new to watercooling.Need help

[BlueOre]

1. hello,
   
   i just joined because i am new to watercooling and i thought i could use some help from you experts here.
   i recently bought the Thermaltake TaiChi watercooled case, i set up the hardware, but i am having some troubles with the watercooling components. I have a Pentium D 840F@4GHz, and my load temperatures are at most 4-5 degrees Celsius cooler then my previous setup, a Coolermaster Hyper 6+ ( a very good Cooler by the way). I expected the temperature to be noticably lower. I also noticed that when i open the Case (the reservoir, pump and tubings are mounted on the inner side of the left door of the case) the Cpu temperature drops by 5 degrees Celsius, but that isn't a very good option because at the same time the motherboard temperature goes up 9(!) degrees (the thermaltake case has an incredible airflow when closed). Is that a sign that i cut the tubes too long, and they get all messed up when i close the case? I suppose i could cut them shorter, but then i would need to buy some other coolant because the supplied one is good for one use only. What kind of cooland should i buy? And by the way, do you think 66°C is a good watercooled temperature for my setup? what kind of temperatures shoud i expect?
   
   Thank you
   Orestis (and please excuse my English, i come from Greece)
   
   Asus PW5D2 Premium
   Pentium D 840
   3 Gigabyte Corsair Value Ram
   Saphire X800XT
   5x Diamond Max 10 300Mb (4 in raid-0)
   2x M-audio Delta66
   Thermaltake TaiChi
   Enermax Liberty 620W

 

[themusgrat]

Well, some of the heat is from other components, like the 5 HDs. BTW, how is the PSU? I just got the 500w version. Most of the time, water doesn't lower the temps drastically, rather, it lowers them some and makes them more stable. Though for A64s, at least, it is a 10-15 degree drop. Tube length could have something to do with it, though probably not much. Also, I use plain water with some antifreeze, and it has been going for one and a half years now. And it is cheaper. Hard Warrior will be here any time now.

 

[BlueOre]

hi,

and thank you.
The PSU is working fine, the 12V rail is a bit on the high side, but always stable. I also considered buying the 500W version, since i really don't need that much power right now, but i thought that i would probably need something more in the future. I find it difficult to explain why the MB temperature rises so much when i open the case, souldn't it be the other way round?

regards
Orestis

 

[mindwreck]

Well if opening the door drops the temps that much. It means your case doesn't have as good airflow as you think it does OR the fans you have on the radiator are too weak. Those intel Ds are pretty hot and that thermaltake kit isn't exactly the best out there.. I think your temps seem right for that kind of cooling.

 

[BlueOre]

hi,

thank you for the reply.
I am sorry, it seems i haven't made the situation clear.
My temperatures are:
a) case closed: Cpu: 66° MB 34° Harddisk: 25°
b) case open: Cpu 60° MB 43°(!) Harddisk: 27-29°
I am trying to lower the Cpu temperature, it seems to me that there must be some trouble with the tubing, i would expect lower Cpu temperatures in a cooler enviroment.

regards
Orestis

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: themusgrat Hard Warrior will be here any time now.

:laugh: That's funny, musgrat.

I skimmed two reviews of the Tai Chi and it looks like you've got a winner, Blue. Take a look at this review and it's obvious. TBH, you should be getting lower temps, even with a smallish pump. Without seeing the unit, it may be that your tubing is kinked in some way, as you suggested. I think your first approach would be to cut them shorter, enough to open and close the side panel + a bit of play. If that doesn't lower your case-closed temps you might try CAREFULLY re-seating the CPU blocks with some quality TIM.

And SWEET-Jesus, don't use tap water whatever you do. Get some distilled water and toss in whatever additive you think is best. One thing to keep in mind in your quest for lower temps: That isn't a high-performance unit, so don't expect TOO much.

 

[themusgrat]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior

Originally posted by: themusgrat Hard Warrior will be here any time now.

:laugh: That's funny, musgrat.

I skimmed two reviews of the Tai Chi and it looks like you've got a winner, Blue. Take a look at this review and it's obvious. TBH, you should be getting lower temps, even with a smallish pump. Without seeing the unit, it may be that your tubing is kinked in some way, as you suggested. I think your first approach would be to cut them shorter, enough to open and close the side panel + a bit of play. If that doesn't lower your case-closed temps you might try CAREFULLY re-seating the CPU blocks with some quality TIM.

And SWEET-Jesus, don't use tap water whatever you do. Get some distilled water and toss in whatever additive you think is best. One thing to keep in mind in your quest for lower temps: That isn't a high-performance unit, so don't expect TOO much.

Yes- use distilled water. Since it is your CPU temps that are high, reseat the CPU, like HardWarrior said. What kind of thermal paste are you using? Arctic Silver is really good, if you need some, and can be had for $8 shipped on ebay. Good luck.

 

[BlueOre]

Thank you all,

i cut the tubing in half(!) [thank you HardWarrior for the link and the Fotos], now i am getting 6-7 degrees lower temperatures, i am happy

best regards
Orestis