Watercooling Article Featuring PolarFLO

[SH64]

Hmm you think so ?
because my 2 GPUs are running hot already (GPU1~90C , GPU2~87C) & as you know the NB chipset is much cooler than a high-end GPU.
& add to that my aim from the watercooling is not just to cool them , but i'm planning to overclock them to Ultra speeds which requires more efficent cooling than usual .
no plans to overclock the CPU though.

[Clay]

Hmm you think so ?
because my 2 GPUs are running hot already (GPU1~90C , GPU2~87C) & as you know the NB chipset is much cooler than a high-end GPU.
& add to that my aim from the watercooling is not just to cool them , but i'm planning to overclock them to Ultra speeds which requires more efficent cooling than usual .
no plans to overclock the CPU though.
Absolutely, even with the obvious higher temps on GPU vs. chipset. Put it this way, water going from CPU to GPU only gains about 1 degree C. I can't see it gaining much more from one GPU to another. The specific heat of water is amazing really. As long as your radiator is cooled with a good CFM (over 80 or so I would suggest) 120mm or two 80mm fans then you should be fine.

[SH64]

Absolutely, even with the obvious higher temps on GPU vs. chipset. Put it this way, water going from CPU to GPU only gains about 1 degree C. I can't see it gaining much more from one GPU to another. The specific heat of water is amazing really. As long as your radiator is cooled with a good CFM (over 80 or so I would suggest) 120mm or two 80mm fans then you should be fine.

I'm eyeing the Tt BigWater Cooling kit right now because its available & widely used in my region .. its using 120mm fan as you may know.
so what tube routing approches would you recommend for the case of 1xCPU & 2xGPUs ?

[Clay]

I'm eyeing the Tt BigWater Cooling kit right now because its available & widely used in my region .. its using 120mm fan as you may know.
so what tube routing approches would you recommend for the case of 1xCPU & 2xGPUs ?
Not to backtrack...but the 1/4" ID tubing of the TT BigWater will likely have a bit more of a temperature increase than I experienced with my 1/2" ID tubing. I doubt that it would be a major increase though.

I would do this:

pump -> radiator -> cpu -> gpu1 -> gpu2

Another thing to keep in mind is that the TT BigWater is only meant for watercooling the CPU. You would need to account for the setup you're wanting to put it in by getting additional tubing and waterblocks. I'll see if V. Slayer can chime in here about this or maybe post your ideas in his thread. He might know more as to whether or not the pump and radiator that come with the TT BigWater are sufficient enough to handle the extra tubing length (that can affect your flow rate).

[SH64]

I see , thanks for the notes .. i wasn't aware of these issues.
the guys selling the BigWater told me that i'm going to need an extra waterblocks & tubes , but they didnt mention anything about how suffient will be the pump/tubes for the whole upgrade.

[Clay]

I see , thanks for the notes .. i wasn't aware of these issues.
the guys selling the BigWater told me that i'm going to need an extra waterblocks & tubes , but they didnt mention anything about how suffient will be the pump/tubes for the whole upgrade.As long as there isn't a lot of length added to your tubing you should be fine and the pump should be adequate as well. I do know of one recent case where a pump failed after only a few weeks of use. Pumps can fail, just like fans can fail. It might also be a rare isolated case. It wouldn't hurt to check with your contact and find out how you would be covered if the pump were to fail though.

[Zenjirou001]

How did you go about turning the water cooling system on, did it go on automatically when your computer turns on? Did you uses a pci controller to turn it on when your pc turns on? i guess this is important, especially if you shut down your computer a lot

[Zenjirou001]

How did you guys automaticallty turn on the water cooling when the pc turns on. Or is the pump always on regardless of the pc. Does the PolarFlo pump or radiator plug into the motherboard, so that it turns on with the pc?

~Zenjirou

[Clay]

PolarFLO's pump has a Molex connector wired right out of the pump motor. So, you just connect it to your power supply. When your PSU is on, the pump is on.

[Zenjirou001]

Hey, PolarFLO sells a nice bundle called "PolarFLO TT Series Professional System"
for $210. Its main components are radiator, cpu, vga, chipset blocks, and a TT Series 350 Pump. This pump looks small and it seems to be less powerful then the TT pump you used. Do you think it is suitable for a system with three water bloks to resist flow? Something weird is that this pump is made only for 3/8" tubing, whilt the radior(black ice pro) that comes with it only fits 1/2. Is ther some sort of adaptor for changing tubing size? Does 3/8 make mutch of difference and is it more suitable for smaller case, such as Mini ATX or Mid ATX

~Thanks

[Clay]

Hey, PolarFLO sells a nice bundle called "PolarFLO TT Series Professional System"
for $210. Its main components are radiator, cpu, vga, chipset blocks, and a TT Series 350 Pump. This pump looks small and it seems to be less powerful then the TT pump you used. Do you think it is suitable for a system with three water bloks to resist flow? Something weird is that this pump is made only for 3/8" tubing, whilt the radior(black ice pro) that comes with it only fits 1/2. Is ther some sort of adaptor for changing tubing size? Does 3/8 make mutch of difference and is it more suitable for smaller case, such as Mini ATX or Mid ATX

~Thanks
It looks like you're referring to this kit:
http://polarflo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=115

Yes, that pump likely is a bit smaller but I'm sure it's of equal quality (looks just like mine for the most part). There are adapters but going from 1/2" down to 3/8" will reduce your flow a bit. An example can be found here: http://www.3dcool.com/Details.asp?cid=35&id=846

You'll get arguments from both sides as to whether the difference is substantial or not when it comes to cooling. From what I've learned, the 3/8" tubing compared to 1/2" tubing isn't a big deal though with differences being a few degrees at most (if even that). Since PolarFLO sells this as a kit I would assume that the provided pump is capable of the three waterblocks...especially since the northbridge won't get as hot as the CPU or GPU.

And yes, the smaller diameter tubing is easier to route in a smaller case.

Good luck! I don't think you can go wrong with that PolarFLO kit. :cool:

[Zenjirou001]

Hey, if a case has two 80mm fan mounts (one in rear, and one in bottom front) ( http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-wizard-mini-tower-case-black-uv-green.html ), Which location do you think is better for the radiator. I was dissapointed thinking that I would have to use 80mm radiator, but I found a 80 to 120mm fan adaptor. http://www.pccasegear.com/prod561.htm

It seems that because of its funnel shape, air flow won't be very restricted. Do you think that using this adaptor in an 80mm fan mount for a 120mm Back Ice Radiator would yield the same or similar results as a case with 120mm mount.

THANKS
~Zenjirou

[Clay]

Hey, if a case has two 80mm fan mounts (one in rear, and one in bottom front) ( http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-wizard-mini-tower-case-black-uv-green.html ), Which location do you think is better for the radiator. I was dissapointed thinking that I would have to use 80mm radiator, but I found a 80 to 120mm fan adaptor. http://www.pccasegear.com/prod561.htmIt's difficult/cramped to mount a pump, radiator and tubing all inside of a mini-tower case like that. If you really are set on that case, then you might want to look into some solutions that allow for mounting the radiator on the outside of the case. The Swiftech MCB-120 is a good example (http://www.3dcool.com/Products.asp?id=32).

It seems that because of its funnel shape, air flow won't be very restricted. Do you think that using this adaptor in an 80mm fan mount for a 120mm Back Ice Radiator would yield the same or similar results as a case with 120mm mount.

THANKS
~ZenjirouYour link to pccasegear.com didn't work. However, as long as the CFM is equivalent to that of a 120mm then you should be fine with a shroud. Keep in mind that the 80mm will likely be quite a bit louder than a 120mm though.

[Zenjirou001]

Hello,
I was wondering, that, even when the fan and radiator are placed in the front intake spot (the same way you did), after the case if put together and the plastic covering is covering the fan, does it get enough air? where your results with or without the front plastic covering of the case.

Thanks

[Clay]

Hello,
I was wondering, that, even when the fan and radiator are placed in the front intake spot (the same way you did), after the case if put together and the plastic covering is covering the fan, does it get enough air? where your results with or without the front plastic covering of the case.

Thanks
Good question. My particular case has good ventilation in the front panel in front of where that 120mm fan sits. There are roughly 300 1/8" diameter holes that allow for plenty of air intake. I did do some casual oberving with that panel off and the temps were about the same as with it on, never changed more than a degree or two.

[Zenjirou001]

Hey, I found a good deal on ebay. TT Waterblocks that are flawed only in appearnce, but are fully functional and shipped from polarflo. They are a bit cheaper than retail price. CPU Blocks are 34.99 while VGA/CHIPSET are 24.99 Check it out
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZwwwQ2dpolarfloQ2dcom

I bought myne, and to my surprise, they were not flawed in appearnce, just a little dirty. I do not know how to post pictures, so here is a link of pics of the ones sent to me.

http://geocities.com/zenjirou01/DSCN0078.JPG
http://geocities.com/zenjirou01/DSCN0080.JPG

with shipping ($9.50), total was $93.47 for the three

There are 9 left, if anyone is interested

[Kamel]

you've got some balls to be boaring out your 6800u like that, lol.

[Clay]

you've got some balls to be boaring out your 6800u like that, lol.:D It really wasn't that risky...you just have to be very careful and easy with your trigger finger on the drill. One example of where you MUST have a variable speed drill. :)