What happens when a TEC overheats? Look inside to see.

[Wile E]

Well, I had the TEC/water cooling, E4300, and eVGA 680i A1 up and running for all of a day. Didn't even get to overclock.

First, the explanation. I recently purchased d44ve's whole TEC setup, E4300, and the 680i, all for $400. As shown here: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=36599

Well, after receiving it, and during setup, I spilled some Fuid XP into the Meanwell PSU. It took a little while, but I got it up and running again. Finally got it all put together and running last night. With one hitch, I didn't have a relay kit for the aux psu, so it was plugged directly into my power strip.

The Meanwell runs both pumps and the TEC, but the fans run on the main psu. I ordered a relay kit last night, to be on the safe side. I figured I would run it sans relay, until the kit arrived. I would just be careful to remember to shut off the power to the surge protector, whenever I shut down the computer. As I was about to find out, there was a major hole in my theory.

Earlier today, I fired it all up, and started my Windows updates. I then left to run some errands, leaving the computer to do it's thing. Well, apparently, the power went out while I was gone. It also returned, before I did. You're probably thinking, "what's the big deal?". Well, the computer was off, but the power strip's switch was still on. Meaning the Meanwell, and thus the TEC and pumps fired back up, but not the rad fans. Apparently, a 3x120mm rad cannot cool a 245W TEC passively.

I came home to a house filled with acrid smoke. It got so hot, it melted the acrylic top, the insulation around the socket AND the back of the board, the plastic bits of the socket itself, and it made the IHS come off the chip. What you may not be able to see in the photos, is that the cpu socket got so hot, it actually warped into a concave shape. And there are actually blisters in the top layers of the chip's pcb. I should also note, that I had to pry the chip from the socket with a screwdriver.

Also, when the acrylic top's seal let go, it sprayed the entire inside of my computer down with coolant. So my ram and 2900XT could also be dead. I think I might be ok in that respect tho, as there wasn't any power going to the 2900 and ram, due to the computer being off. I pulled apart the 2900 and cleaned it with non-residue contact cleaner, and I'm gonna let it dry for a few days, to be on the safe side.

I would be totally screwed, if my dad didn't offer to let me buy back the DFI and 6000+ combo I sold him. He decided to take the Intel plunge.

Needless to say, I don't think I'm gonna be messing with TEC again. Anyone want to buy a Meanwell 320W psu, and a Swiftech relay kit for it?

Here's the aftermath: (keep in mind, this is after I cleaned a good portion of the mess.)

[DOM]

man that sucks hope your 2900 is still okay, so in other words you should of waited for the relay kit ?

[rick22]

Rma The Intel Chip-RMA The Motherboard And Give The Rest To Goodwill And Then Yell F U C K I Need To Buy More Water Cooling Parts..

[savillm]

bad luck man!

[DrunkenMafia]

Originally Posted by rick22

Rma The Intel Chip-RMA The Motherboard And Give The Rest To Goodwill And Then Yell F U C K I Need To Buy More Water Cooling Parts..

I would love to see the look on the RMA deptartments face when they opened the box to see that...

Sorry about your loss bro, but it was a good learning curve thats for sure...

Don't let is scare you away though, go buy another tec and get straight back into in man, its like falling off your bike when your a kid.... you gotta get back on...

Actually if you hadn't have started thise thread you coulda just told d44ve that is what it came outa the box like....... haahaaaaa Jokes fella's

[thebeephaha]

Wowwww man, that sucks, would have been a great setup......

[tkpenalty]

*shudders*. TEC FTL!

[Wile E]

Originally Posted by DOM_ATI_X800XL_PCI-E

man that sucks hope your 2900 is still okay, so in other words you should of waited for the relay kit ?

Exactly.

Or, alternatively, I should've not been too lazy to dig thru my house to find the soldering iron, so that I could wire the rad fans to the aux psu as well.

Had I either A.) Waited for the relay kit, B.) wired the entire cooling system to the aux psu, including the rad fans, or C.) not left a compromised build unsupervised, the TEC never would've overheated.

Moral of the story? An age old classic - Haste makes waste.

[hat]

The CPU... she is dead? Oh man what a waste of hardware. That blows

[Wile E]

Originally Posted by hat

The CPU... she is dead? Oh man what a waste of hardware. That blows

I'm assuming it's dead. It got so hot it's blistered and warped. I don't have another Core 2 capable board to test it tho.

[Easy Rhino]

wow i can smell it from here!

[hat]

Originally Posted by Wile E

I'm assuming it's dead. It got so hot it's blistered and warped. I don't have another Core 2 capable board to test it tho.

Sell it here on TPU for free, you pay shipping

[Wile E]

Originally Posted by Easy Rhino

wow i can smell it from here!

Unfortunately. I'm gonna be smelling it in my house for a couple of days, at least. It smells so bad, it's giving me a headache.

[tkpenalty]

Wile E, the next system you build, make sure you do none of these:

1. Cheap out on the CPU and overclock to a huge extent
2. Attempt to get the most performance-when its totally redundant anyway to have that much
3. Use cooling which poses a risk.

Im Just saying, you have voided all your warranty for all the parts using the TEC and the TEC frying. Honestly, next system you make, try not to overclock...stock performance is enough anyway in terms of practicality. Keep the next build you make SAFE.

[Wile E]

Originally Posted by tkpenalty

Wile E, the next system you build, make sure you do none of these:

1. Cheap out on the CPU and overclock to a huge extent
2. Attempt to get the most performance-when its totally redundant anyway to have that much
3. Use cooling which poses a risk.

Im Just saying, you have voided all your warranty for all the parts using the TEC and the TEC frying. Honestly, next system you make, try not to overclock...stock performance is enough anyway in terms of practicality. Keep the next build you make SAFE.

Well, I got everything for $400. The TEC, cooling, cpu, and mobo.

And despite my setbacks, I will never stop overclocking. It's what I like to do. I never claimed to do things because it's practical. I do it because it's my hobby.

I do the same thing with cars. I modify cheaper cars to make them as fast or faster than more expensive cars. I've blown up my share of those making silly mistakes, too. That usually proves to be even more expensive than blowing up a computer. But I still persevere.

This was my first forray into TEC cooling, and I screwed it up big time. It wasn't the cooling system's fault. I didn't take the necessary precautions for using a cooling setup such as this.

[reueljoab]

you really screwed it up man... i feel sorry for you. just make sure you won't commit the same mistake twice... hehehe... i also screwed up before... but not as bad as this one...

[Tau]

ill take the CPU ill paypal you the shipping amount (im seriouse)

[xnox202]

man that's sick. hope you'll find better luck with.

[Wile E]

So, what do you think guys, buy another TEC and TEC block, waterproof my DFI mobo, and try TEC on my X2 6000+ instead? Or go in a completely different direction?

I'm kicking the idea around.

The other alternative I can think of is, go with just water for now, then next year, buy phase with my tax return.

[Tatty_One]

Really sorry, I know when I just fried my 7900GT by overvolting it too much and when I dropped my brand new 4000+ on a hard floor and it bent most of the pins that I was seriously gutted, you must be beyond yourself with grief!

[HookeyStreet]

Im gutted for you Wile E m8

[Sovereign]

Originally Posted by Wile E

So, what do you think guys, buy another TEC and TEC block, waterproof my DFI mobo, and try TEC on my X2 6000+ instead? Or go in a completely different direction?

I'm kicking the idea around.

The other alternative I can think of is, go with just water for now, then next year, buy phase with my tax return.

I say "Why not!?!" Would be fun to see what you can get out of your 6000+ with TEC cooling! I for one would be interested in the results!

[DaMulta]

WOW JUST WOW.

What is the old lady saying?

[mandelore]

same thing happened with my old rig, the custom pelt block metled clean off the mobo, melted my transparent acrylic case, killed my mobo and an x800 card, tho strangely, my prescott survived! LOL

[mandelore]

Originally Posted by tkpenalty

*shudders*. TEC FTL!

lol, no, do it right and TEC 4TW!!

Edit: sorry bout ur loss tho, but being honest NEVER PASSIVE COOL A PELTIER!!!! I have 2 120mm rads cooling mine quite nicely, but no way on earth would i passive cool it unless it was a seriously seriously large rad. I cooled an old 80W graphics card pelt on my x800 years back passivly but that was ok since its low wattage, but i activly cool my rads and they still get rather hot