120mm liquid cooling system upgrade for the 9600KF @ 5Ghz

[storm-chaser]

Assuming these are also in F, more than I was expecting but what do I know?



Why? If my memory serves me, and it usually doesn't, the water is going to heat up to the same temperature if you just had one. It just takes longer to get saturated. No different than Air cooling in which a bigger hsf will take longer to saturate but then is dependent on the area of the fins to cool while the mass of the hsf becomes useless once saturated. The reservoir is the same way in this regard and won't yield you any additional performance and will just be more fittings with crazy bends.

WHY NOT? That's what I'd say to that. Plus, I've got some tricks up my sleeve to "maximize" the cooling capabilities of this system, and part of that involves building a loop with a very large volume of water. All will be revealed in good time

5.1 and beyond is very possible with this setup...

Just installed HEATKILLER water block and 120mm rad, as well as the first Noctua puke colored fan (that will be fixed in good time) .... enjoy!

EDIT: Id really like to have more distance between the PSU and rad. But nothing can be done. It is actually tapered on that side so plenty of air can actually get through, plus the fan in the PSU is a very low RPM fan that moves a large volume of air at a much lower velocity that you'd think. There is actually no restriction there at all. But for fitment sake I would take a couple points off for that, definitely.

 

[moproblems99]

I like that block.

 

[storm-chaser]

Pump has arrived! I can put the block together and get it set up tonight... at least with just one big 2 bay res to get started.... I just dont have the energy ATM. Tomorrow will be the day!

Also, did I miss something, why two res?

Going with just one res now. The pump/res combo has such a tiny reservoir on it its not worth it at all plus it will just add restrictions on the loop. So just one big two bay res for now. I may get a fan controller / digital temp readout for the 3rd slot, then again I might not since the motherboard has plenty of fan headers and a pretty good PWM management system. Im about 3 hours away from first boot. Tips for filling the system? Top off rad and top off reservoir and let her rip?

Also -- dont think it matters but I am going pump ----> reservoir ----->rad----->waterblock----->back to pump. The reason is that the pump would have to work harder to push through the water through the system if I switched things around.

I'm assuming I can mount the pump on it's side without any issues? I'm definitely glad I can take it apart and just run it as a pump not a combo setup.

 

[moproblems99]

Tips for filling the system?

I always leave the rad and cpu loose so that I can twist/move them around to get the air out after it is filled and while leak testing. You have a case that you can pick up and move around, I don't (Tower 900) so you don't necessarily need to do that. I don't leak test it like I used. Probably about 15 minutes instead of the hours previously. I first designed my loop so that it could be installed and removed in one piece so I could fit everything in the case and then remove it to fill and leak test. That was a pain in the ass.

 

[Waldorf]

@storm-chaser
meh, you should have gotten a resorator tower (almost 2gal) and dump it in a ice water filled aquarium for really low temps...
jkd, nice setup

 

[storm-chaser]

Up all night putting it together. Probably have 20 hours into this thing or more. Take something out, refit, move this over there, route this wire here, and this coolant line is too short, lets do that all over again.. But I'm preaching to the quire... you know what this game is all about.

Fun. And I sure didn't get much joy upon first reboot this morning.

But technically, I am up and running so that's a little better than it could have been. Any ideas why I am running this clock speed and voltage?



EDIT: Last night build pics to follow shortly.

I went overboard with pictures again. I really like way the tubing lines up right behind the GPU. For the whole project I only needed one 90* turn so im happy with that. I can actually run both 120mm fans on the side cover (below, mad max theme) with the lid closed and no interference at all. It's very close, but still opens/shuts perfectly. Very happy with that because I really just approximated where it should be, be given my liquid cooling system was not up and running at that time. Perfect placement. First time that's happened in a while. I will go into a little more detail on some of these pics after I go to sleep, because I've been up all night working the thing and so far I am very pleased how it looks, and I love the blue coolant and both two bay alphacool reservoirs.

Well... it's not quite up and running at all... Reason I say that is first I got a no post start. Turns out my primary GPU pcie slot is bad. Works in the other one, but I had to shim the GPU so the fans could breathe, still it's to close for long term use.

Once I got that resolved it posted and I immediately went into the bios.... where I promptly found out why my loop seemed so quiet. Well, you can probably figure it out from here. The pump is defective, DOA. I had DOAs. So I tested on multiple fan headers that are KNOWN working and still nothing. Im not sure what the deal is but Im a little aggravated because of it. So now I have to rush order another pump / res combo from a US seller who does overnight shipping. I need to get this set up as soon as possible and that's what's driving this. And Im going to pay through the nose.

In any event, I might as well take this time to upgrade to a better pump design direct from freeze mod or a us based seller who offers overnight shipping. I just want to get it set up as soon as possible. I didn't have enough fittings left to make the drain extension so now I am going to have to get creative. In this case, that means I will use two small vice grips on either side of the pump and work them free. I will lose a little coolant but not much at all. Done this many times on snowmobiles over the years. Shouldn't have problems as long as I don't apply too much pressure the soft tubing.


















I went for the mad max look when it comes to fans on the side cover. I will have all of it painted over, however. So don't worry, all those scratches will be gone soon.
I like the look of the exposed fans. I even picked up magnetic filters that look decent, but even close to this. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, like they say.





EDIT: This is one of only a few builds that I have gathered hardware from so many different vendors/suppliers.

 

[Waldorf]

not sure why you didnt wc the card.
would not impact slot selection, card would be a lot faster and a lot cooler,
same for internals and psu.
and since the cpu isnt dumping heat in the case, you wouldnt even need a full block,
just block or pump combo..

block
combo with pump (if u want backup)

 

[storm-chaser]

Build has consisted of the following tech manufacturers:

1) Alphacool
2) Noctua
3) MSI
4) Samsung
5) Patriot
6) Antec
7) EKWB
8) Intel
9) Watercool
10) XSPC
11) Coolermaster
12) Freezemod

Any suggestions on why the pump isnt working? I noticed it has provisions for molex as an alternate power source. I guess I should test this, since it has it's own wiring?

Im going to have to make up an adapter here. Also note, I tested the fan headers and they are all fine. I also tested on CPU fan header, which can detect PWM or DC mode fans, yet nothing.

 

[Waldorf]

the molex is for power. those pumps draw more than what most fan headers support.
just because the port is working, doesnt mean it can support +10w, not even talking about the 23w the pump actually needs.
the fan plug is using voltage (not pwm) to control pump speed.

and please swap ports. right now you intake/outlet are connected the wrong way,
with the center being the intake, and the outer one being outlet.

did you plan for a "venting" hole?
large amount of coolant means lots of volume change from different temps.
not something you want to have in a sealed system.
you can get a valve integrated in a 1/4 plug, i just used a barb connector with a piece of tubing,
and a tip from a eye drops bottle to prevent dust getting in/water coming out when i move the rig.

 

[storm-chaser]

not sure why you didnt wc the card.
would not impact slot selection, card would be a lot faster and a lot cooler,
same for internals and psu.
and since the cpu isnt dumping heat in the case, you wouldnt even need a full block,
just block or pump combo..

block
combo with pump (if u want backup)

No, very good call. I will be buying a block for it soon and running a supplemental mini 75mm rad in the power right front area of the case, meaning, it's right next to the GPU for easy water line connections. But I wont be able to do this until I get the board RMA'd from MSI, because I've lost my primary PCIe slot for some reason (which pisses me off because this is a $300 board and it's only a few months old and it also has a weird reboot issue. The good news is there is another 16x PCIe slot below it, but if I use this, I think it will be slightly more difficult routing water lines directly to the block. Because there is only about 1/4" between the GPU fans and the bottom of the case.

the molex is for power. those pumps draw more than what most fan headers support.
just because the port is working, doesnt mean it can support +10w, not even talking about the 23w the pump actually needs.
the fan plug is using voltage (not pwm) to control pump speed.

and please swap ports. right now you intake/outlet are connected the wrong way,
with the center being the intake, and the outer one being outlet.

did you plan for a "venting" hole?
large amount of coolant means lots of volume change from different temps.
not something you want to have in a sealed system.
you can get a valve integrated in a 1/4 plug, i just used a barb connector with a piece of tubing,
and a tip from a eye drops bottle to prevent dust getting in/water coming out when i move the rig.

Understood! I will find a good 12v line from remaining PSU wiring (I have an extra PCIe connector, and I assume these wires should be able to power the pump no problem.

It's a little janky, but I think I figured out why they did what they did in reflecting on your post. Because when you plug the fan into the 4 pin fan mobo header, only two jumpers out of the 4 are used. First, for sensor and second for PWM (standard wiring for most PWM fans) but it appears you nailed it because when you switch it around, the pump fails to run (meaning it's not a simple case of having the 4pin connector attached backwards. So it appears to be a hybrid system meaning the end user gets power from the PSU wiring directly as opposed to pulling power from the board itself while at the same time giving the end user the ability to control fan speed via PWM control from within the bios. Does this sound feasible to you? One would expect if your voltage control is coming from a different source, you would lose PWM control, no?

No, I dont have a venting hole because I was advised that it wouldn't be needed. But yeah, I'm inclined to believe you over him so I will be picking up another one shortly. In the first couple weeks I will probably leave the top res open to atmosphere so I can account for pressure changes...

Keep in mind, the block is mounted upside down, so perhaps this is why you are thinking I have the ports mismatched. Per the manual, the center port is the inlet and the other port is outlet. The reason I didn't use the block right side up was because it would interfere slightly with my first 120mm rad cooling fan and I wanted to leave a clean open area right there for best airflow, so I rotated it 180*

 

[Waldorf]

valve

yes, pump gets power from sata, control from fan plug. since its using voltage (not pwm) to regulate rpm, only needs 2 wires.

nope, talking about the pump. the D5 (like most) have the intake in the center, that needs to be connected to the res.
yours is connected to the cpu block, that hose needs to be mounted to the outlet on the side of the pump.
most pump covers show in/out next to the ports.

u want to go block-rad-res-pump-block

 

[storm-chaser]

So I'm just about finished assembling the build. But we have a problem. I've lost situational awareness -- meaning I no longer know which wire (coming off the pump motor) is pos and which is neg. The pump I am using has PWM control via a fan header on the motherboard, but it gets power directly from the PSU through a Molex connector. The PWM and sensor control is all wired in and complete, this is pretty much the last step, to get the pump wired in.

I am now at a standstill until I can determine which wire is + and which is -, and I seem to have misplaced the actual molex connector itself, so I'm pretty much in the dark at this point.

These patterns runs the length of each wire. Anyone know the scheme here? Which one is + and which one is - ?? Again this is wiring going directly to the pump motor....

The other one:

 

[biffzinker]

First one plus, last one minus going by the dash line on the last photo.

Got a voltage meter to check which is which?

 

[moproblems99]

I'm confused, don't the connectors only fit one way?

Edit: Also, I'm looking at the pictures of the pump and those wires don't look like what are coming out of hte pump.

 

[biffzinker]

I'm confused, don't the connectors only fit one way?

Edit: Also, I'm looking at the pictures of the pump and those wires don't look like what are coming out of hte pump.

I think he cut the molex connector off.

I am now at a standstill until I can determine which wire is + and which is -, and I seem to have misplaced the actual molex connector itself

 

[moproblems99]

I think he cut the molex connector off.

Strange, not sure why that was needed.

These patterns runs the length of each wire. Anyone know the scheme here? Which one is + and which one is - ?? Again this is wiring going directly to the pump motor....

Here this might help. Assuming you have a freezemod D5, I would assume the first one is the power. Actually, the signal line looks like it has the small dashes. I would double check all your wiring.

Here is where that image came from: https://freezemod.com/product/freezemod-pwm-pump-computer-water-cooling-pump-pu-pwm5b18w/

 

[storm-chaser]

Strange, not sure why that was needed.

My PSU does not have any molex connections so I'm converting the pump to sata for power delivery.

First one plus, last one minus going by the dash line on the last photo.

Got a voltage meter to check which is which?

Good deal! I will test this first with the old PSU just to err on the side of caution.

No volt meter, unfortunately.

 

[Caring1]

It appears the outer most wire of the four is Negative, the other positive.
Based on the picture on Amazon linked in the first post.

 

[storm-chaser]

Strange, not sure why that was needed.



Here this might help. Assuming you have a freezemod D5, I would assume the first one is the power. Actually, the signal line looks like it has the small dashes. I would double check all your wiring.

Here is where that image came from: https://freezemod.com/product/freezemod-pwm-pump-computer-water-cooling-pump-pu-pwm5b18w/

That's really close but not viable for a reference, as it appears the wiring for my pump is slightly different than what we have here . Ill post a pic in a min so you can see what I'm talking about.

For reference, this is the 4 pin that goes into the motherboard fan header and allows for PWM control. This part of the wiring is fine, it's just the molex side of things that I have to get sorted out. (again, for context, this 4 pin fan header and the two wires coming out of it go directly to the pump, as do the other wires I posted above. I've double checked all the wiring, everything should be set and good to go once I get the +/- issue sorted.

If all goes according to plan, we should see an easy 5GHz out of this setup.

 

[moproblems99]

That's really close but not viable for a reference, as it appears the wiring for my pump is slightly different than what we have here . Ill post a pic in a min so you can see what I'm talking about.

Just different enough. Shucks.

 

[storm-chaser]

Looks like we are back in business gentlemen... thank you one and all

Feels great, almost the same feeling as when you swap motors in a car and fires to life for the first time

I have to go in there and tidy everything up, but that will not take but 15-20 minutes.

@biffzinker
Turns out the smaller dotted line is positive and the large rectangles is positive.

Im glad we had this discussion because there is not much reference material on the web or technical data. Hopefully it will help someone down the road...

Marathon overclocking session to follow (tonight), I just have to tidy up a bit, get the air out of the system and harvest the GPU out of my z820

Probably wont sleep tonight, that's for sure.

 

[Keullo-e]

Early 2000s called and want their case design back...

I mean, really, a modern case would help more than you can imagine with a custom loop build.

 

[moproblems99]

I mean, really, a modern case would help more than you can imagine with a custom loop build.

Please don't open this can of worms again. It deteriorates fast.

 

[storm-chaser]

Early 2000s called and want their case design back...

I mean, really, a modern case would help more than you can imagine with a custom loop build.

it's a sleeper. I have known since the beginning this would not be a cut and dry type deal and a lot of effort would have to be put in to prove reliability and stay within thermal margins.

I anticipated about a 10-15 minute clean up and tidying up for this machine last night. However, it was more than two hours in total fiddling around with the PSU wiring etc, so didnt get to do much in the way of reliability testing/overclocking but I threw this one together for ya'll to see I aint playin

 

[biffzinker]

Where's the 5.5 GHz overclock? I'll even settle for 5.25 GHz. Good luck on testing out far you can push it.