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So here's the first post in my likely to be short but sweet worklog. I recently built a new system, which consists of:
Athlon 64 x2 3800+
Asus M2N-E
2GB XMS DDR2 667
evga 7900GT KO Reloaded
Antec SmartPower 500W PSU
Coolermaster Centurion 5 case
I like the case design more than most. My problem is that I need too many hard drives, and no cases truly fit my need to stick 5 or 6 in one nice system, yet have it be reasonably sized for my office. So I stuck most of the drives in my old system, and put it in the back of the basement as a file server. This machine will house maybe 2 HD's, but will function as my daily workstation. I'm a programmer by trade, overclocker by habit, so I need a system that's fast and stable while preferably being relatively quiet.
After building the machine the first time, it was plenty quiet, but my temps were not satisfactory (45i/52l). I turned off all of the Cool n Quiet and fan speed management in the BIOS, and while the system runs slightly cooler (35i/42l), it's a bit louder now. So I decided to finally take my first plunge into H2O cooling after many years of overclocking CPU's on air alone.
My first loop is going to be CPU only, but I plan to add a Maze4 GPU block in the near future, with the idea being to keep things cool under moderate overclocking while maintaining minimal noise.
My watercooling setup so far is:
Danger Den D5 pump
Danger Den TDX CPU block
Black Ice Xtreme X-flow radiator
All .5" fittings with 7/16 masterkleer
I'll also be using Pentosin mix as a coolant
Here's a few pics to get everything started... first a couple shots of the computer as she sits currently:
Spent some time test fitting things to determine where everything will go. This case does not allow too much room for internal radiators, but I really didn't want to go external - mainly wanted to keep low profile and have things be easy to move... but also because I have a Golden Retriever and his hair gets in everything that is not sealed down nicely.
Flow will be from lower rad outlet->cpu->T fitting->pump->upper rad inlet. Obviously I will have a fillport up top that branches into the T.
The radiator fits perfectly below the single DVD-RW... judging by the fit I have decided to run 2 120mm fans in a push/pull configuration. I can attach the front fan between the steel case front and the front panel, mounting it using two easily removable 5.25" bay blockers included in the case. That way I can get great airflow over this thick radiator without resorting to a loud fan like a Panaflow... I'm thinking 2x Aerocool Extreme Turbines or else the Antec Tricool. Both look to allow around 80CFM @ ~30dB, plus either way I'll probably control their voltage to optimize airflow vs. noise. Also note the whole black part of the case front is mesh, so I should be able to get decent airflow, though almost certainly air will be exiting out the front of the case in this configuration.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'll start cleaning the parts up tomorrow and hopefully will have a test loop setup sometime this week. Stay tuned for more...
Athlon 64 x2 3800+
Asus M2N-E
2GB XMS DDR2 667
evga 7900GT KO Reloaded
Antec SmartPower 500W PSU
Coolermaster Centurion 5 case
I like the case design more than most. My problem is that I need too many hard drives, and no cases truly fit my need to stick 5 or 6 in one nice system, yet have it be reasonably sized for my office. So I stuck most of the drives in my old system, and put it in the back of the basement as a file server. This machine will house maybe 2 HD's, but will function as my daily workstation. I'm a programmer by trade, overclocker by habit, so I need a system that's fast and stable while preferably being relatively quiet.
After building the machine the first time, it was plenty quiet, but my temps were not satisfactory (45i/52l). I turned off all of the Cool n Quiet and fan speed management in the BIOS, and while the system runs slightly cooler (35i/42l), it's a bit louder now. So I decided to finally take my first plunge into H2O cooling after many years of overclocking CPU's on air alone.
My first loop is going to be CPU only, but I plan to add a Maze4 GPU block in the near future, with the idea being to keep things cool under moderate overclocking while maintaining minimal noise.
My watercooling setup so far is:
Danger Den D5 pump
Danger Den TDX CPU block
Black Ice Xtreme X-flow radiator
All .5" fittings with 7/16 masterkleer
I'll also be using Pentosin mix as a coolant
Here's a few pics to get everything started... first a couple shots of the computer as she sits currently:
Spent some time test fitting things to determine where everything will go. This case does not allow too much room for internal radiators, but I really didn't want to go external - mainly wanted to keep low profile and have things be easy to move... but also because I have a Golden Retriever and his hair gets in everything that is not sealed down nicely.
Flow will be from lower rad outlet->cpu->T fitting->pump->upper rad inlet. Obviously I will have a fillport up top that branches into the T.
The radiator fits perfectly below the single DVD-RW... judging by the fit I have decided to run 2 120mm fans in a push/pull configuration. I can attach the front fan between the steel case front and the front panel, mounting it using two easily removable 5.25" bay blockers included in the case. That way I can get great airflow over this thick radiator without resorting to a loud fan like a Panaflow... I'm thinking 2x Aerocool Extreme Turbines or else the Antec Tricool. Both look to allow around 80CFM @ ~30dB, plus either way I'll probably control their voltage to optimize airflow vs. noise. Also note the whole black part of the case front is mesh, so I should be able to get decent airflow, though almost certainly air will be exiting out the front of the case in this configuration.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'll start cleaning the parts up tomorrow and hopefully will have a test loop setup sometime this week. Stay tuned for more...
