have not messed with that board for a customer and I see you are not a beginner ( I never know so most of my posts are for "general" consumption) I think you will be fine whatever you do. Just a little worried why that Northbridge sink is so darn big.

OK looking at the pic, thats a fine looking block and it sure does cover everything so that concern is taken care of.

Bottom line, go for it. I know you dont think so, but I bet you can get another rad in there somehow if If you really really wanted to. (bottom mount ? ) :D

and even if not, just put some powerful fans on the rad with a controller and turn them up a notch when you start gaming. Man, I do like the looks of those blocks, very clean and understated, they overcome my basic cheap ass nature.

Anyway some other will wade in. (I still want air over your caps but eh, I am likely the only person that keeps boards for 5 years left and the solid caps are so much less affected by prolonged elevated heat I should probably let that horse rest. )


What case? just curious, I dont have time to mull over all of them like I used too and like to see what people are using/popular.
 
Ohhh hang on, someone just came out with a 2 x 140 rad. That would help. Looking for link.

bah cant find it, google 140mm radiator will bring some up. Worth a double check of measurements.
 
Your're not going to like the choice of case.....

Im doing a totally custom build inside a Silverstone SG-01 MATX. I've dremel'd the internal hard disk case in half to make room for a pump and now using a SSD and 2.5" SATA drive for small storge (I have a 10TB WHS setup too so storage isnt too much of a concern). The radiator is going to be mounted to the left hand side rail on a custom bracket (I currently mount the H50 rad there). And its all being colour coded, braided etc etc.
 
Just to chime in - I also have an asus rampage II gene in an SFF case with watercooling. From what I seen, you should be alright. I have mips waterblocks and an ek block (and my overclock is 4.2 as well) instead of the heatkiller, but fairly comparable to what you have.
The laing pump should be able to handle the extra restriction easily - in fact the mips blocks were much less restrictive then I expected. The north and southbridge ran hot off air cooling, but didn't really dump much heat into the loop - I had no noticeable increase in temps after adding them to my loop.
I have a slightly larger wc system - two 120x2 radiators instead of one, but that includes my video cards. I think it's fair to say one of those does the two video cards, and the rest are handled by the other. Therefore, what you are proposing should work by my estimate.
The asus gene block package was a pretty good deal, although you get killed with shipping. The set up for the mosfet block was a tight fit for me (the screws were slightly angled in mine, but I don't know if it is typical).
 
JMcQueen said:
Your're not going to like the choice of case.....

Im doing a totally custom build inside a Silverstone SG-01 MATX. I've dremel'd the internal hard disk case in half to make room for a pump and now using a SSD and 2.5" SATA drive for small storge (I have a 10TB WHS setup too so storage isnt too much of a concern). The radiator is going to be mounted to the left hand side rail on a custom bracket (I currently mount the H50 rad there). And its all being colour coded, braided etc etc.
Click to expand...

Bah, awesome, anyone (me) can stuff a WCing setup in a tower. That sounds like a nice piece of work. I see the space issue now.
 
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