Is this good enough

[HAL 90001]

I have a built a what I thought was a nice water cooled tec rig but am being to wonder if I have or not,

I have a 320w pelt on a amd64 3400 clocked to 2820 at 1.7v this is cooled by a dd maze 4 water block I am using ThermoChill 120.2 rad and a ThermoChill 160.1 rad to cool them. in the same loop I have a 172w pelt cooling my 6800gt which is clocked at 400/1220

This is all done with 1/2inch tubing and a d4 danger den pump

I use 2 pc power supply’s to power the tec and the pc I have a 420w ocz witch is rated at 33amps on the 12 volt line powering the 320w pelt on the cpu
and 600w enermax powering the pc and the 170w pelt on the g/card

I don’t no what temps I get on the g/card as it all ways show 256c even at full load I have read that means it is below 27c so that is not to bad

The cpu ides at about 25 to 28c below case temp
at full load it is about 2 to 4 degrees c above case temp


this seems to be quit a swing to me I would have thought I could kempt it lower than that

All my blocks I scred up good and Tight

I am not sure of my water temps to be honest as I broke my themoter but before I broke it there was only a 2 to 3c rise in temps and then it leaved off

The more I think about it the more I can’t help feeling there should be lower temps than I am

sorry for the long post but wanted to get all the info in anyway any help people can give would be great even if its to say thinks seem fine to them, the point is I just don’t no


T.I.A

[HAL 90001]

ment to put these temps in the post for you all to look at would like some input if you can.

The start temps I am talking about are where every think was before I booted up
One think that spring to my mind is that the idle of the cpu and the full load is a difference of 31c that strikes me as rather a lot, but as I said before I don’t really no that’s the problem I am looking for a fault that may not be there.

Anyway any help anyone can give would be most helpfully

water temps


start temp 23
idle temp 26
full load temp 27



case temp


start temp 23
idle temp 25
full load temp 25


cpu temp


start temp 23
idle temp 7
full load temp 38

the tec is one thats came from ebay

It is spec is

245 - 320 Watts of cooling power
Operates from 0-15 volts DC and 0-26 amps
Operates from -60 deg C to +180 deg C

[HAL 90001]

bit off a up date. the power supply I am using for the 320 pelt on the cpu is a ocz 470 this can handle 33a on the 12 volt line and all so has a little screw in the back that change's the voltage from 11v to 14v (this I have checked with a volt meter) but if you change it and watch the temps it seem to make no change atall maybe 1c if that.

That dose not make alot of sense to me

I would have thought a 3v change up or down would have some effect

anyway like I say any thought would be great

T.I.A

[ls7corvete]

You should be dumping something like 700w of heat into that loop during load, you should see more than 2c above ambient from that heat load.

Your TECs cant be getting enough power, not surprised with trying to run them off of a computer PSU, possibly other problems as well.

check and double check your system, something is wrong.

[Holst]

Do you know the specs for your TEC (specifically Vmax)

2*c above ambient seems VERY good for water temp, I would also query that reading. But if you have loud fans+shrouds you might get close to this on those rads.

Running TEC on PC PSU is not very good especially if your running well below Vmax .. a ajustable PSU is much easyer to tune.

With your large(ish) variation in load/idle temps on the CPU I would expet that you have a water cooling issue (which you dont if your tests are correct) a power supply issue (most likely) it may possibly be that your waterblocks cant cope with the wattage produced .. more flow may help here.
maze4 is a poor TEC block IMO and I prefer the swiftech products for design/performance. However swiftech uses annodised aluminium so care must be taken.
The winchlabs blocks were MUCH better than either IMO, unfortunately they went out of buisiness... if you can get one second hand at a fair price I recomend it.

I would also take ebay TEC specs with a pinch of salt .. some of those numbers look very suspect, especially the Qmax they state of 320watts ... this is impossible at 15v 26amps (thats only 390watts input)
I suspect that your TEC is really a 226watt unit.
What size is the TEC 50mm x 50mm ?

[STEvil]

I bet he's not giving the tec more than 8v..probably running it off a molex which is causing massive voltage drop..

[Holst]

I bet he's not giving the tec more than 8v..probably running it off a molex which is causing massive voltage drop..

If the molex were causing all that voltage drop it would melt!!

But your right that molex are awfull for this sort of application.

I recomend using high ampage RC connectors, such as corrally gold plugs, or deans power connectors.

[HAL 90001]

to be honest the molex dose get there hot if fact one did melt and i had to replace it, thats not somethink I thought of. you see I have had a volt meter on the moex and when i trun the power supply up it show 14v so I always thought it must be getting enought power but if the molex is stopping it get to the tec that would not help....

I had come to the conclution that the tec is :banana::banana::banana::banana: and need replacing wich will have to wait till after xmas

will re wire it tomorrow and see if that helps will let you no how I get on

ps I striped it all down today checked it all over every think is right plenty of pressure on the cold plate good flow ov the water the temps show the rads are doing there job so like I say I had come to the feeling that the tec I got of ebay was rubbish

Anyway thanks all will let you no how I get on

o and yes the tec is a 50x50 in witch is why I thought I had found a realy fined as it was a straight fit into the danger den maze 4-1 Its never thats simple is it :)

[HAL 90001]

right thats it I am trowing in the towel. spent all day striping my system down. bought a clam so I could clam my water block and cold plate I fasten it up good and tight and I mean tight. I bought some heavy duty wire and rewired my tec rebuilt the whole system split my thum nail on one of the fans so now there is blood all over the inside of the case booted up and what had all my blood money and sweat got me sweet fa thats what nothing not a :banana::banana::banana::banana:ing think all temps the same. :(

the one think that make no sence to me is that if you move the voltage up and down it makes no diffrence I can go from 11v to 14v and not see even 1c change doint get that ?

so there is more than likely some think wrong but I have no smeging ider what and right now I am past careing.......

[Holst]

:(

Best bet is to stop and have another look in a couple of days.

Hope nothing is broken and that you just forgot to plug something in.

[HAL 90001]

right have been playing a round a bit and if I back the cpu back to a round 2200 or even 2400mhz then my temps are good even at full load its sub ambent.

I have cheaked ever part of the water cooling and it good the cold plate is there tight in fact king bloody kong could not get it tighter :) so imo its just that the tec can not handly the heat at high overclocks and thats why i need a better one.

got the last one of the ebay caint fined it now (dead link) have found a other one but doint now any think about it was wondring if anyone has or could have look at it for me and see what there think.

the pelt I am using now is rated at 320w 15v 26amps but there was no mention of d/t

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/320Watt-Peltier-TEC-for-AMD-Intel-CPU-water-cooling_W0QQitemZ6805074309QQcategoryZ42001QQssPag eNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

this one clames to have a d/t off 69c

Anyway like I say any help people can give would be great thx

[Holst]

Where are you?

[HAL 90001]

right time for a new up date fitted a new pelt to my system 320w 15v 26 amps

and its now a whole new ball game, got idle temp down to -1c and my full load temps to 2 to 3 dec below case temp so I am faily pleased overclock is back up two 2850mhz new recored for this chip :)

thx's for all the help all

[Holst]

Glad you got it working.

Most important higher overclock :D