2/3 Boxes In: The Build Has Begun (pics)

[phil178821]

ok.. so right now I only have one picture and the best i could do was a 2mp camera. so I haven't seated my blocks yet, since tubing will not arrive until thursday and I do not want to sit without my computer until then

first, let me say, i dont know what those people over at NCIX (US) were thinking when they packaged my $330 USD order! There was no package cushioning, everything was just "Tetris-ed" into a logitech box, and the best part, I didnt order anything made by Logitech!. Everything is undamaged, however, the fools threw my 6 mounting screws for the 120.3pa shroud in the box, resulting in three of them disappearing. Thanks! they will be getting an email soon.

So here is my one pic with just the pump and rad in position, as well as my blocks laid out.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0722.jpg

So.. I am at a loss with how to mount a fan between my rad box and radiator (i have 4 yate loon's coming in with the tubing and I am going to place one between the radbox and the rad, and three on the other side) The 120.3 came with 12 odd thread size mounting screws, of which, i dont have anything of similar size thread to use on the fourth fan (the one between the rad box and rad). Thanks guys, more will be up tomorrow and Thursday. now sure how to work this one

[phil178821]

petra's is great. I did make orders from them, and i am actually waiting on the a rrival of their package, wish i didnt pick the cheapest shipping!. but really, so far, they have been excellent. as for NCIX, i went with them because the price was right on quite a few items.

[cw823]

So if I push newegg in a post do I get reported? :rolleyes:

[phil178821]

after some cleaning up by the moderator, I am back to post some more about my ongoing build. here it is:


i found a set of screws that will screw into the rad. At the current moment I am just going to mount the rad box right onto the rad, like displayed in my first post. When my fans come in tomorrow (along with the tubing :smt080 ) i will see about adding the extra fan between the rad and rad box.

on a positive note, NCIX appologized and is shipping me three more screws for my shroud.

Moving on:

In preparation for the tubing tomorrow, I began mounting my blocks and cleaning up the system

first: I ran hot tap water through the radiator for approximately one hour. I then rinsed the radiator three times(including shaking it back and fourth) with room temp distilled water.

Next I went on to removing the stock HSF from my 8800GTS. One thing I have to say is: they sure cake that puppy with thermal paste. Take a look:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0730.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0731.jpg

Next i used ArctiClean to clean the gpu and ram-mosfet-i/o chips. Then, using no heat (since i do not have a blowdryer handy) i firmly pressed all of the sinks to the card. They all appear to be holding well, with me being able to lift the card off the table through holding them. here are some more photos:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0733.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0734.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0736.jpg


With my 8800 now finished, I moved on to removing my motherboard and adding the mounting brackets for my DD MC-TDX and Swiftech MCW30.

Here is a photo before hand:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0737.jpg

Here it as after I removed my components and cleaned up the chips with Arcticlean:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0738.jpg


Adding the brackets for the two other blocks was pretty easy. Now I have a couple of options for mounting the MCW30 to my chipset.
-A hard mount where the block is just bolted down
-A spring mount, which as you would expect, includes springs

I decided to go with the springs, figuring it will lead to less damage. I may change my mind, though, after seeing how the tubing moves the block.

So here is a final picture of my Mobo with all the blocks installed.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0741.jpg


now I am just triyng to decide if I want to soak my copper blocks in vinegar, or just rinse them with DI.

hope you enjoy, more to come tomorrow. Any questions or suggestions are welcomed!


Phil

[wreckwriter]

Looking good Phil! Best luck!

Only thing I can add is that for your rad screws (fans, shround, etc) you should hit Home Depot for a 6-32 tap and tap the holes instead of using the self-tapping screws. It's cleaner and less chance of poking a hole where you don't want one. Tap + handle will run you about 10 bucks and its a very simple tapping job into soft metal.

[MattODoom]

Looking great!

[Ben333]

Looks good :) Nice pictures.

[phil178821]

can you guys also check my psu post, here in the water cooling thread. I am having troubles that might stop me from being able to leak test..

link here (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=554582)

[Moto7451]

lol, when I saw the pics of the video card I thought you had lost some ram chips.

It looks like a pretty good deal. I'm really not a fan of Danger Den's CPU blocks but that one should do fine. I feel the Apogee or Fusion would have been a better choice.

[phil178821]

yeah it ighta been.. but something just drew my to the DD block..

on the other note, i thought i was missing some ram chips as well.. got a little confused. :)

[SolidxSnake]

Loop looks great so far. Are you using a tee or res?

[phil178821]

Loop looks great so far. Are you using a tee or res?

thanks, going with the t line. space is pretty tight in this case so i didnt want to deal with mounting a res somewhere.

[hung]

Nice setup, bro.

Quick important MSG though! Check this phil,

http://swiftech.com/store/product_details.asp?ProdID=435
http://swiftech.com/assets/images/products/MCW30-hardmount-hardware.png
^^^
This is their hardmount kit for the MCW30. It helps so that when you connect a CPU and GPU block it's more stable and won't move around. Seeing as how you're using 1/2" tubing, it'll be a "fat bend." So I strongly recommend you get this little kit to help place the MCW30 in a stable, firm, and tight position.

Edit: If you're in a hurry to get this sweet system up, your local hardware store has standoffs

[phil178821]

thanks for the pointer. the kit actually includes a hardmount and I was trying to decide between it and the spring. I just went with the spring because i didnt want to put too much pressure on the chip, but i bet your are right. I was gunna wait to see if i need the hardmount, but thanks for the suggestion. easy swapy of the springs for spacers :)

[matt612346]

So if I push newegg in a post do I get reported? :rolleyes:

yeah after several sites have letme down it's probably bad to push a good website huh? Don't want to help anyone out now, do we?


Guys let's not continue this derogatory use of the word gay please.

and your age level is....?

[phil178821]

can we stay on topic here..

[Adragontattoo]

yeah after several sites have letme down it's probably bad to push a good website huh? Don't want to help anyone out now, do we?




and your age level is....?

Matt, you really need to drop the attitude or your stay here will be pretty shortlived.

G rated forum, the guys in green are the ones who you DONT want to get into a toughman match with.

[Dawgdoc]

Good job so far Phil!

1 suggestion.

Bubble wrap can conduct electrical activity, so do not place your components on bubble wrap.

A plain ole wood table is best :D

[Sam__]

Good job so far Phil!

1 suggestion.

Bubble wrap can conduct electrical activity, so do not place your components on bubble wrap.

A plain ole wood table is best :D

+1 .very good point,I did wonder when i saw the pic.

I use a wodden desk or anti static bags if i can.

[phil178821]

so fill has hit a snafu.

when i order my yate loon fans, i didnt realize they were closed corner. becaues of that, all of the screws I have are not long enough.. result, Phil had to make a nother order, for longer screws. (at school, dont have a car, so cant drive to hardware store)

on a side note: double thumbs to the folks at Petra's Tech Shop. Made my order of screws and one bottle of pt-nuke, chose three day shipping at a cost of 15 (thats just the shipping). About 4 minutes later i received a call from someone at Petra's (after emailing them earlier in the day to see if there was a cheap quick method to get the screws) and he offered to mail them out today via USPS, which is great cause they deliver on saturday. either way, thumbs up for the service.

now here are a few pics. another note: I know the tubing to the rad goes out the case door. I am going to have to settle with this until i get home and can drill some holes in my rear panel.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0746.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0747.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0749.jpg



any questions, tips, pointers? One thing I do wish: i made the tubing from the t-line to the pump a (not the top of the tline) a little longer so i could more easily hold it higher for bleeding.

[Dawgdoc]

+1 .very good point,I did wonder when i saw the pic.

I use a wodden desk or anti static bags if i can.

Actually, unless you place your hardware INSIDE the anti-static bags, once again it conducts electrical activity.

Plain bare wood guys.......Repeat after me.....plain bare wood :)

Also Phil...I hope you arnt putting that loop together and filling it inside your case with your computer parts!!!! Put it together, pump and all and leave it BY ITSELF on a counter for a few days RUNNING to look for any leaks. If you get a leak the way you are setup now, say goodbye to some hardware....

FWIW....

[phil178821]

it should not matter.. none of my parts are plugged in. i just have to make sure nothing is wet when i power them up.. (which nothing has gotten) either way though, I am removing it from the case for the long hall..

and you dont want to place items on the bag, only in the bag like dawgdoc said..

[phil178821]

any tips on bleeding? I am pretty sure I have a bubble somewhere in my rad.. it has a bleed hole but thats not the easiest to work with..

[SolidxSnake]

any tips on bleeding? I am pretty sure I have a bubble somewhere in my rad.. it has a bleed hole but thats not the easiest to work with..

Just keep shaking it. Keep the bleed screw closed and very tightly closed at that. I was spoiled with my old bonneville heatercore, that thing bled out almost instantly. My PA120.2 took a couple days to bleed out.. keep shaking it and you'll hear and see the bubbles come out violently until they bleed, then shake again. Repeat until no more bubbles appear.

Dawgdoc: It is pointless to leak test outside of a case. When the parts are in the case and assembled and mounted in their final positions, that is the only way to leak test. The reason being is that the torque and tube routing that is put on the blocks/other parts might cause a leak that might not otherwise show up with the parts laying out with no pressure on the barb/tubing points.

[phil178821]

so when i shake my rad, i get some bubble movement, however, it appears that 90% of those bubbles just skip the open t line and recirculate through the pump.. did i set my system up wrong?

[SolidxSnake]

so when i shake my rad, i get some bubble movement, however, it appears that 90% of those bubbles just skip the open t line and recirculate through the pump.. did i set my system up wrong?

Nope you'll just have to keep repeating. That's just how tee-lines happen to work. The pump is running and is sucking water constantly from it's input, and unless the movement stops the majority of the bubbles won't rise. That's why tee-lines take so long to bleed. Keep repeating until the bubbles all disappear.

[phil178821]

alright. thanks! makes me wish i just made room for the damn reservoir!

[MattODoom]

Looks like you have a killer kink in the works at the bottom of the radiator there

[Dawgdoc]

Looks like you have a killer kink in the works at the bottom of the radiator there

I agree. Bottom hose on the rad looks like it is kinked, or ready to kink. But....that should probobly solve itself when you cut the holes in the back of the case for the tubes to run through.

EDIT/ADD:

SS: Im a water n00b so I am far from arguing with you, but I have always been told to leak test on a table for a few days prior to mounting. I take it you disagree with this?

[SolidxSnake]

I agree. Bottom hose on the rad looks like it is kinked, or ready to kink. But....that should probobly solve itself when you cut the holes in the back of the case for the tubes to run through.

EDIT/ADD:

SS: Im a water n00b so I am far from arguing with you, but I have always been told to leak test on a table for a few days prior to mounting. I take it you disagree with this?


I personally think it's a waste of time. I'm not a WC guru myself but running the components in a loop outside of where their final locations will be fruitless in finding practical leaks. However, it will find leaks isolated to a component, for instance, a puncture in the tank/tube of a rad, a broken o-ring between the copper plates of a WB, etc. However, those would turn up for me during rinsing/cleaning before assembling the loop.

[phil178821]

yeah, it was bad by the radiator, but thats because I had not spaced it with a fan yet. see the photo below.
also look in this photo at the tube running between the northbridge and the gpu. after having the blocks seating, running the tube, then removing them to retighten clamps and reseating, i now have a kink in the hose that wasnt originally there. how can i fix this.. i sure dont want to drain the system and run a longer tube there..

also, I agree with you, Snake.. leaving the block mounted will strain the tubing and blocks the way they will be during yes, thus really giving you the ability to check for all leaks.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0750.jpg

[phil178821]

ah looking at earlier photos i see my mistake.. when running the tube, my vga block wasnt mounted tightly.. thus letting it hang off about a quarter of an inch.. what a dumb mistake. please tell me there is an easy solution?

[phil178821]

being at school, I have no zip ties. i did find this already cut one i was able to squeeze over the kink to repair it a little.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/SSPX0110.jpg


anything better I can do?

[ChinStrap]

your GTS has an 'A3' revision core.

hellooooo 700MHz... :) let us know what your clocks on that card are after you get everything worked out.

fyi, the 8800ultra is the only other card that has that core :)

[phil178821]

i didnt even kno i had a rare gpu core.. I will be damn excited if i hit 700..

and on another note.. i need more sleep and to stop rushing these posts..

i reread one of my previous posts and i realized i spelt my own name wrong. Who does that? I like to consider myself inteligent. I am studying engineering at one of the most respect schools in the world; but by god, that is just sad.. lol need more of this::beer:

[phil178821]

liek my temporary fan mounts? (waiting on longer screws to come inthe mail)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0752.jpg

[MattODoom]

i didnt even kno i had a rare gpu core.. I will be damn excited if i hit 700..

and on another note.. i need more sleep and to stop rushing these posts..

i reread one of my previous posts and i realized i spelt my own name wrong. Who does that? I like to consider myself inteligent. I am studying engineering at one of the most respect schools in the world; but by god, that is just sad.. lol need more of this::beer:

Some irony here including the use of 'spelt', incorrect spelling of intelligent and you forgot the 'ed' on respected.

Go get some sleep! Rig is looking awesome though, wish I could watercool my xps m1530.

I concur on the beer, you drink Coors?

[Froggy]

It looks like you need a longer piece of tubing there to better allow for the radius of the bend.

I would also suggest that you swap your rad hoses. I would then slightly mod the PCI slot to accommodate the 1/2" line so it essentially has a straight run into the pump inlet.

[phil178821]

It looks like you need a longer piece of tubing there to better allow for the radius of the bend.

I would also suggest that you swap your rad hoses. I would then slightly mod the PCI slot to accommodate the 1/2" line so it essentially has a straight run into the pump inlet.

yea, problem is, I am at school so no power tools. I will drill the holes for a straight run when i return in may. Flow looks pretty good with the zip tie there so I think I will leave it. No way am I emptying the system now and lengthening that hose. Again, that will probably come in may, when i empty the system for the trip home.

Some irony here including the use of 'spelt', incorrect spelling of intelligent and you forgot the 'ed' on respected.

Go get some sleep! Rig is looking awesome though, wish I could watercool my xps m1530.

I concur on the beer, you drink Coors?

man what is wrong with me? About spelt.. now i didnt think that was a word, but then i just figured what the hey. it passed in MS Word so idk. as for the other errors, jeez.. lol.

about the beer: i generally dont drink Coors althought i definitely dont dislike it. If i feel liek spending the money, I go for something like Blue Moon or Sierra Nevada PA. My "staple" beer, however, is probably bud long necks.
Ultimately, tonight is looking like Jose Cuervo event.


thanks for the compliments.

[phil178821]

so its been almost 20hrs of leak test.. since I am getting so anxious, I am going to begin seating my blocks now. :) wish me luck

[phil178821]

WOW! 21 hrs of leak testing... i go and boot my computer and what do i see.. a drip coming from my cpu block! i ripped the cored out of that psu so quick.. hopefully nothing got hit.. for the few seconds i was in bios, i was seeing a temperature of 50C on my cpu.. ut oh :-/.. wait until i fix this clamp then i will check again.

[phil178821]

hmmm.. core temp, easy tune 5, and are showing crap temperatures.. showing in the 50's..

my gpu is showing 42..

idont havea nothrbridge sensor.. any ideas?

could over tightening blocks do this? could my AS5 be too old ? (like a little over a year?)


UPDATE:
so it looks like some kinda capacitor or something was stopping the block from laying flush with the cpu. simple twist of the block solved that.

@3.2 Ghz (4x800), at stock vcore and gmch:
just after boot i am getting cpu temps of about 32C.
after a short load with orthos high 40'sC

my guess is ambient is about 25-26.

gpu is 44 while loading my cpu and sitting at the desktop.

my fans are on high and my pump is on 5. (is the D5 vario). could this be because my fans are taped on and thus not mkaing a good seal?

how tight should my blocks be?
Is AS5 thats over a year old any good? Should i swap it out for fresh ceramique?

those temps are any better than my Zalman 9700LED

[Dawgdoc]

Old AS5 is fine. The stuff doesnt go bad :)

Regarding the leak.....well.....people more knowledgeable than me say dont leak test on a table, but......this is the reason why I have seen it recommended. If that leak touched anything electrical you should have been SOL and fried something.

As far as the temps, at stock VCore with a decent water setup I would think high 40s at load is not acceptable.

Remount, remount and remount until you get a mount that you like :)

If/When you do remount, take some pics of your IHS on your CPU and the contact area of your waterblock before you clean off the AS5 so everyone can get a good idea about your contact.

Also check your loop to make sure everything is moving appropriately.

[phil178821]

is that a good gpu temp? If it isnt, then I would think its a flow issue/air in the line or something. If that is a good gpu temp, then I would think its the way i seat my block. Thanks!

[Jolly-Swagman]

Looking mighty fine set-up there phil

[Dawgdoc]

is that a good gpu temp? If it isnt, then I would think its a flow issue/air in the line or something. If that is a good gpu temp, then I would think its the way i seat my block. Thanks!

Dunno, you cant tell what your loaded GPU temps are by loading your CPU. Run a 3D benchmark or aquamark or something similiar and check your temps.

44C GPU temp at idle on water cooling does NOT sound appropriate though. Should be something in the 20s at idle and in the low/mid 30s at load IMHO.

[phil178821]

Looking mighty fine set-up there phil

Thanks Jolly.

So i reseated my gpu and cpu blocks. i spread a fresh coat of AS5 (cpu) and ceramique (gpu) after cleaning both with ArctiClean. The technique I used was putting a dab in the center and then spreading it with my finger tip (with a piece of plastic wrap over the tip) just enough to cover the contact area. I seated, removed, and verified good contact.

there must be air hidden some where.

[meionm]

liek my temporary fan mounts? (waiting on longer screws to come inthe mail)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0752.jpg

Funny,

[deathman20]

Dunno, you cant tell what your loaded GPU temps are by loading your CPU. Run a 3D benchmark or aquamark or something similiar and check your temps.

44C GPU temp at idle on water cooling does NOT sound appropriate though. Should be something in the 20s at idle and in the low/mid 30s at load IMHO.

Actually not... All that stuff is tricky to pin on any one thing. Typically loads of this size at least in my expeiance, water will end up roughly 10C warmer than ambient air temp, GPU has a better surface area to disappate heat and ends up to be the coolest high powered item, followed by the CPU unless u can get the IHS off of it.

I had a 3x120mm rad setup on my box, although not the best of best choices for the rad (top of my P180 Case) it worked out well.

I had a 2900XT on water, high 30's idle and upper 40's low 50's load.
My CPU on the other hand I could not get my CPU temps down at all... they where running roughly 50C. Comparison my CPU on air was running 42C.

[Dawgdoc]

Well Im officially confused Deathman.

So you were getting temps that were HIGHER with your custom water cooling than your all air cooling setup and you think that everything is ok with that?

Dont get me wrong, Im a complete water cooling n00b so I am far from arguing with you, but custom water is supposed to be SIGNIFICANTLY better than air cooling from everything I have read....

Or am I missing something?

[deathman20]

Well Im officially confused Deathman.

So you were getting temps that were HIGHER with your custom water cooling than your all air cooling setup and you think that everything is ok with that?

Dont get me wrong, Im a complete water cooling n00b so I am far from arguing with you, but custom water is supposed to be SIGNIFICANTLY better than air cooling from everything I have read....

Or am I missing something?

No you didn't miss read or anything. I don't know what it is the 3 times I've done a water setup, AIR has been cooler for me at least on a CPU lvl. GPU well water was much better than air at least on said 2900XT card. I don't know maybe I have a curse has spread onward but it was confusing to me as well.

Incase or out of case water, no matter what i've tried and hours I spent working on it, I couldn't figure out why. Last time I gave up was late fall last year when I ssaid forget it, and sold off my water stuff. Spent 6 months and 1 motherboard trying to figure it out, but no go. Just saying its not always the case, as sad as that sounds.

[phil178821]

soo.. just after boot, I my cpu is running in the high 20's.. this is at 4x800..
my gpu is running at 40 (versus mid 50 on stock cooler)

gotta reboot, then i will check load temps..

here are a few last pictures..

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0755.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0754.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0753.jpg

[redrumy3]

i really cant wait to get my stuff, yours looks awesome :D

[phil178821]

i really cant wait to get my stuff, yours looks awesome :D

lol minus the tape on the rad.. screws should be here tomorrow or Monday.

any comments on the temps guys? Should they be better? Are they could..

at the momeent I think I just broke my vid card. I made a post over in Nvida VGA section but who knows. Everything with that puppy has gone to hell..

[Big Mike]

What voltage are you running to the CPU? Your video seems a little warm to me, my old system was an E6600@ 3.7 ghz 1.52 volts and a G80 GTS at 700/1100, idle for the cpu was mid to high 30s, full load was high 50s, GPU idled at 32 and never broke 40 at full load. I think the cpu didn't have that good of a IHS seat job done at the factory though as my Q6600 at 1.4 runs 32 idle and 62 or so full load, but the GPU temps are ALWAYS higher, about 35 idle and 41 or so fully loaded. Oh and FWIW I also have a A3 revision GTS, it performs VERY well. Also looking at the pics you have the Samsung ram on it which is supposedly the good ram.

[phil178821]

this has been quite the painful experience..
vcore was stock.. 1.325 is it? well whatever stock it..

either way, now I cannot even get a picture out of my computer. Not sure what I did to my 8800GTS but its no longer working.. going to have to RMA it this week. hve a post running about it in the Nvidia VGA section here at OCforums if you wanna check it out..

after my vid card went everything has just gone down hill. I broke to of my damn fans.. I have learned now not to work powered fans on a cluttered desk because they tend to fall over and sh** gets wedged into them.. how depressing

[Xris]

You need some fan grills. They're like a dollar each. I feel unsafe without them. Also, your radbox doesn't look like it's tightened down at all. The whole radiator assembly is drooping.

[phil178821]

You need some fan grills. They're like a dollar each. I feel unsafe without them. Also, your radbox doesn't look like it's tightened down at all. The whole radiator assembly is drooping.

the rad box was not full attached. As well, I hadnt attached the fan grills yet because I was still waiting on longer screws (I didnt realize my Yate Loons had closed corners). Now that I have the screws, the grills are on so dont worry:). However, with all the screws on the rad box, it still will droop a little bit just because of the rad+shroud+fans weight. ill probably work on a better mounting system when i get home in a month or so..

[Xris]

However, with all the screws on the rad box, it still will droop a little bit just because of the rad+shroud+fans weight. ill probably work on a better mounting system when i get home in a month or so..

I didn't want to hear that. My black ice gtx 480 is coming on Tuesday and I don't want it to droop!

[phil178821]

well it depends on a few factors. you will see where my back connects to my cases 80mm fan. its not connected centrally on the bracket, which will allow for some drooping.

also, I placed and extra fan between the bracket and the rad, which places the rad farther out from the case, leading to more downward force cause more drooping. so dont be too worried!

[Xris]

I used to have it set up that way, because of the location that my Armor's tubing pass through is in. The holes are two close together. Without the fan for spacing, the radiator was too close to the case and it would cause it to kink. I decided it looked wrong and searched for an alternative. I found some spacers that fit nicely on the mounting screws of the radbox in my apogee's box, used for mounting the apogee onto AMDs. I replaced the fan with the spacers.

[phil178821]

so ehre is my final thought..

either i fried my 8800GTS with overclocking, or a combination of crappy sink design and user ignorance broke it. Either way, EVGA is still allowing me to RMA it.

I said crappy sink design and user ignorance because the location where the tubings attach to the gpu block is severely constrained by the ram sinks (also made by swiftech). This makes it difficult to sufficiently tighten the water block, resulting in the tubing pushing downward on the sinks, ultimately damaging the ram chips. That is my guess, but who knows. Also, ignorance on my part for not understanding how much to tighten the blocks.

As for temps, while having two fans pulling on the 120.3pa (ibroke my third because I am an idiot). bios, which I can boot into, reports cpu temps of about 28-30, cycling between them.room temp is probably 21.5 to 22. i would think those are good, especially short one fan. is that true? Thanks guys!

[Big Mike]

Yeah you either need to leave them off or modify them for the lines to clear, mine I just bent the pins away from the center to make them into little V shapes.

[Conumdrum]

Looking good! The bubbles move too fast to rise in the T-line, they zip right by the T. I have a short res and the same issue. Tuirn the pump down to 3 or so and let it run, or less if that doesn't help. It worked for me.

[Dawgdoc]

Phil, they also make low profile heatsinks that you can put on the top end memory chips that are above the GPU block so that the tubes dont interfere with them.

They sell them as part of a package with many aftermarket cooler, and perhaps sell them individually as well.

[Dawgdoc]

PS - Found this pic. This is what Big Mike was talking about regarding bending the tips of the HS

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj5/Dawgdoc999/img0373vr7.jpg

[Big Mike]

8800s are a little harder cuz theres a sink right next to both of the ones you need to fan out, but thats exactly what i did. you can see pics in the gallery on my site (www.bigwheezy.com) or ill post one up later.

[Dawgdoc]

1 more afterthought Phil.....

Whenever applying a GPU heatsink, always always always check your core contact before firing up your rig.

Mount your heatsink, the UNmount it an look at the core, and the core contact area on your heatsink. Is the TIM spread out nice and even over all surfaces? Any areas with high points? Any areas with no TIM? Based on what you see, did you mount it too loose, too tight, or just right?

Maybe your GPU death was a core contact issue. Maybe it was a leak and it got fried, maybe maybe maybe.... prob never know.

1 thing is for sure, you certainly didnt OC it to death :)

Also, check out these nifty G92 heatsink. If you dont mind spending another $40 I think they ROCK :)

http://www.petrastechshop.com/cu88cokitbyi1.html

No bending of pins necessary :D

Good luck man. Keep us posted.

[phil178821]

thanks guys.. that looks pretty cool with the pins bent, lol..

i just bought two of these: here (http://www.petrastechshop.com/pedism.html)
also bought 4 more fans, since i broke two. Now i will have 3 120mms on each side of the rad. Also went for some different wires to try and make things a little tidier.

I am sure there weren't any leaks. Also, I verified contact with my gpu. I think I went wrong in that I was over-tightening the block down, trying to make flat contact with the core. I think that this resulted in too much pressure on those ram sinks, causing damage to them. I kind of didnt know how much pressure the ram chips could take.

Either way, i just shipped out my 8800 to EVGA for an RMA. School offers crap shipping options. Went with UPS, choice was either ground or overnight.. $9 versus ~$55... obviously i went with the ground, meaning I probably wont get my card until the end of next week, maybe the beginning of the one following that. That said, my mom is shipping me my old 6600GT to use in the mean time. Should be in by weeks end.

[Dawgdoc]

Those heatsinks are fine so long as they provide you with enough clearance for your tubes.

Just an FYI though, those heatsinks do NOT have the thermal tape on the the way that the other heatsinks you used had. You need some thermal tape (or thermal adhesive if you plan on permanently mounting them) in order to mount them.

[meionm]

I made sure not go through trouble with heatsinks, purchased enozotech 9mm high heatsinks. It was even less hassle than installing swiftech's heatsinks.

[phil178821]

Those heatsinks are fine so long as they provide you with enough clearance for your tubes.

Just an FYI though, those heatsinks do NOT have the thermal tape on the the way that the other heatsinks you used had. You need some thermal tape (or thermal adhesive if you plan on permanently mounting them) in order to mount them.

yeah, I was going to just use arctic ceramique and a dab of glue if needed.. like a glue gun or something.

[Dawgdoc]

yeah, I was going to just use arctic ceramique and a dab of glue if needed.. like a glue gun or something.

That would work. Might be a tough to get off later but so long as you are careful with your placement that should be fine.

[phil178821]

So i got the rest of my fines in. Here are a few final photos before I finish the build up in May.


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0760.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/phil178821/DSCF0759.jpg

So the final projects to come are:

1- drilling holes in the back to allow for the tubing.

and now this one i am not sure if it is a bad idea.

2- would it be bad to combine all six of my rad fans into molex plug? its not the way of doing it that i am worry about, its more so, is it bad to do. i wouldnt think so.

3-add some nice black heat shrink tubing through the system.


and also, to put my 8800GTS back in the computer when it returns :)

oh and also, add a little extra support on the rad so it doesnt hang at all and clean up them finger prints..


so final temps: with all 6 fans running on high and the pump on 5. cpu at 8x400 and vcore at 1.296 and using MX-2 thermal paste

ambient: 23C
idle:24/25C @the cores
Load: 40C

[calvin]

Holy leaning tower of water cooling. :eek:

1- drilling holes in the back to allow for the tubing.

That would certainly be an improvement in terms of tube routing. Did you ever consider top mount? That radbox looks seriously over loaded

2- would it be bad to combine all six of my rad fans into molex plug?

Not something I would recommend

3-add some nice black heat shrink tubing through the system.


umm, sure, go for it, but suggest you concentrate on cleaning up some other things first, looks sorta ghetto right now, sorry

[phil178821]

ghetto? Calvin... c'mon.. that hurts.

beauty comes in time! i dont have the means nor the time, since i am away at college, to do everything i want.


oh and also.. top mount looks absolutely ridiculous with this size rad on my size case.

[||Console||]

I also leak test in the case . You want to have it in the final resting place =) so no new leask will show up . then I jump the psu and leak test with TP like the Op did .

[phil178821]

I also leak test in the case . You want to have it in the final resting place =) so no new leask will show up . then I jump the psu and leak test with TP like the Op did .

agree with that one.


so i just got my replacement 8800GTS in today.. really depressed, its only an A2 core, while my older one was an A3.

with my WCing, I am able to get 694 core, which i think is pretty good, however, i can only get about ~930 memory. i was able to get about 1050 on my old 8800GTS with air cooling. kinda dissapointed by that but idk, does that ram speed even make that BIG of a difference?

current temps for gpu.. 34 idle/41 load,

[phil178821]

so depressing.. this A2 core clocks nowhere near my A3, or so it seems thus far.. hopefully i found something good.