HAF mod Water Cooling

[Merlin]

I guess I better post here rather on the HAF mod post

I've got the Danger Den i7 CPU block ( pretty cool lexan bracket ), Black Ice Extreme II using ( 2 ) 120 mm Rad ( Blue ), and the 5 1/4 bay Res ( with two red LED lights.

Since I had not set up a loop before, I had some idea of what it may be. When I saw that setup at extreme I noticed that from the pump it went to the Rad first, for some reason I found that odd.
In that loop design I had ( 1 ) CPU, ( 1 ) GPU, ( 1 ) Rad, ( 1 ) Res and ( 1 ) Tee
I was trying to picture the loop in sequence and I found this extreme setup
Is this really a good loop design??

thx,
Merlin

[Kougar]

BioHazard probably knows the nuances better, or ya could browse through a few million pages at the XS WC subforum too...

Personally I don't think it matters much, as long as the reservoir feeds the pump intake and is placed level with or above the intake. Anything that runs cooler such as a chipset or memroy or VRM block should go before the CPU/GPU blocks, and generally the CPU block should go before the GPU block since the GPU will be the hottest component of the loop.

The advantage I see with the flow diagram is that the reservoir gives the loop just a fraction better cooling performance. Piping the hot water into the reservoir first before the radiator would probably net (I'm guessing) 1-3C lower water temps as some heat will radiate from the reservoir into the case. I run my own loop in a radiator -> reservoir -> pump config simply because I don't want to run a hot pump.

[b1lk1]

I have never noticed any difference in temps by putting the reservoir before or after the pump. In loops I ran with no reservoir I got the same performance as well. I do always put the CPU before the GPU since the CPU will create more heat. Anyway you look at it you are talking 1-2C max. I design my loops for best routing over which goes first every time. If you get crazy and start running water lines everywhere you cut into airflow and that can also hamper performance.

[Merlin]

Just a water leak test on what I have so far.
I have a Northbridge block coming Monday.
I was thinking..... putting a Y before the CPU and Northbridge then another Y coming out and then to the Rad., then Res then to the pump. Just seems like it makes some sense not to feed from CPU to NB and put a Y in there. Therefore both heat sources are getting cooler fluid for cooling, but then someone may have tried the same thing and it didnt work as good.
Anyway here is a pic of the water leak test,,,,,no leaks as yet,

[Merlin]

24 hour test and no leaks. I would be surprised if it had leaks, it took brute force to get the tubing on the barbs, I used PrimeOFlex, UV red and even though it was hard to get the tubing on, I put clamps on as well.
Now, Mobo and CPU coming soon as well as the Northbridge water block.
More pics soon

[b1lk1]

Y's or T's add to flow resistance and should be avoided at all costs. There is no reason to not go from the CPU to the Northbridge since you will not see any degradation of performance doing that. I go from my CPU to my GPU and my GPU still stays super cool. Y's just give you more areas for leaks if you ask me.

[Kougar]

Glad to hear no leaks so far. Worst case scenarion would if if you add lots of heat to soften the tubes which also increases the loop pressure via water expansion, then set the pump to max... Always use clamps or something substantial to lock your hoses. I've seen people not use anything (or use zip ties) and be flabbergasted when the hose shoots off the barb...

[b1lk1]

That's why I used 7/16" ID tubing. I had to dip the ends into hot water before they would slide onto the fittings and then they shrink fit. Zip ties are all I need after that. I don't agree with guys not using any sort of mechanical locks though, that is just plain silly.

[Merlin]

Got the Motherboard today and installed the DD waterblock
The HAF case was perfect for installing the waterblock after the mobo was installed, the opening on the back was just right.
The board is a MSI Platinum X58, I'm not running SLI so the other boards were a waste of $$. But, this is the first board where all the case connections went right on the board with no alterations. I'm pleased to how it has gone so far.

[Merlin]

Just finished the build. One loop for CPU and another for the video card.
I modingied the CoolIt NV200 on the GTX280. I got a 120 Rad, Noctua fan and used the CoolIt pump.
The CoolIt rad was made to go into 2 drive bays and had a rectangular shape using two very loud fans, strange setup.
But temps are good, CPU runs at 22*C and GPU at 34*C idle.
The Northbride block didn't fit the MSI NB, so I left it out of the loop.
Pics to come tomorrow, and I'm running leak test on the video loop

Merlin

[Rob Williams]

Hah, looking forward to the final pics man. I LOVE that red tubing. If I ever get un-lazy and decide to put time into a rig, I'll have to use something similar.

[moon111]

The tubing reminds me of a blood transfer. It looks good though.

[Kougar]

Originally Posted by moon111

The tubing reminds me of a blood transfer. It looks good though.

It's the lifeblood of the system.

[Merlin]

Got some pics
Ran Prime95 x64 bit to check cooling 28*C idle to 50*C load at 8 threads
And talk about quiet, I'm pleased with the outcome

[Kougar]

IntelBurn will net you roughly 10-15c higher CPU temps, and FurMark does likewise for the GPU. Regardless those are some very nice temps.

Ya really need either a black or another LED fan though, that Noctua fan sticks out like a sore thumb against all that black! I like how your system is looking though, really makes me wish I could fit a triple Thermochill in there...

Edit: I take that back. Someone managed to fit a PA120.3 into a HAF 932... That might work without doubling the fans I suppose. http://images.ncix.com/forumimages/9...5D63ACB22B.jpg