View Full Version : Vapochill Videocard Cooler Mounted in Lian-Li PC75
DGeNeRaT3
03-29-2005, 06:13 AM
Hey all, i posted a few pics of my project i have been working on in another thread and it was suggested that i make another thread so we can discuss here instead. So here are some pictures of what i've done so far.
http://www.dbe.ca/case1.jpg
http://www.dbe.ca/case3.jpg
http://www.dbe.ca/case4.jpg
http://www.dbe.ca/case5.jpg
http://www.dbe.ca/case6.jpg
http://www.dbe.ca/case7.jpg
http://www.dbe.ca/case8.jpg
http://www.dbe.ca/case9.jpg
My goal was to make an "all in one case" phase change cooled computer that i was still able to take to lan partys but i could benchmark with it as well. The Mach II unfourtunatly is not in the picture because it has been sent to Chilly1's place to get his evaporator and mounting kit installed. I also have the Aluminium Kit for the Mach II as well seen here.
http://www.dbe.ca/vapo10.jpg
Thanks,
DGeNeRaT3
crotale
03-29-2005, 08:15 AM
Neat! :cool:
I like the idea here. Looks very nice! :)
REDKEN
03-29-2005, 09:29 AM
Great!, the thread is up:)
1- Great looking setup you have there. As I said before, I'm planning to doing something like that to my current system (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=443079&postcount=22) but I'll be trying to fit it on the top. Was there something in particular that made you place the setup on the bottom? Or was it just personal preference?
I'm asking because I want to be prepared and maybe it just doesn't fit on the top (although I think it does).
2- What are the specifications on it? (Measurements, compressor)
3- Is the -31 f or c, and is it load or idle?
4- Tell me more about the controller you are using. Did you build it yourself? What can it do?
5- How do you power it? PSU?
6- Are you going to use dielectric grease on your card?
I told you I had some questions:)
My goal was to make an "all in one case" phase change cooled computer I want one that I can use 24/7.
I also like what you did on the back of the case for the power cord. Very neat!
Well off to work again. I'll be back later to bombard you with more :D (sorry! but I need all the info I can get)
Master_G
03-29-2005, 09:51 AM
2. It's a vapochill XE, so it's a BD35 compressor with r404a, check out the Asetek website for details.
3. C (AFAIK as the vapochill CC displays in C). Knowing the XE temp curve i would guess it is idle.
4. Controller is the CC from Asetek, see their website for details (it's an XE so its a rev2 CC)
5. Yeah it runs off 12V from the PSU.
G
wow how pretty very clean, what video card you using? Noticed it was a leadtek.
DGeNeRaT3
03-29-2005, 12:19 PM
I've gotta go to Taekwondo in 10 mins, i'll be back on tommorw to answer all the questions, Master G got most of them. :)
Eradicator
03-29-2005, 12:37 PM
Wow, very simular to my current project.. Ive got a custom phaser ontop cooling the cpu, and am in the process of finishing one to cool my video card sitting almost like your vapo.. In the same case as yours...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/Zorkman/System1.jpg
DGeNeRaT3
03-30-2005, 03:52 AM
Was there something in particular that made you place the setup on the bottom? Or was it just personal preference?
I put it on the bottom for two reasons, the first being that it made this incredibly light case top heavy and it would be much easier for someone walking by to knock it over and the second being, cuase the vapochill evaporator will not reach all the way down from the top of the case, make a 90 degree bend and soundly mount onto the core of the videocard.
I'm asking because I want to be prepared and maybe it just doesn't fit on the top (although I think it does).
It definatly would fit ontop for sure, i've measured and seen this "Vapo-Lian Li mod" many times over at the asetek forums. They place a solid piece of sheet metal where i've got my second PSU mounted and run it straight across and fasten it into the drive bay making almost like a tray for it to sit on, kinda like the stock vapochill idea with the compressor ontop.
What are the specifications on it? (Measurements, compressor)
Across the front of the condensor is roughly 4 inches
http://www.dbe.ca/measure1.jpg
The overall length is roughly 14 inches
http://www.dbe.ca/measure2.jpg
The overall width including the dryer is just under 7 inches, just enough for the side panel to fit on with no problems.
http://www.dbe.ca/measure3.jpg
Is the -31 f or c, and is it load or idle?
that is idle, with no load. Without going into great detail the system pretty much works like this
+25C Ambiant room temperature idle with no load fan at full speed = -31C
+25 Ambiant room temperature idle with no load fan at half speed = -27.5C
I've only been able to test idle temps with the vapochill XE as i've never had it hooked to a videocard yet, however i had a Pentium 4 Northwood 3.2ghz at 4.1ghz stable with 1.8 vcore and when the cpu was idle it would still go as low at -30c but under load it would drop to around -19C.
I've got a few screenshots of the vapochill control panel at -39C, but that was with cold winter air blowing directly on the condensor, thats kinda cheating ;)
Tell me more about the controller you are using. Did you build it yourself? What can it do?
It is the "Chill Control" that came with the Vapochill XE. It has the ability to read evaporator temp compressor rpm, display a preset processor speed that you set in boards firmware/setup screen and it has an empty prong where you can hook up another temp sensor to monitor whatever you like, in my case i will be running one directly under the foam on the back of the videocard, directly behind the GPU core.
How do you power it? PSU?
Although it's most likely overkill, i have a dedicated eneramx 550watt PSU that does nothing but run the vapochill compressor and all the 120mm and 40mm case fans. Only reason i did this was i wanted the PSU that powers my computer to not have any strain on it other than mobo,cpu,ram etc..the computer componants only. No matter what powersupply i tested with it (even the enermax noisetaker 600watt) when i run all the fans and the vapochill off of it at the same time, my 12v rail suffers. The second reason for this was i wanted to hook the videocard cooler up to it's own switch so when sitting at my desk i power on the Mach II, once the Mach II reaches bootup temp i can reach over and flip the videocard cooler switch on and be ready to go. the only way to start the vapochill independantly from the rest of the system was to have it on it's own powersupply.
Are you going to use dielectric grease on your card?
I am definatly going to use dielectric grease in the AGP slot as well as a wrap of seal string around the agp slot to seal the gap between the slot and the motherboard. I am also going to use armaflex around the gpu and cut a hole in it just big enough for the evap so the foam on the evap will be on the foam around the gpu and hopefully that will insulate it well enough. I am also going to use foam under the glass plate on the back of the gpu core as well as a Mach II heater. I had a guy that runs a vapochill LS on his videocard from Ireland tell me thats what he does and he's had no problems so i'm going to do the same.
I want one that I can use 24/7.
Me too. I want to set this up so it can be used as a regular computer but the key i belive is very very good insulation which i belive i will have when i'm done.
I also like what you did on the back of the case for the power cord. Very neat!
It is a power cord plugin from a swiftech watercooling kit that i had laying around. :)
Don't worry about asking questions, if you are building something similar to this, than any help i can offer i would be more than glad.
DGeNeRaT3
03-30-2005, 03:55 AM
Eradicator, that is an amazing setup! the day i achieve with mine what you have with yours it will be a very happy day for me. What makes your setup more impressive than mine is you actually not only mounted both of those units in your case, but you actually built the phase change units yourself! I sure hope you gave yourself a pat on the back cuase that is one hell of an accomplishment, Great work!
DGeNeRaT3
03-30-2005, 04:01 AM
@bh2k
It's a Leadtek GeForce FX 5200 but this was just a spare card i had laying around and i'm using it just for mock-up purposes only. I am getting a X800XT PE in april can't wait....
this is going to be a nice setup once its finished.
if you add some more insulation might get a few more c's out of it.
REDKEN
03-30-2005, 06:17 AM
Eradicator: That is a great setup! :toast: It's almost exactly what I'm going to do, except The bottom PS unit I'll be fitting on a separate box under the case "vapochill style".
Does having two compressors inside the case heat it up too much?
Is there still enough space to use the upper drive bays?
DGeNeRaT3: Wow!, were do i begin. Thanks! Great reply with pictures and everything :toast:
It definatly would fit ontop for sure, i've measured and seen this "Vapo-Lian Li mod" many times over at the asetek forums. They place a solid piece of sheet metal where i've got my second PSU mounted and run it straight across and fasten it into the drive bay making almost like a tray for it to sit on, kinda like the stock vapochill idea with the compressor ontop. Heading overthere now to get more ideas.
that is idle, with no load. Without going into great detail the system pretty much works like this
+25C Ambiant room temperature idle with no load fan at full speed = -31C
+25 Ambiant room temperature idle with no load fan at half speed = -27.5C
I've only been able to test idle temps with the vapochill XE as i've never had it hooked to a videocard yet, however i had a Pentium 4 Northwood 3.2ghz at 4.1ghz stable with 1.8 vcore and when the cpu was idle it would still go as low at -30c but under load it would drop to around -19C.
Those are great temps you are getting; they'll get that X800XT PE you’re planning on buying to extreme O/C's :). I'll also be getting an X800XT PE soon.
Although it's most likely overkill, i have a dedicated eneramx 550watt PSU that does nothing but run the vapochill compressor and all the 120mm and 40mm case fans. Only reason i did this was i wanted the PSU that powers my computer to not have any strain on it other than mobo,cpu,ram etc..the computer componants only. No matter what powersupply i tested with it (even the enermax noisetaker 600watt) when i run all the fans and the vapochill off of it at the same time, my 12v rail suffers. The second reason for this was i wanted to hook the videocard cooler up to it's own switch so when sitting at my desk i power on the Mach II, once the Mach II reaches bootup temp i can reach over and flip the videocard cooler switch on and be ready to go. the only way to start the vapochill independantly from the rest of the system was to have it on it's own powersupply.
Well I have a 280w enermax powering all my fans, lights, CD-R and DVDR right now. I have a LOT of fans that give out a lot of line noise and having a stable power flow to my vital components was a important to me. So, you won't catch me saying it's Overkill :p:
as well as a wrap of seal string around the agp slot to seal the gap between the slot and the motherboard hadn’t come across that idea yet, but it sounds very good. I might do the same on mine.
I have read some articles on how to insulate, but I don’t know how to test your insulation. Do you just hook everything up and just turn on the PS unit only and see were/if water drops form? For example, Is it safe to cool any device at -40c without any load?
Again thanks for all the info!
DGeNeRaT3
03-30-2005, 06:30 AM
I am going to test the insulation buy hooking the vapochill up to the videocard but leave it unplugged from the motherboard. then i am going to leave the vapochill running on it for a few hours (maybe more) and see if any condensation forms on the card anywhere. If condensation doesn't form on the AGP connector pins or on the card anywhere then i am not going to worry about running the card under load with a Mach II heater heating it and the surround insulation either. This is the only way to test that i can think of without risking your componants. It's not the condensation that ruins your gear, it's condensation on your gear and then powering it! lol...
DGeNeRaT3
03-30-2005, 06:34 AM
this is going to be a nice setup once its finished.
if you add some more insulation might get a few more c's out of it.
Thanks alot Kayl, comming from you this means alot. I have spent countless hours reading your threads from your very first evaporator to your first single phase to your most recent exploits. You are one of the people that i look towards for guidence when working on phase change. I have been slowly been working on my own single phase and i am just about ready to start a thread on that. Doing this project and the single phase DD has been a little difficult to balance but it's been fun!
DGeNeRaT3
looks good man, be good to see how it runs with your new vid card heheh
@bh2k
It's a Leadtek GeForce FX 5200 but this was just a spare card i had laying around and i'm using it just for mock-up purposes only. I am getting a X800XT PE in april can't wait....
If I were an xtpe, I'd be happy to go right under the cold :)
Eradicator
03-30-2005, 02:10 PM
Eradicator: That is a great setup! :toast: It's almost exactly what I'm going to do, except The bottom PS unit I'll be fitting on a separate box under the case "vapochill style".
Does having two compressors inside the case heat it up too much?
Is there still enough space to use the upper drive bays?
Two of my 5.25 drive bays have dvdroms in them.. The rest are not usable though two is all I need... As far as heating things up, the bigger compressor, once the side panel is on is some what isolated from the rest of my system, minus my two dvd roms and doesnt affect much at all.. The smaller gpu compressor is small enough that the heat it produces doesnt affect much, that and this case has some nice airflow..
Keep us posted with updates DGeNeRaT3!!!!
stockhatch
03-30-2005, 02:30 PM
Eradicator, did you say that the top condenser is actually a radiator?! I didnt think they would work in these high pressure applications. To see that theory proven wrong is quite refreshing :D Are both of the compressors 1/5 Embracos? :) What CPU is that and what speed/temps is it running at?
Thanks
Eradicator
03-30-2005, 04:07 PM
Eradicator, did you say that the top condenser is actually a radiator?! I didnt think they would work in these high pressure applications. To see that theory proven wrong is quite refreshing :D Are both of the compressors 1/5 Embracos? :) What CPU is that and what speed/temps is it running at?
Thanks
Its not your typical heater core... The DD cube was actually a small condenesor used for watercooling. All the joints on the cube are brazed... There were a few others simular in its time, but they are very restrictive on a waterpump, therefor the heatore style are more popular now for watercooling...
stockhatch
03-30-2005, 04:38 PM
Ahh I see. Well thanks for clarifying. Once again, great job to DGeNeRaT3 and Eradicator. You both have fine systems that I hope mine will measure up to one day :)
wdrzal
03-30-2005, 06:45 PM
Very nice work :thumbsup: are the fans configured so all the air moves in one direction so they don't fight each other? Walt
Thanks alot Kayl, comming from you this means alot. I have spent countless hours reading your threads from your very first evaporator to your first single phase to your most recent exploits. You are one of the people that i look towards for guidence when working on phase change. I have been slowly been working on my own single phase and i am just about ready to start a thread on that. Doing this project and the single phase DD has been a little difficult to balance but it's been fun!
DGeNeRaT3
thanxs man, i look forward to reading it.
ya got pm
DGeNeRaT3
03-31-2005, 05:03 AM
Ok, got all the stuff needed to mount this up and test for a thermal imprint and just how bad the condensation is going to be. For this test i am going to run all the fans at 100% speed and get the unit as cold as a possably can and unplug the card from the motherboard so the agp pins are left exposed to the air so i can see if they are going to sweat or not. The way i see it, if i can freeze this card all day long (8 hours or so) and i don't get any frost or condensation on the card anywhere when it has no heat load on it then the chances of getting condensation during normal operation are very very slim.
Here is a look at the insulation on the bottom of the card around the GPU and a look at the thermal imprint.
http://www.dbe.ca/bottom.jpg
And the back of the card
http://www.dbe.ca/back.jpg
And now a look with it all mounted up and insulated
http://www.dbe.ca/mounted.jpg
For a final installation i will need to insulate the suction line of the vapo with armaflex cuase the area with the spring is open to the air and frosts up.
So i am going to run this all day and see what happens should be interesting.
DGeNeRat3
DGeNeRaT3
03-31-2005, 05:17 AM
Very nice work are the fans configured so all the air moves in one direction so they don't fight each other? Walt
When starting this project i knew that case airflow was going to a major concern. Where the vapochill unit is mounted so close to the motherboard i was concerned about heat problems So here is my line of thinking when it comes to case airflow.
http://www.dbe.ca/airflow.jpg
from tieing little pieces of plastic bag on various points in the case i could see that the airflow pattern more or less follows the design above. However the fan at the back of the case is a huge Delta fan that moves very fast. The fan on the vapochill is a stock fan from a Mach II as i replaced the stock fan on my Mach II with a Delta fan as well to increase airflow. There is an obvious difference between the airflow in and the airflow out of the case which creates a positive pressure which from what i've been told traps heat in the case. So i added an exhaust fan in the top of the case which guarentees any heat trapped in the case will escape out the top. The other fan i added was a 120mm fan videocard blower that serves to cool the ramsinks on the videocard and helping to keep airflow over the videocard to help fight condensation.
Any tips or pointers anyone has that can help improve case airflow let me know after all 99% of this project is from reading articles and learning from other people. :)
P.S Please excuse the Uber l33t paint skillz...!!
bubblethumper
03-31-2005, 08:00 AM
Well, take my opinion with a grain of salt, but increased airflow should also increase your chances of condensation.
More airflow brings more particles of water in contact with the vid-card. For example, without any fans, the cold parts of the video card might condense all the moisture inside the computer case. At that point, the condensation would slow down because the air in the case is dry. If you then introduce new air from outside the case (via fans), you introduce more water vapor into the case.
I'm not advocating "no fans!", but I am saying that if you are trying to simulate worst-case condensation, it would be with fans at 100%
wdrzal
03-31-2005, 08:19 AM
Air is much,much,much easier to pull than to push, its seems to me that if air came in front of case and was exhausted out rear,(you did not indicate direction)you would be pulling heat from condensor and compressor into case and over cards. looks like front ehaust would be better. walt
REDKEN
03-31-2005, 08:32 AM
I see you have a very well thought out system.
Did you use any PCB lacquer spray,Conformal Coating or Nail Varnish under the insulation tape?
How do you plan on insulating the metal components on the top of the card? Here:
http://img172.exs.cx/img172/8897/14102423077oc.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
REDKEN
03-31-2005, 08:33 AM
Well, take my opinion with a grain of salt, but increased airflow should also increase your chances of condensation.
More airflow brings more particles of water in contact with the vid-card. For example, without any fans, the cold parts of the video card might condense all the moisture inside the computer case. At that point, the condensation would slow down because the air in the case is dry. If you then introduce new air from outside the case (via fans), you introduce more water vapor into the case.
I'm not advocating "no fans!", but I am saying that if you are trying to simulate worst-case condensation, it would be with fans at 100%
Hello, bubblethumper!. Welcome to the forums!
Actually, it's the other way around. The fans actually help keep condensation to a minimum.
wdrzal
03-31-2005, 08:34 AM
bublethumper posted as I was typing, my thought ,he is correct the more air you bring in the more chance of condensation,but because the cond. and comp. are sources of high heat they must ventilated. to stop condensation do some reading on the "DEW Point". If you made a dryer and only introduce air that has been dehumidified would be one answer as well as what most people do,insulate. walt
wdrzal
03-31-2005, 08:39 AM
Hello, bubblethumper!. Welcome to the forums!
Actually, it's the other way around. The fans actually help keep condensation to a minimum.
more air brought in more water vapor to condense, fans do dot stop condesation but evaporate the moisture once its condenses, keeping thing dryer. walt
DGeNeRaT3
03-31-2005, 09:01 AM
@bubblethumper
i was under the understanding from what i've read that it is good to keep an airflow over the insulated parts and this decreases the chances of condensation. I have nothing to prove this other than what i've read and that is what i put into practice. I've heard people say this many many times but only heard what you are saying once. Either way both situations if not insulated properly will cuase condensation so it's 6 of one half a dozen of the other.
@wzdral
This is exactly how the airflow pattern is setup. brought into the case from the rear and pushed out the front and what doesn't go out the front is lifted out of the top of the case thru the 120mm exhaust. I do not want to bring warm air from the condensor and the compressor across the componants, that would just be stupid.
@redken
i am in the middle of condensation testing right now, the system has been running all day so far and the computer isn't even powered on so this is on the card with no load at all. You will never belive this but all the area's that are not insulated ARE NOT EVEN COLD TO THE TOUCH. The cold is simply not spreading much past the insulated areas and i dont' think there is going to be a need for me to insulate the entire card. I realize that from my water chilling days you need to keep any surface you wish to keep condensation free no colder than 10C degrees below ambiant room temperatures if you go below that the card will start to sweat and if you go below zero, obviously that sweat will turn into frost. I still can't belive that even the metal AGP pin connectors on the card arn't even that cold and not even a hint of condensation or anything. I am going to leave it run for at least 12 hours striaght with no load and then that should give me a good indicator if the card is going to form condensation or not but in my expierence if your gonna get it, a few hours should be good enough after all, how long does it take a glass of ice water to form condensation on a warm day? minutes the same applies here.
@wzdral
fans do dot stop condesation but evaporate the moisture once its condenses, keeping thing dryer. walt
This is exactly right and that is my line of thinking and goes along with everything i have read.
bubblethumper
03-31-2005, 09:32 AM
Ok, so we've established that lots of air movement is good for preventing condensation. That's all I wanted to know.
DGeNeRaT3, keep doing things the way you are. I was just trying to understand the reason behind it because I'm going to be putting my X800XTPE under the deep freeze in a month or so.
DGeNeRaT3
03-31-2005, 09:45 AM
Ok, so we've established that lots of air movement is good for preventing condensation. That's all I wanted to know.
DGeNeRaT3, keep doing things the way you are. I was just trying to understand the reason behind it because I'm going to be putting my X800XTPE under the deep freeze in a month or so.
lol....it's all good man i was just trying to figure out if i was wrong or not your opinion is greatly appreciated and i thank you kindly for it and i welcome you to comment with any idea's or theroys you may have in regards to this that way, we all learn :toast:
And you are going to be putting your videocard under the cold as well??!! awesome can't wait to see what you come up with. :)
bubblethumper
03-31-2005, 12:48 PM
And you are going to be putting your videocard under the cold as well??!! awesome can't wait to see what you come up with. :)
Yep yep. I'm having a custom setup created for my vid-card. I'm still not sure if it's going to be a good idea to run 24/7 under phase cooling. And that why this thread is so interesting for me.
My tenative plan is to use my watercooling for daily use, and then hook up the phase cooling for benching.
Hopefully your results here will convince me to go with 24/7 phase cooling on the vid-card. :toast:
REDKEN
03-31-2005, 12:57 PM
Yep yep. I'm having a custom setup created for my vid-card. I'm still not sure if it's going to be a good idea to run 24/7 under phase cooling. And that why this thread is so interesting for me.
My tenative plan is to use my watercooling for daily use, and then hook up the phase cooling for benching.
Hopefully your results here will convince me to go with 24/7 phase cooling on the vid-card. :toast:
You should also participate in this thread http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=57957
REDKEN
03-31-2005, 01:33 PM
@DGeNeRaT3 I was just looking at your case again and was wondering, how did you make the cut on the case for the suction hose? It looks so neat.
DGeNeRaT3
03-31-2005, 03:28 PM
@DGeNeRaT3 I was just looking at your case again and was wondering, how did you make the cut on the case for the suction hose? It looks so neat.
I used a dremel and some edging off of another old Lian Li case i had.
Eradicator
03-31-2005, 03:30 PM
So how loud are those little fans on the back and what mm are they, seems like a good idea to take advantage of some waisted space.. That armaflex insulation is the exact same stuff I use , works great and sticks better than some of the simular stuff.. You have insulated your graphics card quiet simular to me, except I made sure to apply a layer of dielectric grease between the insulation and the card.. Great work so far, keep us posted with updates....
DGeNeRaT3
03-31-2005, 03:33 PM
Yea bubblethumper, i have run my cooler since 8:30am this mourning until just now at 7:43pm (AST) and the card everywhere is not even remotely cold. no condensation on the agp pins, no condensation anywhere. the agp slot and the videocard PCB is dry as well. The cold simply does not spread out from under the insulation at these temps (-28c to -33c) I am positive that as long as we are cooling our cards with temperatures in this range we are going to be fine and not have to worry about condensation. I mean if we run -30c on a videocard all day long and the PCB doesn't even get cold to the touch then i don't think we have anything to worry about condensation wise.
DGeNeRaT3
bubblethumper
03-31-2005, 03:39 PM
Hmmm interesting.
This is good news. I'll be sure to test my card the same way.
DGeNeRaT3
03-31-2005, 03:44 PM
So how loud are those little fans on the back and what mm are they, seems like a good idea to take advantage of some waisted space.. That armaflex insulation is the exact same stuff I use , works great and sticks better than some of the simular stuff.. You have insulated your graphics card quiet simular to me, except I made sure to apply a layer of dielectric grease between the insulation and the card.. Great work so far, keep us posted with updates....
Thanks, and yes i sure will keep everyone updated with pics and the like. The 120MM delta fan is LOUD!!! thats why i bought a 1k BOURNE pot and made a fan speed controller out of it, turning it slightly takes the high pitch whine out of it and doesn't really affect airflow at all. When i'm benching max the fans when i'm sleeping, turn em down. :) the 40mm fans make almost no noise.
Yea Armaflex is awesome stuff thats for sure.
Here is a picture of it all installed ( i added a wrap of armaflex just to make sure since i have lots)
http://www.dbe.ca/installed.jpg
DGeNeRaT3
REDKEN
03-31-2005, 03:48 PM
Hmmm interesting.
This is good news. I'll be sure to test my card the same way.
Me too. Specially since I'll be moving back to Florida soon and it's very humid there.
bubblethumper
03-31-2005, 04:26 PM
Me too. Specially since I'll be moving back to Florida soon and it's very humid there.
Hehe, I live in Florida and I'm right on the ocean. Not only that, but my PC is in my bedroom (which is right next to the bathroom).
Soooo.... I have Florida Humidity + Ocean Humidity + Bathroom Humidity.
I'm gonna basically steam my room when I test my vid-card phase change to make sure it's not getting condensation.
Makes me want to live in the desert
DGeNeRaT3
04-01-2005, 04:57 AM
Well thats it. I left the unit at it's maximum cooling capcity and went home for the night. Now if any condensation was going to appear it surely would appear now. Here is a picture of the core just after i broke it down.
http://www.dbe.ca/free.jpg
It was completely dry. I'm kinda surprised actually but i guess as long as you make sure that the insulation foam covers all the cold parts and the evaporator head's insulation makes a good seal with the foam around the gpu you don't have to worry about condensation at these temps. This is good news cuase i want to be able to leave my computer unattended for hours at a time so now it looks like i'm not going to have to be worried about it. I checked the back of the motherboard too and no droplets on the agp pins either. I will be laying a stripe of armaflex across them too becuase, hey...why not But i doubt i will bother with die electric grease, nail varnish or anything like that.
:toast:
hey where did the glass come from ? :)
Thanks
Dan
FireDragon
04-04-2005, 09:14 AM
How about you cut a hole in you mobo tray behind the AGP slot and put a 40mm fan in there to blow air over the AGP slot (in back of course) that will stop ANY condensation that could form...as insulating it will only keep what cold there is there but also keep in from condensing your call either will work...
This thread is good for me as I planning to have chilled water on my X700PRO...but I will also have my mem cooled I am planning on putting a heater on the back of my CPU and GPU though as my system will be on 24/7 (the chiller that is to keep the temps pulled down on the water) so the heaters will keep any condensation off and will turn them off when the system powers up...
Dragon
FireDragon
04-04-2005, 09:23 AM
:toast:
hey where did the glass come from ? :)
Thanks
Dan
It isnt glass it is either Plexiglass (which is what it looks like to me) or Lexan...you should be able to get Plexiglass at your local hardware store like ACE and so on i think that Home depot also has it...
Dragon
DGeNeRaT3
04-04-2005, 10:19 AM
Sorry it took me so long to reply, yea it's "Lexan" i got it from a local mom and pop glass shop for free :)
Well, since i have run it 24 hours and the agp pins wern't even cold, i think a piece of armaflex will do just fine to insulate the back of the AGP slot on the back side of the motherboard. I really think at at around -20 to -30 the cold simply does not spread as bad as everyone thinks it does. Now people who run the -80 to -100 cascades on thier cards DEFINATLEY need all the protection they possably can. If i am wrong about this then i will definatly post any problems i have with condensation and take pictures to show everybody i'm not too proud to admit i am wrong I just simply want to see how little insulation i can get buy with without going all out with seal string, cling wrap and insulation over the whole card.
DGeNeRaT3
blinky
04-04-2005, 05:19 PM
i like it a lot man :toast:, from teh outside its so unassuming, hehe
is there room up top to put a vapo for the cpu as well? :)
DGeNeRaT3
04-05-2005, 02:21 AM
i like it a lot man :toast:, from teh outside its so unassuming, hehe
is there room up top to put a vapo for the cpu as well? :)
heheh thanks man, yea that is what i was shooting for. When i take it to lan partys i want it to just look like a regular computer but when i take the side panel off.....BOOYA!
:banana:
There is definatly room for me to put a vapo up top but i have a Chilly1 modded Mach II that is going to cool the CPU. I really can't think of a need for anothe compressor in the case unless i switched back to an intel system then i could have a system like "Rukee's" tripple phase change in one case one for the CPU,GPU and NB Chipset.
FireDragon
04-05-2005, 07:39 AM
That is looking nice...once the ATI board comes out i am going to use this chiller i am making now to cool the condensors of 2 compressors one for the CPU, and the other for the vid card...i will then have the chilled water go to my ram vid card mem (if it needs it but i dont think it will) and my NB...HA HA HA i guess i have my work cut out for me on my next system...Grr more long hours infornt of the mill
Dragon
uclajd
04-05-2005, 09:09 AM
Now people who run the -80 to -100 cascades on thier cards DEFINATLEY need all the protection they possably can.Ha, my cascade does -85 on my X800XT PE and the power plug will frost if not covered. :eek:
DGeNeRaT3
04-05-2005, 09:20 AM
Exactly, cascades warrent this type of insulation for sure :cool:
well I like the glass :)
cant wait for finished product pics
by the way did you try to run the system ? try to oc that fx, could be fun :)
Thanks
Dan
DGeNeRaT3
04-06-2005, 05:58 AM
well I like the glass :)
cant wait for finished product pics
by the way did you try to run the system ? try to oc that fx, could be fun :)
Thanks
Dan
I am going to try and run the system as soon as i can get my CPU here. All i've done up to this point is test for condensation.
DGeNeRaT3
DGeNeRaT3
04-07-2005, 06:39 AM
Guys, just an update I have had to put this project on hold for a little bit. I can't say how but i had the oppertunity to purchase the following all for near or below cost and i just couldn't pass up the oppertunity to play with some sli action.
AMD FX-55
DFI Lanparty SLI-DR
2x512 OCZ PC4000 Gold VX
2xEvGA 6800GT
I've canceled my X800XT PE AGP order and ordered a X850XT PCI-E instead and that will be the card that i will be using in this sytem but not until i'm done playing with the sli. Anymore questions though i would be glad to help.
DGeNeRaT3
bubblethumper
04-07-2005, 08:07 AM
Doh! SLI is the dark side!
Good luck man. I have no idea when my GPU phase-cooler will be done, but I'll be sure to post any findings.
DGeNeRaT3
04-07-2005, 08:52 AM
Doh! SLI is the dark side!
Good luck man. I have no idea when my GPU phase-cooler will be done, but I'll be sure to post any findings.
lol i know i feel all icky and stuff even running it but i want to play around with it and see what i can do. Like i said i will end up with a single videocard setup again though :)
I wish you the best of luck with your GPU cooler as well :)
l1mp4n
04-07-2005, 10:10 AM
nice work and i have not read all thats written i just wonder how many hp comp is that ?
DGeNeRaT3
04-07-2005, 10:13 AM
I'm not sure. It's a 12volt Danfoss BD35F i'll google for it.
DGeNeRaT3
04-07-2005, 10:16 AM
it's a 1/20 HP according to here
http://us.refrignet.danfoss.com/SW/USRA_HousCompDoc/EN_US/direct.htm?newguid={4BA77102-EDA2-4985-A6E1-37D28CFABF20}
Jrocket
04-07-2005, 01:18 PM
I saw some of the armaflex tape yesterday in the store. However it says that it can only prevent condensation down to 0 degrees Celsius. Is that also on the front of the card? Does that alone prevent the condensation? How cold is your vapo head getting?
Thanks
DGeNeRaT3
04-07-2005, 03:47 PM
yea the evaporator is wrapped with pipe insulation first and then 2 wraps of armaflex and the insulation was not cold to the touch so it's fine. Nothing blelow ambiant touches the armaflex. The back of the card over the GPU gets below zero but two layers of armaflex and the lexan work well as an insulator.
Jrocket
04-07-2005, 06:21 PM
Thank you for your imput!
Eradicator
04-07-2005, 07:10 PM
I saw some of the armaflex tape yesterday in the store. However it says that it can only prevent condensation down to 0 degrees Celsius. Is that also on the front of the card? Does that alone prevent the condensation? How cold is your vapo head getting?
Thanks
I would imagine that rating is at a certain level of layers, probably one or two. With enough layers it will and should prevent condensation on most of these systems, cascade might require alot of layers though, LOL..
l1mp4n
04-07-2005, 11:11 PM
oh 1/20hp... damn and people told me my 1/10hp may be to weak :) its good new for me ! xD hehe
Eradicator
04-08-2005, 07:49 AM
I think that the original vapochille, the one that came in the really old style case had a 1/20th hp compressor and the newer onese, the ones that come in the case that we all see now have a 1/12th, let me see if I can find where i read that..
Edit: Well I now read that he has the BD35F, which is the 1/20th...
DGeNeRaT3
04-08-2005, 10:15 AM
Yep the Vapochill XE has the BD35F compressor which is a 1/20...yes iv'e been told this is too little but i guess this proves that wrong.
Jimi...
04-08-2005, 10:29 AM
What sort of temperatures can the Vapochill XEs acheive? It's hard to believe that they use 1/20th of a horse power compressor.
Rukee
04-08-2005, 10:39 AM
I run three Vapos in one case. On the VC I use two of the heater tapes that come with the Vapos, one around the core and then one on the back side of the card with a layer of closed cell foam over it and then the plexi glass. Leaving the heater on 100% helps a ton to keep condensation down when the system is just ideling or just surfin the net, and you can always turn them down for a bench run or two.
Trixxy
04-08-2005, 10:48 AM
What sort of temperatures can the Vapochill XEs acheive? It's hard to believe that they use 1/20th of a horse power compressor.
The lowest I've seen my XE evap get was -41c (evap not connected to anything). Normally it'll show -32c idle/-22c load, Clawhammer at 2.7GHz, 1.8v.
Will be interesting to see what temps you get on your X800, DGeNeRaT3, as I put my XE on my X800 last week so we can compare temps. Mine idles at -25c, and about -5c loaded in Ati Tool (depending on load). vgpu is at 1.83v.
sensor on back of card (above gpu) reads about -6c idle, 7c load.
DGeNeRaT3
04-08-2005, 10:58 AM
Rukee, your the reason i started this project i seen what you did and it floored me :)
Actually before i started this project i had a Sapphire OEM X800XT PE here testing on air...it died and got a lot of little lines on the screen so i hooked it up to my vapochill just to see what the temps would be. i got -33evap temp and -22 in the cat driver control panel, that was idle with no load.
As i said a few posts up the X800 XT has been put off for a bit as i'm going to play a little bit with SLI as i got a good deal i couldn't pass up. But i am going to be getting a X850 XT to play with after a little while until then i may just stick one 6800 GT under the cold to play with that for a while.
l1mp4n
04-08-2005, 01:31 PM
hmmm... wonder where my post did go ... :banana::banana::banana::banana: then i would have to start building an gpu cooler after my cpu dd is finnished xD nice work btw it awsome
DGeNeRaT3
04-08-2005, 04:05 PM
hmmm... wonder where my post did go ... :banana::banana::banana::banana: then i would have to start building an gpu cooler after my cpu dd is finnished xD nice work btw it awsome
Thanks alot :)