Will this setup cool my system dramatically?

[mcoleg]

Trike007, check where the fan inside the tuniq is blowing. it kinda looks like it's set upside-down.

 

[Moto7451]

My brother's overclocked newcastle system worked just fine on a single rad. Go for a double or at least two single rads though, you'll be happier. I don't think you'd need more than one pump for a system with just a CPU block and two rads, especially if you go for a block like the Apogee or Fusion.

 

[Trike007]

MCOleg, I have the fan pointed towards the exhaust. temps only drop a few degrees with the side panel off.

OCoverkill, My core voltage is 1.32-1.34ish. I think I have it set in the bios at around 1.49

I'm stumped on how to get it cooler.

So i'm tempted to take the plunge and get 3 single radiators. One for each fan vent and two pumps.

I still want to keep it as quiet as possible. I have 3 noctua fans that I may use or use all Yate loons.

I don't plan on watering the video card just yet.

Just still on the see-saw on if I should stick to Air.

If I go water. I would want at least 3.6ghz. maybe that's asking too much.

I may try the Vdroop and Vcore mods first to see if it'll help any. I just wanted 3.6 on air and so far i'm stuck at 3.3.

Thanks guys!

 

[mcoleg]

have you remounted the fan then? cause the orientation should be the other way around.

anyways.

there's one thing to try. it sounds pretty out there but that's what i stumbled upon while i was testing bunch of different fans with my tuniq.

re-sit it in such a way so that the spikes point downward. easy on the tim, hard on the screws, btw. make sure the fan is re-oriented proper for this directional config.

now, it was open-bench testing. not sure how much it will help inside the case but it's worth giving a try.

 

[Trike007]

Yup, I took the fan off after I mounted the heatsink and re mounted it to exhaust out the back.

Spikes pointing downward huh? Guess i'll give it a shot.

I'm starting to think my chip is fairly concave. The last remount i put very little paste on but enough to cover the IHS. temps were crazy. over 60 idle and 70 load then crash. so I remounted yet again this time using much more.

 

[darkcow]

give it a good lap job.

 

[Trike007]

Crap, didn't realize this. but my vcore was 1.42v @3.3ghz not 1.32 like i said earlier. I can't get it stable at any lower voltage. Starting to think i have a bum chip. Seems like most people are getting 3.3ghz at around 1.32V. I went back to stock speeds. [email protected] and I idle at ~39C load ~45C. I dropped the speed back down to [email protected] and now i'm at idle:45C and Load:55C. Just seems odd to me that my friend with an identical setup is running 10C cooler than me. I know my ambient isn't that much hotter than him.

 

[Spawne32]

All chips are slightly different in how they react, all situations and rigs are different also, he might have somthing that allows him to stay a few degrees cooler, and isnt that pump a little overkill for a single 120? Wouldnt you be better off with a 350 or 355?

 

[Trike007]

Very true.

As for the pump, I plan on running at least 2 maybe 3 single 120's IF i decide to go water. So the 655 would be perfect and with the added single radiators. I will probably go with two pumps in series instead of one.

I'm also tempted to buy another chip.

 

[wombat778]

I would love to se some numbers to support this. I was just about to post that a single rad is plenty for a stock or slightly overclocked system, and will give you better cooling than air. Dual rad if you intend to do heavy overclocking with CPU and dual GPU's.

According to Swiftech's charts (http://www.swiftnets.com/products/mcr120-qp.asp), a MCR120 can probably dissipate about 130-140 watts assuming you are using the 47CFM Yate Loons at full blast (and assuming ~1.5 gpm flow and 10C coolant-air temp difference).

According to the PSU calculator (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp), an E6600 overclocked to 3.6 at 1.5 volts puts out about 140 watts.

Therefore, I would think that a single MCR120 would be insufficient or barely sufficient to handle the heatload produced by the E6600 at the speeds and voltages Trike wants to run at.

 

[QuietIce]

Very true.

As for the pump, I plan on running at least 2 maybe 3 single 120's IF i decide to go water. So the 655 would be perfect and with the added single radiators. I will probably go with two pumps in series instead of one.

I'm also tempted to buy another chip.

Running two MCP655s isn't a bad idea but I only do it for the redundancy factor. If you don't need or want that then one pump will be plenty. As you can see in my sig I run both of mine at ~1/2 speed - as a side effect it also reduces pump noise ...

 

[Trike007]

thanks for the data wombat, very helpful.

QuietIce, you think one pump is enough even for 2 or 3 single 120mm radiators? i'm just trying factor in flowrate loss from each radiator.

Thanks!

 

[QuietIce]

One of my pumps at P5 (full speed) is enough for a Storm, an MCW60 GPU block, 2x heater cores (see sig), 15+ feet of 1/2" tubing, and the non-running MCP655.

Adding the second pump might give you another 1°C in CoreTemp. That's about all I get even w/all the restrictions in my loop - and some of that's the second non-running pump that you wouldn't have ... plus the extra tubing ...

 

[Bad Maniac]

According to Swiftech's charts / a MCR120 can probably dissipate about 130-140 watts /
According to the PSU calculator / an E6600 overclocked to 3.6 at 1.5 volts puts out about 140 watts.

Therefore, I would think that a single MCR120 would be insufficient or barely sufficient to handle the heatload produced by the E6600 at the speeds and voltages Trike wants to run at.

[edited quote for shortness]
Still you can cool it enough with a regular heatsink and that same fan? Give me a break, those swiftech numbers are complete nonsense.

 

[wombat778]

[edited quote for shortness]
Still you can cool it enough with a regular heatsink and that same fan? Give me a break, those swiftech numbers are complete nonsense.

Umm, those numbers IIRC came from Bill Adams, who is pretty much the grandaddy of this area and designed all of the PC radiator testbeds in use. They are also pretty consistent with the test data on Thermochill's rads http://www.thermochill.com/PATesting/index.php#PA120, also by Bill Adams. Marci of Thermochill has also described the proper method of using these charts (http://www.over-clock.com/ivb/index.php?s=&showtopic=19120&view=findpost&p=173524 ). You asked for numbers and I gave you the best ones that exist. May I now return the favor and ask you for numbers to back up your statement that a single 120mm rad is "plenty?"

With regard to a regular heatsink and fan cooling Trike's processor, of course it will cool it. BUT, it will not cool it to the temps of adequate water cooling, and Trike has said he would like to improve his temps.

Think about it, sure an MCR120 can dissipate more heat than the chart lists, but it will not be able to maintain the 10C air-coolant temp difference. Instead the coolant temps will increase, and this will translate directly to higher processor temps. So, when you say that an MCR120 is "plenty" for Trike's processor, you are nominally correct in that it probably won't cause thermal meltdown or anything. It may even be better than air. However, it is NOT "plenty" in the sense that, at those wattages, the radiator will be a limiting factor in his loop and a second radiator will probably help his temps.

 

[Trike007]

I think i'm going to start off with two radiators (one on the exhaust and the other on top of the case.) I started adding things to my cart and i realized over at sidewinder that the MCR120 "Quiet Power" has only 3/8" barbs. That's going to be an issue since everything else is 1/2"

Anybody have any recommendations for 120mm radiators with 1/2" barbs. QuietIce kinda eased my paranoia about flowrate, so i'm going to stick with one pump for two radiators.

so far here's my shopping list.

Dtek- fuzion
MCP655
Swifttech MicroRes

Anything else? ugh. I'm already at 155 bucks without radiators.

Thanks!

 

[Bad Maniac]

May I now return the favor and ask you for numbers to back up your statement that a single 120mm rad is "plenty?"

Easy, Look at air cooling. Mid range air is plenty for stock or mid range overclock. The average single rad has more total surface area than an average mid range heatsink yes? Mid range air has a 70-80mm fan yes? Good, water is hundreds of times better at carrying heat than air yes? So, better heat carrying capacity and more surface area than mid range air, and mid range air is plenty, so a single rad is more than plenty.
There. No proof, no made up random numbers, but logic and conclusion.

Hence a single CPU and a single Vid card, stock or mild O/C, a single rad is plenty. I rest my case.

[edit]
I just realized when I reviewed the topic that we are talking about completely different things Wombat. You are talking about keeping a certain temp above ambient. I'm talking about keeping the CPU at a temperature where it will operate without errors, thermal throttling or CPU life time reductions. For THAT, a single rad is "plenty"
To keep the same setup at a fixd temp above ambient, yes, you need a bigger rad, but why would you want to?
To get a higher O/C? Yeah but then we are way past the stock to mid range O/C point, and my argument is null anyway.

See, same difference. We're just talking about different things. What's enough for me is if the damn thing runs

 

[Trike007]

Good info guys.

Since the MCR120 has 3/8" fittings, that's going to be the most restrictive point in the loop.

What do you think about the black ice Extreme? I'm just trying to stay within a reasonable budget.
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/blackicextreme.html

 

[Trike007]

I've been reading that the BIX needs good fans for it to cool effectively. how true is this? I plan on using either the Noctua's I have laying around or the low speed Yate loons. I'm ready to order. just seeing if anybody has any objections with the radiator.

 

[QuietIce]

I used one on an old 2100+ rig (stock) with an Apogee and a pair of MCW30 chipset blocks (one for an FX-5500). I was looking for quiet operation and no internal fans. Worked fine w/a DDC pump, Radiical top, and a Scythe S-Flex F fan (63.7 CFM @ 28.0 db) but how much heat can a system like that generate ("load" is 30°C or less )? Still, I would think a pair of them with good fans could cool a lone CPU ...