Sprocket's New Home

[clocker]

Today I went back to MicroCenter to study the Gigabyte 3D Cooler more closely.
I was hoping to get a better idea of how it is assembled and it's moddability potential.
Decided to pass for the moment...my Zalman is performing quite well and $50 for the GigaByte is a bit steep just to play.

On my way out I cruised thru the "scratch and dent" discount section and there, lying like a pearl among swine, was a ColerMaster Centurion case. (http://www.bit-tech.net/review/248/)
I was immediately intrigued.

I loved the sleek simplicity of the front bezel and the ( apparently) unhindered intake path for the front fan.
No irritating sidepanel window either.

The "flaw" in this (presumably returned) case is a slight mar on the roof about the size of a dime.

Getting it home, I began to study the potential for customizing this little ( and cheap...reduced from $59.95 to $29.95) beauty.

The method of assembly is unique in my experience...one knurled screw removes both sidepanels and the roof. Very handy.
Fit of the panels is excellent.

I also picked up aZalman fan control panel (http://www.case-mod.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=81) and a CoolerMaster HDD Cooler enclosure (http://www.gruntville.com/reviews/misc/cm_cooldrive3/index.php) because I thought they would look good with the case design. Also, the drive enclosure should help quiet the drive noise ( not too bad to begin with really) and it allows me to mount the drive in the top optical bays.

This go round I'm going to do a bit more planning before I do anything...the idea is to minimize noise while still keeping temps reasonable.
Sprocket's current home was an exercise in high end air cooling...uberfannage and massive airflow...and is extremely successful- my load temps are in the mid-thirties.

That's all well and good, but I think I'd like to try to emphasize quiet over performance this time, just to see how that works out.
Naturally, this doesn't mean that I'm not going to hack around on this case, just that I hope to be more discreet.

Fortunately, having a few cases lying around ( 4 at the moment) means that I can play with the Centurion at my leisure and leave Sprocket intact in the Muffin case till all my mods are done.

Time to start dreaming...I'll post some pics as things develop...

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 20:58
The method of assembly is unique in my experience...one knurled screw removes both sidepanels and the roof. Very handy.

what does knarled mean?

and can you post a pic so i can see?

[kaiweiler]

that's awesome, hope she feels comfortable in her new home ;)
that's not a bad deal for that case....
lookin forward to seein some pics!
keep us posted B)

[clocker]

http://www.uneedabolt.com/graphics/s3.jpg
Rossco, these are knurled screws...no tools required.

K,
Happy birthday.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 21:27
http://www.uneedabolt.com/graphics/s3.jpg
Rossco, these are knurled screws...no tools required.

K,
Happy birthday.
oh theyre like thumb screws.

forgot, happy birthday K&#33;&#33;&#33;i forgot to wish my friend a happy virthday too <_< and i saw him so many times today too :lol:

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 22:27
K,
Happy birthday.
thanks&#33; :)
when can we expect some pics of this machine? lol

[clocker]

K,

Not sure.
I may just assemble the case as is and see what happens.
Give myself some baseline data to deal with.

I have almost a full notebook that details the results of mods made to my Xaser case and my current case, so I&#39;m trying to devise a strategy based on those.

In the past I&#39;ve been quick to cut holes and mount fans...not so much with this case.
I like that the exterior is almost devoid of holes and would like to keep it that way if at all possible.

My target temps are 35c at idle and 40c under load.
This might be achievable using my Aquarius II H2O set up.

We&#39;ll see.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 22:05
K,

Not sure.
I may just assemble the case as is and see what happens.
Give myself some baseline data to deal with.

I have almost a full notebook that details the results of mods made to my Xaser case and my current case, so I&#39;m trying to devise a strategy based on those.

In the past I&#39;ve been quick to cut holes and mount fans...not so much with this case.
I like that the exterior is almost devoid of holes and would like to keep it that way if at all possible.

My target temps are 35c at idle and 40c under load.
This might be achievable using my Aquarius II H2O set up.

We&#39;ll see.
if u do use the water cooling system, try to orgaznise the pipes better to keep the case looking clean, if thats possible...

[clocker]

Oh please, Rossco...my cases are always paragons of organization.

Seriously.

It&#39;s a disease.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 22:12
Oh please, Rossco...my cases are always paragons of organization.

Seriously.

It&#39;s a disease.
i know urs are organised, so are mine, i know what its like...

but when i saw ur pics of ur watercooling, the water pipes were pretty messy in there...

[kaiweiler]

and don&#39;t let it leak this time :lol:
I know I know, it&#39;s not a laughing matter...

[clocker]

Rossco, you must be thinking of someone else.

K, I&#39;ll do my best.

[atiVidia]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 23:01
Rossco, you must be thinking of someone else.

K, I&#39;ll do my best.
if using water:

mount the reservoir below the top of the case and add a hole on the top for easy water/anti-algae addage. try another hole on the front of the case (side interferes with removeable panel, and the other side has a mobo on it) below the reservoir, allowing for easy drainage.

also, how bout adding 6 radiators? three on each side lol.

[clocker]

Originally posted by atiVidia@15 April 2004 - 22:14


also, how bout adding 6 radiators? three on each side lol.
In series or parallel?

[clocker]

A *BUMP* disguised as a small update.

Last night I moved Sprocket into her new home...well sorta.
As I said, I was interested in gathering some baseline data for this new case, so basically I just threw the parts in willy-nilly.
No attempt was made to be neat.

The wiring for my new Antec PSU is incredibly long and will require some serious management as space is at somewhat of a premium.

The 40mm fan in the CoolDrive 3 HDD enclosure is incredibly irritating ( what did I expect?) and two of the LEDs in the Zalman fan control panel refuse to work.
Oh, the horror&#33;

The review of the Centurion case That I posted was pretty much dead on...the back plate is super cheesy and will take some work to fix.
The slots for the PCI cards are simply stamped out ( and left in place) and are a pain to remove without twisting/bending the thin rail left inbetween. Once removed, it&#39;s up to you to find filler strips. No biggie, thought I, I have a boxfull.
HA&#33;
They don&#39;t fit/work with the odd retention setup in this case.
Other than that, installation went well.
After a night of Folding my temps seem to be about 8-9 degC higher than in the Muffin case.
My highest diode temp ( reported by MBM5) was 44...currently ( in the cool of the morning) at 42c.
My socket temp runs about 3 degrees cooler...not bad, considering that this case doesn&#39;t have the socket/mobo fan mod yet ( if ever...).

All in all, an interesting result.
The temps are actually already within my desired target range despite the lack of case fans ( did I forget to mention? No case fans installed at all...only airflow provided by the HSF and the two fans in the Antec PSU) and HSF running at very slow speed.

So...where to go from here?
I&#39;m not sure.

Oh, BTW...yesterday, while visiting my local PC shop, I got a copy of the MS SP2 Beta.
They had just returned from a Microsoft seminar and this is the real MS approved version of the Service Pack that will be released soon.
Unwilling to use one of their customer&#39;s PCs as a guinea pig, they asked me to try it out.
How could I refuse...they have been very good to me.

Essentially, SP2 seems to be a complete rollup of all the MS Critical Updates to date with a few extra features.
It adds two icons to your Control Center...."Windows Firewall" and "Security Center".
The Firewall icon does nothing..."Due to an unidentified problem, Windows cannot display firewall settings...."
The Security Center has a window displaying options for the firewall settings ( hmmm...seems a bit redundant, eh?) along with an option to enable "Windows Update" and also a "detect anri-virus software" section.
Oddly, Windows does not detect Grisoft AVG as being present on my machine.

Essentially, the Security Control seems to be an easy was for nOObs to get to options that are already available in a standard Windows install.
Just for grins I disabled ZoneAlarm Pro and ran my PC through the ShieldsUp&#33; port test.
Pretty much the same reults...totally stealthed with the exception of the infamous port 113, which was "closed" ( supposedly ZA will "learn" to adaptively stealth this port, but so far mine has not...).
I&#39;m not familiar with the features of the Windows firewall, so for the time being I&#39;ll probably continue to use ZoneAlarm.
On Monday I&#39;m going to take my machine down to the shop and let them scan it and see what (if any) hidden settings are enabled by SP2, but so far everything seems to work just fine.
If I have time before then ( doubtful, considering the amount of work necessary to clean up Sprocket&#39;s interior) I will do a fresh install of Windows and install SP2 instead of SP1 and see what happens.

More to follow as time permits...

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@17 April 2004 - 10:07
A *BUMP* disguised as a small update.

Last night I moved Sprocket into her new home...well sorta.
As I said, I was interested in gathering some baseline data for this new case, so basically I just threw the parts in willy-nilly.
No attempt was made to be neat.

The wiring for my new Antec PSU is incredibly long and will require some serious management as space is at somewhat of a premium.

The 40mm fan in the CoolDrive 3 HDD enclosure is incredibly irritating ( what did I expect?) and two of the LEDs in the Zalman fan control panel refuse to work.
Oh, the horror&#33;

The review of the Centurion case That I posted was pretty much dead on...the back plate is super cheesy and will take some work to fix.
The slots for the PCI cards are simply stamped out ( and left in place) and are a pain to remove without twisting/bending the thin rail left inbetween. Once removed, it&#39;s up to you to find filler strips. No biggie, thought I, I have a boxfull.
HA&#33;
They don&#39;t fit/work with the odd retention setup in this case.
Other than that, installation went well.
After a night of Folding my temps seem to be about 8-9 degC higher than in the Muffin case.
My highest diode temp ( reported by MBM5) was 44...currently ( in the cool of the morning) at 42c.
My socket temp runs about 3 degrees cooler...not bad, considering that this case doesn&#39;t have the socket/mobo fan mod yet ( if ever...).

All in all, an interesting result.
The temps are actually already within my desired target range despite the lack of case fans ( did I forget to mention? No case fans installed at all...only airflow provided by the HSF and the two fans in the Antec PSU) and HSF running at very slow speed.

So...where to go from here?
I&#39;m not sure.

Oh, BTW...yesterday, while visiting my local PC shop, I got a copy of the MS SP2 Beta.
They had just returned from a Microsoft seminar and this is the real MS approved version of the Service Pack that will be released soon.
Unwilling to use one of their customer&#39;s PCs as a guinea pig, they asked me to try it out.
How could I refuse...they have been very good to me.

Essentially, SP2 seems to be a complete rollup of all the MS Critical Updates to date with a few extra features.
It adds two icons to your Control Center...."Windows Firewall" and "Security Center".
The Firewall icon does nothing..."Due to an unidentified problem, Windows cannot display firewall settings...."
The Security Center has a window displaying options for the firewall settings ( hmmm...seems a bit redundant, eh?) along with an option to enable "Windows Update" and also a "detect anri-virus software" section.
Oddly, Windows does not detect Grisoft AVG as being present on my machine.

Essentially, the Security Control seems to be an easy was for nOObs to get to options that are already available in a standard Windows install.
Just for grins I disabled ZoneAlarm Pro and ran my PC through the ShieldsUp&#33; port test.
Pretty much the same reults...totally stealthed with the exception of the infamous port 113, which was "closed" ( supposedly ZA will "learn" to adaptively stealth this port, but so far mine has not...).
I&#39;m not familiar with the features of the Windows firewall, so for the time being I&#39;ll probably continue to use ZoneAlarm.
On Monday I&#39;m going to take my machine down to the shop and let them scan it and see what (if any) hidden settings are enabled by SP2, but so far everything seems to work just fine.
If I have time before then ( doubtful, considering the amount of work necessary to clean up Sprocket&#39;s interior) I will do a fresh install of Windows and install SP2 instead of SP1 and see what happens.

More to follow as time permits...
SP2 has been available from microsoft to all betaplace.com members for quiet a while. i used it for a few months but recently got bored of all the errors with certain combinations of programs being opened, so i went back to service pack 1 for now. btw, what version is yours? that last one i used was RC1...

[kaiweiler]

those temps are not bad at all considering you have no fans lol
I thought you were gonna use your aquarius II though?

[clocker]

Rossco,
BelArc Advisor shows my installation as being SP2 KB811113...whatever that means.

K,
Did you have a good birthday?

Today I&#39;m going to perform some serious wire/cable management and also strip down the case to remove the restrictive stamped fan grills...I was too lazy to dig out my nibblers last night.
Then I&#39;ll install the watercooling.
I got a new Zalman waterblock to try ( I decided on this one mainly because it comes with the necessary fittings for tubing from 1/4" , which works with the Aquarius pump and radiator, up to 1/2" (I think), necessary for serious water rigs...).
As you know, arranging the wiring can be very time-consuming, so I don&#39;t know how far I&#39;ll get today, but when Sprocket is cleaned up enough not to be embarrassing I&#39;ll take some pics.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@17 April 2004 - 10:51
Rossco,
BelArc Advisor shows my installation as being SP2&nbsp; KB811113...whatever that means.

K,
Did you have a good birthday?

Today I&#39;m going to perform some serious wire/cable management and also strip down the case to remove the restrictive stamped fan grills...I was too lazy to dig out my nibblers last night.
Then I&#39;ll install the watercooling.
I got a new Zalman waterblock to try ( I decided on this one mainly because it comes with the necessary fittings for tubing from 1/4" , which works with the Aquarius pump and radiator, up to 1/2" (I think), necessary for serious water rigs...).
As you know, arranging the wiring can be very time-consuming, so I don&#39;t know how far I&#39;ll get today, but when Sprocket is cleaned up enough not to be embarrassing I&#39;ll take some pics.
clocker, right click my computer and click properties, then at the top what does it say for your version of windows?

edit: what i mean is the build number...

[clocker]

It say....

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Version 2002

Service Pack 2, v 2096


Now, what does that tell you?

BTW, Sprocket is now running watercooled.
So far, temps are under 40....

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@17 April 2004 - 21:44
It say....

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Version 2002

Service Pack 2, v 2096


Now, what does that tell you?
lol, i just wanted to know what version you have :( ok now i know though, its the RC1 version, thats teh last one i used. firewall worked fine for me ;) have you found anything else that doesnt work yet?

oh, if u click start>turn off computer, does the screen around the standby, restart, turn off go completely black or just grey? mine went all the way blakc and coudlnt figure out why.

edit:

BTW, Sprocket is now running watercooled.
So far, temps are under 40....

sweet, got any pics yet? :P

[clocker]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@17 April 2004 - 20:47
[QUOTE=clocker,17 April 2004 - 21:44] It say....

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Version 2002




oh, if u click start>turn off computer, does the screen around the standby, restart, turn off go completely black or just grey? mine went all the way blakc and coudlnt figure out why.

blah,blah,blah

sweet, got any pics yet? :P
I don&#39;t shutdown that way...I made shortcuts (" shutdown -s -t 0" and " shutdown -r -t o" )to boot and turn off....no start button bushwa for me, nosirree.

No pics yet...just an initial test right now.
I have to reopen her tonight any way, neither my On LED nor my HDD activity LED are working and I want to disable one of the two fans on the radiator to see what happens...

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@17 April 2004 - 21:59

[QUOTE=clocker,17 April 2004 - 21:44] It say....

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Version 2002




oh, if u click start>turn off computer, does the screen around the standby, restart, turn off go completely black or just grey? mine went all the way blakc and coudlnt figure out why.

blah,blah,blah

sweet, got any pics yet? :P
I don&#39;t shutdown that way...I made shortcuts (" shutdown -s -t 0" and " shutdown -r -t o" )to boot and turn off....no start button bushwa for me, nosirree.

No pics yet...just an initial test right now.
I have to reopen her tonight any way, neither my On LED nor my HDD activity LED are working and I want to disable one of the two fans on the radiator to see what happens...
alright thats kool i can wait...for the leds, try flipping around the connection for it, sometimes they get hooked up backwards and dont work...ii live with mine backwards for like 5 months, i thought that my mobo was just wierd and that the hdd one didnt work, and the power one turned on when the comp was off :huh: but then i switched them around and it worked lol.

[clocker]

Ok...
The "power on" LED is working and the "push" fan on the radiator is gone.
This should be interesting.

I tried to get tricky with my HDD activity light.
The front of my new HDD enclosure has two LEDs and I tried to use them as the activity light, but obviously they don&#39;t run on the teensy current supplied by the activity header on the mobo.
C&#39;est la vie...
Fix that in the morning.

Now if I could just make the waterpump silent...hmmm....

[clocker]

Well boys and girls, Sprocket was feeling a trifle randy this evening so I stripped her down and shot some revealing photos.

Computer porn.
Given that she is less than 72 hrs. old ( in this incarnation at least), we are all risking serious jail time...

http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/newsprocket1.jpg
So here is the main view.
This case is considerably smaller than her previous bodies, so Sprocket is getting a little big for her britches. It was quite a project cramming all the components into her new home, especially given my ( self-imposed) restriction against cutting any new holes in the exterior of the case.
The watercooling required the most improvisation.
Moving the HDD into the 5 1/4" drive bay and not having a floppy drive meant that I could remove the 3 1/2" bay box which opened up the needed room in the front case bottom area. I cut out the stamped fan grill and mounted the intake fan/radiator assy. on the front wall. Then I ran a duct from the back of the radiator to the back casewall where the exhaust air is helped out of the case with another fan. These are the only two case fans.
Quite a change from Muffin.
This duct obviously makes it impossible to insert any PCI cards (not a problem ATM), but I have an alternate oulet location in mind should the need ( or the desire to cut holes, lol) arise.
The water pump/reservoir is mounted right behind the radiator on rubber mounting feet.
The main waterlines and all the visible wiring is sheathed with black mesh sheathing. This job was made easier after I discovered that Radio Shack sells a Molex pin remover ( cat.# 274-223..price was &#036;6.95) which worked very well. I recommend it.
Although this Centurion case has no windows I was still trying to keep things looking spiffy.
Just for my satisfaction, I guess.
Life would certainly be easier if IDE cables came in shorter lengths.My double connector (optical drive) cable could be 6" long, but the shortest available seems to be 12", which leaves a big loop to deal with. Maybe custom cables are in order...

Here is the infamous rear panel...
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/newsprocket3.jpg
Visisble are the rear exhaust fan for the duct and the "chimney" for the PSU exhaust fan that came with the duct kit. Not sure if this piece helps or hinders things yet, but I paid for it so I decided to mount it and see.

And here is the front...
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/newsprocket2.jpg
I have some ideas for the opening for the floppy drives, but right now that space is simply filled with a piece of foam.
The only mods to the front so far are the addition of the two lights in the upper bay cover which are connected to the temperature varied power outlets on the Antec PSU. The idea is that the lights will bighten/dim in relation to case temp. Unfortunately I have no bulbs for these sockets, so this remains theory only.
Also, the front of the CoolerMaster HDD encloser ( second bay) has two LEDs which are decorative only.
I converted these to be my power on and HDD activity lights.

On the roof I added two handles, very handy for lifting the case and removing the roof panel ( which is held on with one screw and must be removed to free the sidepanels...pretty cool method, really).

With a fresh application of AS5 on the Zalman waterblock, Sprocket is idling at 30 degC.

As usual, I expect that I&#39;ll begin making detail changes almost immediately, but I think I have a fairly decent starting point for this latest incarnation of my baby.

[kaiweiler]

wow....
very clean&#33;
so how does that aquarius II system work?? does it give relativly good temps, and i assume it is quieter then the old sprockets home correct?

[clocker]

Ah, the AquariusII...

This version is working fine, an improvement I attribute to the Zalman waterblock.
Looking at my notes, I see that the stock waterblock was decidedly inferior to a mid-level air solution, while my current temps are equal to Sprocket&#39;s uberMuffin case.
This is with a fresh application of AS5, so perhaps temps will improve slightly as the TIM normalizes.
I am still of two minds about this kit.
The radiator is cute as button and with the exception of the 1/4" fittings, there isn&#39;t anything I would change.
The stock waterblock, pump and (especially) the reservoir are pretty cheesy, but servicable and undeniably easy to install.
Plus, it was free ( to me at least) so I have no monetary complaints.

Yes, it is very quiet, with the exception of a small, but irritating buzzing noise from the pump.
The old case was not what I would consider obnoxious, but did suffer from a hum from the fans- a byproduct of my fan control switch, I&#39;m sure.

Current idle temp is 30c.
So far, so good.

[kaiweiler]

I was expecting it to even be a little lower then 30 idle, would it make a difference using a different liquid?
do you think it would be a worthy investment of about &#036;155 CAD? plus another 50 for the zalman block? probably not actually...
and there is probably a way to deafen the buzz a bit, encasing the pump in something? i dunno, I&#39;m sure there&#39;s a way

[kaiweiler]

Pros

All in one kit.

Powers off mobo and PSU

Quiet

Adaptable to either Intel P4/P3 or AMD Athlon XP/TBird/Duron

Ease of installation and removal.

Quiet

Excellent cooling when compared to standard air coolers.

Quiet


Cons

Pump moves only 1/6 the flow of other water-cooler pumps.

Cooling rates as poor when compared to other water-coolers.

Some cases may have to be modded in order to install the unit.

Price could be a bit lower.


I was thinking of getting one of these kits but I didn&#39;t like this to much...

SOURCE (http://www.overclockercafe.com/Reviews/Tt_Aquarius/)

[clocker]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@19 April 2004 - 10:26
I was expecting it to even be a little lower then 30 idle, would it make a difference using a different liquid?
do you think it would be a worthy investment of about &#036;155 CAD? plus another 50 for the zalman block? probably not actually...
and there is probably a way to deafen the buzz a bit, encasing the pump in something? i dunno, I&#39;m sure there&#39;s a way
30c at idle seems pretty respectable to moi, especially given the rather pathetic specs of the pump/radiator.

I don&#39;t think any additives would make much of a difference.

No, it&#39;s not worth that much money...even if we are talking Canadian bucks.

I&#39;m looking for a way to silence the pump...I&#39;ll figure it out eventually.

[kaiweiler]

not worth it?
I could get the whole kit for 149.99 but that&#39;s not worth it?
alright thanks then, glad I didn&#39;t get it last week when I was thinking about it
and 30C is a decent temp, but I just dont wanna spend about 200 bucks total on something I can achieve with air cooling...

[clocker]

That was my thinking too, K.
A well implemented air solution can easily duplicate my results, but the complexity ( and expense) is hardly trivial.

I am fortunate that I was given the AquariusII as a gift, so the cost of the system doesn&#39;t really have to factor into my assessment.
Being objective however, where the initial expense is an issue, I must conclude that the usable parts of the kit ( the radiator and the pump...noisy as it is) are not worth the price.

[lynx]

Ah, the buzzing pump syndrome.

How annoying that must be.

Just to let you know, the Hydor pumps are almost totally silent.
I have to strain to make sure it is actually working, if it was inside the case I&#39;d have no chance. :lol:

[clocker]

How is your setup working for you Lynx?

It looked very cool ( in both senses of the word...).

[lynx]

I&#39;m currently running with temps of 34/26 full [email protected] (approx equal to XP3400).

I&#39;ve been playing with the thermostat settings, with some unexpected results.

There are three thermostats, 1 for each of the beer lines (which I&#39;m running in series) and one for the refrigeration circuit. I tried setting the refrigeration circuit to a lower temp, but all this seemed to result in was an increase in room temp&#33; I assume that I wasn&#39;t providing enough heat from the cpu, so the room was heating the water bath. This made the refrigeration circuit kick in, cooling the water back down but heating the room even more, which warmed the water in the water bath.... Resulting computer temps were 35/31&#33;&#33;&#33;

So I&#39;ve reversed that move, and even gone a little bit the other way. I suppose that ideally the water bath temp needs to be only slightly lower than the cooling circuit so that I&#39;m not effectively just heating the room. The only problem is that I have to partially dismantle the chiller in order to adjust that temp.

General cooling of the water bath is fairly quiet (about as noisy as a pc on full cooling) but only takes place for a total of about 10 minutes per hour. The stirrers which keep the temps of the beer lines constant are a little noisier, although they only run for about three seconds every couple of minutes. I may try to investigate slower but quieter motors for the stirrers, but first I&#39;ll investigate what it is like using only one of the beer lines.

Generally, I&#39;m very happy with the results, and I&#39;m confident that the temps during summer will not be a major problem.

[clocker]

Yes, but does your PC smell like hops now? :P

[clocker]

Ok...small update.
I tried encasing my pump in foam, as I described earlier, but the results were disappointing.
It did help some, but the noise ( or more precisely, the quality of the noise) was still not acceptable.
Watercooling is now on the back burner again.

So, what to do, what to do?
Well, I decided to go ahead and semi-upgrade the aircooling in the case by swapping out the front 80mm intake fan for a 120mm Sunon that I had laying around and doing the mobo wall fan also.

While I was at it I also relocated my HDD onto the case floor ( the same setup that I&#39;ve used in previous cases) and also lined almost the entire interior with 1/4" foam as a noise dampener.

I also mounted a fan in the stock exhaust location on the rear casewall, but as yet it is not hooked up.

So far, so good.

Case temp is 25c.
HDD and socket are both at 22c ( remember, they both have dedicated fans blowing over them now).
CPU diode is 40c ( Folding).

The case is almost dead silent...if I really try I can hear the whisper of air, but that&#39;s about it.

She&#39;s only been running now for just over an hour, so temps could easily change some, but I&#39;m encouraged at this point...

[kaiweiler]

that&#39;s quite impressive
are you going to be adding more and more fans, like the old sprocket? or keep it as it is? (I know that&#39;s impossible for you :lol: )

[lynx]

Originally posted by clocker@21 April 2004 - 18:17
Yes, but does your PC smell like hops now? :P
I&#39;ve turned off the thermostat on one cold bank, and set the other at minimum.

There&#39;s no smell of hops, but the temps have jumped (37/26). :lol:

THis probably means I can reduce the cooling circuit to a single bank, leaving the other free for better purposes. :beerchug:

[clocker]

Originally posted by lynx@21 April 2004 - 15:01


THis probably means I can reduce the cooling circuit to a single bank, leaving the other free for better purposes. :beerchug:
Would that make your comp a "server"?

K,

No, no more fans.
For now.
I was just at MicroCenter and they were unpacking a shipment of Zalman Reserators.
They didn&#39;t have one open yet, but the box is HUGE.
Prolly 3&#39; long of so.
Hopefully they&#39;ll have one set up soon...

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker+21 April 2004 - 16:49--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (clocker @ 21 April 2004 - 16:49)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-lynx@21 April 2004 - 15:01


THis probably means I can reduce the cooling circuit to a single bank, leaving the other free for better purposes. :beerchug:
Would that make your comp a "server"?

K,

No, no more fans.
For now.
I was just at MicroCenter and they were unpacking a shipment of Zalman Reserators.
They didn&#39;t have one open yet, but the box is HUGE.
Prolly 3&#39; long of so.
Hopefully they&#39;ll have one set up soon... [/b][/quote]
whats a reserator? is it a water cooling part? :unsure:

[clocker]

Yup. (http://www.nordichardware.com/reviews/cooling/2004/Zalman_passiv/)

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@22 April 2004 - 20:55
Yup. (http://www.nordichardware.com/reviews/cooling/2004/Zalman_passiv/)
ooh thats water cooling system looks awsome. except for the fact that its external and most likely cant fit in ur case.

are you thinking of buying this clocker? or is it too expensive? i think ir would be perfect for what u want it to do: operate quietly.

[clocker]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004+22 April 2004 - 20:11--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ROSSCO_2004 @ 22 April 2004 - 20:11)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@22 April 2004 - 20:55
Yup. (http://www.nordichardware.com/reviews/cooling/2004/Zalman_passiv/)
ooh thats water cooling system looks awsome. except for the fact that its external and most likely cant fit in ur case.

are you thinking of buying this clocker? or is it too expensive? i think ir would be perfect for what u want it to do: operate quietly. [/b][/quote]
I can&#39;t think of any case that thing would fit into.
It&#39;s 26-27" tall.

It is very nicely made ( like most Zalman stuff) and also quite expensive ( like most Zalman stuff...) &#036;250 at MicroCenter.

I haven&#39;t seen a comprehensive review of this yet, so It&#39;s hard to say how interested I am.

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by clocker@22 April 2004 - 19:55
Yup. (http://www.nordichardware.com/reviews/cooling/2004/Zalman_passiv/)
Image Resized
[img]http://www.nordichardware.com/reviews/cooling/2004/Zalman_passiv/comparsion.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://www.nordichardware.com/reviews/cooling/2004/Zalman_passiv/comparsion.jpg')

Nice&#33; :)

[kaiweiler]

Yeah it looks so classy&#33; but I wanna see some results of it cooling an overclocked system folding for a day or two, then we&#39;d see how it actually preforms but from the reviews i have seen it looks really really good. I&#39;ve been looking into this system as well

[racer II]

Well if you can wait 2 months then i can let you know how the reserator performs ;)

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by racer II@23 April 2004 - 13:30
Well if you can wait 2 months then i can let you know how the reserator performs ;)
your gettin one? awesome, give us a good review&#33;
is it gonna be cooling the system in your sig or something else?

[racer II]

Originally posted by kaiweiler+23 April 2004 - 20:35--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (kaiweiler @ 23 April 2004 - 20:35)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-racer II@23 April 2004 - 13:30
Well if you can wait 2 months then i can let you know how the reserator performs&nbsp; ;)
your gettin one? awesome, give us a good review&#33;
is it gonna be cooling the system in your sig or something else? [/b][/quote]
Yes im getting one for sure, and yes its for the system in my sig. :D

[clocker]

Originally posted by racer II@23 April 2004 - 15:33

Yes im getting one for sure, and yes its for the system in my sig.&nbsp; :D
Excellent.
Our systems are similar enough that your results will be of great interest to me.
Out of curiousity, do you happen to know what the head limit on the pump might be?

If the Reserator is an acceptable solution it will certainly make my life much simpler.

I have been struggling with Sprocket&#39;s new home with mixed results.
So far, I can achieve very cool or very quiet, but not both at the same time.
So I decided to comprimise.

Here is the general layout....
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/guts.jpg
Pretty standard ( for me, at least).
I have upgraded the front casewall fan to a 120mm that I had laying about and used one of my beloved TT ducts in the back to help cool my new vid card.

Here is where the comprimise is manifested...
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/front.jpg
I built a superduper control panel in the floppy drive bay opening.
The top row has three rheostats to contol the speed of:
-video card helper fan ( back case bottom)
-rear exhaust fan ( upper rear wall)
-motherboard wall fan ( I just couldn&#39;t resist...this is the one mod that has worked in all of my cases and I consider it to be indispensable)
The bottom row kas two switches to jump from 12v to 7v for the front 120mm intake fan and the ( soon to come) HS duct fan on the other sidepanel. In the middle of the bottom row is a "clear CMOS" switch ( another handy little gadget).

So far the difference between running the fans at full whack ( i.e. noisy) and silent mode is about 10degrees at full load. In quiet mode I reach @44c while Folding.

Here is a beauty shot of the new feet I installed....yeah, I know, not as sexy as real hardware...but I&#39;m kinda proud of them...
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/feet.jpg
These are actually door bumpers ( found them at Ace hardware) and they replace the cheesy hard plastic stock pads.

I also lined the whole case interior and sidepanels/roof with foam to help silence the case. The jury is still out on this mod...the HDD is now completely silent, but I can hear air whooshing in/out of the case. The optical drives might be slightly quieter also, but this could be wishful thinking.

So that&#39;s where I am now.

[racer II]

Looks great, temps are like mine although it used to be lower but the new sata hdd and the 9800 pro heat up my case alot more then before.

So i cant wait till i get that zalman water cooling.

Cpu temp load are 45 degrees , Idle 38 degrees (Diode temp not socket)
And case temps are between 28 and 30 degrees , before i had the 9800 pro and the sata hdd case temps used to be between 21 and 23 degrees.

Got 2 12 cm papst fans , 1 in the front and 1 in the top pannel , and 2 8cm papst fans in the rear. I will try to post some pics later.

[Virtualbody1234]

used one of my beloved TT ducts in the back to help cool my new vid card.

Nice touch. I have something quite similar for my video cooling.

[clocker]

Great minds think alike. :P

[clocker]

Small *bump*.

Today I decided to go ahead and implement an idea that I&#39;ve been pondering for awhile now...a fan/duct on the sidepanel to feed fresh air directly to the HSF.
My old setup wouldn&#39;t work in this case due to space restrictions.
I sorta like the symmetry that this second fan gives the case anyway...

Pics will follow later today, right now I just want to let her run and see how effective this is.
The idle temps upon startup ( after 15 min or so) were in the high twenties/low thirties.
I would guestimate the room ambient at 25c or so.

Here are the temps after 1 1/2 hours folding....
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/newtemps.jpg

Mikey likes it.
We&#39;ll see how things go after a more extended run...

[clocker]

Here is my newest addition to Sprocket&#39;s cooling arsenal, a sidepanel fan/duct to pipe air right to the HSF...
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/CPU_Duct.jpg
The fan is sandwiched inbetween a gutted fan housing and the tube fitting from my Sunbeam ducting kit. For some reason they include three of these fittings in the box...
This combination brings the air outlet to within 3/8" of my HS fan.
The airstream from this fan is quite noticable around the sink.
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/temp3.jpg
This is a fairly typical idle temp after a few hours of use.
I&#39;ll continue to finetune the fan speeds to reach an optimal balance ( I think the socket temp should be lower...), but the general results are acceptable.
Sprocket is stil whisper quiet with this arrangement, but my temps do tend to rise and fall with room ambient (naturally) and I&#39;ll probably have to increase fan speeds as summer sets in.
So far today, my lowest sustained idle temp has been 22 c and my highest full load temp has been 39c.

I think my next area of attention will be the video card...it&#39;s reporting a temp of 36c...and if I can lower that my case ambient will surely drop.

Hmmm...just noticed...three posts all in a row...I&#39;m talking to myself here.

[racer II]

Wow those are really impressive temps clocker.

[kaiweiler]

Hmmm...just noticed...three posts all in a row...I&#39;m talking to myself here.
haha no, I am listening, just speachless at your amazing abilities... :lol:

[atiVidia]

rofl clocker u triple poster havent u ever heard of edting ur posts? u f__king post whore :P

impressive tho... (damn)


overall how much did u pay for the foam, the case, HSF, the HDD heat pipe and any other fans u added?

[clocker]

overall how much did u pay for the foam, the case, HSF, the HDD heat pipe and any other fans u added?
The foam I bought from the scrap bin at a local automotive upholstery shop...cost &#036;5 for about 1 1/2 sq. yards ( more than enough to line even the largest full tower case).
The case was a scratch & dent special from MicroCenter...&#036;29.95.
Zalman 7000cu HSF...&#036;50.
Zalman HDD heatpipe cooler...&#036;20 ( I think...).
Fans, switches and miscellaneous hardware...maybe another &#036;50-75.

You don&#39;t have to be rich to do this stuff ( I , for one, certainly am not), just willing to rummage around surplus stores and clearance tables...

[j2k4]

It doesn&#39;t hurt that you have Da Vinci&#39;s sensibility, Clocker, while also being one of the pre-eminent fabricators of the modern age. :D
















You&#39;re welcome. :)

[clocker]

*blush*

[j2k4]

Originally posted by clocker@27 April 2004 - 08:05
*blush*
:D :lol: :)

[Virtualbody1234]

Talking to yourself again, clocker?

I heard that was the first sign of someone going nuts. :wacko:

[clocker]

Save me.

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by clocker@27 April 2004 - 12:02
Save me.
Oh... I just remembered that you and I were the same person and I&#39;m talking to you. :blink:

I&#39;m going nutz too. :wacko: I can&#39;t save you. Please save me&#33;&#33;&#33;

[atiVidia]

hey clocker1234 :lol:

[clocker]

Okay, enough shilly-shallying around.
I have some new parts to install (AerogateII fanbus, some different fans to try and a mod to the vidcard).
Will report back ASAP, Captain.

[clocker]

Damn, this is turning into a real nightmare project...every little mod turns into a major overhaul...
Naturally, I can&#39;t seem to leave any component untouched...after installing the Aerogate, I realized that I could make a few changes to increase it&#39;s functionality.
Back to work...

[lynx]

Clocker, have you considered that maybe it&#39;s not your computer that needs the overhaul? How have you been sleeping lately? Have you remembered to take your meds?

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by lynx@28 April 2004 - 08:58
Clocker, have you considered that maybe it&#39;s not your computer that needs the overhaul? How have you been sleeping lately? Have you remembered to take your meds?
Good questions.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234+28 April 2004 - 09:01--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Virtualbody1234 @ 28 April 2004 - 09:01)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-lynx@28 April 2004 - 08:58
Clocker, have you considered that maybe it&#39;s not your computer that needs the overhaul? How have you been sleeping lately? Have you remembered to take your meds?
Good questions. [/b][/quote]
Just so-

Even though I have enjoyed his company, I have not witnessed his work habits.

I am fearful. :(

[atiVidia]

dont be scared...
FREE H4X0R&#33;&#33;&#33;
im ur friend remember?

[j2k4]

We may have to mount a rescue mission to Colorado:

Notify the U.N. immediately&#33; :D

[clocker]

I am BACK&#33;

At least for the nonce.

Many tasks were completed, but there are still a few loose ends to tie up.

I can now control 8 fans, although I only am running seven ATM, and monitor 4 different temps via hardware (along with the usual things reported by MBM5 and SpeedFan)
There was a bit of paint involved, which always slows things down, and a few tedious little detail jobs.

Sprocket even went a little old school and now sports an analogue volt meter ( still undecided about that one...).

Pics later.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by clocker@28 April 2004 - 18:06
...an analogue volt meter...
An actual British unit? :huh:

Wow. :D

[hobbes]

Is the search for the "grail" more important than the "grail" itself?

[Tormentor]

May I ask what the point is to getting your temps really really low? Wouldnt your comp perform the same with higher temps then it would with lower temps? Or are you planning on doin a crazy overclock?

[RGX]

Originally posted by Tormentor@29 April 2004 - 05:39
May I ask what the point is to getting your temps really really low? Wouldnt your comp perform the same with higher temps then it would with lower temps? Or are you planning on doin a crazy overclock?
Its a tweaking thing. The funs in seeing how far you can push it, I beleive once clocker has got as far as he can go he&#39;ll be very dissapointed and probably move on to the next thing. As hobbes says, the search for the grail is more important (and fun) than the grail itself.

[clocker]

There&#39;s a Grail in there somewhere?

[lynx]

Maybe he means grill - presumably some sort of fan guard. :lol:

[j2k4]

Originally posted by RGX+29 April 2004 - 05:25--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (RGX &#064; 29 April 2004 - 05:25)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin-Tormentor@29 April 2004 - 05:39
May I ask what the point is to getting your temps really really low? Wouldnt your comp perform the same with higher temps then it would with lower temps? Or are you planning on doin a crazy overclock?
Its a tweaking thing. The funs in seeing how far you can push it, I beleive once clocker has got as far as he can go he&#39;ll be very dissapointed and probably move on to the next thing. As hobbes says, the search for the grail is more important (and fun) than the grail itself.[/b][/quote]
True enough, though I don&#39;t think Clocker will ever do anything "crazy", as his methodology doesn&#39;t allow foolishness.

While I haven&#39;t built my PC yet, I would do mine the same way: Test, Test, Test&#33;

I would look forward to actually using mine, but Clocker is finding out where the barriers are and developing a wide-ranging fund of practical knowledge along the way.

I would say he&#39;s pretty knowledgable for someone who basically didn&#39;t know what a PC was 18 months ago; I think everyone here would agree.

I admire his work and discipline in achieving his results, because I went to the same "school" as he did.

As to the question "is cooler better?", I would think the answer would go something like this:

Under stress or heavy workload, "cooler is always better" in terms of both performance and reliability/durability.

Somebody please correct me if I&#39;m wrong or refine my assertion if needed? :)

[j2k4]

And Clocker?

Don&#39;t get a big head, or I&#39;ll tell everyone you actually admired the case on my Dell. ;)

[clocker]

Thanks j2, that pretty much sums it up.
Tormentor,
To elaborate a bit....

Having always been mechanically inclined, soon after acquiring my first PC the urge to open it up ( and void the warrenty, of course) was irrististable.

I was shocked and appallled by the apparently random and undisciplined method of construction. It offended my sensibilities and I began to "improve" upon it.

When first you build your own PC you will quickly discover that half of the aftermarket products flat out don&#39;t work as promised or really are irrelevant.
Thus I began a quest to separate the wheat from the chaff, performance-wise.

It is true that I am by no means a "power-user" of the computer.
This is an almost purely intellectual exercise. What would at first blush appear to be a resonable or intuitively correct application, frequently turns out to be a dead end or even detrimental to performance.
The trick is to be methodical and critical in one&#39;s evaluation.

All too often, neither of these conditions are employed in reviews of products or the recommendations of fanboys.

In a perfect world I could figure out a way to actually make some money in the pursuit of this knowlege, but alas, I have not, so for now I simply enjoy the reward of sharing what I have learned with other interested defectives.

May I ask what the point is to getting your temps really really low? Wouldnt your comp perform the same with higher temps then it would with lower temps? Or are you planning on doin a crazy overclock?
Yes, to a reasonable extent your equipment will operate just fine within a fairly large range of temp, but only by exploring the extremes can you generalize the norm...
BTW...ALL overclocking is "crazy".
Not a single person on this board "needs" to tweak their equipment.
We can all walk out of CompUSA with machines that were undreampt of ten years ago, and technology ( as applied to the consumer market) is ever rushing beyond the borders of the "possible" into the realm of the magical.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by clocker@29 April 2004 - 06:50
Thanks j2, that pretty much sums it up.
Tormentor,
To elaborate a bit....

Having always been mechanically inclined, soon after acquiring my first PC the urge to open it up ( and void the warrenty, of course) was irrististable.

I was shocked and appallled by the apparently random and undisciplined method of construction. It offended my sensibilities and I began to "improve" upon it.

When first you build your own PC you will quickly discover that half of the aftermarket products flat out don&#39;t work as promised or really are irrelevant.
Thus I began a quest to separate the wheat from the chaff, performance-wise.

It is true that I am by no means a "power-user" of the computer.
This is an almost purely intellectual exercise. What would at first blush appear to be a resonable or intuitively correct application, frequently turns out to be a dead end or even detrimental to performance.
The trick is to be methodical and critical in one&#39;s evaluation.

All too often, neither of these conditions are employed in reviews of products or the recommendations of fanboys.

In a perfect world I could figure out a way to actually make some money in the pursuit of this knowlege, but alas, I have not, so for now I simply enjoy the reward of sharing what I have learned with other interested defectives.

May I ask what the point is to getting your temps really really low? Wouldnt your comp perform the same with higher temps then it would with lower temps? Or are you planning on doin a crazy overclock?
Yes, to a reasonable extent your equipment will operate just fine within a fairly large range of temp, but only by exploring the extremes can you generalize the norm...
BTW...ALL overclocking is "crazy".
Not a single person on this board "needs" to tweak their equipment.
We can all walk out of CompUSA with machines that were undreampt of ten years ago, and technology ( as applied to the consumer market) is ever rushing beyond the borders of the "possible" into the realm of the magical.
Too snooty.

Please re-formulate and re-post. ;)

:lol: :lol: :D B)

[clocker]

F*uck off, Republican.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by clocker@29 April 2004 - 07:59
F*uck off, Republican.
:lol: Just so-

BTW-Excellent job of obscuring the word through cunning use of the *. :)

I honestly had to look twice to be sure what it said. :lol:

Well done.

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by j2k4+29 April 2004 - 08:11--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (j2k4 @ 29 April 2004 - 08:11)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@29 April 2004 - 07:59
F*uck off, Republican.
:lol: Just so-

BTW-Excellent job of obscuring the word through cunning use of the *. :)

I honestly had to look twice to be sure what it said. :lol:

Well done. [/b][/quote]
Was there something I was supposed to see but didn&#39;t?
Hmmm... Disguised by a *. B)

[j2k4]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234+29 April 2004 - 08:24--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Virtualbody1234 &#064; 29 April 2004 - 08:24)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by j2k4@29 April 2004 - 08:11
<!--QuoteBegin-clocker@29 April 2004 - 07:59
F*uck off, Republican.
:lol: Just so-

BTW-Excellent job of obscuring the word through cunning use of the *. :)

I honestly had to look twice to be sure what it said. :lol:

Well done.
Was there something I was supposed to see but didn&#39;t?
Hmmm... Disguised by a *. B)[/b][/quote]
Yes, Vb-

Phonetically it would be eff-splat-uck; however, as accomplished as I am, I have never known what that actually means.

I am also given to understand that to say eff-apostrophe-uck is considered high-falutin&#39;, and is never done except in the privacy of one&#39;s own drawing room, and then only amongst close friends possessed of discretion. :)

[clocker]

Admittedly, I was pandering to the hoi polloi.

[j2k4]

Hoi hoi&#33; :D

[tesco]

:huh: im lost...lots of words i dont understand :huh:

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@29 April 2004 - 17:32
:huh: im lost...lots of words i dont understand :huh:
I&#39;m with ya there...
all I know is this is gettin to be one huuuuge thread :lol:

[clocker]

And it ain&#39;t over yet....

Found a seriously cool new on switch today at the surplus store.
It will require that I make a new panel for my floppy bay opening in the bezel on to mount it.
And a tad of wiring/sheathing, of course.

Ah, I just love when a plan comes together.

And I haven&#39;t even started on the alloy faceplates for my drives yet....

So much to do...so little time to do it...

*sigh*

[tesco]

u got a new on button? pff...no on button could beat my homemade on button, its attached to the top of my desk, pretty close to my monitor, so I dont have to reach down under my desk to turn the computer on. and ive also got a headphone jack that i built into my desk, opposite side of the on button :)

[clocker]

Those are very good ideas, Rossco.
Pics?

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@29 April 2004 - 21:54
Those are very good ideas, Rossco.
Pics?
maybe in the summer...if my parents ever buy me a digital camera :rolleyes: or maybe i could find someone to borrow from...

people would be interested in seeing what ive done with my whole room, nevermind just the computer desk...cant wait to show you guys pics of what ive done with my new room in the basement...its almost done :) (all apart from the drywall lol)...youll be amazed.

[atiVidia]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004+29 April 2004 - 21:58--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ROSSCO_2004 @ 29 April 2004 - 21:58)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@29 April 2004 - 21:54
Those are very good ideas, Rossco.
Pics?
maybe in the summer...if my parents ever buy me a digital camera :rolleyes: or maybe i could find someone to borrow from...

people would be interested in seeing what ive done with my whole room, nevermind just the computer desk...cant wait to show you guys pics of what ive done with my new room in the basement...its almost done :) (all apart from the drywall lol)...youll be amazed. [/b][/quote]
if ur crapping on us we will throw you into hell faster than we did with sciman al (who still has yet to return ;))

[clocker]

Yeah, we&#39;re pretty tough alright...

[lynx]

Originally posted by clocker@29 April 2004 - 15:15
Admittedly, I was pandering to the hoi polloi.
Shouldn&#39;t that be "pandering to hoi polloi"? Otherwise you could be accused of tautology. :P

F*uckin&#39; Anti-spam :angry:

[tesco]

Originally posted by atiVidia+30 April 2004 - 00:27--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (atiVidia @ 30 April 2004 - 00:27)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@29 April 2004 - 21:58
<!--QuoteBegin-clocker@29 April 2004 - 21:54
Those are very good ideas, Rossco.
Pics?
maybe in the summer...if my parents ever buy me a digital camera :rolleyes: or maybe i could find someone to borrow from...

people would be interested in seeing what ive done with my whole room, nevermind just the computer desk...cant wait to show you guys pics of what ive done with my new room in the basement...its almost done :) (all apart from the drywall lol)...youll be amazed.
if ur crapping on us we will throw you into hell faster than we did with sciman al (who still has yet to return ;)) [/b][/quote]
:lol: dont worry...

i see you got ur sig working :)

[j2k4]

Originally posted by lynx@30 April 2004 - 03:52

F*uckin&#39; Anti-spam :angry:
Ah.

Things are becoming clearer:

Eff-splat-uck is a sarcastic comment on the rules regarding profanity on the board?

[clocker]

You catch on quickly for a Yooper, j2.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by clocker@30 April 2004 - 08:09
You catch on quickly for a Yooper, j2.
It is due to a certain thickness brought on by the low ambient temperature here. :huh:

[clocker]

Okay...finally.
It&#39;s amazing how much work goes into so little apparent change.
It seems like I&#39;ve done huge amounts of stuff, but I guess most of it was detail type work, so Sprocket doesn&#39;t look hugely different.
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/fullinterior.jpg
Let&#39;s see here...oh yeah, now I remember.
New Northbridge HS and fan (note the ATI fan...)
Southbridge got a Zalman HS and a 40mm fan.
The new Radeon 9600XT got a Zalman HS also.
The Zalman CPU HS got a new high flow (51cfm) Sunon 92mm fan.

The wiring is still kinda a mess, but I&#39;m slowly getting a handle on it...there&#39;s just so much of it. With 8 fans and 4 temp sensors to route I struggle to keep the mess under control. I have so far resisted the urge to hack into the Antec PSU wiring, but I can tell that it&#39;s almost inevitable...life would be so much simpler if the wiring was the correct length and not so bloody long.
Now, the money shot...
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/blkbezel.jpg
Here is where most of the real work occurred.
Starting at the bottom...
The bottom fan opening was extensively cut away ( there used to be a rail up the center where the indicator lights and switches were. Cutting this out was made more difficult because the edges were beveled and I had to match the angle on the new areas. I also had to extensively mod the inner plastic panels, all this to accomodate the 120mm fan which is now sandwiched between the front bezel and the inner front casewall.
The center of the bezel was painted black so that the whole front looks more unified.
In the floppy bay opening I made and mounted an aluminum panel to hold the new On switch. I found this switch at my favorite surplus store (&#036;.89&#33;) and I love it.
It has some serious heft and even my chubby fingers are dwarfed by it&#39;s diameter.
I hate the stock switches that most manufacturers use...they feel cheesy and are too small.
At the top are the control panels.
The Aerogate II at the very top is a new addition. It can contol four fans, display their rpm and also has four separate temp sensors.
I removed the stock plexi faceplate and painted the back black.
I also 86ed the 40mm HDD cooler fan on the left ( my HDD is on the casefloor...)and made a little filler panel behind the grill and placed the HDD indicator LED there.
Right below is a four fan rheobus panel also with blue backlighting.

So, has it been worth it?
Well....
-exterior case temp-22c
-Hdd-22c
-CPU socket-22c
-motherboard-24c
-CPU diode-32c (idle)
-PSU (top) -34c
-case interior- 24c
- RAM & Southbridge- 24c
-video card- 34c

CPU diode temp after 2 hours Folding is 37c.

All fans are running at the minimum settings, so I have lots of headroom when summer really kicks in ( it&#39;s SNOWING here again &#33;).

Still some detail work to do, but yeah, I&#39;m happy and think it&#39;s been worth the hassle so far.

.

[Virtualbody1234]

Snowing? :o

Very nice.

Does the front 120mm fan have a grill to protect your fingers? I can&#39;t see that too well.

[clocker]

No, no grill.
I&#39;m mulling over options ( probably going to make one...)

Till then I would recommend simply not sticking your hand in there..

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by clocker@1 May 2004 - 05:44
Till then I would recommend simply not sticking your hand in there..
:o Oh that was close. :o

I was just about to feel there because I couldn&#39;t see it too well.

Thanks for the warning.

[clocker]

It&#39;s a Darwinian safety feature.
I may leave it like this...

[kaiweiler]

wow clocker, I&#39;m impressed...
You turned that case into somethin really nice looking&#33; I must say it wasn&#39;t to much to look at before, but now it&#39;s really quite nice&#33; I like it a lot
aren&#39;t those small 40mm and 60mm and smaller fans like that really loud though? I didn&#39;t think you&#39;d want a couple of those in there, I&#39;d rather just make an adapter and use quieter 80mm ones...
good work though&#33; looks great

[clocker]

Thanks K.
The smaller fans are running on 5v and are virtually silent.
Actually they are more for looks than anything.
I suspect that their utility is marginal...although now that I can monitor any temp I want, I suppose I could do a test and see.

The front bezel is stil not totally finished...more cosmetic improvements to come.

[clocker]

Sorry...couldn&#39;t resist.
I&#39;ve been tinkering with the balance of my fan speeds and I think I finally hit the "sweet spot".
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/temps.jpg
My experience with case airflow has lead me to believe that the interaction of all the fans in a case is a very delicate thing, and even slight variations can make a disproportionate difference.
Now that I can control each of my eight fans individually I&#39;ve been slowly but surely dialling in the setup.
I think that these figures serve to prove my point.

These figures are with the CPU at idle most of the time, there were brief periods of Folding ( hence the spike up to 38c) for maybe 1/2 hour total.
The case was completely buttoned up, all panels installed.
Room ambient ( as reported by the Aerogate temp sensor) was 23c.

So, what&#39;s the point?
Well, my seemingly obsessive pursuit of lower temps was not just an idle hobby.
Sprocket&#39;s latest case embodies all the tweaks that previous cases have suffered to provide.
Air cooling can be extremely effective if properly deployed.
Randomly adding/subtracting/upgrading fans will not get you where you want to be.
If you persevere and proceed with deliberation your PC can run just as you hope.

Sorry for being grandiose here.
It&#39;s an occupational hazard.

;)

[lynx]

Clocker, I notice you&#39;ve got a clock speed of 2303MHz, but which processor is that?

[Virtualbody1234]

I think he has a 2600+. Could be wrong. :unsure:

[clocker]

No, you&#39;re correct.

2600+ T-bred.

[clocker]

Right then.
I finally got around to a project that I&#39;ve been pondering for a while.
CoolerMaster makes alloy faceplates for optical drives and they look sweet.
I&#39;ve had a set of the black anodized ones and decided today to mount them and make remote switches to open the drives also.

Of course, this was not as simple as I had hoped.
CoolerMaster claims that the activating button will align with " most" drives, but, of the three drives that I have, the button was wrong for all of them. Close, but no banana.
Since I was going to wire remote switches anyway this wasn&#39;t a major deal, just irritating.
I fooled around for a few hours trying to mock up a good way to get the alloy switch plate to activate my stock switches but ultimately decided it wasn&#39;t worth the hassle and just glued the cover into the faceplate so I didn&#39;t have a hole visible.

CoolerMaster wants you to use doublesided tape to attach the alloy to the plastic bezel of the drive.
This led to the second problem.
Neither of the drives I wanted to use had a nice flat faceplate.
Poop.
I could use multiple layers of tape to build up the various levels to the same height, but this seemed kinda ghetto so I opted to break out the GOOP, remove the stock plastic bezels altogether, and glue the alloy plates to the metal housings of the drives.
This worked out rather well and left the stock parts untouched, so I could revert back in the future ( unlikely).
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mini-Alloy_bezel.jpg

The camera doesn&#39;t do justice to the final result...the alloy bezels look quite good and have added a nice touch of understated elegance to Sprocket&#39;s face
The two new activating switches are mounted right at the top of the front casebezel where they are readily accessable when Sprocket is in place at my desk.

Whew...glad that&#39;s over.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@4 May 2004 - 02:19
Right then.
I finally got around to a project that I&#39;ve been pondering for a while.
CoolerMaster makes alloy faceplates for optical drives and they look sweet.
I&#39;ve had a set of the black anodized ones and decided today to mount them and make remote switches to open the drives also.

Of course, this was not as simple as I had hoped.
CoolerMaster claims that the activating button will align with " most" drives, but, of the three drives that I have, the button was wrong for all of them. Close, but no banana.
Since I was going to wire remote switches anyway this wasn&#39;t a major deal, just irritating.
I fooled around for a few hours trying to mock up a good way to get the alloy switch plate to activate my stock switches but ultimately decided it wasn&#39;t worth the hassle and just glued the cover into the faceplate so I didn&#39;t have a hole visible.

CoolerMaster wants you to use doublesided tape to attach the alloy to the plastic bezel of the drive.
This led to the second problem.
Neither of the drives I wanted to use had a nice flat faceplate.
Poop.
I could use multiple layers of tape to build up the various levels to the same height, but this seemed kinda ghetto so I opted to break out the GOOP, remove the stock plastic bezels altogether, and glue the alloy plates to the metal housings of the drives.
This worked out rather well and left the stock parts untouched, so I could revert back in the future ( unlikely).
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mini-Alloy_bezel.jpg

The camera doesn&#39;t do justice to the final result...the alloy bezels look quite good and have added a nice touch of understated elegance to Sprocket&#39;s face
The two new activating switches are mounted right at the top of the front casebezel where they are readily accessable when Sprocket is in place at my desk.

Whew...glad that&#39;s over.
sweet&#33;

and nice touch with the "on" lettering over the on switch, very classy.

[j2k4]

Tres elegante.

A splendid example of well-executed "one-off-ness"...

Maybe "two-off-ness", or even more.

As a neophyte in H-World, I&#39;m can&#39;t be sure. :huh:

How&#39;s about, A New Paradigm of "Cool"?

Yeah, I like that&#33;

I bet other computors want to have sex with yours.....

[clocker]

Originally posted by j2k4@4 May 2004 - 07:33


I bet other computors want to have sex with yours.....
Just so.

Sprocket has begging for me to arrange a "play date" with my neighbor&#39;s Dell, but I don&#39;t trust his intentions.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by clocker+4 May 2004 - 07:54--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (clocker @ 4 May 2004 - 07:54)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-j2k4@4 May 2004 - 07:33


I bet other computors want to have sex with yours.....
Just so.

Sprocket has begging for me to arrange a "play date" with my neighbor&#39;s Dell, but I don&#39;t trust his intentions. [/b][/quote]
Oooooooh. :huh:

Don&#39;t want to do that, uh-uh. ;)

[bigdawgfoxx]

how does your overclocked CPU run at 22idle....damnnn lol

[clocker]

how does your overclocked CPU run at 22idle....damnnn lol
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/new_temp.jpg
It&#39;s magic.
I usually pay attention to the "average" figure...although this only covers two hours, it&#39;s still fairly representative of Sprocket&#39;s current performance level.

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by clocker@4 May 2004 - 14:31

how does your overclocked CPU run at 22idle....damnnn lol
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/new_temp.jpg
It&#39;s magic.
I usually pay attention to the "average" figure...although this only covers two hours, it&#39;s still fairly representative of Sprocket&#39;s current performance level.
Are you sure you didn&#39;t tweak "compensation for this sensor" in MBM Clocker? :unsure:

[clocker]

Nope, haven&#39;t touched any of those settings.
Simply picked my board from the list in the installation wizard and let it be.

[lynx]

I notice she&#39;s taken over your chair.

Mind you, I don&#39;t suppose you have much time to sit down. :rolleyes:

[clocker]

Sprocket sits where (and when) she wants to sit.

Headstrong little vixen, she is.

[tesco]

thought i would bump this one back up again, i knew it survived :P


clocker, and some other people, mgiht be looking for it...

[clocker]

Jeez...was the SilentTower fiasco just a bad dream?

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@9 June 2004 - 21:56
Jeez...was the SilentTower fiasco just a bad dream?
what the hell are you talking about clocker? :blink:




























:lol:

[kaiweiler]

I think clocker&#39;s gone crazy&#33;
He&#39;s talking about towers again, and silent ones at that....
:blink:




















:lol: Nah, I wish it was a dream, hoever sadly enough, it has all been lost :(

[Duffman]

Originally posted by clocker@9 June 2004 - 21:56
Jeez...was the SilentTower fiasco just a bad dream?
*puts on his dorothy voice* and you were there, and you too.

[tesco]

Originally posted by Duffman3+9 June 2004 - 22:14--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Duffman3 @ 9 June 2004 - 22:14)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@9 June 2004 - 21:56
Jeez...was the SilentTower fiasco just a bad dream?
*puts on his dorothy voice* and you were there, and you too. [/b][/quote]
it doesn&#39;t look like we&#39;re in kansas anymore, toto :unsure:

[clocker]

Damn.
Don&#39;t this just beat all?

I finally get Sprocket back to semi-normalcy and look what happens.
We go back in time.

Gee willikers.

[Tormentor]

Might just have to pull my Delorian out of the garage.

[clocker]

Originally posted by Tormentor@9 June 2004 - 21:35
Might just have to pull my Delorian out of the garage.
You really should.
Then you can park your Delorean indoors.

[Duffman]

you ever get your camera back clocky?

[Tormentor]

Originally posted by clocker+9 June 2004 - 21:37--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (clocker @ 9 June 2004 - 21:37)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Tormentor@9 June 2004 - 21:35
Might just have to pull my Delorian out of the garage.
You really should.
Then you can park your Delorean indoors. [/b][/quote]
Whatever, I cant spell worth shit.

[clocker]

Originally posted by Duffman3@9 June 2004 - 21:40
you ever get your camera back clocky?
Not yet.
It&#39;s scheduled to return on the 15th or 16th.

@Tormentor...sorry I just couldn&#39;t resist.
I&#39;m feeling especially frisky this evening.


Must be the rum. ;)

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by clocker+9 June 2004 - 22:37--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (clocker &#064; 9 June 2004 - 22:37)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Tormentor@9 June 2004 - 21:35
Might just have to pull my Delorian out of the garage.
You really should.
Then you can park your Delorean indoors. [/b][/quote]
We need to get the flux capacitor going. :rolleyes:

1.21 gigawatts?

[Tormentor]

Originally posted by clocker@9 June 2004 - 22:00
I&#39;m feeling especially frisky this evening.

Ok, Just stay away from me :ph34r:

[Duffman]

no no no, jigawats&#33;

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by Duffman3@10 June 2004 - 06:54
no no no, jigawats&#33;
Your right. I know how its supposed to sound. Just didn&#39;t type it right. :frusty:

[tesco]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@10 June 2004 - 00:20
1.21 gigawatts?
are you sure it was 1.21? i know how he says it, where he repeasts it like he can&#39;t beleive it, and 1.21 doesn&#39;t seem to sound right...

[Virtualbody1234]

Yup its 1.21 jigawatts.

Listen -> http://www.angelfire.com/retro/bttf/jigawatts.wav

[Tormentor]

How does it not sound right? one point twenty one jigawats.

[tesco]

Originally posted by Tormentor@10 June 2004 - 10:07
How does it not sound right? one point twenty one jigawats.
lol, ok.

i was reading it wrong, makes sense as "one point twenty one jigawatts"

but i was reading it this morning as "one point two one jigawatts", shich as you can see sounds wrong...

:lol:

[clocker]

What has happened here?
Sprocket&#39;s thread has morphed into a Back To the Future trivia quiz.
Hhrrrummph.

*sigh*

Back on topic.
Included with the new Abit mobo was a little device called "Serielle" which converts a PATA HDD to run off the SATA header. I had been so preoccupied with the HSF dilemma that I ignored it till this morning.
The unit plugs into the standard IDE cable header on the drive and accepts a SATA cable on the other end. It also requires power from a floppy-style power connector.
Ah-ha, thought I, what a great opportunity to get rid of a clunky IDE cable ( mine are the ultra-hip rounded ones, but still...) and use the new, uber-sexy SATA cables that have been mouldering away in their plastic bags for so long. This could really make cleaning up the cable clutter easier.

Of course, no real instructions were included with this little wonder and I was left to my own devices to figure out the installation requirements.
It has been a real learning experience.
Clever sprat that I are, I figured that I would load the SATA drivers from the mobo CD before I did the conversion.
OK.
Then I entered BIOS and switched the boot order to have S-ATA HDD as the second boot device.
All my ducks being neatly lined up, I powered down and installed the Serielle device.

I must admit to feeling quite a glow when I had it all wired in place...SATA beats IDE hands down in the clutter department. Very sleek install.

Power up...."Error reading boot device".
Huh?

Turns out , you have to load the drivers in DOS also...which requires a floppy...which of course I don&#39;t have.
Well, I do now.
Hours of fumbling about and ranting and raving ( my speciality is hardware...I&#39;m a complete know-nothing when it comes to software)finally I have it working.
The guys down at my local shop had never actually installed this device, they always went IDE, so I was the guinea pig for them.
The question was- would there be a performance difference using this Serielle thingie?
Basically, no.
Not better, not worse.
Stands to reason, really.
It&#39;s a PATA device after all, so just running through the SATA controller shouldn&#39;t make much difference.
And it doesn&#39;t.
But...
There is no performance loss either, so the biggest difference is the cabling.
Which, to my way of thinking, is worth the extra hassle.
Now, for the sixty four million dollar question.

I have two optical drives.
Currently they are running as master and slave on IDE1.
Is there any advantage to running them both as masters on individual IDE headers?

Any thoughts, class?

[tesco]

no ideas, but it&#39;s great that it makes less clutter. can&#39;t type much now, im gonna be late for school :lol:

[Virtualbody1234]

Is there any advantage to running them both as masters on individual IDE headers?

Absolutely. Do it.

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by clocker@11 June 2004 - 01:01
I have two optical drives.
Currently they are running as master and slave on IDE1.
Is there any advantage to running them both as masters on individual IDE headers?
Myself, I would not bother really.
Sure you may get a tiny bit of performance increase, but on what? a mere optical drive...so what?
In my opinion it would not be worth the extra clutter from a whole nother IDE cable.
Just my opinion, but if you do not mind the extra clutter, go to er&#33;

[lynx]

I considered that option when I got my SATA drive, but decided having only one IDE cable was better than the marginal speed increase on the odd occasion (if ever) that I would use both optical drives together.

[james_bond_rulez]

clocker i&#39;d suggest you dont waste your time on this crappy project

i&#39;ve been following along on this little tweaking journey of urs and found it to be an utter waste of my reading time

I admire your enthusiasm in hardware but I&#39;d say it&#39;s a pretty good excise for you if you dont have a job and has done every bit of house work you can ever think of :lol:

You had a pretty good run with the Zalman water cooling solution and the results seemed promising but not sure why u abandoned that plan (too lazy to go back and read AGAIN)

the improvised plan seemed awkward and untidy with all the fans sticking out of the most unusual places, namely, the video card cooling fan, effectively blocking all potential PCI upgrading space. and the combined noise from all 8 of ur fans I can only imagine to be loud and out of place.

The whole design, overall, can only be described as oddly creative, suiting to your personality, I suppose. But who can beat the originality of your creative thoughts and design?

A good effort though, my applauds to you. :)

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by james_bond_rulez@11 June 2004 - 10:40
... found it to be an utter waste of my reading time
So don&#39;t read it then.


Its easy to talk, but I don&#39;t see your efforts here. If you cannot respect peoples projects, then STFU.

Clocker is doing something not just criticizing.

[james_bond_rulez]

coming from you I am hardly offended. I am simply exercising my first amendment of the Constitution, which is freedom of speech. If you can&#39;t allow criticisms then why bother being an admin moderating the forum at all? Just delete all the posts as you wish.

[lynx]

JBR, I couldn&#39;t agree with you less regarding the fans thing.

I&#39;ve been a little dubious myself since I haven&#39;t gone to the same amount of trouble as clocker, but the last few days have convinced me.

Recent hot weather has caused me problems with my secondary (air cooled) pc, basically freezing for no apparent reason. Unfortunately since it is running Linux and I haven&#39;t yet worked out how to do it I haven&#39;t got any temp monitors, and by the time I&#39;ve noticed that it has hung the temps (in bios) have been reasonable.

I decided to do a little investigating, it didn&#39;t take much to find that my hd temp was way above normal (probably approaching 60C from the feel of it) even though it has a twin fan hd cooler attached. Note, this hd was in my other pc until I got the SATA unit a couple of months ago, and there were no noticable temp problems.

Removing the cover has brought the hd temp down to around 30C. Admittedly air temp has dropped by about 10C, but that still leaves a 20C temp difference yet there seems to be plenty of airflow through the case, and the exhaust air with the cover on was not particularly warm.

The ONLY conclusion is that the hd cooler is simply recirculating the same air over and over, with the airstream from the input fan to the exhaust fan totally bypassing the hd.

I think this is where clocker&#39;s fan experiments have shown their worth, I will now be trying similar tests, I can&#39;t help feeling that a couple of carefully placed fans will totally change the characteristics of the case, even running at only 7v and therefore virtually silent.

[james_bond_rulez]

so are you saying that average consumers need to learn all these "tweakings" now to have their computers working propery, because summer is coming?

Manufacturers dont just build the components to "fuck up" just because customers dont know how to learn all the fancy ways to install fans in their computers. Sure, you can go to FutureShop and buy yourself a fancy computer at an overpriced cost and they expect you to come back with computer problems and they say to your face, "I am sorry, we can&#39;t take your computer back because you didn&#39;t take the nessary steps to cool down your computer"

it&#39;s rather silly, really.

[lynx]

Most people on these pages build their own pc&#39;s. They buy a generic case which has moint points for a number of fans, but since they don&#39;t know what is going to be put inside they give you NO guidance on fan placement etc.

That&#39;s a little different from buying a ready-built pc, so if they get the cooling wrong then it is their own fault.

This case didn&#39;t have a fan at the front when I first got it, but I wanted it to run a little cooler so that I could overclock. I haven&#39;t overclocked yet, but things seem worse than the original layout.

If you think it is silly to try and improve your pc, that&#39;s your opinion. But I don&#39;t see you putting any effort in here so STFU.

And don&#39;t come asking for help if you get any problems yourself, I think you will find it is too much time and effort for anyone to be bothered with you.

[Virtualbody1234]

More fans and larger ones at slower speeds makes the total sound level drop, not rise. So it you want a quiet PC then this kind of tweaking is the way to go.

In fact... I know for sure that my PC, that has more fans, is way quieter than a prebuilt PC.

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by james_bond_rulez@11 June 2004 - 11:20
I am simply exercising my first amendment of the Constitution, which is freedom of speech.
That would be the case if this was a forum for USA use only. This is an international board.

[lynx]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234+11 June 2004 - 19:15--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Virtualbody1234 @ 11 June 2004 - 19:15)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-james_bond_rulez@11 June 2004 - 11:20
I am simply exercising my first amendment of the Constitution, which is freedom of speech.
That would be the case if this was a forum for USA use only. This is an international board. [/b][/quote]
I thought he was from Canada anyway. :rolleyes:

[tesco]

Originally posted by james_bond_rulez@11 June 2004 - 11:40
the improvised plan seemed awkward and untidy with all the fans sticking out of the most unusual places, namely, the video card cooling fan, effectively blocking all potential PCI upgrading space. and the combined noise from all 8 of ur fans I can only imagine to be loud and out of place.
Clocker&#39;s cases have always been really neat and tidy, except for in "beta stages"...

If you had been reading his "progress reports" then you would have known that what he is going for right now is silence in his PC. His fans are obviously running at 7v r lower, and i do beleive he has a fan speed controller so some could be higher but i doubt it.

The PCI upgrading space comment, well that one i can agree with you on, but with todays motherboards it is unneeded to update stuff via PCI, although usually if you want extra features form your onboard stuff you will need to buy a PCI card. But for clocker, he knows he is not going to need any PCI cards any time soon, and if he did he could easily just make a new design for cooling the video card.

[james_bond_rulez]

maybe I didn&#39;t read his latest ventures due to the forum backup. However I still wonder why he abandoned the water cooling solution...

when he first posted pics of his water cooled rig I was thoroghly impressed and the results seemed nice...

I did recall something being "broken", maybe that&#39;s why he switched? :P

ya he is creative about the fans but I wonder where is he gonna put PCI upgrades like wireless PCI network card or TV tuners, things that will increase the entertainment values of his pc a lot more than status quo... :lol:

oh and VB, i dont really care if it is international board or USA boards, freedom of speech still applies. You as a Canadian should know better. Now stfu about the "stfus"

:P

[tesco]

Originally posted by james_bond_rulez@11 June 2004 - 19:31
maybe I didn&#39;t read his latest ventures due to the forum backup. However I still wonder why he abandoned the water cooling solution...

when he first posted pics of his water cooled rig I was thoroghly impressed and the results seemed nice...

I did recall something being "broken", maybe that&#39;s why he switched? :P

ya he is creative about the fans but I wonder where is he gonna put PCI upgrades like wireless PCI network card or TV tuners, things that will increase the entertainment values of his pc a lot more than status quo... :lol:

oh and VB, i dont really care if it is international board or USA boards, freedom of speech still applies. You as a Canadian should know better. Now stfu about the "stfus"

:P
well, actually, he started going for a silent rig either at the start of THIS THREAD or before this thread...

[clocker]

Originally posted by james_bond_rulez@11 June 2004 - 09:40
clocker i&#39;d suggest you dont waste your time on this crappy project

i&#39;ve been following along on this little tweaking journey of urs and found it to be an utter waste of my reading time


James,

Crappy as it may be, the Gateway is fast becoming my favorite of all Sprocket&#39;s cases.
Rossco is correct, the primary goal of this effort is cooling AND silence with the added complication of trying to keep the case visually stock.
I&#39;m just learning as I go here and I enjoy airing out my pratfalls in public.
Sorry if this particular journey is not to your liking, but I can&#39;t help the weird side paths that my experimenting follows.
Maybe my next go-round will be more to your liking.


Manufacturers dont just build the components to "fuck up" just because customers dont know how to learn all the fancy ways to install fans in their computers. Sure, you can go to FutureShop and buy yourself a fancy computer at an overpriced cost and they expect you to come back with computer problems and they say to your face, "I am sorry, we can&#39;t take your computer back because you didn&#39;t take the nessary steps to cool down your computer"
You&#39;re right.
They would much prefer that their units "fuck up" the day after the warrenty expires.
I have installed SpeedFan on 3 major manufacturer (Dell, Compaq and eMachines)
PCs in my neighborhood.
Not so the owners can control their fans, but so I can see the temps.
One box runs an AMD chip and the other two are Intels.
All three idle in the low 50&#39;s and who knows how hot they get under load.
Clearly they can survive these elevated temps, but I see no reason they should have to.
BTW, I would consider all three of those PCs to be much louder than Sprocket has ever been.

Lynx,

The ONLY conclusion is that the hd cooler is simply recirculating the same air over and over, with the airstream from the input fan to the exhaust fan totally bypassing the hd.
The bane of all my air-cooled cases has been their utter dependence on cool incoming air. Airflow itself is useless if the flow is hot.
I would suggest that your flow is not bypassing the HDD, but is being preheated by the case ambient air creating a death spiral tempwise for your case.
Good luck in your search for a solution, I would enjoy hearing how it goes (good or bad).

Sadly, JBR will probably be bored, but you can&#39;t win &#39;em all.

[james_bond_rulez]

so wut happened to your water cooler? :huh:

why did u switch to air cooling?

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by clocker@3 May 2004 - 04:41
Sorry...couldn&#39;t resist.
I&#39;ve been tinkering with the balance of my fan speeds and I think I finally hit the "sweet spot".
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/temps.jpg

Nonsense &#33;

Here Clocker was far and far away from silent rig.
First I would like to know what ambient temps were before I comment further, but these are suspect at least.

Sorry for being sceptical, but it seems a fairy tale.

[tesco]

Originally posted by FlyingDutchman+11 June 2004 - 21:09--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (FlyingDutchman &#064; 11 June 2004 - 21:09)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@3 May 2004 - 04:41
Sorry...couldn&#39;t resist.
I&#39;ve been tinkering with the balance of my fan speeds and I think I finally hit the "sweet spot".
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/temps.jpg

Nonsense &#33;

Here Clocker was far and far away from silent rig.
First I would like to know what ambient temps were before I comment further, but these are suspect at least.

Sorry for being sceptical, but it seems a fairy tale. [/b][/quote]
could have been loud at this time, but the point still is that clocker was going for a silent rig at this time, not that it WAS silent at that time...(not that i really remember when that was posted lol)...

[Virtualbody1234]

oh and VB, i dont really care if it is international board or USA boards, freedom of speech still applies. You as a Canadian should know better. Now stfu about the "stfus"

To be rude is not acceptable. Post you opinions in a respectful manner.

It&#39;s my role as a moderator to manage what goes on in this Hardwareworld. I would prefer to let you understand where I stand so that you can post accordingly rather than editing or deleting your posts. Or taking further action should I see the need.

@ clocker, sorry for posting off topic and also not getting back to you yet. I&#39;ve been quite busy. :(

[james_bond_rulez]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@11 June 2004 - 18:21

oh and VB, i dont really care if it is international board or USA boards, freedom of speech still applies. You as a Canadian should know better. Now stfu about the "stfus"

To be rude is not acceptable. Post you opinions in a respectful manner.

It&#39;s my role as a moderator to manage what goes on in this Hardwareworld. I would prefer to let you understand where I stand so that you can post accordingly rather than editing or deleting your posts. Or taking further action should I see the need.

@ clocker, sorry for posting off topic and also not getting back to you yet. I&#39;ve been quite busy. :(
well if you dont want me to be disrespectable then why did u lead such a bad example? :rolleyes:

I expected better from you VB :01:

[lynx]

This is my theory of the original airflow with only an exhaust fan.
http://server5.uploadit.org/files/lynx1153-exonly.JPG

This is what I think is happening with an added input fan.
http://server5.uploadit.org/files/lynx1153-exandin.JPG

As you can see the majority of the airflow is bypassing the hdd. In fact, since the PSU is one with only a "front to rear" air path I suspect it is also bypassing the cpu, and consequently creating additional hotspots.

Since this system is not particularly important to me (at the moment, it is only Folding) I intend try to investigate this phenomenon thoroughly. I&#39;ve got a spare temp probe, with a bit of logic I should be able to work out how to measure the temps using my multimeter (comparative should be ok anyway since I&#39;m trying to map airflow).

I fully appreciate what you are saying about hot air intake, I have been very careful to ensure that the exhaust air cannot recirculate back to the intake. This itself may be part of the problem. As far as I can tell my case is now totally sealed apart from the inlet and exhaust fans, so the other small amounts of incoming air shown in the second diagram may actually be non-existant.

I strongly suspect that some vanes to direct air around the case may have a dramatic effect. Time (and some pieces of card) will tell. :D

[tesco]

Multimeters work as temp probes :D ?

how? can i do this with mine too or do i need a special one&#092;special attachment???

[Virtualbody1234]

@james_bond_rulez:

This whole issue was started by your disrespect towards clocker&#39;s efforts.

Any further posts about this subject or that is disrespectful to members here or towards me then I will put you on moderation.

End of subject.

[clocker]

Originally posted by FlyingDutchman+11 June 2004 - 19:09--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (FlyingDutchman @ 11 June 2004 - 19:09)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@3 May 2004 - 04:41
Sorry...couldn&#39;t resist.
I&#39;ve been tinkering with the balance of my fan speeds and I think I finally hit the "sweet spot".
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/temps.jpg

Nonsense &#33;

Here Clocker was far and far away from silent rig.
First I would like to know what ambient temps were before I comment further, but these are suspect at least.

Sorry for being sceptical, but it seems a fairy tale. [/b][/quote]
Dutchman,
If I recall correctly,on that date in early May it was probably fairly cool.
You will also note that the 4 hour period shown on that log was early in the morning.

Whence the skepticism?
I did not claim in that post (or that thread either) that Sprocket was silent at that time...I would characterize her as "quiet", however.
Noise is a very subjective matter and we have no standard by which to compare.

If you are suggesting that I doctored the log file, either post production ( say, with Photoshop) or pre-reading ( by tweaking the correction factors in MBM), then I can assure that I have/will never do such a thing.
What would be the point?

That reading was taken when I still ran my Asus A7N8x-Deluxe board, and I have since read that Asus might have a tendency to underreport temps.
This is possible, but I certainly did nothing to alter the figures I was getting.

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by clocker@12 June 2004 - 05:11
Dutchman,
....
Whence the skepticism?
I did not claim in that post (or that thread either) that Sprocket was silent at that time...I would characterize her as "quiet", however.
Noise is a very subjective matter and we have no standard by which to compare.

If you are suggesting that I doctored the log file, either post production ( say, with Photoshop) or pre-reading ( by tweaking the correction factors in MBM), then I can assure that I have/will never do such a thing.
What would be the point?

That reading was taken when I still ran my Asus A7N8x-Deluxe board, and I have since read that Asus might have a tendency to underreport temps.
This is possible, but I certainly did nothing to alter the figures I was getting.
I didn&#39;t want to suggest you doctored those readings.

But I do think those readings are far from the truth.

Here (http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1845) we have an article where people tried to find the truth on temperature-readings from the CPU-diode.
Conclusion: On that board/BIOS the software reported 5° to 8° too low.

I think the differential is even greater, and here is why:

Energy flows from a high level to a lower level ----&#62; The heatsink needs to be cooler than the CPU otherwise the heat can&#39;t flow to the heatsink. From my own observations I estimate this differential to be 2° to 3° C.
In the article I linked they took readings from the heatsink, so you need to add these 2-3° to the differential they found.
So, using these numbers the temps in your table were 7° to 11° too low.

Only when we have a good estimate of what reality looks like, we can recognize bogus readings. Especially you, and I should try to present the truth here, as many members don&#39;t question what you write. (Clocker knows)

Peace. :)

Edit: changed "high" to "low" :unsure:

[clocker]

Dutchman,
I am familiar with the article you cite ( in fact, it is the very one I was referring to above) and am struggling with trying to assess my temps as we speak.

I admit that my Asus readings might have been low, just as I believe that my current Abit temps are artificially high.

Unfortunately, I have no real scientific method of gathering accurate reads.
I have installed temp sensors on my chip ( as close to the core as I could) and also one in the fins of my heatsink and am looking to acquire hardware based readings instead of software derived ones.
There seems to be too much room for error using on-board sensor readings*.

Personally I have always regarded the temp data as relative anyway...I have stated in the past and still believe that my data is useful not so much to claim any given result, but rather to describe the difference between different cooling solutions. Actual temperatures are irrelevant ( especially given the contraversial nature of their veracity), what matters to me is did a given mod help or hinder my cooling.

I suppose that, as with everything else on the internet, a healthy dose of skepticism is called for here...I try to pre-apply it to my posts as deception has never been my goal, but I continue to stand behind the essential verity of my results.



* I am reminded of a case involving the early Datsun 240Zs here.
The oil pressure guage in the first two model years read from 0 to 100 psi with a mark in the middle of the scale. Most people thought that this center mark indicated the proper running oil pressure when in fact it did not. Datsun was getting many customer complaints of "low oil pressure" in new cars.
Their solution?
Replace the guage with one that had no mark on it.

I wonder if the motherboard manufacturers tweak their sensors to comfort consumers instead of reflecting the ugly reality that our PCs generally run hotter than hell and not much can be done about it....

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@12 June 2004 - 10:23
I wonder if the motherboard manufacturers tweak their sensors to comfort consumers instead of reflecting the ugly reality that our PCs generally run hotter than hell and not much can be done about it....
i thought that too, but feel your heatsync...it isn&#39;t hot...can&#39;t be in the 50&#39;s or whatever...

[clocker]

That may be true Ross, if you are willing to assume that the heatsink ( you really should get that spelling right...your "Canadian spelling" explanation just doesn&#39;t cut it <_< ) is really doing it&#39;s job.
Either the temp IS lower than reported OR the interface between the chip and sink sucks and the poor CPU is frying while the HS sits there cool as a cucumber.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@12 June 2004 - 10:40
That may be true Ross, if you are willing to assume that the heatsink ( you really should get that spelling right...your "Canadian spelling" explanation just doesn&#39;t cut it <_< ) is really doing it&#39;s job.
Either the temp IS lower than reported OR the interface between the chip and sink sucks and the poor CPU is frying while the HS sits there cool as a cucumber.
:lol: at the cumumber , :lol: at the heatsink&#092;heatsync.

it isn&#39;t canadian spelling, it is just how i choose to spell it :P

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004+12 June 2004 - 11:44--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ROSSCO_2004 @ 12 June 2004 - 11:44)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@12 June 2004 - 10:40
That may be true Ross, if you are willing to assume that the heatsink ( you really should get that spelling right...your "Canadian spelling" explanation just doesn&#39;t cut it <_< ) is really doing it&#39;s job.
Either the temp IS lower than reported OR the interface between the chip and sink sucks and the poor CPU is frying while the HS sits there cool as a cucumber.
:lol: at the cumumber , :lol: at the heatsink&#092;heatsync.

it isn&#39;t canadian spelling, it is just how i choose to spell it :P [/b][/quote]
go back to grade 1 <_<














haha payback that&#39;s all... :lol:

[clocker]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@12 June 2004 - 08:44


it isn&#39;t canadian spelling, it is just how i choose to spell it :P
Oh, alright then.

Just be aware that, everytime you do that, I am ( forcably) reminded of a infamous (now defunct, fortunately) boy band for some reason.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker+12 June 2004 - 10:53--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (clocker @ 12 June 2004 - 10:53)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-ROSSCO_2004@12 June 2004 - 08:44


it isn&#39;t canadian spelling, it is just how i choose to spell it :P
Oh, alright then.

Just be aware that, everytime you do that, I am ( forcably) reminded of a infamous (now defunct, fortunately) boy band for some reason. [/b][/quote]
:ph34r: never again...

heatink, heatsink, heatsynk, shit, heatsink...:)

[lynx]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@12 June 2004 - 04:34
Multimeters work as temp probes :D ?

how? can i do this with mine too or do i need a special one&#092;special attachment???
You simply get 3 different resistance readings across the probe for approximately known temps, then you draw a graph with a line (curve if necessary) joining these points. After that you simply measure the resistance and read off the corresponding temp from the graph.

Don&#39;t forget, I&#39;m interested in comparative differences anyway, accurate temps aren&#39;t important. What I need to know is when I get the best results, not what that result is.

It&#39;s the same with the motherboard question, does the absolute temp matter (within reason) as long as you know that any cooling changes you are making are improving the situation, or overclocking changes are not about to cause chip failure.

BTW, the article suggests that the software could be modified to give a more accurate representation of the true temp. In practice the sensor is probably common across many motherboards, so software such as MBM5 has no choice but to interpret the reading from the sensor in the same way for all boards. A software solution is impractical.

However, the board provides a reference voltage to the sensor. Varying this reference voltage changes the reading provided by the sensor so it is VERY easy for the board maker to alter the temps shown by their board.

I know clocker got his ASUS board some time before I got mine, and his temps on that board have been consistently much lower than mine. It could be that ASUS have already addressed the under-reading problem. It would not make sense for them to knowingly under-read the temp since it would screw up their vaunted A.C.O.P system. Perhaps the sensor chip on that board was new to them, and on early boards they didn&#39;t realise it needed a different reference.

[tesco]

sounds hard :blink:

[clocker]

Well, speaking of voltages....
Yesterday, among many other changes, I flashed my BIOS to a new, super overclockable version highly touted on the OC.com forum.
Surprisingly, it worked as advertised. Sprocket reached gigaheights she&#39;s never seen before.
240x 10, for a stable 2.4 GHz.
This required raising the vCore to 1.8v, up from the stock 1.65v.
Naturally, this lead to higher CPU temps.

( Just for reference, I have still not figured out the temps on this board. MBM5 says that it will access the WinBond diode on chip, but that sensor won&#39;t display on any of my options menus so all I can read is the socket thermistor, which agrees precisely with the hardware sensor I have installed. So all my reported temps will be from the socket, NOT the more desirable on-chip diode, until I can get this straightened out...)

Anyway, I figured that perhaps a new tack was called for...i.e. undervolting.
First I had to decide on the acceptable performance hit I was willing to take.
My T-bred 2600+ runs stock at 166x12.5, 2.075GHz.
Benchmarks have shown big improvements in memory by bumping the FSB up to a minimum of 200MHz, so I decided that I would reset my specs to 200x11 and see how low I could undervolt whilst maintaining stability at that speed.

Numerous tests later, the magic voltage number appears to be 1.55v.
Which hardly seems like anything really...the drop of 1/10 of a volt.
This translated into a temperature drop of 4c however.
Perhaps even more actually, as the room ambient has risen as the day progressed.
Case ambient ( which really should be called motherboard ambient as the sensor is on there somewhere) has jumped from 22c to 28c with the afternoon sun shining in. My CPU temps have dropped however, from 40c to 36c.
Later tonight or early tomorrow morning I should be able to replicate my case temp of 22c and then a more accurate assessment of the undervolting effect will be possible.

Chasing cooler CPU temps with hardware ( fans, ducts, etc) certainly helps, but it also appears that voltage adjustments can yield significant results also.
The combination of both approaches seems to be the way to go....

[FlyingDutchman]

Yep, by undervolting from 1.475 Volts to 1.3 Volts I got a reduction in CPU-temps of 9° :blink:
CPU went from 57° to 48°

I can&#39;t overclock at 1.3 Volts anymore though :rolleyes:

[Duffman]

i can&#39;t wait to upgrade my components then ill actually participate in these threads, other than my smartass sarcastic coments

[tesco]

Originally posted by Duffman3@13 June 2004 - 18:54
i can&#39;t wait to upgrade my components then ill actually participate in these threads, other than my smartass sarcastic coments
:lol: What&#39;s with your avatar. It just says 404 not found, whatever. is that your avatar or is it a problem with the host? lol. I think i remember seeing you have that avatar for a few months now, and never got around to asking...

[Duffman]

hehe, it was the seen where homer puts is face against the glass on the air plane going "save me jeebus" but i think it got take off image dump for no reason

[tesco]

Originally posted by Duffman3@13 June 2004 - 19:00
hehe, it was the seen where homer puts is face against the glass on the air plane going "save me jeebus" but i think it got take off image dump for no reason
fix it :rolleyes:

[kaiweiler]

clocker, what is ther version of bios you upgraded to called??

[Duffman]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004+13 June 2004 - 19:01--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ROSSCO_2004 &#064; 13 June 2004 - 19:01)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Duffman3@13 June 2004 - 19:00
hehe, it was the seen where homer puts is face against the glass on the air plane going "save me jeebus" but i think it got take off image dump for no reason
fix it :rolleyes: [/b][/quote]
it keeps saying that my image type is not allowed

*edit* i got it now

[tesco]

Originally posted by Duffman3+13 June 2004 - 19:09--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Duffman3 &#064; 13 June 2004 - 19:09)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@13 June 2004 - 19:01
<!--QuoteBegin-Duffman3@13 June 2004 - 19:00
hehe, it was the seen where homer puts is face against the glass on the air plane going "save me jeebus" but i think it got take off image dump for no reason
fix it :rolleyes:
it keeps saying that my image type is not allowed [/b][/quote]
oh, maybe u aren&#39;t allowed to use gifs on that site anymore...

try photobucket.com


edit: i see you got a new one, good work :)

[pc-gamer-dude]

Originally posted by clocker@13 June 2004 - 17:43
240x 10, for a stable 2.4 GHz.
what memory are you using to get a FSB of 240? j/w and sounds good so far. cant wait to see pics&#33;

[Duffman]

Originally posted by pc&#045;gamer&#045;dude+13 June 2004 - 19:12--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (pc-gamer-dude @ 13 June 2004 - 19:12)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-clocker@13 June 2004 - 17:43
240x 10, for a stable 2.4 GHz.
what memory are you using to get a FSB of 240? j/w and sounds good so far. cant wait to see pics&#33; [/b][/quote]
yeah get your camera back already&#33;

[clocker]

OK....
Camera will be back next Friday sometime.
Memory is Mushkin PC 3200 Level one ( couldn&#39;t afford the really good stuff...).

I can&#39;t go lower on the vCore and maintain this level of chip speed.
She wil actually boot into Windows at 1.5v, but I get random reboots with nonsense error messages.
Upping the voltage brings her back to life just fine.

K, this is the BIOS (http://abducted.henslfuk.nl/files/bios/d24_4227_edc18.bin.zip) that I&#39;m using.
Enjoy.

[clocker]

Shameless bump to make a small announcement.
It looks like a plan I&#39;ve been hatching might just come to fruition in the next week or so.
It will be a first for HardwareWorld.

Keep your eye&#39;s peeled for the unveiling of my grandiose plan.

That is all.
As you were.

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by clocker@14 June 2004 - 23:28
As you were.
:lol:

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@14 June 2004 - 18:28
Shameless bump to make a small announcement.
It looks like a plan I&#39;ve been hatching might just come to fruition in the next week or so.
It will be a first for HardwareWorld.

Keep your eye&#39;s peeled for the unveiling of my grandiose plan.

That is all.
As you were.
:o What could it be :unsure:

We&#39;ve gotta get some sort of "I can&#39;t wait" smiley ;)

[kaiweiler]

Clocker, those bios did nothing for me, in fact made my overclock worse rather then better&#33; :lol:
Went back to my old bios...
Maybe you just got lucky&#33; :lol:

[tesco]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@14 June 2004 - 20:56
Clocker, those bios did nothing for me, in fact made my overclock worse rather then better&#33;&nbsp; :lol:
Went back to my old bios...
Maybe you just got lucky&#33;&nbsp; :lol:
Just be glad you were able to get it back to the old BIOS ;)

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004+14 June 2004 - 21:58--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ROSSCO_2004 @ 14 June 2004 - 21:58)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-kaiweiler@14 June 2004 - 20:56
Clocker, those bios did nothing for me, in fact made my overclock worse rather then better&#33; :lol:
Went back to my old bios...
Maybe you just got lucky&#33; :lol:
Just be glad you were able to get it back to the old BIOS ;) [/b][/quote]
Any smart guy with some common sense saves a copy of their old bios before flashing&#33; :rolleyes:
and i don&#39;t think you jsut got lucky clocker, i jsut read on the other forums about those bios, seems maybe i&#39;ve just gotten unlucky
I&#39;ll maybe try it again
I know it&#39;s my ram that&#39;s holding me back :frusty:

[tesco]

Originally posted by kaiweiler+14 June 2004 - 21:01--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (kaiweiler @ 14 June 2004 - 21:01)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@14 June 2004 - 21:58
<!--QuoteBegin-kaiweiler@14 June 2004 - 20:56
Clocker, those bios did nothing for me, in fact made my overclock worse rather then better&#33;&nbsp; :lol:
Went back to my old bios...
Maybe you just got lucky&#33;&nbsp; :lol:
Just be glad you were able to get it back to the old BIOS ;)
Any smart guy with some common sense saves a copy of their old bios before flashing&#33; :rolleyes:
and i don&#39;t think you jsut got lucky clocker, i jsut read on the other forums about those bios, seems maybe i&#39;ve just gotten unlucky
I&#39;ll maybe try it again
I know it&#39;s my ram that&#39;s holding me back :frusty: [/b][/quote]
Trying again? don&#39;t think it will make a difference, but i wish you luck anyway ;)

get new ram then :lol:

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@14 June 2004 - 22:06
Trying again? don&#39;t think it will make a difference, but i wish you luck anyway ;)

get new ram then :lol:
Never know my friend, it&#39;s always worth a try :P
and new ram is not first on my priority list
I&#39;ve got a lot more things to spend money on, such as a new car :frusty:

[tesco]

Originally posted by kaiweiler+14 June 2004 - 21:08--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (kaiweiler &#064; 14 June 2004 - 21:08)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-ROSSCO_2004@14 June 2004 - 22:06
Trying again? don&#39;t think it will make a difference, but i wish you luck anyway ;)

get new ram then :lol:
Never know my friend, it&#39;s always worth a try :P
and new ram is not first on my priority list
I&#39;ve got a lot more things to spend money on, such as a new car :frusty: [/b][/quote]
<_< Have fun driving your car when i&#39;ve got an awsome overclock.

Like, what the hell, who needs a car, it&#39;s awsomely overclocked computers that we need ;)































:lol: I&#39;m just kidding, car is way more important..

[kaiweiler]

:lol: A car is way more important, and considering my current overclock, I&#39;d say I&#39;ll have both a car and an "awesome overclock"
2.46 from stock 1.83 on air, with load temps of around 39C on an ABIT board which reports temps high :P
take that <_<


:lol:

[tesco]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@14 June 2004 - 21:16
:lol: A car is way more important, and considering my current overclock, I&#39;d say I&#39;ll have both a car and an "awesome overclock"
2.46 from stock 1.83 on air, with load temps of around 39C on an ABIT board which reports temps high :P
take that <_<


:lol:
ok. I will. Just you wait and see. You&#39;ll see. I will.

:P

[tesco]

Image Resized
[img]http://img59.photobucket.com/albums/v180/rossco_2004/holeyshit.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://img59.photobucket.com/albums/v180/rossco_2004/holeyshit.jpg')

beat that overclock, im running the stock heatsync, fan volt modded to 3.3volts, running a hefty 100rpm :01: blows about 0.5CFM.

600mhz fsb, multiplier of 24x (highest my motherboard was capable of).

Even tweaked the actual CPU bridges to run at 1024kb cache and enabled 64bit by distributing the fluz capacitor between the transistor wave length decibal, piece of cake i&#39;m surprised intel hasn&#39;t thought of this yet.

I even managed to add a few pins on to the CPU and motherboard&#39;s socket and tweaked teh bios to run at 64bit, now running Windows 64bit.

temps are currently FULL LOAD at 29c @ 14,400Mhz.

edit: And managed to pull all this off in 6 minutes :01:(uncluding xp 64bit installation).

[kaiweiler]

:lol: Always need a good laugh, thanks mate :P

[Virtualbody1234]

Clocker, please tell us about the grandiose plan of yours. :lol:

[kaiweiler]

I bet it has something to do with hampsters....

[tesco]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@14 June 2004 - 21:38
I bet it has something to do with hampsters....
:lol: hopefully&#33;

[Super Dude]

kaiweiler, or anyone else, could you guys post a link to the OCforums.com thread about the BIOS? I can&#39;t seem to find it there...

[kaiweiler]

HERE YOU GO (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=295006&perpage=30&pagenumber=7) B)
Scroll down a bit and you&#39;ll see it

[Super Dude]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@15 June 2004 - 03:23
HERE YOU GO (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=295006&perpage=30&pagenumber=7)&nbsp; B)
Scroll down a bit and you&#39;ll see it
K,

Thanks alot for the link.

Clocker,

Good luck with your *Grandiose Plan*.

I hope, by the time you&#39;re done experimenting and beautifying Sprocket, she&#39;ll turn out to be like this:

http://media.santabanta.com/gal/mu2004/bikini/australia1.jpghttp://media.santabanta.com/gal/mu2004/hot/australia1.jpg:wub:

Miss Computer 2004.

:rolleyes::lol:

[clocker]

Originally posted by Super Dude@14 June 2004 - 23:06


Clocker,

Good luck with your *Grandiose Plan*.

I hope, by the time you&#39;re done experimenting and beautifying Sprocket, she&#39;ll turn out to be like this:

http://media.santabanta.com/gal/mu2004/bikini/australia1.jpghttp://media.santabanta.com/gal/mu2004/hot/australia1.jpg:wub:

Miss Computer 2004.

:rolleyes::lol:
Hmmm...Sprocket is moderately jealous.
ATM, she is stripped to the bare essentials while I experiment on some cooling configs.
Without makeup and the sexy bikini she cannot compete with Ms. Australia PC.

Just wait though.

She is one determined bitch.

[clocker]

As promised....
The new Sprocket.
Image Resized
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/G6full.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/G6full.jpg')
Here she is in all her fully dressed splendor.
I really tried to avoid making the case look like it had been modded, but some additions were unavoidable.
The hole in the sidepanel is for a 120mm fan (visible later).
The upper bays house two optical drives with black alloy CoolerMaster faceplates and a fanbus ( soon to be replaced with a custom panel).
In the floppy bay opening is a LED temp readout (cobbled from a HDD cooler, it cycles between two sensors- currently reading case ambient and radiator exhaust) and right next to it is my "Clear CMOS" button.
Centered below is the volt guage from a Volkswagon GT-I, it reads from the +12v line on the PSU.
At the bottom ( below the Gateway logo), are the USB ports that I added and in the base is the floppy drive (which I was forced to install so I could load SATA drivers and now think is pretty cool down there).
I&#39;m trying to work out a door to cover the USB ports but haven&#39;t come up with anything I like yet.
Movin on ( or in, actually...)
Image Resized
[img]http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/G6side.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/G6side.jpg')
The full side view.
This shot gives a good impression of how tall this case is (23").
Above the motherboard, where the radiator now sits, is the original location of the PSU.
In it&#39;s stock form this case had a caddy above the PSU which would house three more HDDs.
I removed this bay ( it was screwed in, very nice) and relocated the PSU to the top of the case.
Trimming out the now vacant PSU opening allowed me to mount two 92mm exhaust fans on the back wall which pull air through the radiator ( and from the case in general).
The crossbrace which holds the side 120mm fan ( intake) used to be higher up, I drilled out the rivets and drilled/tapped it for 6-32 screws and moved it down the case.
Originally this was to accomodate the SilentTower HS I was trying, now it positions the fan to blow over the passively cooled video card and provide outside air for the fans on the north/southbridge.
The grey plastic box in the lower right corner holds the modified water pump and serves to muffle the pump noise ( it works&#33;) and also to contain any possible pump leaks. This box is an electrical junction box from Home Depot.
Two semi-closeups...
Image Resized
[img]http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/pump.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/pump.jpg')
Image Resized
[img]http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/rad.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/rad.jpg')
Again, I must apologise for my lack of photography skills, hopefully you can glean any detail info you like from these shots.

I love this case.
The steel is probably 25% thicker than more modern cases and the ABS front bezel is correspondingly sturdy.
Fit and finish is superb and the design is growing on me daily.
Airflow is very good, the design of the front bezel is far more condusive to air intake than most modern "performance" cases. The center section that the volt guage is mounted on stands proud of the rest of the bezel by about 1/2", kind of like that weird obelisk on the front of the WaveMaster case, ( not easily visible in my bad photos) and is completely unobstructed behind, so intake is excellent.
[img]http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Gateway_temps.jpg
Admittedly, these are idle temps, but they do show that this case and configuration works pretty damn well.
The absence of exterior holes makes Sprocket very quiet ( no, NOT silent, but very tolerable).

Attention-whore that she is Sprocket craves all comments/criticisms, so have at her.

[tesco]

What? No cow spots? :o


Looks good, case is a lot better than I expected, and those temps are amazing too. Wires are kinda messy ;) But i guess it&#39;s just becuase of the watercooling pipes that it LOOKS messy.

You might wanna get rid of that gateway label on the front, it&#39;s one of the first things I would do :P

[Virtualbody1234]

Interesting. Is that a floppy drive on the base at the bottom?

Edit: Sorry. I just reread the text and see that it is in fact the floppy drive.

Image Resized
[img]http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/G6full.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> ('http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/G6full.jpg')

[clocker]

Ross, in person the wiring/tubing is much neater than the pictures suggest.
Neat cabling is a particular fetish of mine, but comprimises have to be made to ease assembly/removal of components without completely stripping down the case.
It&#39;s a work in progress...every time she&#39;s disassembled I discover a slightly better method, which is why even the simplest alteration seems to take a minimum of three or four hours.

I kinda ( well, at least to this point anyway) like the Gateway logos.
They are not simple stickers anyway, rather raised/embossed in the plastic with painted faces.
It would require some major surgery to remove them without leaving evidence.

Edit:
Yes VB, it is.
My favorite mod of the whole project so far.

[Virtualbody1234]

It would require some major surgery to remove them without leaving evidence.
Looks like a perfect opportunity for you to add your own "custom made" logo.

[clocker]

Certainly a possibility...I&#39;ll add it to the list.
Currently I am embroiled in some other construction upgrades, the case aesthetics are not terribly pressing ATM.

[Super Dude]

Clocker,

Sprocket looks simple, yet unique and elegant, in her new home.I don&#39;t think the tubes look messy, it looks quite cool.I feel I have to comment on Sprocket&#39;s tempretures too, I think it&#39;s absolutely impressive.

But honestly, I think Sprocket had more of the sex appeal look in her previous CoolerMaster Centurion case. :rolleyes::lol:

All in all, you did a splendid job, Clocker.

[clocker]

Originally posted by Super Dude@18 June 2004 - 07:34


But honestly, I think Sprocket had more of the sex appeal look in her previous CoolerMaster Centurion case. :rolleyes::lol:


Housed in the Centurion case Sprocket was J-lo.
In the Gateway she is Catherine Hepburn.

Aging gracefully is an art.

[Virtualbody1234]

Yup. I agree that Catherine Hepburn is more appealing.

[lynx]

I see she&#39;s taken your chair again.

You really ought to get her something of her own to sit on.

A pedestal perhaps? :rolleyes:

[clocker]

Although a pedestal would prolly be acceptable, sitting on my back is Sprocket&#39;s favorite perch.

[peat moss]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@18 June 2004 - 07:12
Yup. I agree that Catherine Hepburn is more appealing.
Hey its Katherine with a K you crazy canadians :)

[clocker]

Time for our weekly update.

The watercooling continued to work well, but I was never able to completely bleed the air from the system with the T-line I had installed.
Research revealed that I had two options available.
1.) An air trap...basically just a fancier version of a T-line installed in the return line, or...
2.) A reservoir.

The air trap seemed like the best solution, so off to Home Depot and the electrical dept. There are many molded ABS electrical boxes that work very well as watercooling accessories.
The appropriate items were purchased and about two hours later ( had to let the sealant set up) I had an air trap to call my very own.

It actually worked, too.

But, as usual, I saw room for improvement.
Back to Modding Central.
Perusing the aisles a whole new concept dawned upon me and that is what you see pictured here.
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mini-SPKTH2O.jpg
Looks very much like the picture from a few days ago, doesn&#39;t it?
Look a bit closer.
Yes, the radiator is now mounted outside the case...I figured I may as well remove that heatsource from the interior...but no, that&#39;s not the biggest change.

It&#39;s the pump enclosure.
Bigger.
The pump was modified to run submerged and now sits in the enclosure which does double duty as a reservoir and sound muffler.
It is self-bleeding and still silent.
I have read that the downside to a setup like this is that the heat from the pump is transferred to the water
Tough.
I can live with an extra degree or two in exchange for the ease of setup and clean installation.

Too soon to see if it really makes a difference to Sprocket.

I have noticed a weird temp related phenomonon the last few days.
I now believe my NF7-S is possessed.
I was doing some spring/summer cleaning/updating, which required some rebooting.
About every third boot, when I got back to the desktop, the temp was showing almost ten degrees lower than before.
And it would stay at this lower level until I booted again, then it would be back to normal ( @ 28-32c at idle).
No rhyme nor reason for this that I can tell, but she still sporadically does this.

Any rational explanations appreciated.

Later.

[kaiweiler]

Looks good clocker.
so you&#39;ve finally given up on your quest with the SilentTower I see, good choice in my opinion ;)
I was looking around a few shops and came accross a heatsink that made me immediatly think of you, it was the Aerocool Deep Impact DP-102 (http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/case_cool/other/heatsinks/aerocool/dp102/), looks similar to the SilentTower really, just a little more copper :P
Not sure if you&#39;d want to give it a try or not, but if you ever have an option of somehow obtaining one for extremely cheap or even free, let me know how it works&#33;
As of now they are quite expensive though, about &#036;60-&#036;70 Canadian Dollars, the same price as the famous SP-97 from Thermalright.

But your setup is looking nice now, I like the use of larger fans. I&#39;m trying to get rid of every fan under 80mm in my case, and even most of the 80mm are being replaced for bigger quieter ones as well.
Looks good though :)
What&#39;s your next move?

[lynx]

I had exactly the same temp variation with the mobo temp when I first got my Asus board, although a reboot was not necessary to trigger the change. It would be running along showing 16C, then minutes later it would jump to 24C, then later back down to 16C. Occasionally I would see 20C, but this was unusual. Once the temp reached 24C increases were steady.

I assume it is still doing it but the increased ambient temp is masking this. I&#39;m guessing it is a design fault in the sensor chip. The chip is reported as Asus ASB100 but I feel sure it will be something else rebadged for Asus.

[clocker]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@25 June 2004 - 10:58

What&#39;s your next move?
Unfortunately K, up to this point no one has seen fit to shower me with free parts to test.
It would be nice though, wouldn&#39;t it?

Next move is to add the northbridge to the waterloop.
I have already ( this AM) gathered what I believe are the necessary hardware bits to do this.
As long as I have the case stripped down to install the waterblock I also want to fabricate a new mount for the HDD.
I have an idea, but won&#39;t know specifically how to implement it till the case is bare.
No too sure when I&#39;ll feel like doing this...feeling kinda lazy today...

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by clocker+25 June 2004 - 15:21--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (clocker @ 25 June 2004 - 15:21)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-kaiweiler@25 June 2004 - 10:58

What&#39;s your next move?
Unfortunately K, up to this point no one has seen fit to shower me with free parts to test.
It would be nice though, wouldn&#39;t it?

Next move is to add the northbridge to the waterloop.
I have already ( this AM) gathered what I believe are the necessary hardware bits to do this.
As long as I have the case stripped down to install the waterblock I also want to fabricate a new mount for the HDD.
I have an idea, but won&#39;t know specifically how to implement it till the case is bare.
No too sure when I&#39;ll feel like doing this...feeling kinda lazy today... [/b][/quote]
When you add your NB to the loop, don&#39;t be surprised when your CPU temps raise a few degrees. I don&#39;t think the pump you have is all that strong so the CPU waterblock will be getting a lot less waterflow with the added block for the NB. Your temps are going to raise a bit but with the NB water cooled you can probably handle a much higher FSB which would be nice.
You&#39;d be sacrificing a few degrees onto your CPU temp for a little better overclock.
Every move has it&#39;s ups and downs :rolleyes:

[clocker]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@25 June 2004 - 12:36

When you add your NB to the loop, don&#39;t be surprised when your CPU temps raise a few degrees.
I won&#39;t be, but don&#39;t you be surprised if it doesn&#39;t.

I have been reading up on the so-called "German watercooling theories" ( mostly popularized by a company called Aquacool who&#39;s parts are Mercedes quality).
They disdain the high volume, high flow setups so popular here and go for slower, smaller components.
This agrees with what I learned about watercooling on racebikes ( yes, I know it&#39;s not the same thing exactly).
Move the coolant too fast through the loop and it doesn&#39;t have a chance to thoroughly pickup or shed the heat properly.
Two-stroke GP race bikes come with restrictor plates ( a very simple thermostat type arrangement really) that you can change to achieve the proper cooling level for the particular circumstances.

I think it&#39;s complete overkill for me to even consider watercooling the northbridge, but practicality has never been my strong suit anyway.

After that is the video card, of course.
Now there is a real technical challenge...

[tesco]

Sounds cool clocker, good luck with adding in the graphics card to teh loop, gonna cause a lot of extra tubing and joints and stuff to get around to teh underneath of the card...

all im gonna say, kinda feeling sick :x (not related to you lol)

[clocker]

Get well soon, Ross.

I&#39;m not really planning on adding the vidcard into the loop, I was only commenting on what a challenge it would be.
Thinking about it makes me feel a trifle queasy.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@25 June 2004 - 23:11
Thinking about it makes me feel a trifle queasy.
:o You, clocker,, can feel sick&#33; :blink: MY GOD&#33; whole world is collapsing, i do&#39;t know what to think anymore :(

Maybe drugs are my answer, ya yya drugs, i think ill start shootin up some harowin, that will make me feel better...making me feel better already. :)

:ghostface:

by the way, i really do feel better, already, lol.

[clocker]

Welcome to Clocker&#39;s Saturday Afternoon Modding Party&#33;

Today&#39;s main attractions are....
Addition of the northbridge to the waterloop...
Image Resized
Image Resized
[img]http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mini-waterblock.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> (http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mini-waterblock.jpg)
And...
The new HDD cradle/mount...
Image Resized
Image Resized
[img]http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mini-HDDcradle.jpg' width='200' height='120' border='0' alt='click for full size view'> (http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/mini-HDDcradle.jpg)
Purchasing the Zalman waterblock a few months ago left the stock TT block as surplus and I have often thought it would make a fine block for the northbridge.
So, today I made it so.
Pretty straightforward mounting arrangement, just large fender washers acting as clamps at either end did the trick.
Too soon to tell what effect, if any, this will have on performance or temps, but I did lose the northbridge cooling fan in the conversion and that has to be good ( noisewise, at least).
The HDD cradle works better than I&#39;d hoped...the disk whine has been totally eliminated and the seek noise diminished.
No change to the HDD temp despite the loss of the fan from my original mount.
I&#39;m thinking of a good way to get some air flowing over the top of the drive...that may be more trouble than it&#39;s worth.
Again, a few days to gather some data will tell me what I have to do.

Thanks for coming, see you again soon.

[tesco]

Nice work, clocker. I could never come up with any as ingenious as that hdd cradle mount thing, whatever u call it lol, very good work.

[clocker]

Thank you Ross.
I&#39;ve never had 11 consecutive topic responses in HWworld like you do now.

Oh wait...damn Tormentor snuck in and killed the continuity.
Get to work, you slacker&#33;

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@26 June 2004 - 22:02
Thank you Ross.
I&#39;ve never had 11 consecutive topic responses in HWworld like you do now.

Oh wait...damn Tormentor snuck in and killed the continuity.
Get to work, you slacker&#33;
Did you see last night? i had a screenshot, but i deleted it cause i was bored :lol:

wait a few, maybe i can recover it...

[clocker]

Let me guess...you papered the entire board.
Every single topic had a ROSSCO response.

Too easy, my friend.
It&#39;s very slow around here lately.
Try doing that in November.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@26 June 2004 - 22:10
Let me guess...you papered the entire board.
Every single topic had a ROSSCO response.

Too easy, my friend.
It&#39;s very slow around here lately.
Try doing that in November.
actually, it&#39;s been very fast since last night, speeding up :D in teh time it took me to read ur hard drive thread, 4 posts were made :o

compare that to 4 posts in one entire night a month back :lol:


and no i didn&#39;t "paper the entire board".....I "papered" hardware world :D

had like 30 threads in a row with my name, couldn&#39;t find the screenshot sorry, found lots of other old unneeded crap on ym drive though. ;)

[clocker]

Time for some preliminary results/conclusions/questions.

Here are some temps from a 3 hour session last night.
Sprocket had been running stable so I ran some benchmarks to confirm the hardware/software config.
She passes Memtest and Prime, no problemo.
As I had also changed the vidcard cooling while I had her apart ( removed the Zalman Heatpipe cooler and installed the Zalman northbridge HS on the VPU) I also ran Aquamark3 a few times. I can&#39;t seem to break 33,000, but the temps were fine ( still doesn&#39;t breach 32c running the test) and I think I just need to research my settings and tweak it to go higher. Not that I care about the video that much....
So we Folded for a while...
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Folding.jpg
As you can see, the CPU temp didn&#39;t break over 40c which is a perfectly acceptable result.
I think that the large reservoir that the pump now sits in really does a fine job of stabilizing the temps- there is only a 2 degree variance over the 3 hour period.
I suppose that my next step would be to increase the radiator efficiency, but that would entail a pump change also and I&#39;m not up for that quite yet.

Last week I had also performed my motherboard wall fan mod and I&#39;m very ambivalent about the results.
I cannot tell exactly how well it really cools the socket/CPU as I believe that I am spoofing the onboard sensors.
I have 6 hardware temp sensors and have been moving them around just to see what&#39;s what.
Two of them are just dangling in the case to give me interior ambient temps.
They consistently read 5-10c higher than the "case temp" reported in MBM5.
Wherever that board sensor is located, the fan is obviously skewing it&#39;s function...unplugging the fan causes the reported temp to rise to within a degree or so of my hardware reading. CPU temp also rises, although not as drastically (2-3c).

So, it&#39;s obvious that the fan artificially lowers the MBM5 reports...the question is does it actually perform any useful cooling function also?
Until I can figure out how to access the on-chip diode ( which I&#39;m beginning to fear is just not possible with the ABIT board) then this question is moot- I have no way to tell.
Sprocket has been running clad in cardboard...I took my own advice and didn&#39;t hack up the case skin yet...but I&#39;d kinda like to finalize the layout and run her clothed properly. I&#39;m expecting the sound level to decrease with the full steel enclosure in place and that would be nice. Not that she&#39;s loud now, but there is some airwhoosh which should be muffled by the heavier steel skin.

I also have decided that I need to provide some active cooling to the newly-mounted HDD. It is running about 5-7 over my case ambient ( the real, hardware sensor reported temp).
This could be difficult as my space is limited and I&#39;ve more or less boxed myself into a corner, installation-wise. All of the other considerations are perfect as the HDD is curently mounted ( specifically the cabling/power connectors are all just the way I would like to keep them), it&#39;s only the cooling that is awkward.
I&#39;ll figure out something...I hope.

Okay, back to your breakfasts.

Edit:
Here are the results of a run this morning...the difference is the CPU load ( just forum browsing and e-mail).
http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/idle.jpg