Just joined up here at Overclockers after prowling around reading, to get some input on my WC build.
Current setup (feel free to suggest improvements if you have any ideas, but this is pretty solid and what I think I want/need. To be clear, I have all of these components already and the computer is up and running, but I am listing them here for the sake of facilitating a better understanding of the situation):
MOBO: Gigabyte EX58-UD5
PROC: Intel Core i7-930 @ 2.8 Ghz (currently; will push higher with better cooling)
RAM: 12GB Corsair XMS 3 9-9-9-24 @ 1600Mhz
VIDEO: EVGA GTX285 01G-P3-1180 1GB
HD: 1x WD 150GB Velociraptor (OS X 10.6 Boot Drive), 2x WD Caviar Black 750GB (1 for OS X Home Folder, 1 for Win7 Ultimate x64)
CASE: Antec P183
PSU: Antec CP-850
OTHER: 4 Nexus D12-SL Basic case fans
HAVE: Keyboard, mouse, speakers, OSs, etc...
Primary purpose: Run OS X as the primary OS for video transcoding, Virtual Machines, gaming, photo/video editing, coding, etc. Run Windows for occasional gaming. Ideally, I would like to have it be as quiet and understated as possible while still being beastly - I dislike loud/garish computers with side windows, turbojet fans, etc.
Hardware Goals: 4.2Ghz Core i7 @ 21x200, Memory at 8-8-8-24@1600Mhz, overclock the GTX285 (unsure of stable numbers yet, have not researched)
So, as you can see, I am building a hackintosh. I have it pretty well together except both of the WD 750GB drives arrived DOA, and their replacements are not yet here from newegg (I finished building the computer last week).
I started out with a Noctua NH-D14 aircooler, but when I overclocked the CPU at 1.3 vcore at 3.8Ghz where it was stable, I was running about 82C on one core and 74C on another core, even with the case door open and the fans running. (8C temp difference on the cores?) I removed the cooler and redid the AS5 paste, but the temps didn't drop after about a day of burn in. At that point I began doing research and stumbled upon the idea of watercooling. I wasn't quite ready to jump into building an aquarium computer, but I did want to cool my CPU, and watercooling seemed the best shot. Additionally, I realized that I could cool my GPU as well, since it was running about 93C under FurMark, and sounding like a jet engine eating a lawnmower while doing so. I RMA'd the Noctua, and am now doing research on watercooling before I finish buying parts. My goal is to hit 4.2 stable OC, so I can run a baseclock of 200Mhz and hit 1600Mhz on my memory. I would ideally also like to keep SpeedStepping enabled for moderate power savings (which may seem odd considering the amount of overclocking, but every little bit helps).
So, for my watercooling setup, I have the following already:
EK Supreme HF
BlackIce GTX360
3x1850RPM Gentle Typhoons
Indigo Extreme ETI TIM
The following components are my "pretty sure things" to complete the loop:
1/2" ID, 3/4" OD Tygon Silver AntiMicrobe Tubing
1x KillCoil
XSPC DualBay Single Pump Reservoir
Swiftech MCP655 pump w/Speed Control
Swiftech Komodo Full-Cover Waterblock for GTX285.
The radiator will probably get put into the computer much like this gentleman's did, since he has my case and a similar setup; I'm not using his components, but that's the best place to put the radiator. The fans will mount underneath in a push configuration, both to maximize cooling efficiency and reduce noise. I would cut the case in a similar manner, and build/bend/buy a shroud to make it blend into the top of the case nicely.
After researching what else may have caused my issue, I realized that one of my issues may be that the CPU heatspreader is not terribly flat - when I pulled the Noctua off it had thermal paste in several areas, and not others. My preferred method of AS5 application is to put a small dot on top of the heatspreader, and then gently scrape it into an even layer with a credit card. This is what I did in this case, to ensure a nice contact layer. However, as I said, it did not appear to be even when I removed the CPU cooler. The Tom's Hardware CPU lapping thread leads me to think that it might be because of my heatspreader and/or HS base not being flat enough.
My questions are these:
1) Is the BlackIce going to do a good enough job with a Core i7 OC and a GTX285 in the same loop? The Tom's Hardware Watercooling Basics post indicated that one 3x120 radiator is probably not going to be sufficient, since the Core i7 is a hog and so is the GTX285. However, several people over at OCN have stated that it would be.
2) I am going to be running distilled water in clear tubing; color/looks are not important to me except that it be neat (you should see my cable management). Is the KillCoil + Tygon Silver Tubing overkill? Is just the Tygon sufficient?
3) With the watercooling components and overheating issues in mind, would CPU and/or waterblock lapping be appropriate? With the EK Supreme and the Indigo, I don't know if it's necessary...
4) Thoughts/Comments/Critiques/Questions/Concerns/What you would do differently for the watercooling setup?
Specifically, the goal of the build is silence and cooling efficiency. The MCP655 is quiet; will it do a good enough job? Also, the 1850 RPM GTs, while not loud, are certainly the loudest of the Typhoons. Should I drop down to a lower RPM speed? Will that be sufficient with only 1 360 rad cooling a core i7 and a gtx285?
5) Why does Core 1 on my CPU run consistently 8C hotter than Core 4, and ~5C hotter than Cores 2&3? Is this again related to the heatspreader potentially not being flat enough?
Thank you. I eagerly await your replies.
Current setup (feel free to suggest improvements if you have any ideas, but this is pretty solid and what I think I want/need. To be clear, I have all of these components already and the computer is up and running, but I am listing them here for the sake of facilitating a better understanding of the situation):
MOBO: Gigabyte EX58-UD5
PROC: Intel Core i7-930 @ 2.8 Ghz (currently; will push higher with better cooling)
RAM: 12GB Corsair XMS 3 9-9-9-24 @ 1600Mhz
VIDEO: EVGA GTX285 01G-P3-1180 1GB
HD: 1x WD 150GB Velociraptor (OS X 10.6 Boot Drive), 2x WD Caviar Black 750GB (1 for OS X Home Folder, 1 for Win7 Ultimate x64)
CASE: Antec P183
PSU: Antec CP-850
OTHER: 4 Nexus D12-SL Basic case fans
HAVE: Keyboard, mouse, speakers, OSs, etc...
Primary purpose: Run OS X as the primary OS for video transcoding, Virtual Machines, gaming, photo/video editing, coding, etc. Run Windows for occasional gaming. Ideally, I would like to have it be as quiet and understated as possible while still being beastly - I dislike loud/garish computers with side windows, turbojet fans, etc.
Hardware Goals: 4.2Ghz Core i7 @ 21x200, Memory at 8-8-8-24@1600Mhz, overclock the GTX285 (unsure of stable numbers yet, have not researched)
So, as you can see, I am building a hackintosh. I have it pretty well together except both of the WD 750GB drives arrived DOA, and their replacements are not yet here from newegg (I finished building the computer last week).
I started out with a Noctua NH-D14 aircooler, but when I overclocked the CPU at 1.3 vcore at 3.8Ghz where it was stable, I was running about 82C on one core and 74C on another core, even with the case door open and the fans running. (8C temp difference on the cores?) I removed the cooler and redid the AS5 paste, but the temps didn't drop after about a day of burn in. At that point I began doing research and stumbled upon the idea of watercooling. I wasn't quite ready to jump into building an aquarium computer, but I did want to cool my CPU, and watercooling seemed the best shot. Additionally, I realized that I could cool my GPU as well, since it was running about 93C under FurMark, and sounding like a jet engine eating a lawnmower while doing so. I RMA'd the Noctua, and am now doing research on watercooling before I finish buying parts. My goal is to hit 4.2 stable OC, so I can run a baseclock of 200Mhz and hit 1600Mhz on my memory. I would ideally also like to keep SpeedStepping enabled for moderate power savings (which may seem odd considering the amount of overclocking, but every little bit helps).
So, for my watercooling setup, I have the following already:
EK Supreme HF
BlackIce GTX360
3x1850RPM Gentle Typhoons
Indigo Extreme ETI TIM
The following components are my "pretty sure things" to complete the loop:
1/2" ID, 3/4" OD Tygon Silver AntiMicrobe Tubing
1x KillCoil
XSPC DualBay Single Pump Reservoir
Swiftech MCP655 pump w/Speed Control
Swiftech Komodo Full-Cover Waterblock for GTX285.
The radiator will probably get put into the computer much like this gentleman's did, since he has my case and a similar setup; I'm not using his components, but that's the best place to put the radiator. The fans will mount underneath in a push configuration, both to maximize cooling efficiency and reduce noise. I would cut the case in a similar manner, and build/bend/buy a shroud to make it blend into the top of the case nicely.
After researching what else may have caused my issue, I realized that one of my issues may be that the CPU heatspreader is not terribly flat - when I pulled the Noctua off it had thermal paste in several areas, and not others. My preferred method of AS5 application is to put a small dot on top of the heatspreader, and then gently scrape it into an even layer with a credit card. This is what I did in this case, to ensure a nice contact layer. However, as I said, it did not appear to be even when I removed the CPU cooler. The Tom's Hardware CPU lapping thread leads me to think that it might be because of my heatspreader and/or HS base not being flat enough.
My questions are these:
1) Is the BlackIce going to do a good enough job with a Core i7 OC and a GTX285 in the same loop? The Tom's Hardware Watercooling Basics post indicated that one 3x120 radiator is probably not going to be sufficient, since the Core i7 is a hog and so is the GTX285. However, several people over at OCN have stated that it would be.
2) I am going to be running distilled water in clear tubing; color/looks are not important to me except that it be neat (you should see my cable management). Is the KillCoil + Tygon Silver Tubing overkill? Is just the Tygon sufficient?
3) With the watercooling components and overheating issues in mind, would CPU and/or waterblock lapping be appropriate? With the EK Supreme and the Indigo, I don't know if it's necessary...
4) Thoughts/Comments/Critiques/Questions/Concerns/What you would do differently for the watercooling setup?
Specifically, the goal of the build is silence and cooling efficiency. The MCP655 is quiet; will it do a good enough job? Also, the 1850 RPM GTs, while not loud, are certainly the loudest of the Typhoons. Should I drop down to a lower RPM speed? Will that be sufficient with only 1 360 rad cooling a core i7 and a gtx285?
5) Why does Core 1 on my CPU run consistently 8C hotter than Core 4, and ~5C hotter than Cores 2&3? Is this again related to the heatspreader potentially not being flat enough?
Thank you. I eagerly await your replies.