Has anyone run a TEC setup for some time without a problem?

[computerpro3]

Hey,
Well I am building the absolute ultimate machine here (been saving up forever, money is an object keep in mind, so no dual vapochills or anything) and I was looking at doing a TEC setup with the GPU and NB. Here are the componets in the machine:

Coolermaster ATC 101b (already recieved)
Pc Power and Cooling 510 Deluxe Custom (already recieved)
AMD Athlon 64 FX-55
DFI s939 nf3
1 GB OCZ pc3700 EB
BFG Geforce 6800 Ultra OC or X800xt-PE CANT DECIDE
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
Vapochill LS Phase Change system

undecided TEC blocks for NB and GPU

Eheim 1250 (already recieved)
Dtek ProCore (already recieved)
Dangerden Dual Bayres (already recieved)
Linksys Wireless G Speedbooster (already recieved)

now, I need this machine to work and work fast for a long time. I prolly won't do any major upgrades for a couple years. So basically I'm looking on overclocking this thing to the max to get the absolute most time and speed out of it. Thats why I thought about going TEC. Now my problem is, I haven't seen anyone using a TEC setup successfully for an everyday rig. Besides Tedinde that is. How feasible is it? I don't care about power draw....

The machine will be a heavy gaming rig hooked up to a 19in CRT and a home theatre projector.

Keep in mind the CPU will be cooled by a vapochil LS, not a TEC.

Which video card is more conduicive for TEC's (6800 or x800xt-pe) and is it feasible at all to run them for like 8 hours a day for a couple years? Will the condensation kill the NB and card? I don't want to kill my mobo or $500 video card and all the horror stories I've seen have got me kinda leery....

I'll be shooting for about 35k 3dmark01 for everyday stable settings with the xt, about 30k if i go for the ultra (just as a barometer of where I want to be for everyday performance).

Thanks for the help in advance.

[saaya]

x800 is cooler so its better for tec'ing imo...

tec on a nb isnt really worth it though.

errmmm what are your other questions? :D

[computerpro3]

hmm the lack of responses is discouraging....do all pelt setups really fail?

[saaya]

lol who told you THAT? LOL

there are dozens if not hundrets of members one this site with an mcw50-T tec block on their videocard and i havent heard of one failing for almost 1 year, and that was because of a user error :D

[computerpro3]

so it would be safe for the video card to have an upgraded mcw50t on there (170 watts) for over a year? It will be voltmodded.... Also, since the 170 watt pelt will only operate at about 90w due to the whole 12v thing it should be safe to run of my pcp&c 510 deluxe, right?

[saaya]

there are 150W tecs that run with 12v, i think dd has em :)

and yes, running an mcw50-t with a bigger tec is no problem man :)
dont worry. of course theres the chance that something goes wrong, but its really unlikely... could aslo be hit by an airplane crashing or could slip on the wet floor and break your neck etc etc :D

[computerpro3]

there are 150W tecs that run with 12v, i think dd has em :)

and yes, running an mcw50-t with a bigger tec is no problem man :)
dont worry. of course theres the chance that something goes wrong, but its really unlikely... could aslo be hit by an airplane crashing or could slip on the wet floor and break your neck etc etc :D


40mm??? no way :slobber: :slobber: :slobber:


are you serious about falling on the floor :eek: OH NOOOO!!!!

[saaya]

lol :D

http://www.dangerden.com/mall/Pelts/peltiers.asp

here you go. dd calls it a 169W, but if you click on the pic to get a bigger version of it you will see the pic itself is named 156W :rolleyes: wich makes sence as there is not a 16v 169W tec afaik.

this tec should run just fine in the mcw50-t, even a 227W tec should run just fine in it :)

you just need a big rad to get rid of all the heat :D

[computerpro3]

hmmmm i have a dtek procore with an 80cfm 120mm fan.

That rad should be able to cope with a TEC'd vmodded x800xt-pe and a TEC'd northbridge, right? IT handled a 4ghz 3.0C @ 1.75v and a radeon 9700 pro @ 1.85v 425mhz so i think the watts should be about the same....

dont forget the CPU won't be in the loop


edit: my pcp&c 510 deluxe should handle this TEC with my upcoming rig as well, right?

[saaya]

cpu=140W
gpu=~60W

so 200W for your old system...

x800xt-pe=80W stock
nb=30W? 925x? 875?
nb tec 80W? =+100W
gpu tec=227 tec? @12v=+210W @15v=+320W

~440-550W is more than 2x what you were runnign before. you will need a second rad to get normal temps. a second dtek or a dd dual 120mm heatercore and you should get very good temps.

dont run a 227W tec off the psu your using to power your system! unless you get an 800W tec LOL :D

the 227W tec will need 15v to get really low temps, so i would recommend you a dedicated psu that could also power the 80W tec i think, and if not then dont worry, powering an 80W tec off your main psu is no problem as it only pulls 7A and runs fine with 12v, the nb doesnt need a tec anyways.

a dedicated psu usually costs 120$, but you can get it cheap on ebay sometimes. or you use another psu to power the 227W tec, i would recommend 20A on the 12V rail.

tbh a tec on the northbridge really isnt needed :)

so if you just run the 227W tec on the x800xt-pe with a 12v psu then we are talking about 300W of heat. i dont know if a single dtek rad can take that heat... i guess its going to be "ok", just try it :) np to order another rad and add it at any time :)

when you want lower temps on the card then you can mod the psu to get 15v, or you can get a dedicated psu, if you run the 226W at full 15v you will very very likely need a second rad, but you can try it and see for yourself :)

so to sum it up:

tec on nb is not needed
recommend a 227W tec for the card
run it at 12v for now
can run it at 15v later to get lower temps but will need a second rad

hope i could help you :toast:

[computerpro3]

hmmmm ya, you've been great, thanx. :)

The only problem is that I'm trying to fit the entire shebang into a coolermaster ATC 101b (good size case, 5 5.25 bays). Can a dedicated psu fit into a 5.25 bay? If so that would be ideal...

damn....for the costs I'm lookin at if I have to get a dedicated psu, bigger pelt, the pelt block, new heatercore....I think it would be cheaper and easier to grab a mach1 for the gpu. Dual phase change....that would be very nice for everyday gaming ;) I wonder how many people have that?

[saaya]

not many people i guess :hehe:

dont know what a mach1 costs atm. how much is it? sure, its less trouble and performing better, so you should think about it really well :)

and yes a dedicated psu does fit in a 5.25" bay, at least most of them do.

[computerpro3]

you can grab a used mach1 for around $350 shipped give or take $50 nowadays...its still a lot of money though compared to straight watercooling, which I can do for around $120. I'm not even sure of how much performance I will gain since the cpu will already be a fx-55 @ 3ghz +.....

Still though, it would be ver, very nice....

WE'll see. It depends on how the financial situation goes.

[saaya]

hmmm id recommend you to get a mach1 for the cpu then!
if you tweak it (new gas) its almost as good as a mach2 i think. :)

[Hell-Fire]

Just my little tidbit.

Ive had a TEC on both cpu and vid card since last Dec, and both are running fine and dandy...and they take a beating daily.

Not sure if its relavent, but I have seperate loops for both blocks...2 pumps, 2 rads, 2 res. etc etc. Also, save the money on pelting the NB..not worth it. A high quality active sink will do just as well.

[HawainPanda]

hehe, awsome avatar hellfire :P
but howcome you have two diff loops hellfire? i think i've seen a pic of your tubing...and they're huge :P
so i don't see why you need two...

[afireinside]

He has 2 loops because the heat from the CPU+pelt would make the water to hot to effectivly cool the GPU TEC or so I'd assume.

[saaya]

he has two loops because he can afford it id say :D

the temp difference is not that big, maybe 2 or 3°C between before and after the tec blocks :D

one loop with two rads and a good pump would work almost the ame... but hes XTREME! :D so thats why he has 2 loops i think :D

[Hell-Fire]

Yeh, my first setup was a total mess to say the least.

I now have all the water stuff in a case, and the motherboard/vid card is sitting beside it on stand-offs. Its much more organized and cleaner that way.

I originally had a single loop. Still had 2 pumps (1 for cpu and 1 for vid card), and 2 rads (1 or cpu and 1 for vid card). But eventually the tec on the vid card gave in as it wasnt being cooled enough due to the extra heat from the cpu pelt. The single loop was being fed into a reservoir that both the cpu and vid card shared.

Now have 2 seperate loops, with 2 reservoirs.

[texuspete00]

lol :D

http://www.dangerden.com/mall/Pelts/peltiers.asp

here you go. dd calls it a 169W, but if you click on the pic to get a bigger version of it you will see the pic itself is named 156W :rolleyes: wich makes sence as there is not a 16v 169W tec afaik.

this tec should run just fine in the mcw50-t, even a 227W tec should run just fine in it :)

you just need a big rad to get rid of all the heat :D

That pelt is a 50mm saaya. Please show me a powerful 40mm TEC that doesnt have a vmax in the neighborhood of 24v that you say exist. I can't find any. I'm looking at 110w as the strongest pelt I can find that has a vmax in the 15v range (i.e can be powered by the popular meanwell 12v supply nicely). Not doubting you, but where's it at? The one in the link won't fit in the mcw-50 as far as i know.

[saaya]

yeah dd ran out of 40mm 227s some time ago i think.
same with swifty... :/

i saw one on us ebay some weeks ago...

cant find a 40mm 227W tec either... sorry... keep looking on ebay and maybe ask the guys who sell tecs there if they can get 40mm 227W'ers