Water Cooling suggestions

[SorryImLate]

Ok so I built a rig for my cousin about a year or so ago w/ a Thermaltake Armor Mid tower an E8400, and a MSI 9800GT OC. This computer is in a really hot room, there is no A/C in this room and it doesnt get a good breeze w/ the window open to keep the room temps down.

The main problems is that the graphics card is overheating and freezing during games. The 9800GT is at stock clocks all the time. I used riva tuner and set the fan to 100% then opened ATI tool. I had the 3D cube rotate to get the card hot and it got up to around 75c w/ just that program. I also tried down clocking the card to 600mhz to see if it would decrease the heat but it still overheats about 10-15 minutes into the game.

He's asking me to do a water cooling system for his rig that will keep the CPU and GPU cool. It would also need to perform better then air cooled setup he has now. The CPU and GPU will never be overclocked so I don’t need a water cooling system that will handle overclocked temps. As I was saying I’m just looking for a system that will cool better then than air and also be basically a bolt in system. Im not sure if you have to cut the case up at all w/ any of these systems but I don’t want to do that because its not my case.

Here is what i have been looking at. Any suggestions or other info is appreciated.

MSI 9800GT OC (factory) The card he has
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127379

Water cooling

Pump/Reservoir
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/88...namitedata.com

Radiator/Reservoir
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10...tl=g30c95s1076

Reservoir/pump combo
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/64...namitedata.com

CPU water block
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/72...namitedata.com

GPU water block
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3332167&SID=

Tubing
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/86...namitedata.com

Radiator fittings
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/54...namitedata.com

 

[muskie32]

Have you looked at these? CPU, and GPU coolers... I want to get one myself

 

[Zap]

Wow, that GPU water block is worth more than the graphics card. That's a lot of money to spend on older hardware.

Have you considered buying a kit? Or buying used? Heck, I've barely gotten into water cooling and even I have old parts that I wouldn't mind selling for cheap.

Have you considered aftermarket air cooling? Also, have you tried just opening up the side panel and pointing a desk fan into the computer? That will tell you whether the culprits are the coolers, or the case/fans.

 

[SorryImLate]

Im not worried about the GPU water block. Its only $60 (cheapest one i found cuz it doesnt cool the ram also) and i cant really get a better card for that price. Plus the 9800GT handles all his games fine until the heat gets to it. I would definitely check ebay on certain parts before i buy for cheaper prices this is just what im looking at so far but doesnt mean i will buy everything from FrozenCPU.

I would of considered aftermarket cooling for the 9800Gt but since MSI put such a big cooler on the card i dont think i want to waste his money on a new cooler. Plus if it doesnt keep the card cool enough its not like i can get my money back or a refund since its used.

Well i was looking at the thermaltake Big water 760i kit. After reading, it sounds like the radiator leaks after a while and the pump cant handle cooling the CPU and GPU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-108-_-Product

 

[mindwreck]

1. What case do he have? can't exactly tell whats going to bolt right in without knowing the case. And whats the Ambient Room temperature? the computer can only get as cool as the room.

2. Zap's right. that's a lot of money to put into a old system. But if he wants to get it, here are my thoughts:

The xspc is not enough pump for your system. it has 1.2m of head or about 3ft. you want more pressure than that...

The koolance combo is better but i've never seen anyone use one so find some reviews before getting it. and its overpriced if all you want is the pump. The lcd thing and the reservoir are not needed and i would rather get a DDC pump was is much better and cheaper.

A 2X120mm radiator is going to be pushing it. It will be cooler, but not much. This will depend on the fans you use of course. IF you want it quiet, you're going to want to spec a bigger radiator.

 

[SorryImLate]

Hes got a thermaltake armor mid tower. I was thinking about the Koolance Pump/reservoir combo and then possibly connecting the radiator w/ dual 120mm fans like this if possible.

If there are better radiators or better ways of installing them let me know.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/im...ml?id=Deee5Kju

It doesn't matter too much if the fans are loud, i would just get 2 that push a lot of CFM...maybe 2 antec 3speed fans would work?

Scratch the XSPC then

 

[SorryImLate]

Also i understand the card is a little out dated but like i was saying it still plays his games fine so we will upgrade that when it gets to slow. I will probably look for the water block for the card on ebay and save some money.

This kit is not for a kid either my cousin is 35 FYI. The CPU water block will last through another processor upgrade so thats cool.

Any other suggestions on good parts is appreciated.

 

[WoodButcher]

When going water keep the next build in mind. That GPU block will fit another card, (don't forget the ramsinks!) the CPU block, not a candidate for upgrade, spend more there.

The rad, res pump w/ a 355 is good, the 120x 2 will manage to do what you want for this build w/o any headroom for more but you can add another rad to the loop or go dual loop later if you upgrade. While this might fit inside with some modification it will work with almost any case on the exterior.

Don't bother with a single bay res, not worth the bother IMO. Use an integrated in the rad or a separate res and / or t-line.

Lastly, be sure your cousin learns, understands and builds this loop. Running water is cool and fun until something goes south. When that happens knowing what goes where and what to do can make the difference between the system getting a bath or fried. I've had more than one system hosed down and so far, no lost equipment....

 

[Rifter]

I would not spend the money on watercooling for that hardware. Buy a cooler running card with the money instead. Buy a 5850 or a 5770, or a GTX 460. Even with 35c ambient temp i was able to obtain a 900Mhz overclock on my 460 and keep temps under 75c running furmark.

Im sure with no overclocking the stock air cooler on the MSI cyclone 460 would keep the card cool even with 40c ambient.

Or even buy a older but cooler running card for cheaper and save some cash. my .02

 

[fffblackmage]

I would not spend the money on watercooling for that hardware. Buy a cooler running card with the money instead. Buy a 5850 or a 5770, or a GTX 460. Even with 35c ambient temp i was able to obtain a 900Mhz overclock on my 460 and keep temps under 75c running furmark.

:thumbsup:

A friend of mine was complaining about an overheating and under-performing 8600GT a year ago. Apparently, it was accumulating dust for 3 years. Though clearing out the dust did kind of fix the problem, he eventually decided to pick up a GT240. No more overheating and plays WoW better than the 8600GT. He couldn't be happier.

 

[SorryImLate]

When going water keep the next build in mind. That GPU block will fit another card, (don't forget the ramsinks!) the CPU block, not a candidate for upgrade, spend more there.

The rad, res pump w/ a 355 is good, the 120x 2 will manage to do what you want for this build w/o any headroom for more but you can add another rad to the loop or go dual loop later if you upgrade. While this might fit inside with some modification it will work with almost any case on the exterior.

Don't bother with a single bay res, not worth the bother IMO. Use an integrated in the rad or a separate res and / or t-line.

Lastly, be sure your cousin learns, understands and builds this loop. Running water is cool and fun until something goes south. When that happens knowing what goes where and what to do can make the difference between the system getting a bath or fried. I've had more than one system hosed down and so far, no lost equipment....

Well when i meant another CPU upgrade i was talking about going from the E8400 to most likely a Q9550 since that basically the best for a 775 socket. When he switchs to a I7 or something that requires a new motherboard then i figure ill have to get a new cpu water block.

Second reason why i liked the LCD display because it will show the temps right there and he would easily be able to watch them. He like computers but hes not a computer guy and is not going to go into bios to check CPU temp (doesnt know how) or anything. Just trying to make it as easy as possible for him.

With maintaining the water cooling will be no problem he will understand that it is going to take a little more work as compared to air and he will stay on top of it.

I like the dual 120 rad and i could add another single fan rad inside the case some where if possible. Do they have any single fan rads that fit in the hard drive slots or anything cuz hes only got 1 640gb hdd and all the other slots are empty.

Also i could get a different card but once again i dont want the same problem occuring and wasting $150 of his money that could go into the water setup. Also i know the 9800gt is outdated but understand most of the games hes playing are not online so hes not worried about low FPS or anything.

Hes had other custom built comps in the past but not anything nearly as nice as what i built for him and they all have had cooling problems. The other comps were more severe where as mine its just the graphics so if i do a good system for him that keeps it cool then in the future all i should have to worry about is a different CPU and GPU water block.

 

[Meghan54]

Unfortunately, watercooling is not a cure for high ambient temps in a room. While it may delay the overheating problem, it won't stop it. You're still working with the room's high ambients which will cripple a watercooling setup, just like it's hurting his air cooling setup. Wasted money....put in an A/C unit, instead.

 

[mindwreck]

He could sell his e8400 on eBay for a decent price and get a i5. the q9550 is a very poor choice unless you find it for under 180. Its 275 on newegg right now which is crazy since you could get a Faster newer and cooler i5 750 and a decent mobo for just a few bucks more.

Whats the temperature of his room? that case has a plenty of ventilation. 3 places for 120mm and a 200mm at the top. If all of the computers hes had overheat, then its his room that needs better cooling!

A 2x120mm would fit in his case easily. A 3x120 would eat up some space and he would have to cut the case to fit it. There's not enough open grill space for 3 fans. Mounting it outside works and its the easiest too if that's fine with him.

 

[SorryImLate]

Whats wrong w/ a Q9550 2.83ghz and 12mb cashe. I was thinking of this processor for my system too cuz i currently have a E6550. Is an E8600 better?

Alright well maybe ill just see about a better card.

What are good cool running Nvidia cards w/ possibly an after market cooler like the MSI 9800Gt.

 

[Billb2]

unfortunately, watercooling is not a cure for high ambient temps in a room. While it may delay the overheating problem, it won't stop it. You're still working with the room's high ambients which will cripple a watercooling setup, just like it's hurting his air cooling setup. Wasted money....put in an a/c unit, instead.

qft

 

[mindwreck]

There's nothing wrong with the cpu. just not a good choice in terms of price to performance and futureproofness. actually Microcenter has it for 145. That's a nice price.. pick it up from there! newegg's price is ridiculous.

So did you guys decide not to do the water thing?

 

[Zap]

Well when i meant another CPU upgrade i was talking about going from the E8400 to most likely a Q9550 since that basically the best for a 775 socket. When he switchs to a I7 or something that requires a new motherboard then i figure ill have to get a new cpu water block.

It is possible to choose a block that is known to get updated mounting hardware. For instance I picked up a used socket 775 Apogee GT block, and spent a few dollars ($12?) for a socket 1366 mount for that block.

Whats wrong w/ a Q9550

The price, compared to newer/better procs.

What are good cool running Nvidia cards w/ possibly an after market cooler like the MSI 9800Gt.

Depends on how much better performance and power draw. Good candidates are the GTX 460 for a BUNCH more performance (needs dual PCIe 6-pin plugs) or a GTS 250 for a bit more performance. Alternately a Radeon 5750 or 5770 with the single fan in the center (proven to cool better than the blower on the end).

One potentially interesting option would be a passive 5650 card (I see 2-3 of them on Newegg) coupled with a 120mm fan zip tied to it. I'd be willing to bet that such a setup would run super cool.

 

[SorryImLate]

Actually ive been reading some good reviews about this kit
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/84...tml?tl=g30c321

Maybe i can add an additional single 120 rad in the front of the Armor case if possible. Theres already a 120mm fan there currently.

 

[SorryImLate]

Those cards are upwards of almost $200. Ill look into to it but im going to continue looking at other options. I would rather just fix the problem like i was saying for him the cards not outdated for others it is.