Thinking of buying a prometia

[alexroland]

Hi,
although i've been reading these forums for awhile now, I finally decided to register.
anyways you guys probably get this a lot about the prometeia but i'm really thinking about getting one and have a few questions....

AFAIK, canada (where i'm from) has two resellers:http://www.impact-ltd.ca/prometeia/ or http://kit-tronics.com/xcart/customer/home.php?cat=89&XCARTSESSID=58408428b8846cc21c2cb71f1d5bb92a, and i've decided to go with kit-tronics.

Well right now my system is watercooled and it's been great, but I want to move on to the next step.

ok for my questions:

1)What's the difference between the Prometeia 1 and Prometeia 2? (btw I want to get the Prometeia without a case)

2)From all the reviews i've read, they say that it's pretty straight forward to install. Do you guys find so?

3)Is it possible or easy to change the two fans with lower noise ones? (ie. 120mm Panaflos)

4)Can you use the Prometeia 24/7? Does anyone here use it for 24/7 use?

5)Will using the Prometia everyday for maybe 6-8 hours raise my electricity bill a lot? Have you guys noticed your electricity bills going up? (if you care to share)

6)If I buy one now, will they come out with an Athlon 64 mountin kit for if I decide to upgrade?

7)And one of the main things that scares me is condensation! Is it true that in the manual it doesn't tell you to use de-electric grease? and can you use the Prometeia in a humid room? (when summer comes around, my room gets kinda hot)
In the overclockers.com review, they showed this which doesn't look good:

http://www.overclockers.com/articles618/prowat.jpg.

Have you guys ever or do you guys see water forming like that?

I might have more questions, but can't think of any more right now.... also please be honest because I would really like to get this but I want to make sure I know everything before/if I purchase this because $700-$800 is A LOT of money for me.

any help is appreciated.
thanks.

[JCviggen]

Well to start from the top :)

- The difference between the first prometeia and the Mach II is slightly improved cooling, but mainly many other things have improved such as hose flexability, condensation prevention and the windows control centre.

- I find it straight forward to install, but often it only starts going comfortably after doing it a few times.

- The 2 fans in the mach II are already pretty damn quiet and I believe they are panaflo.

- The prometeia can be used 24/7 no prob... I've had mine running a month straight when I was out of the country :)

- 6-8 hours wont push your electricity bill up much. But it does consume more than a normal PC obviously... if you're running only one for 6-8 hours i dont think you'll get any surprises.

- Yes an A64 kit is in process of being finalised

- You should NOT use any dielectric grease whatsoever. That will only mess up your mainboard. There are heating elements in the hose, in the insulation around the evaporator and on the back of the mainboard. Sealstring is used to hermetically seal off everything around the CPU and cooling block... unless sealstring is poorly applied and air enters the hermetic cell, zero condensation will occur no matter if you live in a humid area or not :)

[TheDude]

That pic with the red circle is a good example of user error. If properly setup, condensation is not a problem. People who have never watercooled probably ask you if you are worried about water leaks inside your computer. Think about that for a second...what do you tell them? Same thing with this. :D
Yes installation is very straight forward. It takes longer than a regular air cooled pc because there are more steps. It will probably take as long as your watercooled rig to setup.
I run my Prommie 24/7, you will see an increase in your electric, but not dramatic...it naturally will consume more power than a regular pc...that's just common sense. It costs a little more to fly 1st class. If you are serious about getting the best performance possible....buy it...it's a good investment.;)

[Colin]

alexroland JC and TheDude pretty much covered everything but I'd suggest getting the Prometeia from Kit-Tronics... Dealt with them several times and it's been a great experience! :D

[neyoung]

I've been considering buying a prommy too. What I want to know is whether the Mach II is really worth the extra bucks? Secondly is there a place that you can buy them from with the lian li kit already installed on it?

[DarKcyde]

Mach 1 and mach 2 are essentially the same unit, performance wise. Same compressor, same guts. If cost is a big deal for you, go for the mach1. The new prommy's biggest features are the new LCD and more flexible evap hose, but hardly worth the extra cost in most ppl's opinion.

[neyoung]

Do the Mach I and Mach II software work the same?

[DarKcyde]

Mach 1 doesnt have software. Its a hardware refridgeration controller unit.

[lallend]

Originally posted by JCviggen

- You should NOT use any dielectric grease whatsoever. That will only mess up your mainboard. There are heating elements in the hose, in the insulation around the evaporator and on the back of the mainboard. Sealstring is used to hermetically seal off everything around the CPU and cooling block... unless sealstring is poorly applied and air enters the hermetic cell, zero condensation will occur no matter if you live in a humid area or not :) *Yikes!*

I used a crap load of dielectric grease in the socket area and on the back side of the mobo too. That plus I am not using the rear heater.

What problems could it cause?

[JCviggen]

Originally posted by lallend
*Yikes!*

I used a crap load of dielectric grease in the socket area and on the back side of the mobo too. That plus I am not using the rear heater.

What problems could it cause?



Aside from a messy mainboard not a lot, but you should use the rear heater still m8
you might get some light condensation on the back plate.

[lallend]

Originally posted by JCviggen
Aside from a messy mainboard not a lot, but you should use the rear heater still m8
you might get some light condensation on the back plate. Phew! I thought I was in trouble there for a sec! I don't mind the messy mobo, besides, its all contained within the square mounting bracket.

I have been running without the rear heater for about 3 weeks now So far, so good, no condensation allthough the rear plate is cool to the touch.

I cut a hole in the mobo tray so its easy to check for condensation and I do so frequently. I think it also helps that I live in the desert with its low humidity levels

Thanks for the response JCviggen :toast:

[Marci]

I too have my central socket and pins filled with dielectric, and the pins on the reverse of the board. The trick is to ensure absoultely no dielectric whatsoever comes into contact with areas where sealing string is required to stick, cos it stops it sticking!

I've been running my MachII for a month or two now with neither heaters operating... not had a single problem with condensation...

[koensa]

i taught it was about 200watt

and most psus are 350watt or maybe 450watt

so the bill is somewaht higher.



460watt enermax here and 200watt prom
=660watt cost

[JCviggen]

It has nothing to do with how big your PSU is.... a 600W PSU wont draw any more power than a 300W in the same rig. Its only a maximum rating.

[alexroland]

Thanks guys for all the responses!

before all of this I was leaning towards the Mach 1 (because of price), but after reading a bit more and seeing this thread: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20582 i'm thinking about the Mach II now. Do you think I should go straight for the Mach II instead? and is it worth an extra $385.75(CDN) over the Mach I?

I know you guys mentioned that the electricity bill probably won't go up a lot, but just as an estimate, how much in dollars do you think it would go up?

Is 2.3v on a CPU for everyday use too much volts even on a prommie? what's the maximum amount of volts you would say is safe for everyday use?

Do the two 120mm fans have to be run on that circuit board or is it possible to run them on a seperate rheobus?

quick question...... is running a prometeia just like running a mini bar fridge?

[alexroland]

quick bump before I go to bed.

[Marci]

but after reading a bit more and seeing this thread
- That's just user error.... not a fault with the Mk I. You can get the same prob with the Mk II if you don't handle it properly.


and is it worth an extra $385.75[/quote
- Nope, definitely not worth the extra in terms of monetary value... more like about £90. All depends how serious you are about yer cooling as to whether it's truly worth the extra... if you don't take it seriously, you may end up breaking the unit out of warranty then it CERTAINLY wouldn't be worth the extra... it's all down to YOU PERSONALLY and how confident you are and how much ground-work and prep-work you're prepared to do.

[quote]Is 2.3v on a CPU for everyday use too much volts even on a prommie? what's the maximum amount of volts you would say is safe for everyday use?
- All depends on the speed and load of the chip. If you're running at 300Mhz then u could use a 3v vcore without probs as you don't have the additional heat added by speed AS WELL as the heat added by voltage. 2.3v is fine if when you set it to 2.3v it doesn't go pop and temps stay within reason. That's the only way to answer that question.


Do the two 120mm fans have to be run on that circuit board or is it possible to run them on a seperate rheobus?
Run em off whatever you like. They're just fans... If the promi moans about lack of rpm, just shove an 80mm fan on the headers of the controller instead... however, if u do run em separately remember the PC doesn't fire up for a good 2 minutes, so neither will your fans.... so it won't work. You'll have to run your rheostat off a power source that turns on at same time as the Promi Compressor does.


is running a prometeia just like running a mini bar fridge?
- Depends on the minibar fridge. If anything it's more like running a proper freezer (kitchen style)


but just as an estimate, how much in dollars do you think it would go up?
- Depends on your electric supplier, tarif that your on, increased power consumption of rig due to higher OC due to Prommi...

[alexroland]

Thank you everyone for all the help! and thanks Marci for answering my last bit of questions there.
Much appreciated!!