intel i7 950 @4.2ghz water cooling help

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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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I just installed a H2O-X20 Edge HD Series with 360 rad, and my load temps seem high. core 0 72, core 1 69, core 2 71, core 3 68. I've tired reapplying arctic silver 5 TIM, and I tried the indigo extreme TIM and it did not help much. I drained and refilled my loop and ,made sure there was no air bubbles. do my temps seem alright?


System specs
http://valid.canardpc.com/2736363


Hardware monitor

Voltage 0 3.25 Volts [0xCB] (+3.3V)
Voltage 1 1.36 Volts [0x74] (CPU VCORE)
Voltage 2 1.67 Volts [0x8E] (DRAM)
Voltage 3 1.50 Volts [0x97] (CPU VTT)
Voltage 4 1.40 Volts [0x8D] (NB CORE)
Voltage 5 4.88 Volts [0x74] (+5V)
Voltage 6 12.11 Volts [0xA4] (+12V)
Voltage 7 3.22 Volts [0xC9] (VSB3V)
Voltage 8 3.20 Volts [0xC8] (VBAT)
Temperature 0 26°C (78°F) [0x1A] (CPU)
Temperature 1 47°C (116°F) [0x2F] (VREG)
Temperature 2 28°C (82°F) [0x1C] (System)

Room temp 20.72 C (69.3 F)
 
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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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if I added another rad in my loop would that help lower the temps. my current 360 rad is in push/pull with Enermax UCTB12N-BL TB Silence 120mm fans. thank you
 
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4Ryan6

4Ryan6

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Apr 14, 2002
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Yes, however you'll also be adding more flow restriction to the loop so be sure the pump can handle the additional restriction, you're sounding to me like you probably should have built a custom loop.

What kind of temperatures are you looking for?

You may be a victim of the classic thinking that water cooling is the cure all over air cooling, but both water and air cooling are dependent on ambient room temperature with water cooling gaining a slight edge with what you have over a big air cooler.

If you are considering more radiator space also consider getting a more powerful stand alone water pump like a D5 variable or a Swiftech MCP655 variable speed pump.

The Swiftech MCP655 will handle what you throw at it.

 
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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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I was seeing in the high 50's with some peoples systems that had cpu and gpu in the same loop and I was expecting those temps for just the CPU. the pump is a swiftech MCP35X is this pump strong enough to handle more rads and blocks?
 
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4Ryan6

4Ryan6

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Apr 14, 2002
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But were those comparisons running the same overclocks as you?

What was their comparable ambient when they ran their tests, some have their room temperatures so cold you'd need a coat to sit in the room for their outcomes.

And Yes the MCP35X is strong enough.

Your thermal compound application could be affecting your performance especially if you're using too much of it and Artic Silver 5 requires an extremely long cure in time, and I wouldn't touch Indigo Extreme, there are better and safer products available.

Applying Thermal Compound

Thermal Compound Roundup

At least investigate these possibilities before investing in more rad space and still being disappointed.

This is the Thermal Compound I Use, of all the compounds I have used and tested it is the absolute best of the best.

My CPU load temperature is much lower than even the 50s range, but there is a reason for it!

Additional Water Cooling Performance Information:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/275185-29-exploring-ambient-water-cooling

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/282844-29-peltier-water-cooling#t2033960

I hope this post provides you with some answers! Ryan



 
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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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thanks for the help. I removed the indigo extreme and put artic sliver 5 back on. I put a thin line down the center of the CPU. I will try that TIM you suggested.
 
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Buzz247

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Mar 18, 2013
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another common misconception beyond too much paste, is too little. A thin covering over the CPU is preferable. ANY air pocket or non contact point will prove to be a hot spot. Personally, I place small dabs in each corner, one slightly heavier in middle, apply plate and twist,turn,slide to smooth out to a VERY thin covering. The purpose of thermal paste is to fill in imperfections to provide a near perfect contact surface - hence not much is needed, put application style is vital

Some excellent suggestions here - also check your case flow - make sure you are running positive pressure for proper exhausting, in addition to more airflow directed at vrm heatsinks.

 
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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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I ordered the TIM Ryan suggested, and I also ordered a heatsink and fan for my pump. I figured since its connected to my rad all the water that has been cooled by the rad gets warmed up from the pump before it hits the CPU's waterblock, so hopefully this will lower the loop temps and give me slightly better core temps.
 
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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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I will try that with the new TIM I ordered and double check my fan placement. thanks
 
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hdeezie80

hdeezie80

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Jul 18, 2012
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how long has it been since you filled the loop it can take a few days to a week for all the air to completely settle, you can add dish soap to speed things up, when its all settled your reservoir should be filled as close to the top as you can get to prevent the introduction of any more air. Also if your rads top mounted make sure its pulling cool air in, best location to mount them is at the bottom of the rad so they pull cool air in from up top and blow it over your PWM heat sink and ram, my load temps dropped about 6 C in this configuration, use more exhaust fans than intakes also to drop temps at the expense of having more dust in your system. Having all your dimm slots populated is contributes a good amount of heat also.
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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Never heard of that before :lol:
Usually just turning the pump on/off, a good shake and tilting of the case is enough to bleed most of the air from a loop. Though micro-bubbles will near guaranteed still be present, they will take a few days to dissolve back into the water and eventually end up in your res. Just giving it another shake and top up the res, the loop should be sufficiently bled of air.
 
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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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my rad is mounted vertical on the back of my pc with a rad box. I've just filled my loop again a few days ago and I have no bubbles in the loop. I did allot of shaking of the pc to remove the bubbles.
 
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hdeezie80

hdeezie80

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Jul 18, 2012
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Honestly your temps they are really not out of control, you can try a few of the suggestions here but as 4Ryan6 said you would have been better off going custom from the start. If its possible you may want to try to turn your pump down to a lower speed, sometimes pump heat can be worse than lower flow rate, so try out different speeds and see if that helps first. You could also try using some higher rpm fans marketed for static pressure, that rad wont work well with silent fans.

If you decide to redo your loop keep in mind that it takes a lot of research as well as trial and error to get water cooling right. Heres my suggestions for building, a well executed water loop should get load temps under 20C above ambient here's an example of a no frills, high performance silent setup

RAD : 60mm or thicker 360-480 Radiator bigger is better -examples xspc rx series, alphacool nexxxos ut60 or monsta
PUMP: MCP 655 for multiblock/rad setup, MCP35- for cpu only EK-waterblocks has pump/res combos for a good price, xspc also sells 5.25 bay res pump combos
FITTINGS: 1/2" id barbs are the cheapest and provide the best flow all straights if possible
TUBING: inside diameter must match barbs 1/2" for best flow rate, tubing should also be cut in the shortest segments possible.

A system like this would give you the best quietest performance if you have a small case save yourself time looking around for radiators that will fit it and mount a 480 in it externally, its worth the extra 30-40 dollars when compared to a 240 or multiple slims radiator and there is no guess work involved for cooling. Also don't forget air flow, memory and VRMs need to be actively cooled when overclocking, a 120 mm fan will work. also stay away from premixed coolants/dies.
 
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htowntech

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Mar 22, 2013
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I added a 240 rad with 20 FPI with 4 GT AP-15's in push/pull and used the TIM ryan suggested.
my idle temps drop about 4C
my load temps are core 0 69, core 1 67, core 2 67, core 3 65. they where core 0 72, core 1 69, core 2 71, core 3 68
I'm trying to decide what to do next.

option 1. replace all the fans on my 360 rad from entermax silent batwing to GT AP-15

option2. remove the 35x pump from my current swiftech rad and get a reservoir and purchase a new rad. I'm thinking either
MagiCool Limited Edition "Monsta" 420/360 Triple 120mm / 140mm Xtreme Performance Radiator or Alphacool NexXxoS Monsta Quad 120mm Radiator - 80mm Thick!!. I will have to use my current silent batwing fans, I wount have the cash to buy new fans with this option, but I can always do that later.

what is the best option? thank you

also should I keep my current waterblock swiftech apogee hd?
 
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