Project: parallel HEX (completed!)

Which block are you going to use to cool the NB? I would like to cool mine also (same board) but it is in a horrible location...

nice Doner Case! Long live the InWin Q series!
 
Glad you bought a more acceptable back panel. If you had hacked up the previous one to make it fit, it would have compromised the attention to detail you've spent in other areas.

"The bitterness of poor planning lingers long after the sweetness of the quick build is forgotten."

The most valuable thing you're teaching us is the benefit of trying it all out in a rough mock-up before plunking down some hefty cash for custom cut plex. Don't succumb to the temptation to whack it together and use it. This is a really original looking scratch-built mod and I look forward to seeing it's progress. Great stuff.

On a side note - great graphics cards... eating Pot-noodles for the next month or two?
 
The water block for the north bridge was gong to be a Cooler Master one, but they're proving difficult to get hold of. My next option is an AC Twinplex Pro as its small enough to fit under the crossfire card.

Yes, the InWin case! It was such a good deal that I bought 2, in case I eff'd up the panel while cutting, or if I decide to make another case ;) .

Yes, the new back panel is much more acceptable. The more I thought about it, the more I knew the AT type I had wouldn't do and look crap. Just had to wait for a good deal on a case to hack.

Using the mock-up is going to save so much time and money. I admit though, that I have succumbed to the temptation - I've had the X1900 Crossfire setup for about a week, some of that time was spend testing, bugging etc, but more time actually using it! Having to strip down more and more as I progress to do anything to the mod is a pain...then building it back up again to use it..to only take it apart again! I want to get to the stage where the construction is done, then I can move on to the water cooling, that's going to be really interesting.

I admit I get the Pot-noodle horn from time to time :D
 
Ooohhh Crossfire X1900XTX... Pure Heat, Pure Power, Pure IQ...
That bad boy just kicked it up a notch!
 
Yes indeed Majin!

All the heat being generated:

CPU - 34Cmin, 51Cmax
GPUs - 50Cmin, 92Cmax
NB - 48Cmin, 65Cmax
HDs - 36Cmin, 45Cmax

It's making me think that one 120.2 radiator isn't going to be enough to get stable performance, or will force me to add extra fans that I don't want.

I do have a plan B if I need to add another radiator to keep the temps down and the fans low:

plan_b_2_radsx.jpg


There are positives and negatives with having the rads stick out the back of the case like that, but to put them inside will require a lot of rework and changing the shape of the case.

I'm continuing with plan A at present to see what the performance is really like.
 
Mysterae
Whats the name of that 3D program you are using.
I have used it before and liked it, but then my free trial ran out and I don't remember the name of the program.
 
Majin, themark is correct, it's a program called SketchUp from @Last Software. I'll warn you now though, if you're planning a big build or design prepare to buy the program! It's a joy to use, fun and easy to learn; there's no way I could have envisaged parallel HEX without it. The only drawback is it's expensive. Look back in the worklog, I linked to some resources to get ready made models.

Incoming update...
 
The back I/O plate from the donor case is in place, and the crossflow fans in their resident position:

stage_77.jpg


I'm not liking those crossflow fans as they come, but I have a wicked idea to blend them into the case. More on that later..

The holes for the crossflow fans and the I/O plate were kind of hacked into place, the benefits of using a mock-up.

stage_78.jpg


The video cards can now be held in securely.

stage_79.jpg


I have a bit of a wire management problem going on. Many of the wires aren’t long enough to reach the fan controller. Notice the EL wire for the SATA and IDE cables? Couldn’t resist…. I’ll post a picture later with them on and the room lights off.

stage_80.jpg


Here’s a different fan controller from the Sunbeam. The blue LEDs on the Sunbeam were just to bright, and this controller does the job admirably for cheap tat! Also in the picture are the 3 inverters for the EL SATA and IDE cables. Seriously going to tidy this up, perhaps place them at the back of the HEX where they won't be in prime view.

stage_81.jpg


Quite formidable from this angle! This shot is to show where the Collector for the water cooling loops will be positioned on the top. With all the tubing to the six water cooling circuits, it's going to get even busier in there!

stage_82.jpg
 
just think, you get to do this all over again with plexi once you finish!

well, not quite all of it. there will be slightly less guesswork, and you'll have a better idea of where you're going with it. but still lots to do for it.

don't let me discourage you, looks great.

the black knight always triumphs!
 
Yes rogue_jedi, I've already taken it apart and put it back together quite a few times! The best part will be putting it together in the plexi case the final time, but that's a while away...

On a side note, I've just been benchmarking and testing temps, and those two crossflow fans have really affected my temps - for the better. The X1900's have dropped 5C off load and 8 - 10C on load! I can now touch the Ballistix ram without burning myself when running something intensive. The cpu is down 5C (35C off load), but the biggest difference is the pwm and north bridge of the motherboard, which now sit at 37C and 47C respectively. 47C for the north bridge is still too high though, and is still going to be water cooled.
 
I love the Crossflow fans, I find that mine moves a lot of air, and as long as you undervolt it a bit, it's no louder than a Vantec Stealth.
 
Dude, I'm not sure if I should compliment you on the design and work first or if I should compliment your planning and CAD first.

Look great either way!
 
Majin, the crossflow fans are great if what you need is a blanket of air. There are drawbacks, as you said you need to undervolt it a bit to quiet them down. Also, if there is anything in the way of the airflow, it kinda kills it. Take for example the hard drive brackets in one of the images...I think I'm loosing about 25% of my airflow from the left one, so the brackets need trimmed soon as (was going to do it anyway to trim the weight down). Even the power cables for the video cards interrupt the airflow from the left crossflow fan - this is why cable management is important for good airflow (PC Cooling 101)!

I've been busy overclocking the X1900's and the results are pretty good so far, but still a long way to go. With the X1900XT-CF @ 650/750 (almost XTX speeds) and the X1900XTX @ 715/810, 3DM5 is just over 14,600 marks and 3DM6 has broke the 9,000 mark barrier! Woot! It's pretty sweet that neither card down-clocks to suit the other, that you can overclock them independantly, but it's a PITA with ATITools' many foibles - but hey, it free and it works admirably. However, there is a major drawback to all that goodness - I need to run both cards fans at 80% to stop overheating, and this case design amplifies the noise I reckon. After switching down and changing to my soon-to-be-defunct system, I swore I was deaf! Oi, Aquacomputer! Get those X1900 water blocks made!

BellaCroix - cheers mate, but there are some things I'm making up along the way, and if it wasn't for Sketchup being so damn easy to use, this design would have taken a lot longer and a lot more plywood :D !

Here's some parting shots of the EL bling I was meant to post the other night:

stage_84.jpg


stage_85.jpg
 
I'd suggest a slot loading DVD drive over the one you have now. Would make a lot cleaner front panel.
 
masher said:
I'd suggest a slot loading DVD drive over the one you have now. Would make a lot cleaner front panel.
Click to expand...

that would make a nice touch.
 
Thanks for the link noobtard, I had looked at that cooler with it's slot for the vid card. Problem is the nb chips is in a different position that the one shown on their site. I don't fancy anything too ghetto at this moment, the plywood is ghetto enough! Going to get the twinplex and see how that goes.

Masher and Jason, I hadn't even thought about a slot loading drive to be honest, but it is a damn good idea. However, I've already got the drives bought for this system! There's two drives for this pc (see original sketchups) and they are both DVD rewriters - one for backing up captured video, the other for incremental auto system backup (just leave a r/w disk in there).

After speaking to the plastics supplier, I'm not going to have this case tinted with mirror film, well that's the current train of thought. I have another option that you will have to wait and see!
 
on second thought... might be kinda cool to use only external dvd drives.

ohwell, you have your stuff... rock and roll. :D
 
with what camera are you able to take those pictures? that's useful stuff right there.... shame it doesn't show airflow efficiency :)
 
masher said:
I'd suggest a slot loading DVD drive over the one you have now. Would make a lot cleaner front panel.
Click to expand...

is slot loading one of those drives that the macs use that is just a slit that you stick the cd/dvd into and it'll grab a hold of it w/o the use of a tray? if so, direct me to where i can find one. i've been looking for one for a mod i wanna do.
 
go to newegg and look at the plextor DVD burners, they have a nice slot load model but it is a bit pricy!

Yea what cam are you using a modified webcam?

Yea go with the tint you can adjust electronicaly, then set it to Tint and untint over and over!

Will the DD NB Block fit?
 
Justintoxicated said:
go to newegg and look at the plextor DVD burners, they have a nice slot load model but it is a bit pricy!
Click to expand...

i'm guessing there's no such thing as a slot loading dvd burner that's like, the size of a laptop burner is there? or at least somethng a bit thinner?

edit: nvm i found some. cool, i found a pioneer for 89 bucks.
 
Glad you got the dvd drive sorted Everfalling, and I have posted details of the camera in the thread mentioned before, plus reasons why I won't post any images from it anymore.

Not much of an update, just copying the image from that thread that shows the cables a lot tidier and the modified hard drive brackets so they don't interfere with the airflow from the left crossflow fan:

stage_86.jpg


I'm a little concerned by the user feedback posted in this thread regarding the Cooler Master aquaturtle hard drive coolers. Many people have had these fail in less than a week, so I may not take the chance and replace them with something else, or nothing.
 
It's about time I brought this back from the depths of obscurity!

Sorry for the no update in a while, I been busy trying to iron out a few bugs with the hardware, waiting for parts to be released and actually using the pc..

I thought I would add a To Do List for the kind of things I'll implement or considering doing.

Water Cooling:
1. the collector of the water cooling circuit has to be built. I'm looking at the cost/practicality issue at the moment, perhaps change the design.
2. the cooler master aquaturtles have visible cracks in the acrylic and they haven't even been used yet. I'll post a thread in WC and link back.
3. the blocks and assorted fitting hardware has to be ordered.
4. replace the speed pot on the D5 pumps with a dual gang 10k pot fitted to the outside of the case.
5. fit all water cooling hardware & leak test for a damn long time.

Components:
6. the DFI RDX motherboard is going. It's prefectly stable, but I feel it's just not performing as a motherboard should with two X1900's.
7. the PSU has turned into a rattlesnake with the added X1900's, seems that nut did come from somewhere :p . Need to put it back!
8. rewire the blue led at the back of the Tagan psu. Instead of placing at the front of the case, perhaps embed it in the bottom of the Collector. I think I'll also change the colour of the led too, say to red. So when the system is really drawing current, the Collector glows like a heart :D .

Case Construction:
Too many to list here. I'm looking at the material cost versus the thickness of the acrylic panels. Once the water cooling is done, I'll finalise on the parts for the case.
 
Earlier, I hit a snag with a core component of my water cooling circuit, the Collector. The Collector is a reservoir and manifold in one; it brings all six circuits back together and feeds the start of the circuit. I under estimated the cost of an acrylic block that I would need to make it from, prices varied from £80 to £150. Adding machining costs to that made it a bit too expensive for a reservoir, however cool looking!

stage_20f.jpg


So I had to rethink the design, and this is what I have come up with:

stage_87.jpg


Looks better than the original too!

The price of all the parts (excluding fittings) is under £40 and a lot less wasted material. Made from two acrylic blocks, acrylic tubing, DD fill-port, threaded rod and 18 nuts. Add on the necessary hardware for connection and control of the circuit(s).

stage_88.jpg


The ½” ball valve at the bottom is for the drain circuit, the 6 ¼” ball valves at the top are for the control of each loop. The DD fill-port is obviously there to fill and top up the circuit, and this can be done without opening the case. There are threaded holes at the top to mount it to the top of the case. The threaded rods and nuts keep it all together.

What's not shown here is the LED placement from the Tagan PSU, which lights when current draw exceeds 20A in combine mode :cool: Still thinking where to place it, between the drain valve and outlet looks to be the best bet.

I'm considering using glue at the ends of the tube to ensure no leaks. Perhaps o-ring seals instead of the glue would be okay, and will mean it can be taken apart later for cleaning.

It's the boring of the acrylic blocks for the tubing to fit that's the difficult bit to make. Other than that it's pretty simple, so I might have a go myself!

I'll post pics soon of my progress.
 
Wonder how i missed this thread... It's great and I'm looking forward to the finished mod :cool:
 
Thanks Xilikon, I haven't done alot of work to the build lately, you know how it is.

In the absence of parts, I have looking at things that could be done better and making sure I know what I need. The actual water cooling hardware should be in soon, so as soon as the Collector is made, I can get to work!

Here's an updated schematic of the water cooling.

parallel_hex_schematic_v5.jpg


This details all the plumbing connections, pipe sizes and the all the other important stuff ;)
 
makesure u leave more room over top of the exits in the res. caus eif u dont catch it and it lowers a bit gpu 1 is fooked
 
The connections at the top of the reservoir are inlets, water flows in through them, not out. The reservoir clears the video cards by a good amount, it's only if one leaks will it be a problem!
 
Glad you're back on track with this mod, I really want to see the final. And thanks for getting me onto SketchUp! I love that software. Fortunately my company bought it for me. Did you know that Google bought the company? No plans to make it free though.

And quit playing with your project! Start building that res! :D
 
After looking at the schematics for a bit, I got a question : Are you planning to use the same length of tubing for each of the 6 distributor outlets ?

If no, I suggest you put shorter tubing length to feed the most important components like the cpu and the 2 gpu.
 
Xilikon said:
After looking at the schematics for a bit, I got a question : Are you planning to use the same length of tubing for each of the 6 distributor outlets ?

If no, I suggest you put shorter tubing length to feed the most important components like the cpu and the 2 gpu.
Click to expand...

That is why he has valves on every loop, he can adjust the flow to each one with the valve, no matter the length of the tubing.

I think it is all overkill, I expect that the cooling difference between no valves and each loop's valves adjusted to optimize flow to certain components will be only a few degrees at most.

But overkill is better than underengineering.

==>Lazn
 
Not sure if it's been asked, but why not put both pumps before the rad? That way the water will be the coldest possible when it hits your components. Just a thought, since the D5s dump a fair bit of heat.
 
themark, thanks for the encouragement! Sketchup is cool, this build wouldn't have been possible without it. I reckon Google saw A Good Thing and wanted it for Google Earth.

Lets see if you can work out how I did this:

stage_89.jpg


Xilikon, I hadn't thought about equidistant tubing lengths, all I was going to do was make them long enough to route them so airflow isn't hindered, but short enough so there isn't too much tubing in the case.

Lazn_Work, you are of course right, it's overkill ;). To tell the truth, the valves for the cpu and gpus will probably be open 100%. It's a little bit about symmetry, but more for closing loops off during filling, draining and bleeding. And having an idea in your head that won't go away until you try it!

Demon_of_The_Fall, I put the pumps at either end of the rad to make up for any drop the rad may cause, and to give the manifold the best pressure because it will need it! It all may prove to be negliable.
 
Mysterae said:
themark, thanks for the encouragement! Sketchup is cool, this build wouldn't have been possible without it. I reckon Google saw A Good Thing and wanted it for Google Earth.

Lets see if you can work out how I did this...
Click to expand...

You mean the shaded resevoir on top of the white components? Um... Photoshop? Either that or you colored everything, except the Rez, white. Transparency in this program is just silky isn't it? I'm using it right now to build a display for our trade show. Gotta learn it fast.
 
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