Possible to make a quiet water cooled setup?

[Smalltimer]

Hi I am working on a water cooling system (my first) and I wanted to know if anyone could help me figure out how to get silence and water cooling?

I have limited choices in rads here in Canada and so I was wondering if it woudlnt be better to take a triple instead of a double to move more heat in the process with lower speed fans.

My choices are:

Hardware Labs BLACK XFLOW Bix3 Radiator
Swiftech MCR320 Triple Quiet Powe Radiator

I have been contemplating all sorts of ways to try and accomplish my goals of quiet water cooling but the lack of experience is my biggest obstacle.

I also want to add that I will be cooling the CPU only (opteron 165)

[Vice]

You could even go a single rad for a cpu only if you want silence, maybe double if you can fit it/want to. Won't really see that much performance gain. But yes, a triple will be more benificial over a double.

[Okda]

BIX3 needs high cfm fans which means not silent at all

the MCR-320 is very nice specially if u will mount 3 x 120mm fans with moderate cfm 40~50 @ less than 25dba which is silent and will give u the best perfromance

why not cool ur vga also to decrease the noise from ur system since the 7800GT's is not silent at all

[Overconfidence]

If you're only cooling the CPU, a double radiator will be more than enough.

The swiftech MCR-220 should be good.

If you're concerned about getting parts in Canada, Jab-Tech.com (Good site for watercooling) does ship and bill to Canada.

Along with the MCR-220, other good quiet parts are:

Fans: Nexus 120mm or Yate Loon 120mm (Two of one or the other on the radiator, again, a dual rad is more than enough). Good, quiet, lowspeed.

Pump: Laing DDC is a very good, small, quiet pump. If you can, look at the one with the Alphacool modded top (Sold at performance-pcs.com - ships to Canada, may or may not bill to Canada through credit card). The noise level is the same, but flow rates are amazing.

Waterblock is whatever you can afford (Read the stickies), tubing and such should be explained there as well.

Again, your opteron 165 will put out some heat, but not that much. A triple rad is total overkill - a single rad like the Thermochill PA160 with a Nexus fan on it would probably still cool your optie fine while being very quiet.

Foam is always good for pumps, something to stop it from having direct contact and vibration with your case chassis.

[Serra]

I have limited choices in rads here in Canada and so I was wondering if it woudlnt be better to take a triple instead of a double to move more heat in the process with lower speed fans.

My choices are:

Hardware Labs BLACK XFLOW Bix3 Radiator
Swiftech MCR320 Triple Quiet Powe Radiator


If you're only cooling CPU, you could do with just a single radiator... I have any Opty 170 and only have a triple because I wanted to leave enough room for decent future expansion (which I'll likely be doing now that I have a noisy as all hell video card). Whether you get a single, double, or triple is really more based on whether you'd prefer silence or temps though. Obviously the single can give you the best temp (1 fan = less noise than 3)... but that being said, a triple will remove the most heat, and if you'd like you only have to put 1 fan on now, and can add more on at any point in the future.

Anyway, if it's silence you're looking for, the Black Ice Pro (BIP) line is more for you than the BIX line. The BIX radiators were more designed for higher CFM fans... which aren't generally as quiet as the lower CFM fans the BIP was designed to work efficiently with.

Serra

[mion]

Do not get d5/mcp655 pump

Get gpu cooler aswell, dual rady will handle it.

[Vice]

Now why would you say something like dont get a d5 pump? If he goes single rad that yes, that would be something to consider, but now with a double/triple.

[eXa]

a ddc+ is more silent than a d5!

[creidiki]

besides that, its got like 50% more head and half the heatdump

[MaxxxRacer]

DDC+ entombed in Armaflex FTW.

Swiftech MCR320 with 5v yates.

that should do the trick i think. Will be about as quiet as you can get while stil perfomring well.

[creidiki]

Whats this armaflex stuff?

Can you link meh?

[Smalltimer]

Thanks for the ideas and help guys.
Assuming I go with the Swiftech MCR320 Triple Quiet Powe Radiator it seems to have 3/8 fittings on that but I was aiming at 1/2"

Is the entire rad plumbing 3/8 or can I refit that with 1/2" fittings?


Do not get d5/mcp655 pump

Get gpu cooler aswell, dual rady will handle it.
Also what is wrong with the MCP655 Pump?
I don't have any other choices from my local distributor, what is better than an MCP655? I am planning on using a STORM waterblock.

My video has very quiet after market air cooling, I want to keep the water cooling simple (CPU only) to start with and consider expanding down the road.

[creidiki]

Most shops let you choose 1/2 or 3/8 fittings, unless theyre bad shops :)

DDC-Ultra is better than D5.

[Okda]

is the DCC-Ultra enough to cool a cpu + gpu + a triple rad

[creidiki]

whats your definition of enough?

an eheim 1046 will do it. temps wont be anything record-breaking, but itll pump through that fine.

let alone a 9-11ft head pump like a 50Z or D5, ppl have been using them and we've been recommending them for ages.

a DDC-Ultra is just... better.

with the small form factor, low noise, 9W dump and 15ft head w. 4.1gpm flow, the top-inlet DDC+ is simply the best 12V pump on the market. closest we've seen to cathar's "perfect pump" to date.

downside is the pump w. premade top costs 10-30% more than the previous standbys pumps, the 50Z and D5, depending on the country.

[Petra]

Thanks for the ideas and help guys.
Assuming I go with the Swiftech MCR320 Triple Quiet Powe Radiator it seems to have 3/8 fittings on that but I was aiming at 1/2"

Is the entire rad plumbing 3/8 or can I refit that with 1/2" fittings?
The MCR320-QP is threaded for 3/8" NPT barbs, the bore of which is substantially larger than 1/2"... You have to remember that the threads are measured using the pipe thread standard and not by actual diameter. The use of 3/8", 1/2", or even 5/8" OD barbed fittings would work fine with the MCR320 so long as the threaded end is 3/8" NPT.

[Okda]

ok thanks creidiki for the explanation

for me the D5/50Z is the best bang for buck

[Smalltimer]

The MCR320-QP is threaded for 3/8" NPT barbs, the bore of which is substantially larger than 1/2"... You have to remember that the threads are measured using the pipe thread standard and not by actual diameter. The use of 3/8", 1/2", or even 5/8" OD barbed fittings would work fine with the MCR320 so long as the threaded end is 3/8" NPT.
Great info. thanks for that!

SO can the Swiftech MCP655 Pump give me great cooling with this rad and a Swiftech Storm Waterblock? I was told the storm required quite a bit of flow. However I will not be doing cooling anything more than my CPU on this setup so I wondered if it could provide sufficient flowrate as a pump. I can't find anything better in Canada for a pump unfortunately.

[creidiki]

Ample. Though Performance-PCs sells the DDC-Ultra and ships to canada.

[Smalltimer]

Ample. Though Performance-PCs sells the DDC-Ultra and ships to canada.
Oh my!
It looks like they have tons of goodies there (including the GTS rads)
I think I will focus my purchasing attention there instead :slobber:

thanks for the info. creidiki


PS. is the "Alphacool Laing DDC-Pump 12V Ultra" the one mentioned in this thread?

[creidiki]

Yes, thats the one - Ultra = 18W, Pro = 10W.

[Smalltimer]

Yes, thats the one - Ultra = 18W, Pro = 10W.
Awesome!
Can a seasonic HT-600 handle this?

[Fresh Daemon]

If you can get the BIX3, can you get a BIP3? It will do better with quiet fans.

www.bigfootcomputers.com is a fairly decent place to get w/c stuff in Canada. No BIP3's though. Petra's Tech Shop and DangerDen will both ship USPS if you ask in advance, so you don't get auto-boned with "brokerage" charges from UPS or FedEx. I've done business with both, went smoothly and both have top-notch support.

I might reconsider the Storm block. It's restrictive, which means you need a more powerful (meaning either noisier or much pricier) pump. If silence is your primary concern then presumably you will be wanting to use GPU and NB blocks also to eliminate their noisy fans, which will add further restriction. I would recommend something like a Swiftech 6002, which doesn't actually perform that much worse than a Storm but is much less restrictive.

Overclockers.com (http://www.overclockers.com/articles373/wbsum.asp) has a useful summary of most waterblocks according to C/W and pressure drop. As you can see, the Storm tops the list, but with 5 times the pressure drop of a TDX, RBX or White Water!

[creidiki]

Indeed...

But the DDC-Pro (quietest good 12V pump around) is more than enough to pump though a Storm + Maze 4 + MCW30 + triple rad.

All depends on how much youre willing to pay for that last 0.5c on the CPU.

[Smalltimer]

Indeed...

But the DDC-Pro (quietest good 12V pump around) is more than enough to pump though a Storm + Maze 4 + MCW30 + triple rad.

All depends on how much youre willing to pay for that last 0.5c on the CPU.
Well heres my list thus far:

ThermoChill PA120.3 Triple 120mm Radiator for Lower CFM Fans
Alphacool Laing DDC-Pump 12V Ultra Water Tank

I will get the remaining consumables in Canada.
What fans would be best for that rad?

[creidiki]

Ditch the DDC tank, its terrible. The opening is so small air wont actually bleed, itll take you less time with a t-line.

Yate Loons.

And if youre really after silence, take the Pro, it equals the 50Z or D5 in performance when running the top inlet but its quieter than both (and the Ultra).

[Smalltimer]

Ditch the DDC tank, its terrible. The opening is so small air wont actually bleed, itll take you less time with a t-line.

Yate Loons.

And if youre really after silence, take the Pro, it equals the 50Z or D5 in performance when running the top inlet but its quieter than both (and the Ultra).
Okay so something like this:
ThermoChill PA120.3 Triple 120mm Radiator for Lower CFM Fans
Alphacool Laing DDC pump 12V Pro
Swiftech STORM Extreme Performance Universal Water-block - Rev 2

Do I even need a res. with this setup?
And what fans would be best for silence and cooling, I guess I would try to find a middle ground, perhaps using fan speed controllers or something.

[creidiki]

i use a t-line.

undervolted yate loon d12sl-12 will be ample.

[[XC] DragonOrta]

A t-line would take the place of a res. It's what most use, simply because it's cheaper and doesn't affect flow much at all. I've heard it takes a bit longer to bleed, but I've only used t-lines, so I can't really comment on that. But a t-line doesn't take much time at all to bleed.

[Smalltimer]

i use a t-line.

undervolted yate loon d12sl-12 will be ample.
Ok
Is "yate loon" d12sl-12 a brand of fan? I found a nexus d12sl-12 but no yate loon per say.

Also where can I find a t-line, and how does that work? (I am unaware of this approach)
I mean what section would this fall under?

[creidiki]

neuxs are rewound yate loons. pm J-Mag for yates (5$ each) or buy them from Performance-PCs, Jab-Tech, or Petras.

[Smalltimer]

Okay heres where I'm at:

ThermoChill PA120.3 Triple 120mm Radiator for Lower CFM Fans
Alphacool Laing DDC pump 12V Pro
Swiftech STORM Extreme Performance Universal Water-block - Rev 2
3 x Yate Loon 120mm Silent Case Fan - D12SL-12 - Sleeved

All I am missing it the infamous T-line, not quite sure how that fits into the package though.

[creidiki]

Its just a t-piece. You put it before the pump's inlet somewhere, and run a long-ish piece of tube from the leg of the "T". Cap it with something - i use a sawed-off spindle from a dvd spindle.

[Smalltimer]

Its just a t-piece. You put it before the pump's inlet somewhere, and run a long-ish piece of tube from the leg of the "T". Cap it with something - i use a sawed-off spindle from a dvd spindle.
Very interesting, are there any advantages to this?

[creidiki]

its dead cheap.

it will never crack or leak (if you put a clamp on the t-piece/tube junction).

minimal flow restriction - less than any res, though the effect is hardly measurable unless you have a terrible res.

[JoeBar]

On the other hand it can't beat a res in ease of use... ;)

[creidiki]

Well, if its a good res. The Alphacool DDC res is much worse than a t-line.

[MaxxxRacer]

armaflex = neoprene with sticky stuff on it so that it sticks to the pump.. go into the phase change section and you will see first hand what i mean.

[Fresh Daemon]

Do you need it to be all in the PC case? If not, you can make an external radbox which you can line with foam and other sound-deadening material. You can even site it away from the computer, perhaps outdoors, and this will take fans and pump out of earshot.

[Smalltimer]

Do you need it to be all in the PC case? If not, you can make an external radbox which you can line with foam and other sound-deadening material. You can even site it away from the computer, perhaps outdoors, and this will take fans and pump out of earshot.

You know that sounds pretty appealing.

I actually considered something like this once, incoporated into my hardwood desk. Perhaps use one of my drawers and run some nice pipe grommets from underneart into my rear case slots etc.

It's not like I ever move the thing anyways :)

[Fresh Daemon]

If you don't need it to be portable it's a great option. You can also use a big pump like an Iwaki or a Blueline (that I use). If you can move it far away enough - maybe you have a den next to a utility room and you can make a hole in the drywall? - you could even use a BIX3 and loud fans.

[Hassan]

I prefer Y lines to T lines and If you want a clean setup try the Danger Den fillport for that finished look, otherwise cd spindle will work great

[Fresh Daemon]

Danger Den fillport is aluminum and will corrode if you have any copper in the loop. Try the Delrin ones from Petra's Tech Shop.

[Smalltimer]

If you don't need it to be portable it's a great option. You can also use a big pump like an Iwaki or a Blueline (that I use). If you can move it far away enough - maybe you have a den next to a utility room and you can make a hole in the drywall? - you could even use a BIX3 and loud fans.

You know I thought about it all night and I the idea of placing my cooling somewheres else in the house (basement) sounds great! in a case like this I could grab a PSU and some monster fans on a RAD and just let the dog howl in the basement. However... what pump could handle this sort of load? Ideally I would place it in the coolest location in my basement which is the opposite end of my workstation. Aprox. 60feet of hose :)

Perhaps I should go out to my hardware store and look at some 110v pumps :)

[Smalltimer]

I came accross this pump, wondered if it could handle the load:

Supreme Mag Drive 3600 Pump

These pumps can be used submerged or in-line (nonsubmerged), and have a three year limited warranty. UL listed to U.S. and Canadian safety standards
# Suitable for fresh or saltwater aquariums, sumps, protein skimmers small to medium garden fountains, piped statuary380 watts• 3600 gph maximum flow with a 24' shut-off
• ceramic shaft
• 10' grounded power cord
• plastic prefilter included
1 inch treaded intake and discharge
pumps 3000 GPH @ 3', 2800 GPH @ 5', 2400 GPH @ 9, 1800 GPH @ 12, 400 GPH @ 18',
• operates submerged or in-line
• three year limited warranty

[creidiki]

whats its heatdump and max head.

from the max flow id say it probably dumps far too much heat to be any good for WC, but find the figures.

[Smalltimer]

Er nevermind :D @ 380 watts the running cost offset of using this pump becomes inneficient :(

That is an aweful lot of current draw for a 110v pump though.

[Smalltimer]

whats its heatdump and max head.

from the max flow id say it probably dumps far too much heat to be any good for WC, but find the figures.

I think the max. its 24 feet the GPH @ XX (max head) rating typa thing.

[creidiki]

24ft head aint bad, but thats all pointless without heat dump... though i think i know the pump youre talking about and its much, much too hot for pc watercooling.

[Smalltimer]

Okay.

Here is a list: http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/tlist/pumps/pumps.php?category_ID=98

Based on your knowlege do any of these pumps come to mind as good candidates?

[Smalltimer]

Here is one (looks good) however my knowlege in this area is nill to none so...

Formerly known as the "Velocity Water Pump"
Poseidon is the world's quietest and only titanium centrifugal pumps. Poseidon Water Pumps feature sealless/leakproof designs and are made with noryl housings and impeller, titanium or stainless rotor and separating wall, ceramic bearing ball, carbon graphite bearing cap and EPDM o-ring.

The Poseidon Series water pumps are highly energy efficient and ultra-quiet (less than 30 db). They are high performance and feature “Dry Run Cutout” with thermal switch for added safety. They are rated for temperatures to 140° F and line pressures to 50 psi.

Designed for all saltwater applications. All Poseidon Titanium Water Pumps come equipped with mounting bracket, and 18/3 SJTWA 6’ power cord.

Specifications:
Input: 3/4" MPT
Output: 3/4"MPT
0' Head: 720GPH
5' Head: 645GPH
10' Head: 540GPH

http://www.jlaquatics.com/images/pumps/poseidon.jpg
Inventory Status: Instock

[creidiki]

Look, if you want an AC pump, just get an Iawki MD-20, 22.6 ft head 2.8gpm less than 20W heat dump and its like 115$

A DDC-Ultra will whup any of those Eheims, cba to check the rest tbh.

Anyway, i though you wanted SILENCE? If you wany silence get a DDC, no AC pump comes even close to its noise levels, and the performance of both models is excellent.

[Smalltimer]

Look, if you want an AC pump, just get an Iawki MD-20, 22.6 ft head 2.8gpm less than 20W heat dump and its like 115$

A DDC-Ultra will whup any of those Eheims, cba to check the rest tbh.

Anyway, i though you wanted SILENCE? If you wany silence get a DDC, no AC pump comes even close to its noise levels, and the performance of both models is excellent.

Okay, what about that last pump I posted with the image? Its a silent pump also and (efficient claim) I don't know what that meanst but it might be low heat as well.

You are correct about the silence (its my mission)
However, I decide last night that I would place my cooling system away from my workstations and thus leave more headroom for the traditional parts and setup. The only problem now is I want to place the cooler(RAD) in the basement and this is why I'm looking for an extreme pump to handle the distance etc. I think it would be aprox. 70' of tubing and 1 floor in height.

Do you think its possible to do this?

The basement location would be ideal because of the lower temps there and such, otherwise I could scrounge for a location on the same floor but it would not be as good imo.

[creidiki]

Those pumps have high flow figures which are relatively useless for our purposes, you want stuff with high head.

Anyway, unless they give you power draw and max head, dont buy it.

See this pump?

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/iwaki.php?product_ID=wp-i030rlt

this is the high head, low flow version, only 510GPH and it already dumps far too much heat to be used in a watercooled setup.

I'll let you imagine how good an investment a pump with unknown head and 2-3x the max flow of that is.

[Smalltimer]

I see.

So "4' Head Flow Rate: 510GPH" is a good figure in a low heat pump?

[creidiki]

*blink*

i just said that pump already has a heat dump far too high for our purposes.

and thats not the max head, that site doesent seem to give any of the stats that actually matter to us, like power draw and max head, they only give max flow and a few flow @ head figures.

[Smalltimer]

*blink*

i just said that pump already has a heat dump far too high for our purposes.

and thats not the max head, that site doesent seem to give any of the stats that actually matter to us, like power draw and max head, they only give max flow and a few flow @ head figures.
Ah ic. I missread your last post.
Okay so based on my idea can you tell me what specs I should be looking for as far as max head /gph is concerned.

I found these specs on the pump posted above.
240 gallons per hour at 16 foot head pressure to 650 gallons per hour at 3 foot head pressure

although none are max ratings, but with the 57PSI rating I think I can calculate max head. It also says the draw is 96 watts, I'm assuming this is nominal though and not if the pump is working harder.

[creidiki]

Ill give you some figures: an RD-30 (33ft head, 5.3gpm) wont break 3gpm in your typical loop.

Add 10ft+ of tube, and i doubt anything will break 2gpm, not unless you put a pump so strong itll make the tubes burst.

Your best bet is to take something *without* incredible flow figures, nothing bigger than an MD-30, preferably a 20, and run them in series.

2 of the high-head WMD-20s would give you about 45ft head... youll want to make sure they DONT lead directly to your rad, because otherwise itll probably burst like a water balloon when you stick pins in it.

Then you can take an HE120.3 or BIX III and drop 6x 220CFM deltas GFBs on it in push-pull and since its in your basement you wont hear it - if the floors are thick enough.

[Smalltimer]

Ill give you some figures: an RD-30 (33ft head, 5.3gpm) wont break 3gpm in your typical loop.

Add 10ft+ of tube, and i doubt anything will break 2gpm, not unless you put a pump so strong itll make the tubes burst.

Your best bet is to take something *without* incredible flow figures, nothing bigger than an MD-30, preferably a 20, and run them in series.

2 of the high-head WMD-20s would give you about 45ft head... youll want to make sure they DONT lead directly to your rad, because otherwise itll probably burst like a water balloon when you stick pins in it.

Then you can take an HE120.3 or BIX III and drop 6x 220CFM deltas GFBs on it in push-pull and since its in your basement you wont hear it - if the floors are thick enough.
Okay so I could run two pumps in series then...
Is there a way to calculate the needed flow and head pressure for a setup based on elevation and line distance?

[creidiki]

Elevation doesent really matter, what comes up must come down.

I dont know if anyone has restriction figures for tubing, but if i were you id buy myself some 5/8 or 3/4 tygon if you plan to run silly lenghts of tubing. it would hurt flow in short runs but in long runs itll be at advantage.

Just exactly how many feet of tubing do you think of running?

[Smalltimer]

I'm thinking 70' but since this conversation started I have been mulling over the idea of trying to find a spot on my main floor instead of the basement to reduce the overall distance. I might be able to do something in the 30' range.

Also, I wanted to ask. If I can run two pumps in series could I just use two MCP655's or two Alphacool Laing DDC pump 12V Pro pumps instead of those other ones or would they not do the job?

[sdkevin]

70' of tubing lol 30' range seems reasonable otherwise even 2 pumps doesn't perform that well on 70' of tubing, why not get Ultra instead of Pro if you can afford it

[creidiki]

holy crap 70' O.O

that would be like 100$ of 5/8 tygon lol... and i dont even wanna think of what kind of pump youd need for that lol.

and sure you can, but 2x MCP655s wll only give you 22ft head, a single MD-20 will do that... and 2x DDC-Ultra will give you 30ft head, but since noise wont be a concern you might as well spend the 230$ you spend on those 2 on an RD-30.

since the pums wont be in the same room as you and so you dont care about noise or size, DC pumps just arent cost effective for their performance.

you might wanna rethink this, there's gotta be an easyer way to run a silent WC than spending 100$ tubing and 250$ on pumps to have mediocre performance.

[creidiki]

I mean, 2 of these should give you more than enough head/flow for 30' of tube:

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/itemdetail.asp?itemid=WP-IKWMD30RLZT

i should hope 72.2ft head will be enough lol.

however, theyll dump as much as 100W of heat. thats like having another CPU in your loop. sooooo nice for your temps...

[eXa]

so you will need to have them after the cpu and before the rad!

[creidiki]

72.2ft head right before rad = 'splode, water all over the place, buy new rad.

[Smalltimer]

holy crap 70' O.O

that would be like 100$ of 5/8 tygon lol... and i dont even wanna think of what kind of pump youd need for that lol.

and sure you can, but 2x MCP655s wll only give you 22ft head, a single MD-20 will do that... and 2x DDC-Ultra will give you 30ft head, but since noise wont be a concern you might as well spend the 230$ you spend on those 2 on an RD-30.

since the pums wont be in the same room as you and so you dont care about noise or size, DC pumps just arent cost effective for their performance.

you might wanna rethink this, there's gotta be an easyer way to run a silent WC than spending 100$ tubing and 250$ on pumps to have mediocre performance.
Ah well the idea seemed feasible until knowlege and reason set in :)
initially I was going to dump a PA100.3 in a modified silent Lian-Li case using the entire bottom compartement for my rad and fans with lowered fan speeds. That was the extent of my plan for a localized silent water cooling setup.
But as life would have it there are exceptions to every rule and its never as easy as it would seem. :)

At 1K for a water setup I have to question the overall cost/performance ration of such a setup. I guess I should try to keep that sweet spot within range and keep it as simple as possible.

[creidiki]

KISS is always ftw mate.

a pa120.3 with YLs @ 5v wont be audible over your hard drives & stuff, add it together with a DDC-Pro (the 10W DDC is a great pump and its REALLY, REALLY quiet) and youll have as close to noiseless cooling as you can get without going for one of those fully passive setups...

and those are only worth it if you accept that you can say g'bye to performance.

I mean, i run my YLs @ 9.5v and i STILL cant hear them over my hard drives...

[Smalltimer]

KISS is always ftw mate.

a pa120.3 with YLs @ 5v wont be audible over your hard drives & stuff, add it together with a DDC-Pro (the 10W DDC is a great pump and its REALLY, REALLY quiet) and youll have as close to noiseless cooling as you can get without going for one of those fully passive setups...

and those are only worth it if you accept that you can say g'bye to performance.

I mean, i run my YLs @ 9.5v and i STILL cant hear them over my hard drives...

Well you've restored my faith in that setup then :)
based on what you are saying I would be very satisfied, I can't hear my HDD's now so any improvement would be betterment as far as I am concerned, Perhaps the silent case will bring some additional noise supression also.

So I am ready to process my order.
Other than tubing, is there anything else I would need to conclude this order?

ThermoChill PA120.3 Triple 120mm Radiator for Lower CFM Fans
Alphacool Laing DDC pump 12V Pro
Swiftech STORM Extreme Performance Universal Water-block - Rev 2
3 x Yate Loon 120mm Silent Case Fan - D12SL-12 - Sleeved
1/2" T-fitting

[creidiki]

youre not gonna cool your GPUs while youre at it?

[Smalltimer]

youre not gonna cool your GPUs while youre at it?
Nope only an opteron 165 CPU

[eXa]

huh, so your goal is absolute silence and then you have aircooled gpu?

you know that a triple rad is more than enough for both? even with undervolted Yates!

[Smalltimer]

huh, so your goal is absolute silence and then you have aircooled gpu?

you know that a triple rad is more than enough for both? even with undervolted Yates!
Well I have an aftermarket GPU cooler (silent) and my workstation has near 0 video requirements (rendering only) I guess I am after every single ounce of cooling possible under the circumstances.

I will be building two of these workstations and cluster them (4 way opteron rendering )
So my goal is silence, stability and long term cool running operation because both cores will be maxed out for the life cycle of the systems

[creidiki]

Mmmm...

You could put both on. Max the :banana::banana::banana::banana: otta both of them. Run the fans @ 5v. And still have cooling to spare.

[Smalltimer]

Mmmm...

You could put both on. Max the :banana::banana::banana::banana: otta both of them. Run the fans @ 5v. And still have cooling to spare.

Wow! there would be that much overhead! :eek:
Well perhaps I will purchase one water cooling kit to start with and see how it performs under load. I can purchase a second water block and tubing locally.

[creidiki]

Ive got an X1900XT and a DC opty on just a double... so yeah, there's enough overhead in a triple PA for 2 blocks - assuming your have aircon or your temps dont go nuts in the summer, anyway.

[Fresh Daemon]

However... what pump could handle this sort of load?

Something like a powerful Iwaki model that Creidiki suggested should do fine.

Elevation in a closed loop does not matter. Water being pumped up is offset by gravity pulling water down the other way. What you're fighting is the restriction of your blocks and the restriction of the extra tubing, which if you keep the runs straight shouldn't be overwhelming.

If you're making this project run all over your house I would suggest running copper pipe up your walls and putting barbs on the ends to attach flexible tubing.


Well I have an aftermarket GPU cooler (silent) and my workstation has near 0 video requirements (rendering only) I guess I am after every single ounce of cooling possible under the circumstances.

Then this just doesn't make sense. If you're happy with the noise level of your GPU cooler, why not just get a Scythe or BT CPU cooler with an undervolted Yate Loon on it, and a passive Zalman NB cooler? It would cost a lot less, be a lot less hassle, and you would probably be satisfied with the noise level.

[Smalltimer]

Then this just doesn't make sense. If you're happy with the noise level of your GPU cooler, why not just get a Scythe or BT CPU cooler with an undervolted Yate Loon on it, and a passive Zalman NB cooler? It would cost a lot less, be a lot less hassle, and you would probably be satisfied with the noise level.
Well in this case I am working on the maximum overclock with mimumim noise and heat. This small rendering cluster will work 24/7 and on the long run every single frame advantage mean so much more.

for example take a single thread with an average frame @ 45 seconds
24 Hrs = 86400 seconds = 1920 frames

Now the same process with a CPU churning out @ 41 seconds
24 Hrs = 86400 seconds = 2107 frames

Now the difference under 4 cores(threads) would aproximate 748 frames

This is a very insignificant example but with an Opteron 165 processor running at 40% over stock the performance advantage becomes substantial and with the proper rig the cost/performance benefits scale rapidly beyond this point.

Silence is the last but critical element of my objective. I hate noise, it simply robs my creative space during work. Its nasty :)

[creidiki]

Well, just keep in mind people use triple rads for overclocked SLi/CF rigs - and yes, cooled with undervolted fans.

[Fresh Daemon]

Well in this case I am working on the maximum overclock with mimumim noise and heat. This small rendering cluster will work 24/7 and on the long run every single frame advantage mean so much more.

Perhaps you should consider Conroe. A lot of power with low thermal dissipation.

[Smalltimer]

Perhaps you should consider Conroe. A lot of power with low thermal dissipation.
I most certainly have but the time frame is bad, I read that conroe's will not be mainstream until late aug. in Canada.

Any idea if it has the same rendering abilities as the Opteron?

[creidiki]

they seem to have the same rather considerable lead in the few tests ive seen - mostly the andandtech 3dsmax tests.

[Smalltimer]

they seem to have the same rather considerable lead in the few tests ive seen - mostly the andandtech 3dsmax tests.
I have not been able to find a rendering performance benchmark for the Conroe as of yet.

I checked the following reviews:

http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2716
http://techreport.com/etc/2006q1/conroe/index.x?pg=1
http://www.gdhardware.com/hardware/cpus/intel/conroe/001.htm
http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.asp...cleid=794&cid=1

Perhaps its not its strong point.
Ragardless the chip seems to overclock really well, then again we might be looking at engineering samples for these tests. It's hard to get a grasp of what were really looking at.

Also my supplier in Canada just emailed me back saying that they are expecting Conroe's no sooner than Sept. :cool:

[Fresh Daemon]

Just get a Conroe from someone here. Check the FS/T, there's a few Conroes and compatible motherboards right there.

[Smalltimer]

Just get a Conroe from someone here. Check the FS/T, there's a few Conroes and compatible motherboards right there.
Well I'd need two of them for it to work for me, and then I would have to ditch my current hardware (motherboard /ram etc.)

I don't think it would be a worthy move at this time. I am unable to get some rendering numbers as well, its tough to justify such a move without a baseline for the intended purpose.

In the end (after losses) I might be touching the same cost as an additional node in my cluster which would far outweigh the benefits of a Conroe processor.

And having said all this.... Conroe would certainly be the better choice down the road :)

[Fresh Daemon]

Why do you need two Conroes?

I'm just thinking, if you were going to chuck all this money at watercooling when it wouldn't actually increase your o/c all that much (relatively), why not get a faster CPU that will overclock higher without even needing water?

[Smalltimer]

Why do you need two Conroes?

I'm just thinking, if you were going to chuck all this money at watercooling when it wouldn't actually increase your o/c all that much (relatively), why not get a faster CPU that will overclock higher without even needing water?

The cluster (to be) is a slant rack with room for 8 boards.
I guess it would look really nice with some water cooling tubes to each motherboard. I will start with two nodes and build from there. I'm thinking the water cooling would be a good long term investement, not only for this setup but for upgraded ones down the line. (other than waterblocks) but even at that there might be brackets for new sockets etc.

I am on air now, I don't like the noise /performance ratio and I would much prefer lower temps when rendering. I have yet to see an air heatsink that can keep an overclocked opteron 165 under 50c quietly. I mean I have not seen everything but I have passed my share of heatinks and they all get kinda wurry at that point.

[iboomalot]

I have a swiftech MCP655 and it works great. Been faithfull for 7-8 months and I can't hear it over one 7v 120mm fan but I do have it placed on 1" foam pad as I did with my 1048 it replaced.


I also use a STORM block and flow is good.

[nettwerk2006]

Do not get d5/mcp655 pump



I have a D5 pump, and on the #5 setting (maximum) it's so quiet I can't even hear it. It's also outside of the computer case about 3ft away, but is completely silent.

[Smalltimer]

Parts ordered. :D
I will post here when I get things together and running