i think theres only like 2 MoBo that can read the Diode, the Asus and Soltek i believe...

There might be 2 things here. I know there's a thermal sensor the AMD CPU. I also know that the Asus boards have a hardware circuit that can read the sensor and shut down the system if it gets too hot. That doesn't mean that other boards can't read the temp and send it to a monitor program.

The problem that Tom's Hardware pointed out was that most boards aren't using any on-board circuit for safety, and are relying on software to handle it. That's what Asus added to their boards.

It's possible that the software won't handle it if the temp rises too fast and the system freezes up. However, that's only likely if the heatsink falls off. In the case of a pump failure, you still have some protection in the form of the water block and some small water flow due to the heat, and the temp will just gradually rise until the software kicks in.

Epox 8k3a will read the diode.

The Asus and the SOltek just have a CPU protection that reads the temperature and will shut it down if over a preset value (prolly 70-85C). They were too cheap to add in full temperature monitoring via diode (or it was too much work).

The Epox I have heard some conflicting reports on. Zoson certainly seems convinced though. I haven't played with one so I dunno. Not like it is hard to add though.

I only use ASUS (I used to work as an account manager for the *then* exclusive distributor of ASUS boards in Canada), so I wouldn't know/care about anything else...

But I do know that there are other boards out there that will read the diode. If yours doesn't, then you can still make a circuit that will (with some extra fine soldering).

There is some controversy about the ASUS, because its reading of the temp (wether it's built-on or in the CPU) seems to be a little erratic, but the Asus boards now include OCP (Overheat Circuit/CPU Protection), and will shut down the computer if it gets too hot. The thing is, this system has some peculiarities that you need to be aware of. Look for A7V333 reviews.

All in all, most boards have a way of measuring temp. Wether its from an on-board circuit with its own thermal probe, or through the CPU's diode. Most times, you can access that info via software as well.

OK, so turning a pump on and off several times a day is bad... I am going to be building my first watercooling system sometime soon, but unfortunately, I'm not someone who leaves their computer on 24/7.. So should I just do something like turn on the pump in the morning, then off when I go to bed regardless of how much I use the computer during the day, or should I just have the pump on 24/7 even though the computer is going to be off all night? It will probably be a while before I trust the watercooling setup to run by itself without me there watching it...


(BTW, I'm planning on getting an Eheim 1250)

I'd just leave the pump on.. That Eheim draws what, 50watts or less? Yeah, just go ahead and leave it on, and maybe in a week or two, when you have no leaks, you can trust it enough to leave the computer on with it. ;)