KingpinCooling.com Dominance memory cooler...insulation 101

a couple weeks (maybe more, maybe less) a bunch of us headed to Vince's shop also known as the the KingpinCooling.com lab. among other reasons, my main purpose was to bench with the new Dominance cooling pot and to put together an over the top insulation guide. there is a lot to cover so let's get to it.

my goal was to NOT use vaseline, anyone who has benched with me knows i hate that crap. so the first step was proper board preparation with kneaded rubber eraser (anyone who benches with me knows i love that stuff).

click for full size...
http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4344.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4345.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4348.jpg

as you can see, i simply extended my CPU socket kneaded eraser coverage right to the end of the motherboard with enough at the top and bottom of the memory DIMM slots to keep moisture off the board. i also wanted to keep the black slots functional so instead of stuffing eraser in there, i simply stuffed them with paper towel. notice though, in-between the slots is fully stuffed with eraser. the last photo above simply outlines how i prepped the modules with a single layer of paper towel as a last line of defense against moisture in the slots.

click for full size...
http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4350.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4351.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4352.jpg

it is then a matter of getting the actual insulation down. remember, eraser doesn't insulate, simply prevents moisture from getting to the PCB. after mounting the modules with the paper towel, i cut out 3/4 inch neoprene to fit outside the modules, then two strips to go in-between the modules. the last photo shows the mounting donut i use with my F1 and how there is a perfect seal with the two base layers.

click for full size...
http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4353.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4354.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4356.jpg

it is now a matter of stacking insulation. clearly three layers is about perfect to the top of the modules. we figured this would seal nicely with the bottom of the pot and create a fool proof insulation barrier without any vaseline. time to prep the pot.

click for full size...
http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4357.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4358.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4362.jpg

for the pot i just wanted a couple layers of Armaflex tape but we also realized a temp probe would be handy to keep track of pot temps. so after a little bit of brainstorming we came up with the idea of using one of the available mount holes. so i plugged it about 1/2 inch from the bottom then filled the hole with thermal paste and stuffed a probe in. the last photo above is of the setup ready to rock.

click for full size...
http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4373.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4375.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4376.jpg

this last set of photos is of the post inaugural run party. no one timed but we were pretty sure we ran for at least 4 hours. keeping the pot temp around -25C ~ -30C seemed to be the best for this kit of memory, and as the photos show, we had not a single hiccup the whole bench session. there was a decent bit of frost at the corner of the modules near the IOH, but the slots were bone dry.

the one major problem part was the right side of the board past the DIMM slots which had tons of ice as seen in the last photo above. clearly not having the PWM here made this portion of the board really cold. it is an easy fix for next time though as the kneaded eraser will simply be extended right to the edge of the board.

click for full size...
http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4365.jpg http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...l/_MG_4371.jpg

what, you didn't think i wasn't going to show a frosty pic...did you? p:D
the first pic is just another photo of the setup right before running, and the last photo is a few hours in. based on the snow build up on the Dominance pot, i would have to say close to the end.

overall the pot is a breeze to use, and with a little bit of insulation prep, can be used for extended periods of time. i will add to this post when my next session occurs which will be using dry ice. for this session we just poured LN2 but dry ice might be the sweet spot with most memory.

questions? comments? concerns? ...who am i kidding, i don't give a shyt. i'll answer if the question isn't stupid...how does that sound? ;)

I saw this first hand....this insulation job worked insanely well. Raining outside, door was open, 6 hour bench session....when he took off the insulation, the sticks and slots were perfectly dry.

I'm part of the Anti-kneaded Eraser Brigade and I irrationally dismiss all uses of it, but damn if this whole setup didn't work great :p:

EDIT: just reread and you say there was frost on the sticks near the IOH? I don't remember there being any at all, I was viewing from the other corner though :shrug:

possibly the most epic insulation job I have seen, great job jody. I hate vaseline as well, it destroys cities.

Wow, that's some serious insulation job!

thanks guys. the goal was to enable long bench sessions with memory at the -30C range and that was what we got so i am quite pleased with the effort involved to get the result.

with the insulation made up, it literally takes 5 minutes to be up and running.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vapor

EDIT: just reread and you say there was frost on the sticks near the IOH? I don't remember there being any at all, I was viewing from the other corner though :shrug:

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well there was just a bit, and it was there when i pulled the insulation. you can see it in this photo...

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...t/_MG_4375.jpg

...but there was much less than that when the insulation was pulled, still some. it was about the only spot there was any frost on or near the sticks so a little bit of work should clear it right up.

Yeah, I see it now :p:

I just remember being really impressed by how well the insulation worked :lol: It was a worst-case scenario with the weather and the long bench session and it still worked perfectly :)

yeah, i was surprised it worked as well as it did given the circumstances. including the fact that the CPU was running -150C ~ -160C most of the time too. that is a lot of cold in a very small area. i am hoping to get some really testing done early next week with just the CPU on phase to really focus on memory clocks. should be interesting to see what these sticks will do with volts.

I see a whole new aspect to jody's memory reviews now

Excellent guide, thanks a lot. Glad to see you didnt have to use vaseline in the slots :up: I like how u used the foam all the way up to the top of the dimms.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Splave

I see a whole new aspect to jody's memory reviews now

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I see a whole new bunch of RMAs now :yepp:

lol Jake

Looks killer Jody, you guys get any results that night?

Yeah....where's the results :shrug:

:p: Awesome stuff man...I just did a similar job on a board the other night....but it's a UD7 and I cannot get the IMC enough voltage to match cold mem speeds...so it was in vain :p:

thanks guys, i can hardly wait to get some dry ice and have some time with phase on the CPU...just sit and push memory clocks. soon, early next week.

that night we were just worried about getting a 32M out and unfortunately only got a 5m 45.xxx out of Deux's 980x...it should have been better but we were fighting the R3E a bit. 1093MHz 7-7-6 at 1.75v with a kit that could only do 1056MHz 7-7-6 at 1.75v on air...so definitely an improvement.

http://hwbot.org/community/submissio...in_45sec_813ms
http://hwbot.org/signature.img?iid=3...se&iehack=.jpg

a small update to the insulation after the first test run at Vince's.

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...5/_MG_4663.jpg

in our first test you will recall that we had some water frozen on this edge of the board. so i extended eraser right to the edge, then put a couple layers of armaflex tape under the exposed edge of the board (i need to make a fatter platform to cover this area...stupid psuedo E-ATX form factor :) ).

i also soldered in read point leads to the ground, vCORE, vDIMM, and VTT...won't make that mistake twice.

i have almost a full 30L dewar and will simply put the CPU under phase so i can concentrate on the memory. should have some results within the next few days :up:


** ready to roll... :up:
http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...5/_MG_4669.jpg

two hours in to the session, still going strong...

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...5/_MG_4685.jpg

oh man I love ypur photos! ;)

any "smoke" photos during benching? ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FatAlbert

oh man I love ypur photos! ;)

any "smoke" photos during benching? ;)

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haha, thanks. i don't have enough LN2 burning for any fog photos...but these are a few from the get together at k|ngp|n's not long ago, they should satisfy your need for fog ;)

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/hwc/10_04/_MG_4390.jpg

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/hwc/10_04/_MG_4389.jpg

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/hwc/10_04/_V8U4725.jpg

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/hwc/10_04/_V8U4782.jpg

hell yeah :D

the last one is so sexy!

thanks ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 3oh6

two hours in to the session, still going strong...

http://3oh6photos.com/forum_post/kpc...5/_MG_4685.jpg

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Quoting the image because it is awesome. The little rings.. way cool :up:


Still doesn't make up for the fact that you are a noob.

great thread, thanks for sharing

top notch:surf:

So thats what you were working on all day.
I remember thinking what the hell is he doing!:rofl:

love that photos :p:

Awsome guide and Ram Pot , a guide like this it was needed for all the people asking how to insulate Ram for subsero :up: , the performarnce of that Ram Pot along with the sexiness make it a must have :yepp: