Finally got the rig watercooled.........Hey Colin

[NUTNDUN]

Well I finally got it all set up with the dangerden amaze waterblock, radiator. I had gotten that aquastealth2 tank and pump but I wouldn't have given that to my worst enenmy. So after running around all over hells creation I found a mag drive danner at 250gph and made a tank out of pvc fittings kind of like they did in an article on this site. I'm not totally satisfied with performance yet, right now my idle temp while typing this is 32C and my case temp is 26C. I know I need to cool the case off some more because my case temps used to be 21C, but with this Inwin Q500 there is only a small square in the center of the case for inlet air to reach the top back where I have the radiator and Y.S. Tech 120mm fan. I think I'm going to try putting a blowhole with a 92mm on the side at the top that way it will feed more and cooler air to the 120mm, right now I think it is starving for air. So far I have a Panaflow 120mm bottom front, 80 mm Sunnon exhausting under power supply, enermax power supply with 2 fans exhausting and the above mentioned Y.S. and radiator. BTW Colin I remember you saying you have pretty much the same setup and I was wonder what kind of temps you are getting. So far running Seti for bout a half hour mine is up to 35C. My Alpha PAL 6035 was doing this good. I'm still going to be optomistic and wait till I put in another fan or two, I switched to watercooling to keep fan noise down, not looking that way yet.

[DamnFast]

Try to have your mag-drive pump as an in-line setup. In-line setup will have your temp lowered upto 4~7 degrees. I have a much lower gpm pump than yours and it's running as an in-line pump.
I have the MAZE 2 waterblock and Cooling Cube from Dangerden and Eheim 1046 80gph pump. I have the exact same case, Q500, and exact same location of the radiator, except for fan locations. I have 92mm fan at bottom front intake, one 120mm fan on the left side of the case blowing air in(covering above the CPU and Video card area), one 80mm fan below the PSU exhaust, PSU fan exhaust, 120mm on the radiator(exhaust). (All my fans are panaflos with 25Ohm rheostats connected to them for controlling their speed...and ofcourse...the noise ;D )
This setup keep my CPU temp at 28 C idle and 32 C full load. I know this is not a super performance but I am happy with it. I might try adding an additional fan on the top to have more air circulation on the top part as well. I will see how the results will be like. :):):):):)

[Colin]

Glad to hear you got everything together. I would recommend putting your blowhole down low where it will cool your video card. Send the fresh air over the CPU voltage regulators and Northbridge chip. Might as well get some extra cooling benefit from the extra intake air. You may want to consider using the 80mm Sunon as an intake in the meantime. At 6 degrees over your case temp, your system is definitely working! Dropping your case temps should make a big difference.

FWIW, my intakes are a 120mm, 131 CFM YS Tech at the front of the case. Check the front panel intake hole pattern for a Q500 here http://www.benchtest.com/way2cool3.html . 120mm blowhole with a 131 CFM YS Tech over the video card CPU voltage regulator. A 92mm blowhole with a 50 CFM Sunon on the opposite side of the case aimed at the HD cage. Going out, besides the Enermax 651’s fans are a 80mm 42CFM Sunon below the PSU and a 131 CFM YS Tech at the top rear pulling the air through the radiator. There is a second YS Tech on the other side of the radiator. This along with the 80 mm Sunon probably won’t be needed until summer. All of the fans have independent voltage regulation via LM317 and do not run at full speed.

Current temps are 20 C ambient, System 20.4 C, water 26 C and CPU 26 C.

[Metaxas]

Kickin'...heehee...hope my water cooling **** works good, i'm excited. :)

[NUTNDUN]

Well guys, me being the rocket scientist that I am was wondering why my relay to turn the pump on when I turned the pute on wasn't working and it didn't seem like the 120mm panaflo fan wasn't puting out what it was supposed to, and I have them both wired to the same connector. Here I had it wired to the positive red wire and never realized it was only getting 5volts......................DUH. Anyway my relay works now and my case temp is a solid 23C and the CPU is 33C idle and so far it is staying at 35C full load on the Cpu, it might go up to 36C. I'm going to mess around later today and mount another 92mm HO Sunnon, probably up top to give air to the 120 Y.S to pull through the radiator. I'm going to post some pics here shortly.

[NUTNDUN]

Ok here are the pics,

[img="http://yourpage.blazenet.net/nutndun/pump.jpg"]

[img="http://yourpage.blazenet.net/nutndun/bottom.jpg"]

[img="http://yourpage.blazenet.net/nutndun/whole.jpg"]

[DamnFast]

Hey NUTNDUN, I can't really see clearly in the pics but it seems like that your output from the pump is not connected directly to the water block inlet. Well, I might be wrong but those guys at Swiftech told me that I should connect the pump's output directly to the water block's intake since the pressurized water plays a big role in cooling. That will reduce the temp. Well...so I heard. :)

[Colin]

I agree with DamnFast, the outlet at the top of the pump should go to the water block and the bottom tube of the radiator should dump into the reservoir. Gotta love that PVC reservoir! Good thinking, it really takes advantage of the space behind the HD cage.

[NUTNDUN]

Hey D and Colin,
I ran the pump outlet to the top line on the radiator, bottom line of radiator to the bottom of waterblock then the top of the waterblock to the resovior, I ran it this way so any heat the pump would add to the system would be could by the radiator. I could be totally wrong in this thinking. I will probably try running the hose the way that is normal just to see what it gets. The PVC resovior is kinda like the same one that was used in the Eheim resovior mod except adapted to the danner and I lengthened the tubing above the tee, because if you have enough water above an inlet it won't suck air into the system and I put a cap on it so in the future I can put a temp probe right down into the resovior.

[DamnFast]

NUTNDUN, I thought the exactly same way as you. But that's what the Swiftech guy has told me and I'm sure that guy knows lot more than us since he's doing that for his living. Well, That's why I changed my water cooling architecture.
And NUTNDUN or Colin, how good is that PVC tank helping the temp?
Do you have that in yours too? I wanted to put one myself but wanted to find out more about it before actualling putting it in my case. How big of a difference does it make? (how many degrees sorta thing...:))

Thanks....

[Colin]

A reservoir is more of convenience item for filling and bleeding the system. At some point, the water is going to reach equilibrium. A big reservoir will only delay reaching that point, the temp at equilibrium will be the same.

I forgot to add, yes, my reservoir is a cut down PVC junction box resting on top of the Cube. I'll try and post some pics.

[NUTNDUN]

Ok guys I switched the hoses around, before I did though I thought about it and felt the pump and it was pretty warm and I figured it was from the heated water from the cpu and that is why my case temps were so warm, the way I had the hoses running would have worked excellent if the pump were mounted at the top of the case and the radiator were at the bottom. Anyway after changing the hoses around I let the cooling system run for about a half hour and the pump was never the slightest bit warm to the touch so I was happy with changing the hoses around. I just started the puter and Seti has been running now for bout 10 minutes and the CPU is at 36C and case temp is at 23C and I think it could be 21C but the room is a little on the warm side since I have both computers crunching and the other puter is another 1ghz tbird@1100. The temps overall haven't changed much but once I get the fan situation under control I think it will be alot better.

BTW D,
The pvc resovior makes life so much easier when having to fill the system, plus elemenate the worries of air getting into the system.

[DamnFast]

Oh...I see now...
Well, I have a fill and bleed tube instead of that PVC reservoir...and had a hard time filling the loop with the liquid without any bubbles in it. I managed to get all in air tight but took almost 2 hours to do that....
Thanks...I might try to get that reservoir thing soon. :):)

[dimmreaper]

Nice looking rig.
Here is a pic of my rig. It looks like $hit. I plan to get a BeCooling radiator (it will barely fit in the front of my Enlight 7237), and a Leufkens 200GPH in-line pump (my resivour is BIG!). That is a Nidec 112CFM tri-blade fan on my heatercore radiator. I have a TidalPool waterblock, replaced the plastic fittings with brass, filed the weld off the edges of the block, buffed the block to make it extra shiny :)

[NUTNDUN]

Hey Jeff,
How much antifreeze do you have mixed with yours? I mixed 5 caps waterwetter per quart of water and a little bit of antifreeze for the rust inhibiting properties. I will probably play with different mixes some time in the future. One thing I do like with the mix I have now it is pretty clear so I'm going to try adding some food coloring to it and see if it shows up really good, then I will go for a window later if it turns out alright. I put a relay and an on/off switch inline before the relay that way I could turn the pump off right away in case something goes wrong, but it does make it nice to fill the system since I can fill resivior then turn pump on for a quick second and turn off then fill again and keep doing till its full. This past time I did it I didn't even make a mess but emptying it is a different story. :)

[Tomsawyer]

i did not have room for a large radiator, and i wanted a complete enclosed system so i wen this route. It idles at 24C and climbs to 34C under max loads now. My room is HOT, tis FL but running AC in winter?? sigh. This pict is old, i have a new tank but what the hades it keeps on ticking........
[img="http://home.cfl.rr.com/tomsawyer/OldSys.jpg"]

[NUTNDUN]

Hey Tom,
Either I'm bass akwards or you case and mobo is. How is your right side cover off but yet the pci cards are facing towards us? It might be normal and I just never seen it before. Anyway what cpu do you have and what is it oc'ed to? That's good that you get the temps you do. I just modded the front case cover by enlarging the holes at the bottom and adding a few more to the sides so the 120mm panaflow could get some more air. I believe I am going to have to add a 92mm at the top to blow fresh cold air in so the Y.S 120 can pullt it through the radiator. that small square in the center of the case is just to small to get enought air to it especially when the cables are run. So far since the cover mod my temps are at 35C full load with Seti running for the last hour and 23C case temp. I better order some more fans. I wanna try to get it down to 32-33C full load.

[bdf24]

Tom

Ya know if you were to use a alluminum tank to hold the water it may drop your temp a few degrees.

[Colin]

Yeah and that aluminum tank would turn the system into a battery! Tom, is that the new DangerDen clamp?

[NUTNDUN]

The only bad thing with an aluminum tank is mixed with copper in the system it could turn into a battery and I don't know if it would really effect the temp or not, it might.

[Colin]

Here is a quick shot of my setup. The reservoir is on top of the radiator. There is a second 120mm fan outside the case that you don’t see. It draws air through the radiator. I have to get a plenum built for the fan pushing air into the radiator. That hose winding towards the front of the case with the funning looking foam end is a valve. It lets the air out of the system for priming the pump and makes draining the system real easy.

[img="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1551335&a=11768501&p=42036810"]

You may notice it took for tries to get the photo right. Doh!

[NUTNDUN]

Hey Colin,
Did ya ever take your temps on the system without the 2nd 120mm fan on the radiator? I'm just trying to figure out what I can do to get it a little cooler. I want to eventually figure out a voltage mod for this MSI pro2a mobo so I can clock it a little higher.

[dimmreaper]

NUTNDUN (Feb 25, 2001 06:45 p.m.):
Hey Jeff,
How much antifreeze do you have mixed with yours? I looks like I have a lot in the photo, but not that much. Here is my mix, it works good.

1 part anti-freeze
5 parts distilled water
6 parts alcohol (I've found alcohol to work better than water wetter in all my testes, if it were cheaper I'd use it straight)

[dimmreaper]

Colin-
Whats with the massive pump? 550GPH! I've only got a 75GPH (actually pumps around 40GPH) and it is almost big enough. I thought that the 200GPH (acctually pumps 200GPH@2') model from Leufken was over kill, but 550GPH! Nice looking rig though.

[Colin]

The second fan is good for about two degrees when the CPU is maxed out. Usually I keep both fans running at a low RPM. The turbulence it causes has to be a problem, hence the plenum chamber comment in my earlier post. I have a pelt on the way and it gets plenty hot here in the summer. If we use just the swamp cooler (cheap!) it can hit 85 F. I suspect this is where the extra fan may help, but only once I build the plenum to smooth out the airflow.

As far as the big pump goes, it’s rated for ½ inch fittings. The smallest ID in most H2O systems is ¼ inch. This cuts the pumps output by a factor of four. In my case, about 137 GPH. Then we have to take into account that every turn in the system also takes its toll on the flow. In my system that’s three 90 degree barbed fittings plus all of the 180 bends in the Amazing block and Cooling Cube. My guess is the system probably does somewhere around 100 GPH. I should start looking for a flow meter to get real number. Also the DangerDen gear can support a high flow. Reality is my temps dropped three degrees when I went from a 133 GPH @ 2 ft Rio 800 (160 GPH @ 1 ft Leufken style ratings) to my current pump. Restricting the current pumps flow causes temps to rise.

[bdf24]

Wow, I never thought about that turning you pc into a battery! I havent had any experience in water cooling but thought about trying it a few times. Alot of the systems I have seen were running aluminum tanks, But I believe they were using aluminum water blocks as well.

Do you guys know of this happening to anyone? and what exactly would it do?

[Tomsawyer]

Nut: Yes my system seems reversed but thats because I flipped the picture around via photoshop. If you look at the raid chip its backwards hehehe.
Collin: Yes that the new prototype hold clip from DangerDen. After there orignal clamp broke one of the tabs on my motherboard (KT7Raid) they where cool enough to send me that prototype, 2 old style holddowns, and a triangle type wedge which I didnt use. I have thought of going to a metal tank, but the glass jar takes forever to reach heat equilibrium so I am happy. Once I get my hands on a new Server Case I will switch to a true radiator. The copper coils I built work great but I am thinking that the Danger Den cooling cube would be better. Even so with Florida temps in the 80's (and this is winter) I think I am doing ok with base 24C idle and 32C load temps. Now to figure out whats causing strange lines and wierd lockups...............