Will my w/c setup handle a quad core?

D

Dutt1113

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 30, 2005
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Here is what I have cooling my e6600 @ 3.6ghz w/ 1.46875v right now. Depending on the room temps I get anywhere from low 30's to 40 C idle and using orthos I get about 55 C load. Is my setup doing ok right now? I'm wondering if this setup will handle a quad core and whether or not I will have to upgrade the radiator to a thermochill pa120.2 or something.

D-tek Fuzion block
mcp655 pump
swiftech mcr220 rad
2 yate loons ~48cfm
double 5.25 bay res
7/16" masterkleer tubing
 
The best quad core performer is the Apogee GTX. Using a DDC-2 + PA120.2 will help as well. Your temps aren't bad though for your current setup, but I don't think it will handle a quad core as well as you'd like. You'd be able to handle it, but your overclock head room won't be as large.
 
So, are you telling me I would have to upgrade to a thermochill 120.2 rad?
 
Well, technically everything listed should do it well.

The MCR rad can dump about 250-350w of heat, the Fuzion's a great block (within a few c of the GTX, better if you're not bowing the GTX generally)... The pump's good etc.

I'd say so. Almost without a doubt really.

55c is a bit high for that OC though, what coolant are you running?
 
Arcygenical said:
Well, technically everything listed should do it well.

The MCR rad can dump about 250-350w of heat, the Fuzion's a great block (within a few c of the GTX, better if you're not bowing the GTX generally)... The pump's good etc.

I'd say so. Almost without a doubt really.

55c is a bit high for that OC though, what coolant are you running?
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that swiftech hydrx coolant. Should i be getting lower temps with my setup? The 55C or so that I get on orthos load is on a hot day during the summer. normally it's high 40's load when its cooler out. I had to put quite a bit of voltage to get 3.6ghz though.
 
Dutt1113 said:
that swiftech hydrx coolant. Should i be getting lower temps with my setup? The 55C or so that I get on orthos load is on a hot day during the summer. normally it's high 40's load when its cooler out. I had to put quite a bit of voltage to get 3.6ghz though.
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Yeah, if your getting 55s on a hot day, you'll be fine.

I load at about 43-44 on a normal day, up to mid 50s during hot afternoons.

You'll be fine.
 
should by w/c setup be cooling my cpu better that it is? what could it be that is not letting my setup cool better? could my block be not getting optimal contact with the cpu? Could it be my rad? Is it because I have a lot of voltage into my cpu to get 3.6ghz? Should I try remounting the block? I've try remouning that thing a countless number of times?
 
Dutt1113 said:
should by w/c setup be cooling my cpu better that it is? what could it be that is not letting my setup cool better? could my block be not getting optimal contact with the cpu? Could it be my rad? Is it because I have a lot of voltage into my cpu to get 3.6ghz? Should I try remounting the block? I've try remouning that thing a countless number of times?
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Nono, your bottleneck is your ambient temperature. Possibly your block mounting too.

That cpu won't put out any more than 150w of heat, so it's not your radiator or your pump.
 
Arcygenical said:
Nono, your bottleneck is your ambient temperature. Possibly your block mounting too.

That cpu won't put out any more than 150w of heat, so it's not your radiator or your pump.
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so if I try remounting the block and get no improvement, then my bottleneck is the ambient temps and also contributed by my high voltage?
 
Dutt1113 said:
so if I try remounting the block and get no improvement, then my bottleneck is the ambient temps and also contributed by my high voltage?
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Easiest way to check if you rad is up to snuff is to check if your idle temps are within 10C of ambient. If so, your radiator/fans/pump are up to snuff. If not, then you'll need to isolate what's your limiting factor. Sometimes, it's just a bad mount. Remount a few times to see what you baseline average is.

If you're load temps are too high, but your idle temps are fine, then it's not your mount but your setup is limited somewhere. Sometimes your block isn't as efficient as a more powerful block (GTX or FuZion). Sometimes there's too much restriction in your loop that water isn't hitting the rad fast enough. You'll either have to change up your loops or get a more powerful pump. If your radiator can't dissipate the heat fast enough (usually the case in this scenario), you might need to ramp up you fans, double them up, or get a bigger radiator or an extra radiator (but this adds restriction as well).
 
Btw, a stock quad core puts out about 220W worth of heat. Each 8800GTX puts out about 200W. If you're going to be watercooling both a GPU and a quad, that will put you over what a MCR 220 can handle.
 
Good point.. but remember, those are max numbers. So it DOES give a builder an idea of what kind of heat that his or her system is capable of producing. 220 watts of heat is alot but unless you plan on ultilizing 100% of the processor, 24/7 such as folding, like the poster above me mentioned, you should be fine although you can expect not to have as much overclocking headroom.
 
Better to be caught with a Bazooka in a gun fight rather than a knife. =)

But this just gives him a rough idea of what he'll need, especially if he's considering about over clocking.
 
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