Fire$torm
03-16-14, 11:08 PM
Hey gang,
From the title I guess you know what's coming. Satisfying my penchant to document things. The title also serves as a warning...!!! Yep, the open loop cooling bug has bitten hard over here.
For the newer additions to the forums, this is one of my favorite things to do. Bringing ideas to life. And those that know me will realize that this the most ambitious project/mod I have ever documented. I hope this will inspire others to give open loop cooling a try. At least I hope this thread has a positive influence, along with a positive ending.... :P
This won't be a very detailed build log so you won't have to worry about a tone of pics. But if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post. I'll answer any question as well as I can.
So like okay, in the beginning there was Void. Oh wait, wrong group for that....
You might be asking why bother going the custom cooling route? Why not just buy an AIO solution like the Corsair H-100 and be done with it? The answer is simple, I've never been really satisfied with the performance of Asetek wares. Asetek is the OEM of most of the AIO kits out there. Yeah, they do work, just not as well as I think they should. Also, I've had an H-50 that went bad. It's cold plate (the cooper base that contacts the CPU) warp after 14 months of use. And I've had a H-100 that was defective out of the box. The H-100's fan controller committed Seppuku in the first 30 seconds of use, taking my prized pair of Akasa Viper 140's along for the ride. That was the last Asetek product I will ever buy. Shortly after that fiasco, Swiftech introduced the H220. Although it wasn't the first, the H220 is an AIO that can be expanded. Meaning you can add additional components to the cooling loop. The primary reason I went the Swiftech route was it's better cooling performance compared to Asetek fare and it runs much quieter then any of the H's I have owned.
To be honest, I never thought I'd ever go open loop as it can put a big strain on the ol' checkbook. Yet, after two months of researching, planning, saving up & selling stuff on eBay, here I am posting away on my first attempt at it. Hence the title of this thread. Okay enough with boring you, time for a few pics.
So here is all the crap, err I mean hardware that I need to do this.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3595745/Project%20Kooler/The_Collection-Small.jpg
Left to Right - Top to Bottom
Tubing: Primochill 3/8" ID x 5/8" OD - UV Purple
Reservoir: Phobya Balancer 150 - Black Nickel
GPU Water Block: Watercool Heatkiller GPU-X3 58X0
Northbridge Water Block: Enzotech Sapphire SNBW-REV .A
Fan: Cooler Master Blade Master 120mm (For the Alphacool)
Radiator: Alphacool NexXxos Full Cooper 120mm
Misc: Enzotech SNBW Extended Mounting Bracket
Misc: (x3) 5mm UV Purple LED
Hose Clamp: (x4) Bitspower 5/8" OD - Orange
Misc: Monsoon G 1/4 Stop Plug/LED fitting -Orange w/Orange LED
Compression Fittings: Monsoon Free Center 3/8" ID x 5/8" OD - Orange ( x1 6-Pack + x2 singles)
The System
MB: EVGA X58 FTW3 (Hot X58 chipset - 1 big reason to go open loop)
CPU: Core i7 920
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220
RAM: (x6) 2GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 - Black
PSU: Corsair TX850M
GPU: 5870 (From another system)
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 120GB
HDD: 5 units (500~1,000GB) totaling 3.25TB
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST
Of course no project of mine is, well, is a project unless I mod something!
I needed a away to mount the Phobya rez as I didn't like the mounting clamps that came with it. So while trolling the Net for ideas, I happened upon a solution by Koolance (Link (http://koolance.com/bkt-tk140f-reservoir-bracket-140mm-60mm-od)). Sweet mounting idea. So how did I make mine? Simple, I used the top cover of an old Bestec PSU I had in my junk box. And after hours of drawing up, laying out, Dremeling, drilling, more Dremeling, filing and sanding......
One naked bottom mount rez bracket...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3595745/Project%20Kooler/Bracket_Bare-Small.jpg
It cleaned up really well......
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3595745/Project%20Kooler/Bracket_Finished-Small.jpg
The project "To-Do" list looks something like this:
*Uninstall all partz'es in my case.
*Drain and flush H220. 1st flush: 10% Vinegar / 90% Distilled Water. 2nd flush: 5% Vinegar / 95% Distilled Water. 3rd flush: Straight Distilled.
*Flush new rad, rez, GPU & NB blocks, tubing.
*Fix 3-Pin fan Header on MB. Pulled loose when I forgot about side mounted case fan while removing case side panel (Duh...!!! that was stupid....)
*Thorough cleaning of Cosmos II case, inside and out.
*Begin installing the new bits. :D
Okay folks, it's time to get started. So I won't be on much for the next day or so. And of course my credit output will have a corresponding drop.
Thanks for reading through all this. See ya when I see ya.
F$
From the title I guess you know what's coming. Satisfying my penchant to document things. The title also serves as a warning...!!! Yep, the open loop cooling bug has bitten hard over here.
For the newer additions to the forums, this is one of my favorite things to do. Bringing ideas to life. And those that know me will realize that this the most ambitious project/mod I have ever documented. I hope this will inspire others to give open loop cooling a try. At least I hope this thread has a positive influence, along with a positive ending.... :P
This won't be a very detailed build log so you won't have to worry about a tone of pics. But if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post. I'll answer any question as well as I can.
So like okay, in the beginning there was Void. Oh wait, wrong group for that....
You might be asking why bother going the custom cooling route? Why not just buy an AIO solution like the Corsair H-100 and be done with it? The answer is simple, I've never been really satisfied with the performance of Asetek wares. Asetek is the OEM of most of the AIO kits out there. Yeah, they do work, just not as well as I think they should. Also, I've had an H-50 that went bad. It's cold plate (the cooper base that contacts the CPU) warp after 14 months of use. And I've had a H-100 that was defective out of the box. The H-100's fan controller committed Seppuku in the first 30 seconds of use, taking my prized pair of Akasa Viper 140's along for the ride. That was the last Asetek product I will ever buy. Shortly after that fiasco, Swiftech introduced the H220. Although it wasn't the first, the H220 is an AIO that can be expanded. Meaning you can add additional components to the cooling loop. The primary reason I went the Swiftech route was it's better cooling performance compared to Asetek fare and it runs much quieter then any of the H's I have owned.
To be honest, I never thought I'd ever go open loop as it can put a big strain on the ol' checkbook. Yet, after two months of researching, planning, saving up & selling stuff on eBay, here I am posting away on my first attempt at it. Hence the title of this thread. Okay enough with boring you, time for a few pics.
So here is all the crap, err I mean hardware that I need to do this.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3595745/Project%20Kooler/The_Collection-Small.jpg
Left to Right - Top to Bottom
Tubing: Primochill 3/8" ID x 5/8" OD - UV Purple
Reservoir: Phobya Balancer 150 - Black Nickel
GPU Water Block: Watercool Heatkiller GPU-X3 58X0
Northbridge Water Block: Enzotech Sapphire SNBW-REV .A
Fan: Cooler Master Blade Master 120mm (For the Alphacool)
Radiator: Alphacool NexXxos Full Cooper 120mm
Misc: Enzotech SNBW Extended Mounting Bracket
Misc: (x3) 5mm UV Purple LED
Hose Clamp: (x4) Bitspower 5/8" OD - Orange
Misc: Monsoon G 1/4 Stop Plug/LED fitting -Orange w/Orange LED
Compression Fittings: Monsoon Free Center 3/8" ID x 5/8" OD - Orange ( x1 6-Pack + x2 singles)
The System
MB: EVGA X58 FTW3 (Hot X58 chipset - 1 big reason to go open loop)
CPU: Core i7 920
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220
RAM: (x6) 2GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 - Black
PSU: Corsair TX850M
GPU: 5870 (From another system)
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 120GB
HDD: 5 units (500~1,000GB) totaling 3.25TB
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST
Of course no project of mine is, well, is a project unless I mod something!
I needed a away to mount the Phobya rez as I didn't like the mounting clamps that came with it. So while trolling the Net for ideas, I happened upon a solution by Koolance (Link (http://koolance.com/bkt-tk140f-reservoir-bracket-140mm-60mm-od)). Sweet mounting idea. So how did I make mine? Simple, I used the top cover of an old Bestec PSU I had in my junk box. And after hours of drawing up, laying out, Dremeling, drilling, more Dremeling, filing and sanding......
One naked bottom mount rez bracket...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3595745/Project%20Kooler/Bracket_Bare-Small.jpg
It cleaned up really well......
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3595745/Project%20Kooler/Bracket_Finished-Small.jpg
The project "To-Do" list looks something like this:
*Uninstall all partz'es in my case.
*Drain and flush H220. 1st flush: 10% Vinegar / 90% Distilled Water. 2nd flush: 5% Vinegar / 95% Distilled Water. 3rd flush: Straight Distilled.
*Flush new rad, rez, GPU & NB blocks, tubing.
*Fix 3-Pin fan Header on MB. Pulled loose when I forgot about side mounted case fan while removing case side panel (Duh...!!! that was stupid....)
*Thorough cleaning of Cosmos II case, inside and out.
*Begin installing the new bits. :D
Okay folks, it's time to get started. So I won't be on much for the next day or so. And of course my credit output will have a corresponding drop.
Thanks for reading through all this. See ya when I see ya.
F$