Friday, March 28, 2008

Watercooling all over again

Warning - This is a tech-intensive/watercooling-specific entry

Today I had the chance to go to SLS/SLT to pick up a few components here and there for another project I am working on, at least with this trip today, I am able to keep my mind occupied and happy without dwelling on my uni applications.

I spent some time walking around SLT for a while because I just miss this place! I miss all the garage junk at Kaichin where my imagination and wild creative juices can really run free. Plus most of the shops have changed but I found some really powerful 120mm fans with high cfm being sold there! Oh man! I can really put those into my next computer system, especially those 200mm 25W fans!

After SLT, I scoured SLS in search of several highly specific components that none of the usual shops offered. Because of all the searching, I found 2 interesting shops worthy of mention.

Apparently Skylet stocks full Swiftech and thermaltake watercooling kits and parts, but all at exorbitant prices. The MCW60 gpu waterblock was going at $99! The MCP655 pump was at a staggering $149! The copper gpu ramsinks was going at $39!!! Insane.

Never mind about that, I saw a shop at level 3 selling the Swiftech H2O-220 Compact liquid-cooling system and the Swiftech H20-220 Apex Ultra Plus, going at $499!!! It only has a 2x120mm MCR-220 radiator, some clear tubing, MCP655 Pump, Apogee CPU Water-block, MCRES Micro Reservoir, Smatcoil, Hydrx coolant, and mounting accessories. It doesn't even have the gpu and chipset blocks. Is that worth $500?! Still its interesting to see shops at sls other than stuck-up Uvnium offering watercooling kits.

Another shop was at level 3, PCThemes and that shop was selling all sorts of PSUs! ALL the way to ThermalTake Toughpower 1500W!! And to think 1000W, 1200W are complete killers, here I see a 1500W one. Really very very interesting. I can think of all sorts of crazy ideas for my next rig.

Talking about my next computer system, here's a minor update about my current rig. The Thermaltake setup was pretty easy to do, but the high-flow Z-pattern of the waterblock offers really lousy performance, I have managed to keep my temps below 50-degsC because of my semi-custom reservoir setup but I've hit a overclocking wall of 3.8Ghz. I am pretty happy with the 3Ghz plus speeds, but disappointed I am unable to go any further. Plus I am displeased with the DD Maze4, it can't take the extra overclocking heat from my 8800GT and now it's all screwy and temps are hitting the sky.

Maybe if I have free time tomorrow or sometime next week, I'll be bleeding my system and taking out my gpu and re-lapping my maze4 gpu block, but what a hassle that would be! I suspect it's got bad contact with the gpu die or else I wouldn't be getting such lousy temperatures. If it still doesn't work, then DD Maze 4 really sucks! I think my experience with DD has been lousy so far.

It's my first water-cooling setup, and I've learnt a hell lot! I am totally against pre-made kits now. The DD Maze4 really sucks man, can't even keep my gpu cool under load. Now I've learned my lesson. Next blocks I'll be going for will be EK fullfaced water blocks for my GPUs

Never mind about all that talk now. I have no money to build the rig anyway. I'll just bleed my system and maintain my 8800GT for now, hopefully that works.

Tomorrow is 29th March 29, 2008, Earth hour is from 8-9pm, and my computer will be off during that period.

Posted by MK at 9:57 PM