TPU's F@H Team

[El Fiendo]

No mate I was just talking to my rigs...lol I think they are slowly driving me mad.
Cheers mate, fingers crossed nothing else goes wrong

Mine have made me stark raving mad, and thus I don't talk about them in public anymore.

You're talking about something like my 1st rig on this pic:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=1472919&postcount=20
That is an i7 920 and 2 9800GX2 both on water. I've actually updated that setup and I will post a newer pic later.

That's two loops, right? Looks like it, but just want to double check. The GTX 260s are usually about averge temps in my rig, but they usually run bound to heat up fast and they're sandwiched together pretty well. I want to start off with the CPU first and foremost, as it hits 77-80 under the -bigadv work units, and its topped out at 84 C (as of this morning). Needless to say I want to remove some heat from it, so I'm looking high and low for a 'this week' solution. I don't even mind if its purchase all the WC parts to be assembled soon, though not immediately. I'm just looking at alternatives because my i7 is a little toasty for my tastes.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Looks like what you need is an insulated duct pulling outside air into you PC. Problem solved! At least until spring.

 

[NastyHabits]

Ok guys, those of you with non-air cooled CPUs in your rigs, I want you to talk my ear off about alternative cooling. I don't care if its full water loops, Peltier coolers or sacrificing a goat over your exposed rig to fuel its soul consuming ways.

I'm looking for reliability above all else, as this thing will be running as much as possible. I would prefer it if my cooling system didn't draw as much power as the rig itself too. I'd really like it to be an easy setup, though I don't mind trying new things and getting my hands dirty.

If I go the route of full loop, I may look at doing something specific for the GPUs, as I'm sure 3 OC'ed GTX 260s and an OC'ed i7 would be a touch too much for 1 loop. Having said that, I'm talking above my pay grade as I have 0 experience in water, just what I've seen from other people.

Also, I've seen people say a few times now the cost of water cooling components are going up. Is this true, and if so is buying a loop right now the best idea? In other words, if the prices will crater in a month for some reason I can't currently think of, I won't be buying it right away.

Water cooling will increase reliability simply because everything will run cooler. I've never done anything but single loop, but then I've never had more than one video card.

When it comes to CPU blocks: Dtek FuZion v2, Heatkiller 3.0, and the Swiftech XT are generally considered the best.

GPU blocks: Don't get full-coverage unless you have money to burn. They are card specific and you don't want to spend $100 per card for something you might toss in a year. A swiftech MCW-60R plus some ram-sinks for the memory chips can be reused from card to card.

Radiators: You'll probably want a triple. Be aware that Thermochill and Hardware labs radiators need high-speed, high pressure fans. Newer models by HW labs and Feser's work well with medium speed fans. Swiftech are a good lower cost radiator to consider.

Tubing. Tygon 1/2 inch. Although I get mine from Home Depot. The black plastic one.

Flow path: Very important. Pump > CPU > GPU(s) > Radiator > reservoir > Pump

There's a great guide in the Overclocking and Cooling forum. It's a bit dated, but most of the advice is good.

Test it by jumping the power supply. Do NOT connect any power to anything but the pump until you've at least run it overnight with no leaks.

Good luck, and feel free to ask me for help anytime.

 

[bogmali]

Looks like what you need is an insulated duct pulling outside air into you PC. Problem solved! At least until spring.
http://img.techpowerup.org/091207/El weather today.jpg

Some of that stuff is slowly creeping into my garage where my rigs are I just checked my 2 i7's and they're somewhere in the 30's ATM with full load

 

[El Fiendo]

Looks like what you need is an insulated duct pulling outside air into you PC. Problem solved! At least until spring.
http://img.techpowerup.org/091207/El weather today.jpg

I have a window right above my rig. Its a basement window, so its pretty small, and it opens. With a little work and insulation, I could probably build a custom shroud that envelopes the entire PC and leaves only cords coming out from it. With current outdoor temps sitting at -21, with a windchill dropping it to -29 C (they don't mention that part in your picture, ) I'll have some real extreme cooling. The question is if I should. I'm definitely skilled enough (in my own opinion) to do all the construction of it.

Water cooling will increase reliability simply because everything will run cooler. I've never done anything but single loop, but then I've never had more than one video card.
When it comes to CPU blocks: Dtek FuZion v2, Heatkiller 3.0, and the Swiftech XT are generally considered the best.
GPU blocks: Don't get full-coverage unless you have money to burn. They are card specific and you don't want to spend $100 per card for something you might toss in a year. A swiftech MCW-60R plus some ram-sinks for the memory chips can be reused from card to card.
Radiators: You'll probably want a triple. Be aware that Thermochill and Hardware labs radiators need high-speed, high pressure fans. Newer models by HW labs and Feser's work well with medium speed fans. Swiftech are a good lower cost radiator to consider.
Tubing. Tygon 1/2 inch. Although I get mine from Home Depot. The black plastic one.
Flow path: Very important. Pump > CPU > GPU(s) > Radiator > reservoir > Pump
There's a great guide in the Overclocking and Cooling forum. It's a bit dated, but most of the advice is good.
Test it by jumping the power supply. Do NOT connect any power to anything but the pump until you've at least run it overnight with no leaks.
Good luck, and feel free to ask me for help anytime.

Saved! I might save the big install for when I can get the GPUs hooked up. I really appreciate the tidbit about the MCW-60R and ram sinks, as I'd likely have purchased full covers out of idiocy. I'm pretty much certain the GPUs need their own loop as 3 GTX 260s almost sounds like too much for one considering the heat they put out. Mind you, that's 'sounds'. It may very well be feasible to have all components together. Anyone have a general guide for how much thermal load I should put on a single loop based on radiator sizes?

I'm thinking right now I'll get a quick fix for the CPU, possibly a Corsair H50 or a Coolit *anything*. I can get a Domino A.L.C. for $100 CAD at a local shop, or a V10 for $150 (is the V10 even worth it?). I really prefer paying used pricing but sometimes you don't get the luxury. I can get roughly the same pricing, but more selection using my preferred online dealer but I'll have a few days turn around time from them.

For that matter, a small loop I suppose would work for the CPU only until I get the balls to do more. Hmm, perhaps it'd be better if I asked if there was anything specifically I should stay away from. Will a Corsair H50 work for 5 hours and then explode in a rainbow of sparks? Will any of the products with a Peltier cooler suddenly reverse polarity (or something similarly stupid sounding) and boil the conductive metals out of my motherboard? Basically I'm asking: any products to stay away from?


P.S. Sorry for my wild eyed questioning, I'm trying to cram 2 weeks of product research into 2 hours. It feels warm and fuzzy when I do it, but I fear that's just an effect of the long term damage I'm doing to my brain.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

I have a window right above my rig. Its a basement window, so its pretty small, and it opens. With a little work and insulation, I could probably build a custom shroud that envelopes the entire PC and leaves only cords coming out from it. With current outdoor temps sitting at -21, with a windchill dropping it to -29 C (they don't mention that part in your picture, ) I'll have some real extreme cooling. The question is if I should. I'm definitely skilled enough (in my own opinion) to do all the construction of it.QUOTE]

As long as you could keep the moisture out, it would work. I was thinking of something like this to bring air in. The only concerns would be the aforementioned moisture and condensation. Who knows, the exhaust temp may be high enough that you won't have to route the air back outside. OR, daisy chain the systems together.

 

[El Fiendo]

I was thinking I'd just put a crapload of towels everywhere. But alot of that moisture would turn to ice very, very quickly so I'd likely have more of an ice issue. I suspect any rig placed in said shroud would last ~1 week.

 

[BUCK NASTY]

Saved! I might save the big install for when I can get the GPUs hooked up. I really appreciate the tidbit about the MCW-60R and ram sinks, as I'd likely have purchased full covers out of idiocy. I'm pretty much certain the GPUs need their own loop as 3 GTX 260s almost sounds like too much for one considering the heat they put out. Mind you, that's 'sounds'. It may very well be feasible to have all components together. Anyone have a general guide for how much thermal load I should put on a single loop based on radiator sizes?

I'm thinking right now I'll get a quick fix for the CPU, possibly a Corsair H50 or a Coolit *anything*. I can get a Domino A.L.C. for $100 CAD at a local shop, or a V10 for $150 (is the V10 even worth it?). I really prefer paying used pricing but sometimes you don't get the luxury. I can get roughly the same pricing, but more selection using my preferred online dealer but I'll have a few days turn around time from them.

For that matter, a small loop I suppose would work for the CPU only until I get the balls to do more. Hmm, perhaps it'd be better if I asked if there was anything specifically I should stay away from. Will a Corsair H50 work for 5 hours and then explode in a rainbow of sparks? Will any of the products with a Peltier cooler suddenly reverse polarity (or something similarly stupid sounding) and boil the conductive metals out of my motherboard? Basically I'm asking: any products to stay away from?


P.S. Sorry for my wild eyed questioning, I'm trying to cram 2 weeks of product research into 2 hours. It feels warm and fuzzy when I do it, but I fear that's just an effect of the long term damage I'm doing to my brain.

If you cooling an i7, stay away from the all-in-one coolers(Corsair, Domino, etc...) and get something a little more dedicated. Go for a basic kit that you can add a GPU to(maybe not 3x gtx260). The 260 stock cooler is pretty decent if the RPM's are kept up. I would concentrate on the CPU primarily.

 

[p_o_s_pc]

I took care of the problem with the 8800GT crashing. I replaced the heatsink(ramsink) on the vreg i was talking about to a bigger heatsink salvaged from the mosfets on a old mobo and so far it has been running great and can overclock it again

 

[johnspack]

Well, once again I've put my 9800gtx back in the server to fold 24/7. Got my 280 running warhead at 8x aa with max settings at 1920x1200 perfectly smooth, zero lag, so I think it's working now... crossing fingers....

 

[El Fiendo]

Well, I came home to a restarted machine. This thing has been stable at these settings for a week, so I can only conclude the high temps did me in. Out of frustration I blew the machine into its component pieces and rebuilt it from the ground up. Its now running 10 degrees cooler. I have no idea how, but its running the coolest it has all week. As embarrassing as it might sound, I could have just applied the thermal paste wrong. Thats unlikely though, as I had that heatsink off around 10 times trying out different TIMs and heatsinks and heatsink orientations and fans, each time with a fresh application of TIM. You'd think odds would favor me not screwing up horribly every single time (remember they all had higher temps), but whatever the case I'm not going to complain. If it figures it wants to run the -bigadv WU at ~ 68-71, (73C max) I won't complain. I'll keep my eye on WC parts so that I can pick them up used (cheap), but for now if this holds out I may be in business.

In all I lost about 7 hours from last restore point to downtime to rebuild to folding, so my bonus won't be quite so tasty on this first one. However, I'll still make the deadline by a day, and be back up and fighting for the next.

I'll just go ahead and chalk this one up to 'damnit you're stupid Fiendo', barring any better explanation.

 

[p_o_s_pc]

looks as if theonedub(thanks so much) is getting me a nice Xmas gift. It will let me run another 2 video cards

 

[johnspack]

I really must get another 285 or so, I don't pay for electricity here! My landlord must of hated me when I was running both my cards full blast. If I do get a 285, I'll run my 280 24/7, should be a hoot to see what the landlord does!

 

[NastyHabits]

For that matter, a small loop I suppose would work for the CPU only until I get the balls to do more. Hmm, perhaps it'd be better if I asked if there was anything specifically I should stay away from. Will a Corsair H50 work for 5 hours and then explode in a rainbow of sparks? Will any of the products with a Peltier cooler suddenly reverse polarity (or something similarly stupid sounding) and boil the conductive metals out of my motherboard? Basically I'm asking: any products to stay away from?

Stay away from kits. Most will only match the best air-coolers on a socket 775. They will not get you where you need to go with a 1366. Get one of the CPU blocks I suggested and a Swiftech MCP655 pump or any other based on the Laing-D5, plus the radiator and fan combo of your choosing.

Also, don't get sucked into buying any special fluid. A waste of money and won't work any better than distilled water and a few drops of anti-algae fluid. I use straight distilled water and a couple of tablespoons of "water-wetter". Water wetter is used in race cars to lower the surface tension of the water which allows better contact with the metal of the block and radiator. Can make a diff of 20 degrees in a car. Since I use black tubes, I don't worry about algae. (Copper is a natural algaecide, and black tubes equals no light.)

 

[El Fiendo]

I'm saving a bunch of this into a text document that will be placed on my desktop, and e-mailed to myself at work. Now that the air cooler is working sufficiently, I'll have a bit more time to gather all the water cooling components (for cheaper than new pricing). Not to mention there are some great tips in here that I'll definitely use.

The water cooling has been moved to less urgent but still wanted. I may be able to get more out of my i7. The nice thing about these -bigadv work units, is you'll see a very big increase in points the faster they get done.

 

[[Ion]]

Has anyone found a way to eliminate the lag in XP? If so, I could pick up a cheap G92 card or two to put in my parents rig, and run it/them about 15 hours a day. Not the best, but as I said, I have the folding bug and need an upgrade

 

[hertz9753]

I finally sent my XFX GTX 260 in for RMA last week. Today I recieved two emails, the first one telling me that it was recieved, and the second one said that the testing dept. found the card defective.

 

[[Ion]]

Good luck, I hope you get one that works
BTW, thanks again for the ~50k points!

 

[hertz9753]

It looks like El Fiendo got his big WU. I just saw his last update at Kakoa stats was almost 63k. Congrats

 

[BUCK NASTY]

It looks like El Fiendo got his big WU. I just saw his last update at Kakoa stats was almost 63k. Congrats

Yep, that's gonna move him up the ranks for sure. I think Bogmali is gonna give it a try also. Way to go guy's!

 

[bogmali]

I think Bogmali is gonna give it a try also. Way to go guy's!

Last I checked mine was at 96% Should see it tonight or tomorrows EOC

There are two types of big WU's out there, a 7 core and an 8 core. I'm doing the 8 core one with my 920 D0 clocked at 3.8Ghz.

 

[El Fiendo]

I did get the big WU. Though its not as big as it could be, as there was some downtime. It looks like it'll be earning me around 23k with the i7 alone.

I'm currently running the 7 core client (leaving 1 open for 3 GTX 260s) at 4.01GHz. Bogi, what's your memory at? I read somewhere that memory MHz effects the PPD more than the CPU clock does.

 

[BUCK NASTY]

I had a rig that kept crashing today. I had to tear it down & re-assembled it. Seems OK now, but I will be short 25K for the next 24hrs. Keep up the great work guys!!!

 

[johnspack]

Wow, either these new jobs are producing better ppd, or my 9800gtx under server 2008 r2 x64 is making more ppd.. 7k points by 9pm, I could hit 8k for a total! I have it oced, but not to the max. Interesting!

 

[Velvet Wafer]

Wow, either these new jobs are producing better ppd, or my 9800gtx under server 2008 r2 x64 is making more ppd.. 7k points by 9pm, I could hit 8k for a total! I have it oced, but not to the max. Interesting!

i installed it, but couldnt stand the fiddling, coming from XP
Respect for your convenience