Water Cooling questions

Quote:

---

Good luck!

Remember, after flashing...always power down, clear cmos and unplug your pc...some even like to remove their cmos battery completely although I don't.

---

why should I do all that?
I just reseted the PC and reseted BIOS to Optimized Default and turned off the PC and PSU to remove floppy.
Is that good enough?

Afther BIOS update, Windows instaled successfully :woot:
Right now Im downloading drivers and programs I may need.

What are the programs that you guys use to setup timmings on RAM, view temps, stress the CPU, and other stuff on windows?
I only know I should download 3Dmark05 and Aquamark03.
What else should I download?

Please list a group of programs and give a small definition of what they do.

Turok

You should do all I said because it properly refreshes the bios, it's just made and will lead to more stable operation and overclocking sometimes.

You set up ram timings in bios, you can tweak them in windows witn A64 Tweaker, but they won't stick on reboot.

For temps/volts view, use the smart guardian utility that came with your mobo.

Other programs, Prime 95 for cpu/ram stress testing. Super Pi for basic ram stability and comparison, 3DMark 01, 03, 05 for graphics and cpu. Sandra 2005 SR1 for everything. Everest for ram. And, I think I'm missing some stuff, but those are the major ones.

Im almost done. Only waiting for the following to ship: the mouse, mouse pad for this PC and the monitor and wireless PCI for the old PC.
Im also getting my Xbox hooked on my PC with the Advanced AV cable that lets me connect S-video and Digital Audio. Ill hook it up with my x850xt VIVO and my z-5500 5.1 speakers.

Everything is looking very nice:), but Im having a few problems :(

Ive noticed that one of my fans is under votled because SpeedFan shows really low RPMs compared to the other fans that are exactly the same. I can also see that the red LEDs glow less than the others and the airflow is also weaker.

Another problem is that my Deck red LED keyboard isnt too acurate. I think it has the same problem that the fan has. It may be lacking power because when I have the lights at the brightest, its less acurate when I have the lights off. Even tho with the lights off, its still a bit inacurate and some buttons fail to the touch.

Is my mobo lacking power?
should I connect the SLI power?
is there a way to increase my fan and USB voltage?
or is it just that my PSU is not enough?

Its probably pulling too much power from your USB ports. Try a powered USB hub.


The fan might be pulling too much from the fan header and its voltage controller, try powering it from a different header (one that cant control the RPM's of a fan) or to your PSU directly in case its pulling too much power (which could burn out a header).

Important to know, plugging fans into the motherboard can cause instability if they are 12v fans as they rob power from the mobo itself.

The fans are those Xoxide 80mm aluminum red LED fans:
http://www.xoxide.com/xoalledfanr.html

It might be that, that the fans are hogging power.
I have one fan connected on the top of the case and it hooks up on the verry top left of the mobo
The other fan (the one with speed problems) is connected below that fan (so both fans are on the left side of the DIMMs
I have the USB connected below the firewire at the bottom.

If you look at the distance between the fans and the USB port, they are kinda close
Im guessing that the top fan is hogging all the power and the power is being shared by the bottom fan and part of the USB.

I know how to reduce the fan speed with SpeedFan on each individual fan.

with this in mind, should I plug the usb below the second ethernet plug?
I also set up "USB recognition" on the BIOS. Could this be infolved in voltage control?
I dont nknow what to do with the fans, but these are the specs:

LED Fan
Dimensions 80x80x25mm (LxWxH)
Rated speed 2500 RPM
Noise Level 27.39 dBA
Air Flow 30.24 CFM
Current (Amps) 0.16 Amps
Connector 4 pin pass-through molex
Features 4 LEDs

SpeedFan says:
Fan 1: 800-900 RPM
Fan 2: 2500 RPM
Fan 3: 4200 RPM

Im only using 4 of the 3pin connectors on the mobo
These are the fans:
2x Xoxide red LED fans
1x DFI chipset fan
1x 3pin connector from the PSU connected on the bottom right of the mobo

I think Fan 1 is the PSU fan because its more silent and slower
I think the Fan 3 is the Xoxide fan thats hogging all the power. As specs say, default RPMs is 2500 RPM

What do you guys think the problem could be?
I will try some of this stuff afther I get back form school today.

Turok

the USB and fan headers do not share power.

The fan headers control voltage to the fans through a small voltage controller which could be getting overloaded by the fans and LED's. The LED's will not be recieving full voltage (and will therefore be dim) if the fan header is being limited to make the fans spin slower also.

Ive noticed that when scanning with Super-PI, It sometimes differentiates by 1 second. It got 1 sec. slower today. Yesterday I was installing drivers and games.

Are background files slowing my PC?
I always have Xfire and sometimes MSN open.
I have the windows firewall on for now. Ill replace it soon.
Could one of these background files slow down my performance?

I disabled the USB keyboard recognizer on my BIOS and havent had problems yet on CSS with the LEDs on. Need to play more to see if it fails to a command.

What do I do to solve the fan problem?

attach them to an external power source (ie: PSU molexes) or fan controller.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Turok

Ive noticed that when scanning with Super-PI, It sometimes differentiates by 1 second. It got 1 sec. slower today. Yesterday I was installing drivers and games.

Are background files slowing my PC?
I always have Xfire and sometimes MSN open.
I have the windows firewall on for now. Ill replace it soon.
Could one of these background files slow down my performance?

I disabled the USB keyboard recognizer on my BIOS and havent had problems yet on CSS with the LEDs on. Need to play more to see if it fails to a command.

What do I do to solve the fan problem?

---

Whenever you benchmark, disable virus/spyware scan software, close all chat programs like xfire, msn and aim, and close anything else you can.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EnJoY

Whenever you benchmark, disable virus/spyware scan software, close all chat programs like xfire, msn and aim, and close anything else you can.

---

I uninstaled the nVidia Firewall because it was a pain in the back.
I got back by second afther that. I also deleted the QuickTime auto run program from "msconfig"

Ill close everything when benchmarking then. Good thing is that I can see the difference in peformance afther adding the usual background programs.

I dont want to use a exterior power sorce for just a fan.
Is the ptoblem because the fan is being controlled automatically by the mobo, or would it be a problem on the fan?
Since the yellow cable on the 3pin connector gives info on the fan, would unplugging that pin fix the problem, or is it something on the mobo's power setting?

Ill try switching pins on the two fans to see what happens

BTW. Im getting 31 - 33 C at Idle and 37 - 38 C on Load
Are these temps right?
I still think I should get lower temps. At least 35 C at load.

Turok

Your load if that really is your max is pretty good, it seems your idle temp good be a lot lower, like around 28c, you must have mediocre airflow in your case.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EnJoY

Your load if that really is your max is pretty good, it seems your idle temp good be a lot lower, like around 28c, you must have mediocre airflow in your case.

---

The Xoxide fans dont push much air. The case gets hot inside, so airflow may be an issue.

I think I solved the fan problem. I was unplugging the fans and found that the pins on the fan with high RPMs had the pins a bit loose. I took out the pins and placed them back in and RPMs went from 4200 to 3100.
I guess when I was sleeving it, I didnt make sure it was hooked properly

I get problem afther problem.
I have a dedicated CD-ROM and a dedicatred DVD-ROM. Each one is the fastest and most silent of its class.
Im getting problems with the CD-ROM.

The CD-ROM is a 56x Artec drive, and the problem is that when I put a CD and it sarts to read it my system hangs until I remove the CD and its not reading anything.
I also tried it outside Windows (in the BIOS) and it hanged. Had to reset the PC.
Went to the Artec site and found flash drivers (didnt know you could flash CD drives, lol :D)
Have'nt done anything except changing both drives to Cable Select.

Anyone got a clue?

Turok

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Turok

ok, I decided go to with the MX 518.
You where right EnJoY, the MX 518 is way better :up:
The only disadvantage I see on the MX 518 is the cord, but anywait its long and light enough to leave a trail of cable on the front for spontanious mobility.

Im thinking on updating to a larger Xtrac mouse pad.
Im thinking on getting the Xtrac Ripper XL because it matches my black theme and its huge.

I have a question
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having:
1) A thin, flexible, smooth cloth (plastic I think) + MX 518
2) A hard, flat, smooth surface + wax + MX 518

---

Do you like it? I am getting both the MX1000 and the MX518, costs a pretty penny, but it is worth it, one for general use such as web browsing etc., relaxed gaming a.k.a. when Yan gets tired and cords bother him/me, and then te Logitech Flagship MX518, for all my FPS games (COD MP, play time, 1200 hours :)).

Yan

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by YanBooth

Do you like it? I am getting both the MX1000 and the MX518, costs a pretty penny, but it is worth it, one for general use such as web browsing etc., relaxed gaming a.k.a. when Yan gets tired and cords bother him/me, and then te Logitech Flagship MX518, for all my FPS games (COD MP, play time, 1200 hours :)).

Yan

---

I dont have the MX 518 yet.
Got it from newegg.com and FedEx says estimate date is 26, but Im guessing it will get here a day before. When I ordered the mouse, I also ordered a Xtrac ripper of 17" x 14", and PCI card and a NEC FE992sb (19" CRT) for the other PC.
The other PC is using the MX 1k. This PC (my build) will be using the MX 518. I wouldnt buy a MX 1k if the cord is light enough. The MX518 is $20 cheaper and you could get a nice Xtrac mouse pad and it = a MX 1k.

I will post when I get my mouse

BTW everyone
Since there is a Catalyst 64 bit, Far Cry 64 bit, and a Windows XP pro 64 bit update, should I update my Win XP pro to the free 64 bit update?
Will this update require a reformat?

Also, anyone know how to fix my CD-ROM problem that I posted above?

Turok

I don't know about the CD ROM, sorry.

I plan on the 64 bit, but rumoe has it that it very unstable, and most/all drivers don't work with. That should be fixed soon enought though.

Yan

Win64 offers worse performance in most games than Win32 at the present time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by YanBooth

I don't know about the CD ROM, sorry.

I plan on the 64 bit, but rumoe has it that it very unstable, and most/all drivers don't work with. That should be fixed soon enought though.

Yan

---

I guess Ill wait for Longhorn

I found out that my Deck keyboard is sc%$@ed up. When Im playing games like CSS, pressing a group of keys will make other keys stop responding.
One of the commands that I figured out was that when Im walking diagonally, I cant reload. Im guessing some of the keys are not linked properly causing some keys to fail, because other keys cut them off.
I emailed deckkeyboards.com today to see what they say.

Now I have 2 problems.
The CD-ROM that hangs my system, and the faulty Deck Keyboard that costed $125 (S&H included) :mad:
I recommend their keyboards, but only if they work :nono::slapass:

I also emailed Artec yesterday. Havent got a reply yet.

Finally, my PC is finished :D

:YIPPIE:
:party::bounces::banana::banana:

I will take pics and show a bit my progress.

I finally solved the CD-ROM problem. Was kinda stupid.
I just inserted a CD and I let it load the CD. It took really long, like 15 min to finish.
Afther it finished, I was able to use it normally.
I guess windows was taking time to recognize the CD-ROM :rolleyes:

I still have the Deck Keyboard problem :mad:
I sent a email to customer service about 3 days ago and havent got a reply. :nono::slapass: I ended up subscribing to the forums to see if someone from Deck Keyboards can tell me what to do.

About the MX 518, EnJoY was right. This mouse feels like it has a stronger signal (because its wired to USB), and has more acuracy.
YanBooth. Buy a MX 518. Its 2/3 the price of a logitech MX 1k and the best thing is that you dont have to recharge the thing.
Latter on if Im too bored, I could try a LED mod on it :D
You cant do that on wireless mouses because the LEDs would eat up all the battery.
I dont see the cable as an anoyance. Its light enoug to glide arround. I recommend the Xtrac mouse pads, but if you want a more glidable surface, then get a hard surface. I think it glides really good on the silky smooth surface of the Xtrac mouse pads.

Here is a pic of the Xtrac Pro from my old PC and the Xtrac Ripple XL for my new PC (largest mouse pad from Xtrac). Next to the two mouse pads is the MX 518. I put the mouse there so you can extimate how big these mouse pads are.
http://img16.echo.cx/img16/9561/xtrac5hs.jpg

If you want a image comparison of the MX 1k vs MX 518, just tell me.

Turok

watercooling... mouse pads.... im so lost...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MaxxxRacer

watercooling... mouse pads.... im so lost...

---

Sry for going off topic with all the PC parts :D
The mouse was a question from YanBooth.

Right now Im getting 32 - 33 Idle. and I changed the position of the core.
Any tips to lower my temps?

Im going to try to rais the voltage of the fans by controlling the mobo

uh if ur powring ur fans from the mobo.. DONT. its a bad idea.. the mobo runs less stable when u do that and is more likely to fry it if ur running 120mm fans on it. they arnt designed for it.

well what exactly is ur setup. if u let me know i might be able to think of something ot improve performance without spending money but the differences in performance are most likely miniscule.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MaxxxRacer

uh if ur powring ur fans from the mobo.. DONT. its a bad idea.. the mobo runs less stable when u do that and is more likely to fry it if ur running 120mm fans on it. they arnt designed for it.

well what exactly is ur setup. if u let me know i might be able to think of something ot improve performance without spending money but the differences in performance are most likely miniscule.

---

Here is the WC setup:

Pump: AX 50z + 1/2 OD fittings
WB: TDX w/ brass top and #4 nuzzle
Core: Weapon Monster core x shroud
Core Fans: 4x SanAce fans 120mm x 32mm (powered by a individual PSU)
Tubes: Tygon 7/16" ID
Fluid: Distilled + Zerex
Using a T line for filling

The length of the tubes used in the loop is about 6' 2" (this does not include T line)

You can see the PC specs below on my signature

The fans used in the case are 4x Xoxide red LED Aluminum fans. They have a very low airflow of about 20 CFM. The 2 exaust (top and back) are connected to the mobo, and there are 2 in the front right next to each other, they are the intake. They connect to the fan controller from the case and then to a 4pin cable. The front fans are set to the highest speed. The case fans are 80mm x 25mm

I like the deep red color on these fans, but they are pissing me off with their cr***y peformance.
Anyone know a really good red LED aluminum fan or just a red LED fan that peforms really well?

well as far as cooling the water goes u cant get it much cooler as u have the biggest rad on the US market.

yah.. dont see any way to get it cooler. possibly placing ur rad in front of an air conditioning vent or something.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MaxxxRacer

well as far as cooling the water goes u cant get it much cooler as u have the biggest rad on the US market.

yah.. dont see any way to get it cooler. possibly placing ur rad in front of an air conditioning vent or something.

---

Are these temps normal for the kind of setup I have?

I think the tubes are heating up inside my case.
Ill try opening the side pannel to see if temps drop. That way I can see if its really the case temps