Philly_Boy
07-15-2007, 11:40 AM
I was answering a pm from a forum member and decided to post it for everyone's benefit.
A Guide to TEC cooling Philly Style
OK, so you just decided to take the plunge into sub-ambient cooling by setting up a TEC block. You have all the parts but are unsure of how to exactly go about this. I hope this guide will help assuage some of your fears. This is just an account of my experience. YMMV and it prolly will.:D
First off please read the many nice sticky's regarding insulating your board. If you skip this mega important step you will soon be finding out how slow the rma process is for your mother board as the condensation from the tec will drip onto the board causing it to die a premature death. The the hardware police will come and arrest you for cruel and unusual punishment to your rig!!! J/K:D
I have found the Swiftech MCW6500-T/775 TEC driven CPU block to be far more effective than almost any other TEC block in terms of price vs performance. Many TEC blocks even when properly implemented will get your cpu a bit colder but will not signifcantly increase your overclock. The 6500 was able to get my E6300 all the way down to -11c idle and -4c loaded with stock clocks and vcore. When I cranked the vcore to 1.6 volts and loaded it with a 100% oc to 3.72ghz the idle only rose to +7c and +22c loaded with Orthos/Boinc overnight!
Part of the way I achieved this was to put a PA120.3 rad (with 6x Yate loon D12SL's in push/pull) and 2x DDC+ pumps (with Petra's modded top) in series on just the MCW6500T loop. The performance severely suffered when I tried to use a only one modded DDC+ pump and a GTX240 rad with 4x Panaflo G series fans in push/pull at full tilt. I would not even attempt a TEC block in a rig meant for serious benching (or gaming or crunching for that matter)without at least a BI GTX360, an Swiftech MCR320, or PA 120.3 rad and some sort of modded top on dual DDC+ pumps. I like Petra's tops but there are other's out there by Alphacool and Radical that work ok.
Next up is the psu you use. The Meanwell PSU I bought after some heavy research was the SP320-13.5. This way I can swing the volts the TEC sees +/- 10% or from 12 to 15 volts with about 25a on tap. This psu was more than adequate for the 6500T. I made a pig tail from the Meanwell psu that mated with the pig tail from the 6500 to facilitate easy remounting. I did this with a few spare four pin molex power connectors and some 12 guage wire I had laying around. If you use any type of thinner wire, the wire jacket will melt and pose a fire hazard. Don't ask how I know this... :yepp:
I also need to stress that you cannot have a large enough res for this loop. The hot side of the tec is a HUGE heat dump (like 320-350 watts) into the water mix. The loop containing my Cyclone 120 and PA120.3 holds about 40 ounces of mix. I was getting loaded water temps in upwards of 29c during a 3D MArk 06 CPU run to as much as 38c with a long Orthos or TAT test with room ambients of 23c to 24c. I eventually ran a 15' loop of tubing thru a 25 qt cooler with heavily salinated ice water (salinated water temps were about -10c) between the pump output to the rad for heavy benching sessions. This kept my H2O temps to a more manageable 24-25c.
I would acquire a MCW6500-T775 as well as any of the 3x 120mm rads I mentioned above for just the cpu block. I would also get the biggest capacity res your budget can handle. The EK res 250 is sweet as is the Performance PC Cyclone 120. The rad must have 6x >70 cfm fans in push/pull. The Yate Loon D12SL's are a good choice here. This loop is simple: res>pump 1>pump 2>rad>cpu block>res
For the second loop I would keep the BIX II and get 4x of the same fans (the aforementioned black YL D12SL fans are 71 cfm and quiet as well as dirt cheap) and do push/pull. I would also consider getting a NB block as they get really hot and keeping them cool will greatly stabilize your gpu clocks. The EK wave chipset is pretty nice as is the Swifty MCW30 as is the DD Maze 4 680i chipset block. One DDC+ (as long as it has a modded top - remember I prefer Petra's top) can shoulder the load here as can a smaller res. You can expect temps on the 8800 in the neighborhood of 35c idle and 38c loaded and about 29-30c on the NB.
I would set this loop as follows: res>DDC>rad>MCW60>NB block>res
I have actually "tunnelled out" those Nighthawk ram sinks so one ram sink actually covers 2 banks of vregs. This puts more copper on the job. This lowered the temp of the vregs during heavy benching by about 2c to 28c loaded. This gave me a better overall clock on the 8800's.
Also remove the crappy thermal tape on the MC14's and take the time to lap them with 300/500/800/1000/2000 grit sandpaper. Then clean the mem modules like 5-6 times with Artic 1 and Artic 2. If they are not clean then nothing will stick to them!!! Apply the MC14's to the mem modules/TMPS IC by applying a layer of ceramique to both the memory module as well as the now lapped ram sink. Then apply 2 or 3 very small dots of superglue on the top of the ceramique on the MC14 and hold it in place on the mem module for 15-20 sec. Only use one slightly bigger dot with the TMPS IC. They actually stay on using this method and the net result will be 4-5c cooler memory modules. This gave me +50 mem clock settings.
One last thing. If you have access to a drill press, carefully drill a small hole - 2mm deep by 1.5 mm in diameter - in the side of the cold plate of the tec block. Insert a "K" style probe with artic ashesive and let it cure. This will give you a much better idea of what temps the block is attaining. Do you own a DT200 or something similar?
OK...I don't even know you and I've given you a lot to consider. Take your time and make sure your loop is as overbuilt as your budget will allow. If you do this then you'll achieve a far better clock than straight water would otherwise allow.
Good Luck!!I hope this little "guide" helps.
~Philly~
A Guide to TEC cooling Philly Style
OK, so you just decided to take the plunge into sub-ambient cooling by setting up a TEC block. You have all the parts but are unsure of how to exactly go about this. I hope this guide will help assuage some of your fears. This is just an account of my experience. YMMV and it prolly will.:D
First off please read the many nice sticky's regarding insulating your board. If you skip this mega important step you will soon be finding out how slow the rma process is for your mother board as the condensation from the tec will drip onto the board causing it to die a premature death. The the hardware police will come and arrest you for cruel and unusual punishment to your rig!!! J/K:D
I have found the Swiftech MCW6500-T/775 TEC driven CPU block to be far more effective than almost any other TEC block in terms of price vs performance. Many TEC blocks even when properly implemented will get your cpu a bit colder but will not signifcantly increase your overclock. The 6500 was able to get my E6300 all the way down to -11c idle and -4c loaded with stock clocks and vcore. When I cranked the vcore to 1.6 volts and loaded it with a 100% oc to 3.72ghz the idle only rose to +7c and +22c loaded with Orthos/Boinc overnight!
Part of the way I achieved this was to put a PA120.3 rad (with 6x Yate loon D12SL's in push/pull) and 2x DDC+ pumps (with Petra's modded top) in series on just the MCW6500T loop. The performance severely suffered when I tried to use a only one modded DDC+ pump and a GTX240 rad with 4x Panaflo G series fans in push/pull at full tilt. I would not even attempt a TEC block in a rig meant for serious benching (or gaming or crunching for that matter)without at least a BI GTX360, an Swiftech MCR320, or PA 120.3 rad and some sort of modded top on dual DDC+ pumps. I like Petra's tops but there are other's out there by Alphacool and Radical that work ok.
Next up is the psu you use. The Meanwell PSU I bought after some heavy research was the SP320-13.5. This way I can swing the volts the TEC sees +/- 10% or from 12 to 15 volts with about 25a on tap. This psu was more than adequate for the 6500T. I made a pig tail from the Meanwell psu that mated with the pig tail from the 6500 to facilitate easy remounting. I did this with a few spare four pin molex power connectors and some 12 guage wire I had laying around. If you use any type of thinner wire, the wire jacket will melt and pose a fire hazard. Don't ask how I know this... :yepp:
I also need to stress that you cannot have a large enough res for this loop. The hot side of the tec is a HUGE heat dump (like 320-350 watts) into the water mix. The loop containing my Cyclone 120 and PA120.3 holds about 40 ounces of mix. I was getting loaded water temps in upwards of 29c during a 3D MArk 06 CPU run to as much as 38c with a long Orthos or TAT test with room ambients of 23c to 24c. I eventually ran a 15' loop of tubing thru a 25 qt cooler with heavily salinated ice water (salinated water temps were about -10c) between the pump output to the rad for heavy benching sessions. This kept my H2O temps to a more manageable 24-25c.
I would acquire a MCW6500-T775 as well as any of the 3x 120mm rads I mentioned above for just the cpu block. I would also get the biggest capacity res your budget can handle. The EK res 250 is sweet as is the Performance PC Cyclone 120. The rad must have 6x >70 cfm fans in push/pull. The Yate Loon D12SL's are a good choice here. This loop is simple: res>pump 1>pump 2>rad>cpu block>res
For the second loop I would keep the BIX II and get 4x of the same fans (the aforementioned black YL D12SL fans are 71 cfm and quiet as well as dirt cheap) and do push/pull. I would also consider getting a NB block as they get really hot and keeping them cool will greatly stabilize your gpu clocks. The EK wave chipset is pretty nice as is the Swifty MCW30 as is the DD Maze 4 680i chipset block. One DDC+ (as long as it has a modded top - remember I prefer Petra's top) can shoulder the load here as can a smaller res. You can expect temps on the 8800 in the neighborhood of 35c idle and 38c loaded and about 29-30c on the NB.
I would set this loop as follows: res>DDC>rad>MCW60>NB block>res
I have actually "tunnelled out" those Nighthawk ram sinks so one ram sink actually covers 2 banks of vregs. This puts more copper on the job. This lowered the temp of the vregs during heavy benching by about 2c to 28c loaded. This gave me a better overall clock on the 8800's.
Also remove the crappy thermal tape on the MC14's and take the time to lap them with 300/500/800/1000/2000 grit sandpaper. Then clean the mem modules like 5-6 times with Artic 1 and Artic 2. If they are not clean then nothing will stick to them!!! Apply the MC14's to the mem modules/TMPS IC by applying a layer of ceramique to both the memory module as well as the now lapped ram sink. Then apply 2 or 3 very small dots of superglue on the top of the ceramique on the MC14 and hold it in place on the mem module for 15-20 sec. Only use one slightly bigger dot with the TMPS IC. They actually stay on using this method and the net result will be 4-5c cooler memory modules. This gave me +50 mem clock settings.
One last thing. If you have access to a drill press, carefully drill a small hole - 2mm deep by 1.5 mm in diameter - in the side of the cold plate of the tec block. Insert a "K" style probe with artic ashesive and let it cure. This will give you a much better idea of what temps the block is attaining. Do you own a DT200 or something similar?
OK...I don't even know you and I've given you a lot to consider. Take your time and make sure your loop is as overbuilt as your budget will allow. If you do this then you'll achieve a far better clock than straight water would otherwise allow.
Good Luck!!I hope this little "guide" helps.
~Philly~