Water Cooling Finally
 

Ok I am finally able to say I have joined the ranks of water-cooling. I am using the Gemini High Volume Spiral water block, Eheim 1250 317GPH pump and a custom Chevy Chevette radiator with 2-120 PanaFlo 86 CFM fans configured in a push/pull format.

I decided to test the pump for flow rate. With a 12” rise, the pump delivered 190 GPH. With the Gemini High Volume water block added to the pump at a 12” rise the flow through the block was 64 GPH. I had changed the fittings on the block to fit my 1/2" tubing system.

Currently I am still burping all the air from the system and here in Arizona is rather warm tonight. My current ambient temperature is 28c and the cpu is at 37c. These numbers are at idled. My cpu is a T*bird 1.4 @ 1575. No volt mod but everything in the bios is set for extreme. Hoping by morning the W/B has had a chance to settle in, and the temps within the home will be down as I do not have the cooling in the home running yet.

Prior to changing over to water this same system running air-cooled the cpu was at 45c with the ambient temperature at 29c.

For some strange reason I think I have trapped air in the radiator. I mixed distilled water with 15 percent of anti-freeze. I only mixed 32oz. And still have 4oz. of mix left.

The tubing routing on the system goes like this, pump outlet to rad, rad to (T) then to the center of wb, wb back to pump inlet.

Update: Currently I am at 162 fsb @ 1620 with no volt mod. The image is from after the system ran over night.

I remeber in the review that john "H00T" hill did for overclockers, he got like 120gph through the block using 3/8" fittings, and I think it was the same pump? seems weird you would get 1/2 flow with bigger fittings. I guess maybe his rad was less restrictive.

well, it would also depend on how much lifting the pump has to do. Viper lifted his setup 12 inches; maybe "HOOT" didnt lift it as high? if at all...

yeah that is true. forgot about that.

I think hoot tested flow without any radiator at all if I remember correctly.

quite a good performance there, especially with ambients that high. Also your 5v line is really steady, what psu do you have?

Here's the scoop. Seems that Hoot did not test the blocks using his Eheim 1048. What he did is set up his spiget to deliver 158 GPH and this is why he had higher flow through the blocks. What was forgotten was the pressure between his home and the pressure that the 1048 can deliver. Hoot is going to retest the blocks using his pump. Plus with Hoots setup he does not have the lift I have.

Brad: The P/S is an Antec 400w.

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/attach...&postid=603756

Brad, thanks for pointing out my P/S in MBM. I noticed that the 5v rail had drop a little so I gave it a little boost and brought it up to 5.11v.

even though it was a little low it was really steady, which I beleive is almost as important as being near 5v

yea antec makes a good psu

After making changes to the P/S output voltage I ran the MBM overnight to record, and volts are very stable.

Would be curious to see a couple hour (or overnight) run with Prime95 running :)

I don't have Prime95. When I did a search I went to the site and it says I need to download an installer and then download Prime95 and then need to configure. Whats up with all this?

Direct download hereor here :D

Ok I ran Prime95 for 1 hour. My ambient temps are on the high side because its rather warm in our home right now.

Thanks :D And that is still at 162 fsb @ 1620 with a T-Bird, right? Looking at all your posted MBM captures, overnight it would probably go up another 1-2 degrees I suspect, but nbd.

After running the system for one week I have came to a conclusion about water-cooling. Recovery time is much faster than air-cooling. My CPU temp's under load are about 6c lower than my Alpha HSF on the same computer. The water-cooling setup is A LOT quieter. I had to back off on the FSB to 160 x 10 =1600 to have a stable computer. Running Prime95, and Toast for 24 straight hours my recorded case temps were 24c and the CPU were 38c.

My only problem I have is my system is loosing a small amount of water. There is no sign of water showing inside the case or at the fittings. I hope the system is still just settling in and air is still rising to the top of my T. Unless I have a small leak inside the rad and the moving air is evaporating the water. I will give it a nother week before tearing the system apart and having a look inside the rad.

With no volt mod I reached my top CPU speed. Soon I will be getting a new Epox board and CPU.

if it has lasted this long without any problems, I doubt you'll hve any ;)

DV-
My fluid level drops still after 4 weeks up and running. No sign of moisture anywhere. It is a mystery to me as well, but these two accounts regarding this issue is not news to me. I have heard this from others.

Nice to see you got it rolling though looks real neat and clean inside your case.

Funny I am getting an Epox 333 mhz board and building again as well, going to get the whole thing inside the case this time.
Jim

Hi Jim, I place a pin mark at the water line on the T line and within 24 hrs. it drops about 1/8" on the 1/2" ID silicon tubing. Not loosing a lot of water. In a sealed system you should not lose any water.

do you think the water is slowly evaporating in the fill / bleed tube?

DV-
that's sounds just about the same as me, when using the 1/2" silicon tubing for a riser. Is your tubing 1/2", I forgot.

Wonder where it goes? Three weeks to bleed out all air?

I think tomorrow I will top off the riser tube and see what happens.

Hey you got great temps with a heatcore half the size of mine, and you got that thinner water block from Peter I think it was. :shrug:

So is it the block or is my 9 X 11 radiator over kill?????????

Keeps us busy right!
Jim

hey dodge, what do you have for a coolant? it looks yellowish in the pic...

I am using 85 percent distilled water and 15 percent anti-freeze.

Jim, I got the High Volume Block. My temps would even be better, but were very warm right now in Arizona. I have not gotten the cooling in the home up and running yet. My ambient temps are high and they have a direct affect on the cpu cooling.

DV-
Yeah I heard it was suppose to be about 90F there today. Heck if your running 33 with an ambient of 90F that's great!

But it's a dry heat.:p

You did a great job with it. DId you mount the block with thru bolts?
Jim