Watercool Success!

[Gen]

i was pretty iffy on whether i could actually setup my rig with w/c components i had ordered in this thread even after all the research i did but finally i got my rig setup today after receiving final parts yesterday.

main components:

EK Supreme
MCW60
PA120.3
MCRES
TT Armor Full Size

to start off with here are some nicely composed phone cam rig shots:





disregard the shoe lace for now.. im waiting on making a custom hold down for the rad this weekend.

Work Log:

i wish i would've actually took pictures to make this a more vivid worklog but i didn't

to start out i stripped my case down and gave it a shower.. in the shower. then to get it ready for the day i wiped it down and used a hair dryer on it for 15 minutes.

mmm compressed paint time! i started out with a gray coloured primer suitable for wood and metal. i coated everything (hdd cages, dissassembled fans, plastic fan holders, I/O plate, case) with 5coats with aprox 30 minutes in between coats. after the final coat it was left to dry for 1 hour.

from grey to black and beyond! used same methods as above for the 5 black coats i sprayed and then finally left it to dry over night. paint used was gloss.

i love the look of black and white so i decided to spray the fans/holders and hdd cages white for a nice looking contrast. same methods used above, paint used was glossy.

finally onto the clear coat, again same method as the others, haha, except i let this coat dry for 4days.

finally with the case done i could begin on the tubing and blocks. i assembled everything in the case, leak tested for 5hours then installed the mobo and gfx only to find out...





i measured wrong!

after some cursing i recut some of the tubing, reloacted the res to the mobo plate and reinstalled everything followed by a leak test.

leak test passed! 2hours to be exact.. a little short i know but i'm impatient guy. now was the time to install the Enzotech low profile copper sinks on the mobo and 8800gtx along with MCR21 vreg sinks for the gtx. this was a pretty frustrating installation as both the Enzotech and MCR21 sinks have incredibly weak thermal tape pretty much the MCR21's would not stick at all and the Enzo's would last maybe 5mins even after i held them there for awhile. to remedy this i used *drum roll* .. carpenters glue! seeing as thats all i had at the time and it worked even tho the bottle looked like it was from the 1980's.

final step was to route the cables as best i could and power it up. i was really nervous at this step as i wasn't sure everything would work or i would have accidentally messed up, im sure you all know what im talking about. after hitting the switch everything booted up and i loaded defaults and strolled in to windows.. only to be greeted by my dreamscene looking like a slideshow and everst freezing followed by a BSOD! so calmly i powered down and checked for leaks, wires and also on the small mem/ram sinks. everything looked ok so i powered up again and this time no bsod and i was able to run the cpu and gfx card at load without bsod or electrocuting myself.. huaaahh!

now to the sweet stuff, back to my previous o/c and see how it faired vs. my previous true120 aircooling.

and the results pls sir!

CPU:

first on the cpu i tested with prime. Q6600 @1.36v load and the rest in the cpuz shot. i have no before shot or maybe i do but im too lazy to find it.. but with true120, 2x120mm 12v fans and 20-23c ambient:

prevoiusly:

Idle
40c cores 1/2
34c cores 3/4

Load
70c cores 1/2
68c cores 3/4

before you suggest, cores 3/4 have always been 5-6c cooler at idle with over 8+ mounts with true120.

now:

Idle:
36c cores 1/2
32c cores 3/4

Load:

explained with a screenshot


since i'm semi-hardcore gamer i wanted to see the 8800gtx gfx results. i mainly play GoW, Crysis and RTHDRIBL (yes you can't play it). unfortunately no screenshots as i deleted them but i can provide current ones if pleaded with but as for now i am to lazy to rebench them.

previously:
(stock cooling 621/1620/900)

Idle:
62c @100% fan

Load:
85c @100% fan

82-85c was the average temp i saw with all games.

Now:
(PA120.3, 3xDS12 Yates 12v, 621/1620/900)

Idle:
38c

Load:
45c!!!

yes you calculated right.. that is a 40c difference between watercooling and the stock air cooler.. i was blown away by these results and am now testing if i can get a higher gfx clock! but it's doubtful without vmod

anyway i did have fun doing this but i would warn anyone about to embark that water and electricity is dangerous but with research, patience (which i lost sometimes), and non alcoholic beverages that this can be accomplished!

thx for reading, feedback welcomed

[jadeskye]

thats a 40oC difference. excellent job!

[Nate P.]

Please RESIZE YOUR PICS.

[diezel]

good show nice Watercool

[Gen]

after testing a bit more i've come to some final 8800gtx clocks of 648/1674/999. previously 648 core clock would results in bsod as soon as the clock was applied, now it's 3dmark and SWKotor stable!

some before and after 3dm06 shots:

Test Bed:
Q6600 G0 450x8=3600 @1.36v
4GB Ballistix 1:1
P5k-e

pics 1/3 are 1680*1050, 4xAA with 4xAA Quality and High Quality driver settings

pics 2/4 are Default with High Quality driver settings

on air:
621/1620/900





on water:
648/1674/999

[afX]

did u mount the pa in the front of your case, any free 5.25 bays left?

[Gen]

i did mount it in the front with barbs on the bottom. i also used fiber mats underneath it and on the lip of the case, which the bottom fan lightly rests on, to dampen noise. even without the mats i still only had 1 5.25 bay left over which i used to hold the power/reset buttons along with one hdd. i initially was going to mount the buttons to an open pci slot beneath the gfx but decided not to as i have 4hdds and needed a spot for the fourth.

i still need to mount the dvd drive and i think in the end i will just jimmy the last hdd to hang, with plastic fiber mats, a little beneath the top exhaust vents and then mount the dvd drive above the rad.

the rad takes up about half a 5.25 bay when mounted upright and the dust filters that come with the case will still fit on. this being the case you could flip the hdds 90 degrees and have the power/sata cable sticking out, facing the front of the case, and then tie it down somehow but that was more work then i was ready for at the time.

the psu in the Armor is mounted vertically against the back panel so i believe you could mount the rad up top with modding but again i didn't have the tools to do so. all in all this isn't the greatest case for w/cing especially when you need 5 5.25 bays but it was still a fun project non the less. thanks for all the positive feedback have a great wc community here

[afX]

awesome, i love internal rad mounts, noticed ur from canada I live around Toronto, I guess we both share the pain of getting screwed for some WC parts.

[Gen]

awesome, i love internal rad mounts, noticed ur from canada I live around Toronto, I guess we both share the pain of getting screwed for some WC parts.

true enough.. only place i can really shop is NCiX/DirectCanada and TigerDirect. also comparing prices we pay a lot more for the same item in Canada than in the US even though or dollar is worth almost exactly the same