So after having the WC bug for some time now I finally broke down and did it. Bought a few used parts on our FS/T forum, and a few new ones from PetrasTechShop and went to it.
Picked up these:
XSPC Dual Bay Res/Pump Combo
DD CPU Block (the one before the TDX, forget what it's called)
DD GTX 285 Block
Sunbeam Rheobus Fan Bus
Koolance 120x2 rad w/ 2x Thermaltake 120mm fans
Whole bunch of Masterkleer 7/16 ID tubing
Had to make do with my NZXT Lexa Blackline.. not terrible for WC, but not ideal either. I didn't like where the pre drilled WC tubing holes were because I didn't want to rear mount my rad. So I cut new holes on top and mounted the rad there. I really didn't think I'd like it there, but now that I have it mounted, it looks better than I thought, and eh.. it works.
As long as I was entirely dismantling my computer, I did some cable management and got a lot out of the way.. still couldn't get rid of the clutter from the main power cables and the sata/pci-e power.. but oh well. It's a lot less cluttered than it was, and also taking out that antec cool spot helped out, too. I used to have 2 Red CCFLs in the case, but as I barely used them.. I've removed them, too. I might pick up 2 UV CCFLs at some point as the anti corrosive additive I used is UV reactive. We'll see.
Temp differences.
Pre-WC
Idle:
CPU 43/45/39/40 (each core)
GPU 57 (GPU fan at 50%)
GPU 51 (GPU fan at 100%)
Load:
CPU 57/58/55/55 (each core)
GPU 67 (GPU fan at 100%)
Post-WC
Idle:
CPU 33/35/30/32 (each core)
GPU 39
Load:
CPU 41/43/38/38
GPU 45
So I'd say it was a success. It's quite a bit less noisy (my primary concern) without having my GPU fan at 100% (which was damned loud) and my new load temps are better than my old idle temps. The cooling isn't astounding, but I think it's a pretty solid improvement. Perhaps I'll try pushing the CPU OC a bit more, but I don't think I was temp limited.. I think it's more of a CPU/RAM limit. I've never OC'd a GPU before, so I'm not sure about that avenue.
Some pics:
after0.jpg
after1.jpg
after2.jpg
after3.jpg
after3.jpg
before0.jpg
before1.jpg
before2.jpg
My inspiration and know-how all came from lurking on this forum, so I appreciate all the help! Getting my system WC'd was definitely fun.
Picked up these:
XSPC Dual Bay Res/Pump Combo
DD CPU Block (the one before the TDX, forget what it's called)
DD GTX 285 Block
Sunbeam Rheobus Fan Bus
Koolance 120x2 rad w/ 2x Thermaltake 120mm fans
Whole bunch of Masterkleer 7/16 ID tubing
Had to make do with my NZXT Lexa Blackline.. not terrible for WC, but not ideal either. I didn't like where the pre drilled WC tubing holes were because I didn't want to rear mount my rad. So I cut new holes on top and mounted the rad there. I really didn't think I'd like it there, but now that I have it mounted, it looks better than I thought, and eh.. it works.
As long as I was entirely dismantling my computer, I did some cable management and got a lot out of the way.. still couldn't get rid of the clutter from the main power cables and the sata/pci-e power.. but oh well. It's a lot less cluttered than it was, and also taking out that antec cool spot helped out, too. I used to have 2 Red CCFLs in the case, but as I barely used them.. I've removed them, too. I might pick up 2 UV CCFLs at some point as the anti corrosive additive I used is UV reactive. We'll see.
Temp differences.
Pre-WC
Idle:
CPU 43/45/39/40 (each core)
GPU 57 (GPU fan at 50%)
GPU 51 (GPU fan at 100%)
Load:
CPU 57/58/55/55 (each core)
GPU 67 (GPU fan at 100%)
Post-WC
Idle:
CPU 33/35/30/32 (each core)
GPU 39
Load:
CPU 41/43/38/38
GPU 45
So I'd say it was a success. It's quite a bit less noisy (my primary concern) without having my GPU fan at 100% (which was damned loud) and my new load temps are better than my old idle temps. The cooling isn't astounding, but I think it's a pretty solid improvement. Perhaps I'll try pushing the CPU OC a bit more, but I don't think I was temp limited.. I think it's more of a CPU/RAM limit. I've never OC'd a GPU before, so I'm not sure about that avenue.
Some pics:
after0.jpg
after1.jpg
after2.jpg
after3.jpg
after3.jpg
before0.jpg
before1.jpg
before2.jpg
My inspiration and know-how all came from lurking on this forum, so I appreciate all the help! Getting my system WC'd was definitely fun.
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