Project Cunning Plan!

[jim]

Great thread... no input because I know sod all about water-cooling, but really enjoying the read so far.

You're giving me some ideas about what to do with my P180 when I move into a new case

Actually, on that note, I hope my girlfriend doesn't find out / have access to your address...

[scaryjim]

More Paint / tablet sketches coming, I'm afraid!

I posted the last update just before tea, and as I posted it it occurred to me that perhaps there was a way to make a universal T piece work for me - and maybe even be better that my Y-piece plan. So, here's the sketches (labelled with real text this time ):



in case it's not very clear (and IMNSHO it isn't!) the dark grey bit is the universal T. The light grey bits are barbs / connectors, the black bit is the pump and the blue lines are the outline of tubes (kind of!). The T piece if connected to the pump be a male - male connector, has a straight barb directly opposite that, and a 90deg barb in the side section. This would be more compact than a Y piece (as it would attach directly to the pump).

Now, here's where you lot come in: as you can see there's two options in my diagram: attach the rad to the side piece, or attach the fillport to the side piece. According to my shaky understanding of fluid dynamics, attaching the rad to the side piece would restrict the flow in the loop, but I wondered if it might also help bubbles to escape the system. However, my guess is that the flow through the loop would be too fast to allow tie for the bubbles to escape, and that it's not worth the flow restriction. So, any thoughts on the above? It'd be easier to implement than either of my initial ideas, but it could also be a pile of tripe

[Pob255]

I don't think I know enough about water cooling to be much help, one question what direction will the water be flowing? from the rad an into the pump? or from the pump and into the rad?

as to the grinding bits, they are about the same, both around 9 Mohs on scale of mineral hardness
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_sc...neral_hardness
many of these sorts of grinding discs, bits or sandpaper are actually a mix of the two.

Must say I've found pink bits vary, the original ones I got with my "workshop" brand rotary tool wore down fast, the ones I got with my GMC brand rotary tool have been much better and don't ware anyware neer as fast.

However don't push, let the tool do the work.

I've not had any sanding drums rip on me, they can ware smooth fast but not rip, you'll find they are material backed not paper (more like emory cloth than sand paper) and double thickness.
I often have to cut the old tubes off the drum as it's the only way to remove them.
|It does work very well for filing down and removing burrs left from cutting.

try it out before splashing out that sort of money on a tungsten carbide milling bit

[scaryjim]

... one question what direction will the water be flowing? from the rad an into the pump? or from the pump and into the rad?

Ah yes, good question and something I should have made clearer The water will be flowing from the rad into the pump. The loop layout *should* be :

Pump -> CPU -> mosfets -> NB -> SB -> lower GFX -> upper GFX -> Rad -> Pump

assuming I can fit all the pipes in

EDIT: forget Specialtech, WatercoolingUK are about the same prices and within relatively easy reach from work, saving me delivery charges

[Pob255]

I was going to say I've not had any problames with specialtech, but at the same time I've not had to make any rma clames with them yet.

[Terbinator]

The Paint diagrams are top draw

Will be following this one.

[scaryjim]

The Paint diagrams are top draw

It's so much easier to do those now I've got the TC1100

I've tried using sketchup, but I'm pretty impatient and can't be bothered to spend more than about 5 minutes doing that kind of thing! I could probably model them in VRML / X3D (did a VR course in my MSc ) but it just doesn't feel worthwhile, tbh...

[scaryjim]

So, no thoughts on the fillport+Y vs custom res vs fillport+T question?

I was really hoping someone would make my mind up for me

[Pob255]

I'd say res
custom would be cool but not sure exactly how complex it would be.
In theory it's just an acrylic box with some tapped holes for barbs, I've seen them done before but not that small which may be an issue.
http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/guid...ng-reservoir/1

I was going to sugest one of the reservoir pump tops but looking at that pmup, I've got no idea what it is or if you could get a top for it.

EDIT: Umm wouldn't the side panel get in the way of the tube comming from the side if you put the pump there?

[GoNz0]

stick a res on the back of the case m8, the main issue you will have is stopping the pump running dry without a res while priming, dry pump usually ends up being a dead pump

[scaryjim]

EDIT: Umm wouldn't the side panel get in the way of the tube comming from the side if you put the pump there?

Wondered who'd be the first to notice that

The section of the pump with the fittings on is both symmetrical and removable, so with barely any modding at all I can turn the top round so the outlet (the one pointing sideways, it being a centrifugal pump) is pointing into the case (rather than into the side panel). I'm inclined to agree that while it would be more work, a small acrylic res would in many ways be the best solution. I have a vague memory of a PM which is vaguely related to that...

[scaryjim]

I got something new in the post yesterday


But I haven't taken a picture of it yet


So you'll have to wait until later tonight before I tell you about it


And having got that little bit of juvenile tension out of my system (been a horrifically dull week at work!), time for some more ponderings.

I've been thinking about my fans. I'd quite like, just for the utter coolness of it, to have my rad fans PWM controlled. I don't know why really, but there it is. Now, one of my earlier threads threw up the Arctic Cooling F12 PWM as an eminently suitable option, being both PWM controlled and having PST, allowing me to daisy chain three of them together. Sounds ideal!

Then I checked the PA120.3 review on skineelabs, to have a look at thermal performance. I anticipate that 2 overclocked 8800GTXs and an overclocked Q6600 (even a G0 with lowish vid) will push at least 500W of thermal load into the system, and potentially more.

So why the worry? Well, skinneelabs found that Yate Loon D12SH12 @ 1430rpm gave an water:ambient delta of 10deg with 500W load and over 12deg with 600W. The maximum speed of the AC F12s is 1350rpm, and afaict the Yate Loons are meant to be the dog's danglies as far as rad fans go, so the chances are the ACs won't shift as much heat from the loop - meaning that I could be looking at a pretty warm loop. Sadly, I can't find any half-decent reviews of these fans either - all the reviews I've seen so far basically go "it turns and moves air, so it must be great!". Very frustrating.

So, considerations:
Firstly, how much difference is there likely to be in performance between my ACs and the Yate Loons? Should I really be looking at a YL at 1000rpm for comparison, say? Without any comparative reviews - or in fact any independent reviews stating flow rates and static pressures at all - it's hard to tell.

Secondly, how much cooling do I actually want from the loop? Keeping very low temperatures wasn't the number one priority for this build: lowering them enough to get a decent overclock out of the components was - so should I be worrying about the fans at all? The PA120.3 is meant to be a decent rad at low rpm, so perhaps I should just get on with it?

Any thoughts?

[scaryjim]

... I hope my girlfriend doesn't find out / have access to your address...

Just back-reading the thread to remind myself where I was up to, and I noticed this comment

What on *earth* did you mean by that, Jim?

[Terbinator]

OT but never mind, i got an Ebuyer cup like the one in your DP (of you?) from the freshers fair at MU

[scaryjim]

Mine came from MMU's fresher's fair (my wife's a student there ), and that is indeed me, sitting at work and enjoying a nice mug of hot, strong, black coffee ~D (hexus needs a smiley for coffee, imnsho...)

And off topic is definitely welcome in this thread. Takes my mind off how much money I've already spent doing this

[jim]

Just back-reading the thread to remind myself where I was up to, and I noticed this comment

What on *earth* did you mean by that, Jim?

One day I'll start attacking a P180 with various rotary tools, before ramming various pumps, radiators and tubing into the freshly ground orifices.

Then she'll say "What the hell are you doing?" I'll reply "Once upon a time, scaryjim off the Hexus forums decided to intiate 'Project Cunning Plan'..."

And from then on, your life hangs in the balance