Project DEEP PURPLE (The Introduction)

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Originally Posted by nzcubey

My heart goes out to you man, i cant believe two cards have died. Have you measured the temp of the dd cooling system?

Hope newegg will help,
Take this as a lesson to always keep boxes, always.

Cubey

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I haven't done a temp measurement yet, but, I can say the air coming off of the radiator (immeidatley following the video card in the cooling loop) is never more than slightly above room tempreature (and I keep my A/C's in the house to about 18c so it's nice and cool. Unfortunatley, since the system has only been up and for a maximum of 3 days, I never had time to find and install any temp monitoring software. On that topic...any recommendations?

Is it possible that 2x 120mm fans/rads isn't enough for this system? I've opened the case while the system is running and none of the lines or the res feel anything over slightly warm to the touch (which again says a lot as the house is always cold). I'm wondering if I should slightly change the routing of my tubes:

Currently it runs: Rad 1 -> Res -> Pump -> Southbridge -> Videocard -> Rad 2-> CPU -> HD's ->Rad 1

I'm wondering if it would be beneficial to change it to: Rad 1 -> Res -> Pump -> Videocard -> Southbridge -> rad 2 -> CPU ->HD's -> Rad 1

Does the Southbridge really put off enough heat that having it in that place on the loop would be bad for the Videocard? If I were to switch them...would I run the risk of burning out the Southbridge by running the post Videocard heated water over it?

As I'm brand new to this whole watercooling thing...I'm up for suggestions. Even if I have to buy another 10 feet of tubing to fully re-run the whole system in a new order...spending $20 on new tubing is cheaper than even one more videocard return (cost me about $20 bucks last time just to return the first burned-out one).

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Originally Posted by mountain dew

try a different moniter

aand this should be moved to featured worklogs

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Well, this monitor works fine on my other desktop, and plugged into the laptop. Also, the monitor worked fine for the 3 days teh system was up. I doubt it's the monitor, but, I will give it a shot. I think i have an old glass monitor in the storage locker somewhere. :)

Oh, and, thanks for the featured suggestion. <squee> Nice to be recommended! :D

I've already ordered my new video card, going with a PNY this time, i've always had good luck with PNY cards & memory. I contacted NewEgg about a return, but, I don't think they read my e-mail to them right. The confirmation I got back from them said that they "wouldn't ship a replacement until they got my defective part". I don't think they got the part that I don't want another XFX that will melt down. :( I sent them an e-mail asking for clairification...only hoping that they get it and can help me out. Especially since I bought a more expensive card to replace this one.

One other topic, as I was looking at my pictures that I took the other night, I realized that the top mounted light seemed to have fallen loose (I didn't stick the tape on hard enough). For those wondering, the light shouldn't (and now isn't) be hanging down visible like it is in the picture. Oops...bad photography on my part.

Cheers for now, will send more updates when I get some more news.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I am going through all of my build notes so I can put together a good "Lessons Learned" for any new (and experienced) modders. Sort of a list of all my mistakes, pitfalls, and odd things that I figured out in the process. That'll be posted when/if I ever decide that this build is complete. LOL

-MF

I dont have any experiance with it myself, but i get the feeling that it would be better to go: Res -> Pump -> Rad1 -> then Vid and other stuff so that the water wont warm up in the res and pump after its been cooled.

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Originally Posted by xdxforever

I dont have any experiance with it myself, but i get the feeling that it would be better to go: Res -> Pump -> Rad1 -> then Vid and other stuff so that the water wont warm up in the res and pump after its been cooled.

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That's something I've never thought of. Does the pump really add any noticable temperature? Anyone out there have any experience?

I'm not looking forward to re-draining all of my fluid again...but...by this point I'm getting pretty good at it.

Cheers,

MF

I think what you want is: Take the heat out of the case as soon as possible...

that means: put rad just behind the cpu or gpu and then the res -> pump etc..

but I also have no experience at all with watercooling...
(thinking about building one in the distant future though...)

I have always gone directly to the CPU first:

Pump-->CPU-->(bridges for tubing layout)-->GPU-->Rad-->Res and back to pump.

The incremental heat given off by the pump or warming in the Res is so marginal that it's really not even considered anymore...does an 8Watt pump really have much effect on a cooling loop disappating 200+Watts? Not a lot IMO.

Monitoring: Motherboard Monitor (MBM) or Speedfan (intel and non NVidia chipsets).

I have used a CSP750, DangerDen D5, and now a DangerDen DDC12V pump. All with loops in a similar order.

I think it's generally accepted that loop order relates to tubing length and THAT affects resistance in your loop. The shorter runs overall, the less tubing in the circuit, and the less resistance you have.

Before you install your GPU again, look at it edgewise and see if there are any gaps between the RAM and the waterblock. VERY CLOSELY. :)

That screen cap does look like overheating symptoms, but it might be that the waterblock isn't laying flat on all the RAM.

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Originally Posted by Dgephri

I have always gone directly to the CPU first:

Pump-->CPU-->(bridges for tubing layout)-->GPU-->Rad-->Res and back to pump.

The incremental heat given off by the pump or warming in the Res is so marginal that it's really not even considered anymore...does an 8Watt pump really have much effect on a cooling loop disappating 200+Watts? Not a lot IMO.

Monitoring: Motherboard Monitor (MBM) or Speedfan (intel and non NVidia chipsets).

I have used a CSP750, DangerDen D5, and now a DangerDen DDC12V pump. All with loops in a similar order.

I think it's generally accepted that loop order relates to tubing length and THAT affects resistance in your loop. The shorter runs overall, the less tubing in the circuit, and the less resistance you have.

Before you install your GPU again, look at it edgewise and see if there are any gaps between the RAM and the waterblock. VERY CLOSELY. :)

That screen cap does look like overheating symptoms, but it might be that the waterblock isn't laying flat on all the RAM.

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Thanks for all the advice...love the help.

One question...is it safe (or advised) to put the standard heat-transfer-goo on the gpu-ram as well to ensure a good 'connection' between the chips and the waterblock?

I was pretty much on your same page as far as heat production from the pump. And as to removing heat as soon as possible. (Thus my loop going from GPU->Radiator->CPU->Hard Drives (minimal heat)->Radiator

I'll take a look at this card when I pull it out, to see if the ram isn't 'connected' to the waterblock...that may well be a cause of the problem.

Cheers!

-MF

oh yeah, thermal paste should go on the GPU core, each ram pad, and a nice thin, even coat. Be careful with AS5 in those locations since it IS still conductive...the DangerDen guys all put Ceramique on that stuff since there are little resistors and stuff so close.

I make this posting with a very sad heart...and an even more sad checking account. :(

I mentioned a post or two above that I'm compiling a large list of "lessons learned" that I'd post at the end of my build cycle, but I have two to do today that seem very important, and very relevant, to my current situation:

1) Re-Leak test *EVERY* time you open the case door.
and
2) Non-Conductive fluid....ISN'T!

Yes, you all heard me right...this video card failure is all my fault. :( And I have already taken the high-road and cancelled my RMA request from NewEgg. Since it's my fault on this one (though I'm convinced that the other one wasn't...no leaks)...I can't make them 'pay' for my mistake.

Now that I've given away the disastrous news...here's how it unfolded...

I go home today at lunch, and after reading the above replies, I decided to pull the dead video card to see if the RAM chips are indeed touching the heatsink.

I opened the case to see this, and my heart sank:

Everyone else see what I see? Look at the smooth silver backing plate from the heatsink on the video card. And, if you can see it in the pic (though it's hard) look closely at the part of the video card dead center in the picture.

Yup...leaked fluid, the bit on the card itself is well baked on. :(

A glance about 6 inches up reveals the culprit:

If you notice, the center tube is no longer secured below the lip of the barb. The hose clamp is still holding it on, but just by a touch.

Although I didn't elaborate on my exact time line in the previous posts, there was about a 3-day time difference between me getting this video card in the mail, and getting the lights in.

When the video card came in, I did the right thing. Installed, and ran the pump for about 24 hours of leak testing, with no problems. Then I turned it on and started getting all of my system software installed. 2 days later, my lights came in and I happily installed them.

Apparently, when I was putting in the lights, I hit the CPU block input-line and knocked it 90% off the barb. It didn't leak until it was under pressure, and it still took ~12 hours (the daytime of me using the computer that evening, taking the pictures, and overnight) for it to leak enough to kill it.

It was the morning after I took my pictures of the lights in use in the dark that the card was dead. I took the night-shots the same day I installed the lights...so that's why I'm pretty sure that it was during the light install that I knocked that tube loose.

Anyway...here are some more shots of the 'damage' as I was removing the card:

Baked on coolant:

With the water-block retention plate removed, you can actually see (near the center of the photo, slightly right, slightly down) a dark spot where the transistors have been physically burned out. You can also see purple stains on the stickers:

The thoroughly SOAKED foam backing pad from the water-block retention plate, though there is still some rather well-baked coolant here as well:

When I drained the system, the loose hose came off with no force at all...I'm DAMN LUCKY that the whole thing didn't pop off (as this is the in-line, with two out-lines on the CPU block...this is the lowest-pressure part in the system...lucky me). Had the whole thing popped, while I was in bed, not only would I have been mopping up coolant from all over my office, but I'm sure the entire MOBO would have blown as well.

After I took the card out, I started cleaning up more. I also reattached (properly) the CPU hoses, nice and tight, with all clamps below the barb lips:

As I'm waiting on my new card to get here (the PNY with 512 memory, vice an XFX with 256Mb), I’m going to go through each and every hose connection in the system (now that it's empty) and ensure they are ALL nice and re-secured after all the hassle of getting the lights wired.

I'm so sad. :( At least I can stop cursing the name of XFX. Sure I got one bad card. But I guess I have to say that this one was working like a champ...until I carelessly shorted it out by soaking it in coolant.

On another note...although I didn't see any coolant around the area of the PCIx connection bracket...I also used a lint-free cloth towel and a can of compressed air to ensure that no residual coolant leaked into the mobo PCIx slot. That would *really* suck to blow another card when the new one gets in. I think that the foam backing pad seemed to have absorbed *most* of the leaked fluid.

I guess for cleaning the foam pad, it's just lots of distilled water, soak, then towel dry, then resoak, then towel dry...hope that works. Aarrrgg....

Can I get a hug? This really hurts. :(

Until next time......

A sad -MF

Urgh... that really hurts. No hugs from the skinny man thou.

*hugs*

that really sucks man.....hard lesson learned.......ive never really thought about leak testing again....*looks at koolance case* but after this.....i think i will

ive really enjoyed watchin your project come a long since you started plannin it and postin it here in the forums

GL with the rest of the way