Its, ALIVE? Some pics of "firehazard" (=/= 56k)

A

Aaron_ATX

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 15, 2003
Messages
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So my buddy got tired of the last workhorse I built him a few years ago (nf-7 and a 2500 barton) ....and after watching me game on my newest rig wanted me to build him something else. I had an extra 9nda3j mobo and 430w antec power supply laying around....so he buys a +3200 venice and some kickin low latency ram.....does a bunch of reading on the web, and shows up with a watercooling system for "us" (me) to put together. This was my first shot at a watercooling setup, and if nothing else, i'm damn glad the last time I built his machine I made him buy one of those full tower antec/sonata generic but awesome cases. Well anyway, I leave him alone for a day and he's got the case ready (found the 120mm holesaw bit) for me to have at it.

Welp, enough of the typing. The pics should do the job :)

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Pump: AquaXtreme 50Z-DC12
Block: Danger Den TDX w/ #4 nozzle
Radiator: Black Ice XtremeIII
Fans: 3 120mm deltas (on a fanbus thank god) ~ fans bolted directly to the radiator with no shroud, pull configuration.
Res: Danger Den Single 5 1/4" Bay Reservoir


Few things I took note of. Attaching the waterblock seems to be a bit of a pain. Try not to get to tight, not too loose...just by turning the 2 adjustment screws. Feels, uh, cheap to me.

That res, while annoying, makes it ALOT easier to drain and fill.

His radiator and fan setup could easily be made into a hovercraft by Mr T.

The fans and waterpump run on a separate pos 300w powersupply I had laying around. Initially I suggested he do this because I wasnt sure about the overall effect the pump and fans would have on the main powersupply, especially since he wants to overclock the hell out of it.

The waterblock isn't 100% flat, and neither is the friggin heatspreader on the venice. I soooo look forward to lapping them...load temps @ 2800mhz ( 1.6vcore ) are 50c or so....jury still out on what to think about the epox temp sensor.

Still working on getting the front of the case to fit, and need to mount another fan or so inside the case.

Video card is my old 9800XT with some xp3200 heatsink epoxed on it :D


It weighs about 50 friggin pounds.
 
What the hell did you do to that poor case and gear?! :eek:

The poor thing looks like it got the crap beat out of it.
 
now thats a heck of a question isnt it :D

What havent I done to it is easier to answer :)


And all the holes in it were made by my 120mm holesaw.....my buddy knew we needed some spots opened up to run the new equipment....and the holesaw was the easiest and fastest way to do it :)

After I told him he was going to cut himself on it, and he did, he lined the edges with electrical tape :)
 
it's fine to stick the pump and fans on the main PSU... imo, there's no need for the extra one there... looks awful (beat-up!). Go put some clothes on that Antec, it's nekkid, i'm sure it'll look a lot better with it's front panel back on.

And with the TDX... I have one and it's best just to screw down as tight and as far as you dare.

Otherwise, nice setup... your friend should be pleased.
 
J-Pepper said:
it's fine to stick the pump and fans on the main PSU... imo, there's no need for the extra one there... looks awful (beat-up!). Go put some clothes on that Antec, it's nekkid, i'm sure it'll look a lot better with it's front panel back on.

And with the TDX... I have one and it's best just to screw down as tight and as far as you dare.

Otherwise, nice setup... your friend should be pleased.
Click to expand...


Or you know instead of screwing it down as tight as you dare you could look at the installation video on dangerden.com and do it the CORRECT way where you dont make it very tight at all :rolleyes: but that of course would be the logical thing to do.

I agree that the 430W Antec *should* be able to handle the pump and fans without having an adverse effect on the power stability being given to the processor.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Or you know instead of screwing it down as tight as you dare you could look at the installation video on dangerden.com and do it the CORRECT way where you dont make it very tight at all :rolleyes: but that of course would be the logical thing to do.

I agree that the 430W Antec *should* be able to handle the pump and fans without having an adverse effect on the power stability being given to the processor.
Click to expand...

I never really looked at those things, i was always under the impression that it was made for the 'newbies' amongst us... the many that are jumping on the bandwagon and need a little helping hand so not to ruin their computers and blame DD for it.

I know many overclockers who have been in this game far longer than I (i'm i've been at this for almost 4 years now) and have probably forgot more than you and I put together know! And they run these things with no springs... because they can get a better and stronger clamping pressure and contact without. Personally, I still keep the springs, but then, i'm not as [H]ard as them! :rolleyes:
 
I've already looked at the website, and watched that video. Found them both to be pretty lacking. Rather, no amount of videos or instruction to show me how to turn 2 screws is very precise....I mean at the least you'd think the studs would be marked or the thumbscrews, or something...

doesn't matter, i'm no idiot when it comes to computers, i'm not stupid enough to crack the motherboard or leave it so loose that it slides around. Its just a matter of me doing it a few times to get the feel for it.

I was also considering ditching those flimsy cheap feeling springs also.
 
Aaron_ATX said:
I've already looked at the website, and watched that video. Found them both to be pretty lacking. Rather, no amount of videos or instruction to show me how to turn 2 screws is very precise....I mean at the least you'd think the studs would be marked or the thumbscrews, or something...

doesn't matter, i'm no idiot when it comes to computers, i'm not stupid enough to crack the motherboard or leave it so loose that it slides around. Its just a matter of me doing it a few times to get the feel for it.

I was also considering ditching those flimsy cheap feeling springs also.
Click to expand...

Now there's a man with a bit of common sense! :p
 
Someone is in need of a new case I think... lol...

I certainly hope that rad is somehow bolted down, cause that can create some huge problems for you if its not.

I don't understand how the TDX feels cheap to you... It felt like it was rather good quality to me...
 
KrakenGuy said:
I don't understand how the TDX feels cheap to you... It felt like it was rather good quality to me...
Click to expand...
I don't like the plexi top on mine but other then that it nothing feels cheap..
 
Not the block itself, but the attachment method....just, seems flimsy. I'm just used to aircoolers I guess.

Also, his waterblock isnt perfectly flat, so ima have to lap it. Kinda stinks. That combined with the fact that the heatspreader isnt flat either is probably not doing him to much good.

Anyone with this block put it on an A64 that has had it's heatspreader removed? I may just do that instead of lapping it.
 
KrakenGuy said:
Someone is in need of a new case I think... lol...

I certainly hope that rad is somehow bolted down, cause that can create some huge problems for you if its not.
Click to expand...


Oh, its held on, with VELCRO! Bhahahah!

It will look alot better with all the plastics on it :)
 
Yes there was an [H] Forum member who has watercooling on a naked A64....my memory fails me now as to who. The springs for the mounting are to keep people like J-Pepper from crushing their processor when they try to "Make it as tight as I can".
 
man.... you woulda been fine with a dual heater core in the front of the case or the top mounted internaly, since dual heater core cools my 1.55v prescott and 1.4v 6800 ultra without even getting warm :rolleyes: also such a large res does absolutly nothing over even a floppy drive res other then increase the time it takes the water to heat up when you decide to kill all the fans
you could have fit the hdds up there and torn out the front drive cages instead of killing the case, what did the antec case do to deserve that! :(
 
Pffft, perhaps. The layout of the case was his design :) He just sorta showed up with it and wanted me to put it together...


'll get some more finished pics of it later this week when he drops it off. I put it together in one evening and he took it home. I had to go alot slower than I usually do when building a box, checking for leaks, and trying to make sure I didnt lose an ear on those fans....and, well we consumed plenty of budlight during the process :)



I think he went overkill with the rad's because he wants to toss a pelt on it down the road.
 
I think maybe they should start to license the sale of 120mm hole saws…… ;)
 
Quick update: Went over to his house to tweak it a bit more, removed the whole extra powersupply setup and hooked it all up to the main antec 430 watt. Immediately noticed the 120mm fans are even LOUDER now at full blast and the system appears to be cooling better. Cool.

Also remounted the waterblock, double checked to see if it was flat, and it appears to be...guess it doesnt need to be lapped afterall. Tossed the springs in the garbage that were supposed to be used on the barbs. I like that MUCH better, easier to get a feel for how much torque I have on the waterblock.

Moving along nicely so far.
 
Just be very careful about overtightening, the springs are there for a reason....
 
There isnt a person on the hard forums who doesn't know someone who has cracked a MB bracket from over tightening a cooler.

Its so sad!
 
Quick update. He came over 1/2 drunk, I talked him into cutting off his heatspreader.

5 minutes later he had it off, I had it back in the setup and a HUGE reduction in temperatures was had. 42c is about as hot as we can get it @ 280x10 with 1.6ish vcore.
 
poor? Shit, its liberated from that heavy, non flat fisherprice my first heatsink install dummy gasket :)
 
Pffft gimme a break when the plastics are on the case you wont even be able to tell....

much :D


Looking a bit better without the extra powersupply

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Pfft, he's ordering a new case now that we have the temps/overclock squared away. So good news folks, this case is for sale!
 
you should make a stack of tape on the sides of the proc like the old athlons had except with tape then the core wont get crushed from crappy 2 bolt mount wiggles
 
I like what you've done. I kinda chuckle when I think about how things got the way it did.
 
Since this thread got resurrected, I'm obliged to update the pics with the new case.

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dscf0305medium0ew.jpg


Looks better, but somehow lost some "character" :p
 
I liked the first case, reminds me of my first WC install. some of us don't have drill presses, milling machines, and a heated workshop to use when modding and we get it done however we can. I agree the second case looks more together but it lost a lot of character. Either way, good install on both, it's good to see somebody not afraid to get in there and mix it up.
 
Ohhhhhyeah, I tell you what I am impressed with the temps with his setup after the last few months of dicking with it....

As you can see we've added a waterblock in the loop since the original build, and with the case closed, video card and cpu under 100% load it hits about 42c or so.....gpu loads to something stupid like 38.....his 850XT clocks like a mofo even the factory cooler. He can fill you in on ambient temps...not sure what its like @ his pad. it's sandwiched between a floorspeaker and his 70 pound 22inch black dell flatscreen on spinners

Now that I understand a bit more about tccd ram and if we can get a mobo that doesnt have a fulltime gig working the donkeyshow (is that one word or two?) a bit south of us, I'm sure that cpu has more o/c left in it and I know for a damn fact we can get the ram pumped up quite a bit more if not 1:1.

That particular epox mobo is very unfriendly with tccd @ 1T.....as far 3d apps are concerned....seems he has to run 2t to prevent random bluescreens while trying to scout fools in cs.

Needs a new PSU as well, all that gear seems to be overwhelming the 430w antec truepower a little....voltage drop is considerable for what you are looking for with a overclocked powerhungry rig. But it works, ....


Doesnt matter really, the rig seems to run any game he throws at it, ...except his superpi times....and since my rig totally pwnalz0rz his at that he'll always be in my wake at calculating decimal places of pi 'of life.



Owell, heres another case I cut up recently that will give you a sweet disease if you reach for it too quickly.

 
Aaron_ATX said:
Doesnt matter really, the rig seems to run any game he throws at it, ...except his superpi times....and since my rig totally pwnalz0rz his at that he'll always be in my wake at calculating decimal places of pi 'of life.


Click to expand...

Your rig? You mean that tetanus-machine? You must 'cause thats all you got over at your place, and I got a smokin' media center laptop with lots of extra "shopping" buttons that will pwnalz0r-er that things superpi :D
 
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