AtlasShrugged
07-12-2008, 01:16 PM
Project "Atlas Folder" is the name of my first ever water build. I'm starting more or less from scratch to build a reasonably quiet and very powerful dual loop system that can run 24/7, and I'm dedicating the effort to my father Tony.
My goals are twofold: One, to build a strong gaming rig upon which to game (EQ2 mostly) and two, to run Folding@Home's GPU client on my three EVGA GTX280 SSC cards simultaneously.
Running F@H is the reason that I want the computer to run 24/7 and a lot of people do that, however, for me and many others F@H strikes particularly close to home. My father has Huntington's Disease, a hereditary genetic disease that is slowly eroding him away day after day. I won't detail F@H (http://folding.stanford.edu/) or Huntington's Disease (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington%27s_disease) other than to provide these links. F@H is pretty widely known in these circles and HD is, like many genetic disorders, cruel and terminal.
This is my first build project of this magnitude so I'm welcome to any constructive criticism. I've been reading this and other forums for several weeks now getting a feel for what some of the best components and vendors are and I feel like I've done a reasonably good job of parts buying.
The Goal
A large mildly overclocked dual loop system with one loop consisting of CPU/NB and the other loop consisting of three GPUs which can be run unattended 24/7 with automatic shutdown features in case of fan/pump failure, abnormal temps, etc.
The Loops
1) Reservoir -> Pump -> CPU -> NB -> Radiator -> Back to Reservoir
2) Reservoir -> Pump -> GPU1 -> GPU2 -> GPU3 -> Radiator -> Radiator -> Back to Reservoir
The Parts As Links
Electronic Components
EVGA 790i Ultra Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188025)
EVGA GTX280 SSC Graphics Cards x3 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130368)
Intel QX9770 Quad Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115051)
4GB SuperTalent 1800MHz DDR3 RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609274)
Dell 3008WFP 30" LCD Monitor (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=223-4890)
Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153054)
HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Sound Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271003)
Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker System (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120)
Water Cooling Components
GTX280 water blocks - Danger Den Tieton x3 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=353&cat=18&page=1)
Swiftech MCP355 12v DC Pump x2 (http://www.swiftech.com/products/mcp355.asp)
XSPC Laing DDC Reservoir Pump Attachment x2 (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7226/ex-pmp-62/XSPC_Laing_DDC_Reservoir_Pump_Attachment_-_Laing_DDC-1T1TPlus_MCP-350355_No_Fittings.html?tl=g30c107s152)
Thermochill PA120.3 x3 (http://www.thermochill.com/pa1203.php)
D-TEK FuZion v2 CPU Block (http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=210) with nozzle and quad core mid-plate
EK Waterblocks EK-NB/SB 5 (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ekwaek5ac.html)
120mm Yate Loon D12SM-12 Case Fans x12 (http://www.petrastechshop.com/12yalod1cafa1.html)
Danger Den FB (Fat Boy) G 1/4 Fittings x10 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=318)
Danger Den Micro Stubby SLI Fittings x6 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=330)
Danger Den Thermochill (Fat Boy) G 3/8 Fittings x6 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=352)
Petra's "PT_Nuke" Biocide (http://www.petrastechshop.com/pepcobi1.html)
Tygon 1/2" x 3/4" tubing (30 feet) (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ty1id3odlatu.html)
Herbie Clips (30) (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/heclnyhoclsi.html)
Hardware Components
Mountain Mods Ascension case with Trinity Front and Horizon back (http://www.mountainmods.com/ascension-cyo-choose-your-own-p-483.html) ("BDS")
Things not yet purchased
Fan Controllers
So there's the list, I'm as confident in it as I can be without having received all of the components and tried to fit them together yet. I think it's a solid list of high quality parts judging from what I've been able to research.
Decision Justifications, Self Critique and Free Association
First, I have this computer running on air at the moment while I'm waiting for the MM case and WC components. I've run three instances of F@H GPU client on my three GTX280 SSC cards and they get pretty hot under the load (sometimes ~90*C) and the fans run 100% constantly which is somewhat loud. Obviously the GPU load would benefit from water cooling, which is why I elected to put two PA120.3s in the GPU loop. Since I have a PCI sound card I'd like to free up a PCI slot by water cooling the GPUs also, which seems doable with the Danger Den GTX280 WB the "Trieton" (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=353&cat=0&page=1), or the EK GTX280 Block (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7827/ex-blc-500/Ek_nVidia_GeForce_260_GTX_280_GTX_VGA_Liquid_Cooli ng_Block_-_Acetal_EK-FC280_GTX_SLI.html).
What I don't know is if the two rad GPU loop needs two pumps... the MCP355s with the XSPC tops are are pretty good, we'll see. It can't be worse than 90*C with fans on full.
I don't have an air flow design yet. I suppose I'm going to put the three rads in the front of the MM case with the Yate fans in the back of the case pulling cool air in and the fans in the front on the rads pushing warm air out of the case through the rads... This doesn't seem right but it doesn't make sense to pull cool air through the rads, heat it up and put it in the case with the electronics right? Need to research this one some more.
As for GPU blocks I'm waiting to see what Danger Den has for their Trieton in a couple of days. They're adding a backplate to it to cool the RAM which I'd like, but it may not be a single slot solution anymore.
I guess that's it for now, I'll post a pic here of my three GTX280 SSC cards and get more serious about pics when the MM case and WC parts get here and this project starts moving in ernest.
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
AtlasShrugged
Mediocre iPhone photo:
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8592/img0091br9.jpg
My goals are twofold: One, to build a strong gaming rig upon which to game (EQ2 mostly) and two, to run Folding@Home's GPU client on my three EVGA GTX280 SSC cards simultaneously.
Running F@H is the reason that I want the computer to run 24/7 and a lot of people do that, however, for me and many others F@H strikes particularly close to home. My father has Huntington's Disease, a hereditary genetic disease that is slowly eroding him away day after day. I won't detail F@H (http://folding.stanford.edu/) or Huntington's Disease (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington%27s_disease) other than to provide these links. F@H is pretty widely known in these circles and HD is, like many genetic disorders, cruel and terminal.
This is my first build project of this magnitude so I'm welcome to any constructive criticism. I've been reading this and other forums for several weeks now getting a feel for what some of the best components and vendors are and I feel like I've done a reasonably good job of parts buying.
The Goal
A large mildly overclocked dual loop system with one loop consisting of CPU/NB and the other loop consisting of three GPUs which can be run unattended 24/7 with automatic shutdown features in case of fan/pump failure, abnormal temps, etc.
The Loops
1) Reservoir -> Pump -> CPU -> NB -> Radiator -> Back to Reservoir
2) Reservoir -> Pump -> GPU1 -> GPU2 -> GPU3 -> Radiator -> Radiator -> Back to Reservoir
The Parts As Links
Electronic Components
EVGA 790i Ultra Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188025)
EVGA GTX280 SSC Graphics Cards x3 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130368)
Intel QX9770 Quad Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115051)
4GB SuperTalent 1800MHz DDR3 RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609274)
Dell 3008WFP 30" LCD Monitor (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=223-4890)
Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153054)
HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Sound Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271003)
Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker System (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120)
Water Cooling Components
GTX280 water blocks - Danger Den Tieton x3 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=353&cat=18&page=1)
Swiftech MCP355 12v DC Pump x2 (http://www.swiftech.com/products/mcp355.asp)
XSPC Laing DDC Reservoir Pump Attachment x2 (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7226/ex-pmp-62/XSPC_Laing_DDC_Reservoir_Pump_Attachment_-_Laing_DDC-1T1TPlus_MCP-350355_No_Fittings.html?tl=g30c107s152)
Thermochill PA120.3 x3 (http://www.thermochill.com/pa1203.php)
D-TEK FuZion v2 CPU Block (http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=210) with nozzle and quad core mid-plate
EK Waterblocks EK-NB/SB 5 (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ekwaek5ac.html)
120mm Yate Loon D12SM-12 Case Fans x12 (http://www.petrastechshop.com/12yalod1cafa1.html)
Danger Den FB (Fat Boy) G 1/4 Fittings x10 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=318)
Danger Den Micro Stubby SLI Fittings x6 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=330)
Danger Den Thermochill (Fat Boy) G 3/8 Fittings x6 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=352)
Petra's "PT_Nuke" Biocide (http://www.petrastechshop.com/pepcobi1.html)
Tygon 1/2" x 3/4" tubing (30 feet) (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ty1id3odlatu.html)
Herbie Clips (30) (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/heclnyhoclsi.html)
Hardware Components
Mountain Mods Ascension case with Trinity Front and Horizon back (http://www.mountainmods.com/ascension-cyo-choose-your-own-p-483.html) ("BDS")
Things not yet purchased
Fan Controllers
So there's the list, I'm as confident in it as I can be without having received all of the components and tried to fit them together yet. I think it's a solid list of high quality parts judging from what I've been able to research.
Decision Justifications, Self Critique and Free Association
First, I have this computer running on air at the moment while I'm waiting for the MM case and WC components. I've run three instances of F@H GPU client on my three GTX280 SSC cards and they get pretty hot under the load (sometimes ~90*C) and the fans run 100% constantly which is somewhat loud. Obviously the GPU load would benefit from water cooling, which is why I elected to put two PA120.3s in the GPU loop. Since I have a PCI sound card I'd like to free up a PCI slot by water cooling the GPUs also, which seems doable with the Danger Den GTX280 WB the "Trieton" (http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=353&cat=0&page=1), or the EK GTX280 Block (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7827/ex-blc-500/Ek_nVidia_GeForce_260_GTX_280_GTX_VGA_Liquid_Cooli ng_Block_-_Acetal_EK-FC280_GTX_SLI.html).
What I don't know is if the two rad GPU loop needs two pumps... the MCP355s with the XSPC tops are are pretty good, we'll see. It can't be worse than 90*C with fans on full.
I don't have an air flow design yet. I suppose I'm going to put the three rads in the front of the MM case with the Yate fans in the back of the case pulling cool air in and the fans in the front on the rads pushing warm air out of the case through the rads... This doesn't seem right but it doesn't make sense to pull cool air through the rads, heat it up and put it in the case with the electronics right? Need to research this one some more.
As for GPU blocks I'm waiting to see what Danger Den has for their Trieton in a couple of days. They're adding a backplate to it to cool the RAM which I'd like, but it may not be a single slot solution anymore.
I guess that's it for now, I'll post a pic here of my three GTX280 SSC cards and get more serious about pics when the MM case and WC parts get here and this project starts moving in ernest.
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
AtlasShrugged
Mediocre iPhone photo:
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8592/img0091br9.jpg