Sprocket Redux

**clocker** · 11-14-2005, 11:10 PM

I ran into a small performance roadblock- sorry.
I have reconfigured the old girl (again!), relocating the rad, HDDs and adding a chipset cooler and a new pump to the loop.

I dropped a consistent 7-8C on the northbridge temps and the CPU stayed the same (which I expected) but....in a moment of sheer optimisim I decided to retry the DD NV-68 GPU block. It sure was expensive and it really made the tube routing nice but I can't seem to make it work at all.
GPU temps rose from the 30's to nearly 70C (well under the 6800's warning level of 126C!), but it's very scary nonetheless.
It must be me-everyone else loves these things.
Anyway, I have a new block coming (DD acetal Maze4), and I'll break the loop and intall it before I post any pics.

So just hold your water.
So far, this incarnation is looking like the best Sprocket ever (she's certainly never been quieter) so I hope the wait will be worth it.

**clocker** · 11-16-2005, 05:06 PM

OK...small teaser shot.
Here is a bit of Prime action (approximately 2.5 hours at 100% CPU usage)...

Compared to previous loops, note the much lower northbridge temps.
Ignore the ridiculous vid card temps as this will soon be rectified with a new block (which is shipping today so I should have it by Mon./Tues.)

Also on my plate today is the final HDD rack for the second RAID array and a bit of wire management.
With the motherboard in BTX and the waterloop in place getting to the front panel connector header is a real PITA. I plan on simplifying this by merging all the wires into a single block instead of the four seperate headers that are standard. A small thing really, but I tear this rig apart enough that I'll find it useful.
The HDD rack is simply for looks.
My temporary setup works fine but looks slapdash (which it is, in fact) and the new arrangement will be more in keeping with the general look of the interior.

In a fit of impulse buying I also bought an industrial flow indicator which should arrive early next week also.
With the new reservoir being internally mounted and the new pump being essentially silent, there is no way to tell if the water is actually moving in the loop anymore.
The flow indicator will give a visual indication of waterflow and also has electronics which can be configured to sound a warning if flow drops below a certain point. Not sure the alarm function is too useful but the module is removable should I decide not to use it.
This is it...

It didn't even occur to me to ask how big this thing is (best guess is about 3"- 4" square...told you it was an impulse buy!), so how I will integrate it into the front panel is anybody's guess right now.

NEWS FLASH!
After this waterloop is completed I have decided to divest myself of the collection of cooling parts I've hoarded over the past few years.
I am going to be placing them for sale in several fora I belong to, but since FST was my first forum home, I have asked for, and received, permission to list them here first.
I hope to have everything gathered together and photographed by late next week so look for the sale thread then.

Clocker out.

**Duffman** · 11-17-2005, 02:55 AM

oh i wish I had money, come on clocky front me all the stuff I need for a loop, you know im good for it.

**clocker** · 11-17-2005, 04:32 AM

There will be enough parts to complete two loops- pumps, rads, CPU and GPU blocks.
It's all quality stuff too.
Several HSFs also.
Start saving your pennies.

Edit:
I'm afraid, Mr. Duffperson, that I'll have to charge you extra for calling me "clocky".
Have you any idea what that means in Danish?

**Duffman** · 11-17-2005, 11:55 PM

no clocky no I don't.

**clocker** · 11-18-2005, 02:00 PM

Hmmm.
Oddly enough, neither do I.
NM then.

There seems to be a delay of some sort shipping my GPU block.
I really hope it arrives before next Wednesday so I can install it over the Thanksgiving break, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Maybe I'll use the extra time to finally get off my ample ass and build the reservoir I've been planning...it would really simplify the tube runs and bring the entire loop inside the case. I'm also planning on incorporating some sort of option to facilitate draining the loop easily.
As configured now, I have to turn Sprocket upside down and drain through the fill port which is not terribly convenient as Sprocket weighs upwards of 50lbs.(I'm guessing...could be more).
I have also decided to lose the fan controller as I am no longer using the high flow fans and the Aerocool turbines won't even start below 12v (I suspect this is due to the LEDs actually) so it is pointless to be able to throttle them back.
Also tinkering with HDD configuration.
I set up a second RAID0 array on the SI3114 controller with my other pair of Raptors, but it's performance is significantly inferior to the array on the nVidia chip.
I think the best solution would be to run all four Raptors from the nVidia controller (two drives in RAID0 and two simple drives) and run the Plextor off the Silicon Image device.
Naturally, this will require a total reinstall of the OS, but I'm getting pretty adept at that so it's not a big deal.
After all this tinkering with HDD configuration I think that maybe the ideal setup would be one Raptor (preferrably a 74GB) for the OS/programs and one SATA drive (as big as possible) for storage.
My quintet of baby Raptors may join the cooling goodies in my upcoming sale thread.

Clocky out.

**Duffman** · 11-18-2005, 02:53 PM

Does the 10k rpm make a big difference if you put the os on that in speed of loading stuff? if so I am interested in one of those...

**clocker** · 11-18-2005, 04:04 PM

IMO, yes.
There is actually quite a bit of dissent over Raptors and their relative worth.
Many question the value of the (easily documented) speed increase, but they always drag in the cost/benefit ratio (which of course is absurd) to make their point.
I on the other hand, place value on the subjective "feel" of a PC even when not easily quantifiable. Many of our interfaces with computers are subject to very personal/idiosyncratic preferences (think keyboard and mice) and no one dismisses them as "wishful thinking" or "placebo effects".

Whether you notice a difference will also depend on what you are used to and what you do.
If your current setup includes a 5400rpm IDE drive, the Raptor will seem like a gift from God.
If however, you're already running a SATA drive, the difference may be much subtler.

One nice thing about the baby Raptors is their size.
34GB is a good size for a C: drive I think, makes such tasks as defragging and searching faster without the hassle of partitioning a larger drive.
Just store all your data on a separate drive (which is a pretty good security strategy anyway) and you're good to go.

At the very worst a Raptor will not make your PC any slower and your epenis will stiffen a bit, so what's to lose?