Watercooling advice

[Hoolio]

I recently build a system for my parents. The do some video editing since they havea DV camera and other digital photo editing.

I include the specs of the system here:

P4 3.2Ghz (not EE)
1Gb Crucial Tech DDR 400 Dual Channel
Gigabyte 8KNXP Motherboard
160Gb Maxtor Quietdrive SATA
20Gb Quantum Fireball
Thermaltake Butterfly PSU Dual Fan
ATI Radeon 9800 AIW
Coolermaster Wavemaster Case
Coolermaster Jet4 Copper HSF

Now this system works brilliantly but the problem is excessive heat. With the side of the case off the temperature of the CPU drops by 10C. There is one 80mm case fan near the CPU to extract heat plus two 80mm fans at the front blowing across the drives.

I have never installed a watercooled system. I was suggesting one to my parents because it would remove the heat from the without leaving it hanging about inside. I moved cables around and knocked 4C off the CPU temp. Setting the CPU fan to maximum changes the temp by 1C.

I basically would prefer a system that fits in the case so it is self contained. The main requirements are:

To reduce noise (it isn't that loud by my parents leave the system on constantly since it scrolls through pictures on two screens (one screen placed remotely). However it runs the grid computing project for cancer research when they are not using it so it runs at full load most of the time.

Ofcourse the second requirement would be decent heat removal (there is space to put a small radiator in the back fo the case). Since it makes sense to use cool outside air to cool a radiator the power supply could remove the air from the radiator since it has two decent fans. (would an external radiator be better?)

Finally, the DPS2 card (gigabytes dual power system for 6 voltage regs) would it be possible to get a water cooling system to cool the CPU, VGA, Chipset and the DPS (the DPS doesnt create much heat but it would be nice to have it all done.)

I have seen some systems that sit in the drive bays (yes I have seen coolermasters system which loosk pretty but from reviews isn't very good (too noisy)).

I am looking for advice and recommendations to remove the heat without increasing noise. All fans have only finger guards on them since the case comes as such.

Additional info. The CPU runs at 42-45C idle and 60C - 64C full load (yes I know hot) when the case is closed. More like a heater than a computer.

Thanks for any help you can give. I think I have given most of the info about the system

Julian

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Hoolio on 07/16/04 02:55 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[jammydodger]

You are using a P4e (prescott) yes? They are well known for producing a LOT of heat. Luckily they can handle high temps better than the northwoods, but it is betterto keep temps lower.

It woulda been better to get a P4c (northwood) but I guess it is too late for that now. If you want a cheap, easy, quiet watercooling kit have a look at the asetek waterchill series.

 

[Hoolio]

It is a Northwood core. As I said I improved things by moving cables around but it is kicking out hell of a heat. The cost of the watercooling isn't too much of an issue just as long as it doesn't mean taking out a 25 year loan to buy the thing.

An important point is that the system has not crashed at all due to overheating. Zonealarm hung once but zonealarm can be stupid at the best of times and doesn't like the switch user option in windows xp much.

Thanks for the advice on the cooling solution. Best thing about a water cooling kit is that garage is on the other side of the wall of the room that the PC is in. SO I could put the computers radiator in the garage to dump the heat out of the office

 

[jammydodger]

It is a northwood core? Wow that is very hot for a northwood core.
If you plan on putting the radiator in the garage you will prob want get the components individually rather than buying a kit. You will need a good pump because the water will have to go to your garage and round your case (I know you said the garage is literally behind a wall but some pumps really arnt designed to push water around a full tower case let alone to a garage).

A good watercooling kit can cost between £150-250 (dunno what that is in US dollars) so they aint cheap, you gotta be determined if you wanna get one.

 

[Hoolio]

I might go for a completely internal kit to begin with and then adapt it if it sorts the problem out.

 

[rower30]

A man after my own problem. Yep, I too have the EXACT same issue, heat with a LOT OF NOISE!
A P4HT is good to 70C per Intel's web site (http://processorfinder.intel.com/scripts/details.asp?sSpec=SL792&ProcFam=483&PkgType=ALL&SysBusSpd=ALL&CorSpd=ALL)to 73C (http://processorfinder.intel.com/scripts/details.asp?sSpec=SL7J9&ProcFam=483&PkgType=ALL&SysBusSpd=ALL&CorSpd=ALL) so don't fret about 60C. Still, the noise is crazy none the less. If you get the heat out of the box of off the 80+ watt CPU, the VPU, HD's and power supply all benefit from better air cooling which, slows down the fan frenzy somewhat.

I'm installing a Swiftech H20-8600-P Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU Liquid cooling kit (http://www.swiftnets.com/) since it's all internal and works well for a CPU only system. You'll need to add more / bigger radiators if you want to cool VPU's and chipsets.

Ask around for as good as or better set-ups and pick the one you feel most comfortable installing.

 

[Hoolio]

Thanks,

The processor at 60C is hot but not too hot. I know my old athlons t'bird 1000 was running at 55C.

Anyway the two problems are (maybe three actually):
1. Noise although not too loud but the TV is on all the time, it is noise when everything is silent!
2. Heat When I take the side of the case off the CPU temp drops by 10C-15C.
3. The heat coming out of the PC makes the room very warm, so thats why I asked about going an extra foot outside the case so I could mount the radiator on a wall in the garage.

 

[rower30]

How hot the CPU is isn't too reliable based on different motherboard maker's methods of reading off of the thermal diodes and correction circuits (where the diodes are in the chip or socket). A relative difference on a given make is probably most accurate (was 60C now is 55C) over the fact that it's probably NOT 60C or 55C but 55C and 50C, for example.

If you can mount a good sized radiator outside and cool your CPU, VPU and chip set with water cooling it should make a big difference. Oh, get a LCD monitor. CRT's are heat generators, too. I just wish LCD's offered decent resolutions and had less smearing. Even the top rated Dell's are poor playing games. Until they improve, I guess I'll have to keep my CRT.

 

[Hoolio]

I forgot the sensors are too accurate. My parents do have a very nice 19" Iiyama Prolite E481S. Beautiful monitor!

On the topic of Dell I have a nice Dell Inspiron 8100. Beautiful 15" monitor that does a max res of 1400x1050. Since my laptop can run a second monitor I was looking around for another 15" montiro that does 1400x1050 but they dont seem to exist!!!