Watercooling evaluation

[nytrackstar]

aright so i installed my swiftech h2o ultra kit with the apogee waterblock. I added 2 mcw55's to cool 2 256mb gtx's in sli. I also replaced the stock res with a much larger res that takes up two 5.25 bays.

i have the radiator in the back of the case like in the swiftech diagram and the fans are not as quiet as i expected them to be. the pump at full speed is nearly silent but the fans in the back are pretty loud. can i connect them to some kind of fan controller? maybe slow them down a bit?

due to a lack of right angles for the tubing and tight spaces i had to run the loop like so:
Res -> pump -> GPU1 -> Proc -> GPU2 -> Rad -> Res

At stock speed and stock volts my x2 4400+ idles at aound 35-36 and at full load(dual prime95 for a few hours stays at 39. Im using SpeedFan for the temps.

both Graphics card idle at 33-34 and underload hover around 38-39

i removed the heatpipe from my a8n32-sli and placed 2 zalman northbridge heatsinks on north and south brigde, the temp i get from the nb reads 68c...this is rediculously high..

opinions on the temps other than nb?

my plan for when i get home in 2 weeks is the following...
buy some right angle connectors, extra tubing, and nb block.

will reroute the loop like this:

Res -> pump -> Rad -> Proc -> GPU1 -> GPU2 -> NB -> Res

I figured ied get the best temps if the water came fresh out of the rad...

opinions? advice? tips? will this load be too much for the loop? i'm still hoping to get a decent oc and somewhat quiet operation. This too much to ask?

 

[DFI Daishi]

have you tried using the connectors included with the kit for volting the fans at 5V, rather than running them at full 12V? they are not silent at 5V, however they are damn quiet all the same.

your NB temps should not be that high. have you checked your mounting to make sure that you have good contact?

what retention system are you using for the NB block? thermal epoxy vs thermal pad, vs retention springs and thermal grease.

do you have a fan to move a little bit of air past your NB and SB sinks? it doesn't take a lot, but they do need a bit of airflow for good temps, though your temps should not be this high regardless of airflow.

 

[nytrackstar]

ill check the connectors you mention, and for both nb,sb im using retention springs and thermal paste to hold it down, i dont think there is much airflow if at all by the heatinks.

thank you for the quick response. any thoughts on my future redoing? you think itll help? load too much? i appreciate any help you can dish out

 

[DFI Daishi]

unless you are REALLY sensitive to noise, the 2x120mm rad that the kit comes with should be just fine for both your current config and if you end up adding a chipset block.

i would probably check to make sure that your chipset blocks are makign good contact by lifting them up and verifying that the thermal compound is getting squished out the way that it should be. you only used a little dab of it, right?

if you DO end up adding a chipset waterblock, it's good to avoid 90 degree bends as much as you are able. i understand why it might be necessary, but if you can think of an alternate way of doing it, that might be a thought.

it might help, or it might not, but one thing to consider would be to arrange things something like this with your two video cards: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=978275, although i would reccomend using plastic fittings as opposed to brass, for weight reasons.

that might allow you to run from the two cards, to the CPU and rad, back down to the chipset and to the rest of the loop......do you sort of get what i'm thinking????

it just might make it easier to rout to the chipset, while minimizing flow restriction.

 

[Waterhazard]

To quiet the fans down a bit, you could adjust the voltage you are sending to them. I've found that most high cfm fans wont even turn at 5 V, but push a decent amount of air at 7 V. I know only 2 volts, but it makes quite a difference. There are plenty of guides on how to wire them for 7 V that you should consult, but basically you remove the ground on the fan and hook it up to the 5 V wire. 12 on the power side minus 5 on the ground side equals 7 V output, and voila...quiet fans that still push some decent air. On a couple fan controllers I've tested the lowest setting gives about 7V, it just accomplishes it through a fancy IC (although this can be nice since it tends to moderate spikes on startup, which can wreak some havoc on your PSU if you've got some hefty fans).

And those temps look fine imo (cept the nb of course).

 

[DFI Daishi]

To quiet the fans down a bit, you could adjust the voltage you are sending to them. I've found that most high cfm fans wont even turn at 5 V, but push a decent amount of air at 7 V. I know only 2 volts, but it makes quite a difference. There are plenty of guides on how to wire them for 7 V that you should consult, but basically you remove the ground on the fan and hook it up to the 5 V wire. 12 on the power side minus 5 on the ground side equals 7 V output, and viola...quiet fans that still push some decent air. On a couple fan controllers I've tested the lowest setting gives about 7V, it just accomplishes it through a fancy IC (although this can be nice since it tends to moderate spikes on startup, which can wreak some havoc on your PSU if you've got some hefty fans).

the fans included in that particular kit are rated by both delta, the OEM, and swiftech for use at 5V.

in a system where you have done a 7 V mod, it is VERY important that you have enough 5V draw on the same daisy chain of connectors as the fans you have 7Ved such that you have enough draw to equal the draw of the fans plus the minimum rated draw for that rail. otherwise, you are damaging your PSU and negatively affecting the stability of voltage going to every component using 5V current in your machine.

don't do a 7V mod unless you have a pretty good idea of how it works.