Create your own Waterblock

Howto by glamour @ 2003-06-17

Find out how to make a Waterblock which performs on par with some of the best commercials blocks out there!

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The beginning

Introduction:

I'd like to start with stating the intentions of this article. It is not my aim to sell blocks so don't look at this how-to as a commercial. The goal is to motivate you, yes why not you, to consider making your own block too. You won't make big bucks doing so without disproportionate high investments though. The method I would like to get you acquainted with will show you how to do so with the most limited investment. This means however that making 1 block will cost you a lot of hours, but the 10th will still be hard to make under 10hrs. I can only hope that some will see that it isn't one big mission impossible, but a dozen of doable steps. The advantage that you guys will have over me is that i will inform you of the snake pits i blindly fell into. I will also do my best to accompany every step with the tools/cost needed.



Reasons not to even start thinking of making your own custom block:

Everything else considered there were 2, oops forgot one, 3 reasons holding me back. I will tackle them one by one.

  • Price: it is easy to look at the popular commercial blocks and think about all the machinery needed to make them perfectly, as they are. If you would like to make a maze3 block that would take a CNC mill that is 3-axis programmable. I would estimate this costs you around 100.000$ for a good one. But you forgot that other option: the 'Humanoid CNC-machine'. It is known for its moderate accuracy and incredible tenacity when the labour gets tough.

  • It's just impossible: I mean, look at all that shining plexi and silver lining, ooh, did I forget that hard looking copper? Let’s start out with a lesson in life, don't expect that your first attempt at the long jump will get you an Olympic gold medal. Decent craftsmanship might not turn the heads of all those supermodels looking at your awesome water cooling rig, but wait till you tell them you made it with your bare hands.

  • Are you crazy: c’mon, mere mortals don't craft things out of raw metal! That's a job for dwarves, no?



    Method:

    This is one of those tales where you meet someone who seems to go out of his way to help other people. There are a lot of incredible people all over the globe without whom this endeavour would have never even happened, more about that later. But it all stands or falls with the inventor of the poor man's block making method. Meet #rotor. Not only did he invent the method, but he also helps n00bs with precious advice to get started and overcome their fears. My Croatian friend Puzzdre was giving #rotor's method a go, and steadily i kept interrupting them. The whole thread is like a novel with a beginning and 22 pages later a happy ending. Those two tackled all my fears one by one and guided me through the process of drilling, dremel-ing, tapping and sealing up the actual block. The actual method #rotor invented handles the way we will make channels into the copper bar, so the water can flow from inlet to outlet. More about the specifics later.



    Getting your hands on some copper:

    If one thinks logically, one has to start off by acquiring a bar of copper. Living in Belgium where there is only a very small block making community, makes it impossible to buy a small amount off another crazy hobbyist. Finally this made me grab the yellow pages and do a search on companies that provide copper and aluminium bars. After numerous calls, the best i could find was a company that was willing to sell me a bar of minimum 6 metres. Yeah, real funny guys, ok so this means that me ..., my children ..., and lots more generations to come could enjoy the copper stock their crazy granddad bought. But in the end it cost me about 20$/m, which isn't too large a setback.

    Something to keep in mind deciding on the section:

  • You can get anything you want, Intel boys might want to buy a bar that is 60mm wide, I decided on 50mm width as that is perfect for the Socket A motherboard holes.

  • The thickness can be anything around 5 - 10mm. If price is an issue, the copper is sold by the kg, so the smaller the section, the less money it will cost you. I won't get into the physics but, on average 1kg of copper costs about 4,5$ in Belgium. My 50x10x6000mm bar weighed in at 27kg. Maths, who ever thought they'd need that out of school.


    Next up: Chopping it up -->
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    Comment from Bosw8er @ 2003/06/17
    I luv it !

    No graphs, what a joy ! (*)

    Nice writing style.

    Certainly after reading that 2mb - 8 mb article
    Comment from the maniak @ 2003/06/17
    nice design, think I saw a similar one over at overclockers.com, wanted to make that one actually but haven't got the time and money for it.
    Comment from RichBa5tard @ 2003/06/17
    Great article! Very interesting read, it will defenitly come to good use this summer...
    Comment from TerAngreal @ 2003/06/17
    job well done, g.l.amour !

    very clear article, contains some great info there
    Comment from g.l.amour @ 2003/06/17
    glad y'all liked it lads, now i'm waiting for some selfmade goodies from you ppl.
    Comment from TeuS @ 2003/06/17
    I can borrow some of g.l.amour his equipment (thx!), let's see how that turns out this summer
    Comment from jmke @ 2003/06/17
    ah! live waterblock crafting @ MADlan
    Comment from RichBa5tard @ 2003/06/17
    Quote:
    Originally posted by g.l.amour
    glad y'all liked it lads, now i'm waiting for some selfmade goodies from you ppl.
    I can draw a picture for you.
    Comment from Gamer @ 2003/06/17
    nice one.
    it's time someone updated my custom-watercooling article btw.
    Comment from jmke @ 2003/06/17
    updated? made a new one you mean :grr:
    Comment from Da_BoKa @ 2003/06/18
    i have an blok of g.l.amour

    i tested it once but i took it back of

    after the exams i will test it again

    btw it is the one with 1 intake and 2 outtakes

    greetz
    Comment from Unregistered @ 2003/06/19
    What's the compagny ?? Because i need also copper but only 300*50*15
    I'm living in belgium....
    Comment from Unregistered @ 2003/06/19
    i still have 4m of 50x10 if interested (15 is too thick dude, u need 2 halves, it would way 1kg or something)
    Comment from Unregistered @ 2003/06/19
    btw, u'd be hardpressed to find a dealer willing to sell less than 6m, even that would be peanuts for the copperdealers, they are used to handling it by 100's of metres
    Comment from Unregistered @ 2003/07/02
    Great article m8!
    Keep 'em coming...

    Puzzdre
    Comment from Unregistered @ 2003/07/02
    and u keep em coming too m8. i hope the article made clear that those blox wouldn't have existed without primarily you and #rotor.

    c u around
    g.l.
    Comment from Evangeliz @ 2003/07/07
    How can we contact G.L amour the easiest?
    I've send him a PM but no response?

    Thx
    Comment from TeuS @ 2003/07/07
    he doesn't check it, I'll send you his info
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/01/18
    I really admired the article. Though am still confused. There are two designs right? One with the plastic side and copper while other both sides of copper?

    Also I wanted to make a water block myself. I have the necessary tools (dad's got good power tools) but the problem comes with the LGA775 socket. Can someone pass me designs for that?

    Thanks.
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/01/20
    I guess no ones interested.

    I have a few questions again.

    1. Why did you use so many layers of plexi? Isn’t one or two enough?

    2. What did you about the contact between processor and water block? The copper plate isn’t 100% flat so...?

    3. For LGA775, I have to avoid contact with caps so I need to make 'legs' for the water block, am I on the right track?

    4. Your block is leak and rust proof right?

    Any suggestions by any one will be appreciated.
    Comment from jmke @ 2005/01/20
    hey, best way to contact the author is to email him, click his name at the top page @ the howto.

    this article is close to 2 years sold, so there may be better and more efficient design out there now
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/20
    1. i think the 2nd plexi you see is with acceleration holes, the first is just a peace(don't know the perpose)

    2. the copper is flat, just add some thermal-grease

    3. yes you better do that

    4. yes it is i guess otherwise he wouldn't use it, and you have to use demineralized and anti corrosion and your system will stay clean
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/01/23
    looks tempting to make your own block, but do they perform as well?
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/01/24
    Thats something i have in mind. It has to beat atleast the stock cooling of Intel LGA775, which is impressive though. I have to make it to know the answer.

    For now only g.l.amour nows the answer but he is 'gone with the wind' ;0)
    Comment from kristos @ 2005/01/24
    why don't you PM one of the guys from this thread :

    http://www.madshrimps.be/forums/show...threadid=11857
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/24
    i will answer anything you want too know ,)
    Comment from kristos @ 2005/01/24
    Quote:
    Originally posted by jort
    i will answer anything you want too know ,)
    What's the deal with the birds and the bees?
    Comment from kristos @ 2005/01/24
    make that flowers and bees

    (... with the birds and the bees and the flowers and the seeds? ... )
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/01/24
    a mate of me is willing to make me block at school, he's following a metal class, they have a CNC and stuff, so it should be no probem making. Do any of you guys know a good block design, or have seen one lately, as the one in the review is prolly outdated by now?
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/24
    idd, and its not milled its "drilled and dremeled.

    like i told in the other topic, just send mail with your systemspecs and what you had in mind.
    kickass or low performance
    good flow, less mass, big block, small one...
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/01/24
    Help me here too. I wanna make one for LGA775. Any designs in mind? Avoiding caps really is a tuff job you know.

    I am making this for Intel D915GAV mobo. Though Intel doesnt like OC but i wanna make it just for practice. My aim is to get this on ABit mobo (the new 925 fatality).
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/24
    from what i found is thats not that hard to make a block.
    Intel:
    http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/ux/pix/D915GUX.jpg

    Abit:
    http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/20...s/image004.jpg

    can you measuse the size of the socket (outside sizes)

    LGA mounting holes
    http://www.vr-zone.com.sg/Shamino/mo...ntpics/lga.JPG
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/25
    designs aren't 100% correct but if you want i can make them @ correct size
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/25
    Quote:
    Originally posted by kristos
    What's the deal with the birds and the bees?
    http://www.zachsmind.com/entry.asp?Date=10/13/2002
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/01/25
    blocks using the #rotor design outperform the majority of the commercial waterblocks out there. they result in a larger pressure drop though

    the model you've got there is an old fashioned one, (dangerden maze 1 & maze 2). don't expect really great performance. the same might go for the #rotor block explained here, I haven't visited the procooling forum for ages so I don't know how it might have been improved in the meanwhile
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/25
    Quote:
    Originally posted by Da_BoKa
    nice work, but i'm not sure it will be very effective!

    For starters, there ain't much turbelence, and the inlet isn't placed above the core ( center ) so roughly said you will be cooling your proc with pre-heated water.

    just my toughts
    i guess he was wrong because on 3.8 ghz on my p4 i had temps you couldn't imagen
    old fashioned?
    dunno what you mean , maybe out of hype?

    just wait and see the results


    and yes i take this personal because all the effort we done on our blocks.
    and yes the are low performance
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/01/26
    jort, thanks man.

    If you have time, do pass me the accurate designs.

    Also, i am working on water pump (yes, i am making myself). I am going to use Car's WindScreen washer.

    Thanks again jort.
    Comment from GiantKiller @ 2005/01/26
    Useing a car's Windscreen washer pump is nice as mod. But useing such a pump as fuel pump for my RC airplanes, I know it will make to much noice to have a silent an cool setup.
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/01/26
    well, i sent you an e-mail jort, but haven't gotten any back yet, anyhow, in case you don't use your e-mail, here are the specs: it's for a p4 1.7Ghz "Willamette" Socket 478, so as said, it's with CNC, so a lot is possible i think, and pressure isn't that important, i haven't bought any pump yet, so i'll wait till i know what one i would need to get the block, and maybe a VGA and NB running cool
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/26
    must deleted that somehow.
    can you send it back?
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/01/27
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GiantKiller
    Useing a car's Windscreen washer pump is nice as mod. But useing such a pump as fuel pump for my RC airplanes, I know it will make to much noice to have a silent an cool setup.

    A car's washer has great deal of pressure. I think more than those commercial water pumps. For noise, yes thats a problem.

    If any one has a 'sound' idea, do pass em.
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/01/27
    i saw some pumps in a commercial folder this week, "dompelpompen" 5000 l/h for around 70€, and jort, do you need more info than what i posted above?
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/27
    dompelompen is not good for watercooling.
    just take a aquariumpump

    i'll see what i can do.
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/01/27
    Quote:
    Originally posted by jort
    dompelompen is not good for watercooling.
    just take a aquariumpump

    i'll see what i can do.
    lol, well, i kinda thought that too, think i'm going to get an eheim
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/27
    the i'll see what i can do is aimed @ design of block. i think i am going to draw it @ weekend
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/01/27
    k, really thnx for the help jort, i appreciate it!
    Comment from jort @ 2005/01/27
    for the one who wants an A64 design.
    if its effective i don't know yet, gotte find out i guess
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/01/28
    [quote]Originally posted by jort


    can you measuse the size of the socket (outside sizes)



    Following link has details about LGA775 socket (check Appendix A)


    http://developer.intel.com/design/pe...s/30266601.pdf
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/02
    Have you made a design for p4 socket 478 yet jort? That mate of mine asked me for the designs, because he will have to draw them and turn them in to his teacher. BTW he said they don't have copper that thick, is the difference between copper and alu big, or not?
    Comment from jmke @ 2005/02/02
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON
    Have you made a design for p4 socket 478 yet jort?
    yep! http://www.madshrimps.be/forums/show...=%2Abloc k%2A

    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/02
    neh, i meant like the A64 design, with a direct core inlet, but S478 sizes, he said he would design me one, and my friend who's going to make them asked me for the plans, so i though, i'll ask jort how far he's with the design
    Comment from jort @ 2005/02/02
    i like copper above alu.
    reason it looks better.
    better heat transfer (yes it hase but sometimes you can not see mutch difference)

    but its not easy to work with(very tough)
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/02
    that would be no problem i think (CNC), but they don't have copper so, i think i'm going to have to go with alu, except if i could get my hands on a bit of copper, but anyhow, the alu block is going to cost me nearly nothing, 3.5€ or something like that he told me, just the price of the metal
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/02/02
    copper >>>> alu

    putting the effort in alu usually isn't worth it. and you stay with the costs of barbs etc.
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/02
    how you mean, the difference between cooling with copper or alu isn't that big is it? maybe 1° C or so i think
    Comment from jort @ 2005/02/02
    Quote:
    Originally posted by TeuS
    putting the effort in alu usually isn't worth it.
    not worth to make prolly?

    yeah about the design i haven't got mutch time too, but i'll make one today.
    Comment from jort @ 2005/02/02
    ah btw i am going to buy som copper saturday.
    its @ gistel ( near ostend)
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/02
    if the cooling is quite the same, why not? And i don't really think copper looks that much better, nicely polished alu is nice too.
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/02
    oh really? i'd let them make in copper if i could get my hands on some, i live near torhout and brugge, know any place near?
    Comment from jort @ 2005/02/02
    its you thats going to place it in your system.
    Comment from ibmkg @ 2005/02/03
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON
    Have you made a design for p4 socket 478 yet jort? That mate of mine asked me for the designs, because he will have to draw them and turn them in to his teacher. BTW he said they don't have copper that thick, is the difference between copper and alu big, or not?
    Copper is the best conductor. If copper is 100% conducting aluminum is 69%. A huge difference.
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/03
    no-one knows a place nearby where i can get copper then?
    Comment from kristos @ 2005/02/03
    Comment from kristos @ 2005/02/03
    crap, link fuxored and I can't edit.

    oh well...

    goudengids
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/03
    lol, your second link fuxored too but anyhow, a mate of mine's dad has a metal factory, i'll ask if they could get copper
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/02/03
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON
    how you mean, the difference between cooling with copper or alu isn't that big is it? maybe 1° C or so i think
    lol, no. it's a huge difference

    just check the "gouden gids", and call some people. the guy I knew that tapped my blocks had a stock of metals, they also should be able to order it
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/03
    maybe, but i'm not in need for 6m like jmke had to buy
    Comment from jort @ 2005/02/03
    jmke?

    Quote:
    Author g.l.amour
    Editor jmke
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/03
    sorry for that, i tend to read the directors name instead of the authors
    Comment from kristos @ 2005/02/03
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON
    lol, your second link fuxored too but anyhow, a mate of mine's dad has a metal factory, i'll ask if they could get copper
    just type "metaalbewerking" and "torhout"

    shall I hold your hand?
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/02/04
    lol, no thanx, and they can get copper in the factory he told me, they don't have right now, but they can get it
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/02/04
    watch out they don't give you yellow copper (brass), you'll need the red copper (99%)
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/04
    Awesome guide!!!

    This has inspired me to make my own waterblock, with pretty much the same tools and a laser-cutter my school had lying around! Unfortunately - had no copper handy so used aluminium - results are pretty good for a DIY jobbie!!!

    Check it out!

    If i would do it again, i would make it less restrictive - should have made wider channels D'OH!
    Oh well - temps are pretty decent:
    Idle - 28-30C
    Load 37-39C
    (thats a xp2400+ at 2380mhz +1.85Vcore)

    Thanks for the guide

    Comment from jmke @ 2005/05/04
    very nice looking waterblock!
    Comment from Sidney @ 2005/05/04
    Very big waterblock
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/04
    ince waterblock indeed, but yes, it does look a bit restrictive, can you open it up again and widen the channels?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/04
    Thanks!

    Potentially i could, as i only used silicone sealant as the gasket, but i dont know how i would go about widening them - it is too deep for a dremel blade, and CNC mills dont have drill bits small enough - it would probably bend the 'fins' with any sideways movement as the sharp edges would 'catch' :S
    I originally connected the drilled holes by using a hacksaw to saw through the block sideways, and i only had one 'wideness' to use, - later sealed the sides off by super-glueing a couple of small alu blocks to the sides.

    I have thought about this ever since i made it lol, - it is less restrictive than it looks, as it is quite deep (around 10mm), however i think it would probably benefit from being less restrictive. Although everything else i am using is high-flow (DD high-flow barbs, 1/2" tubing, rad is actually 2 toyota oil coolers bolted together, 1000lph eheim), so its not too bad i guess, im in the process of making a northbridge block and a block for my 6800 - so will have to make these as high-flow as possible!

    More pics coming up soon
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/04
    And lazyman - its actually smaller than it looks - just quite deep - its 50mm by 50mm (same as casing of an athlon), by 10mm (and about 8mm of acrylic on top) and like a rounded H shape - the sides are machined out - because i wanted as little aluminium as possible (so higher concentration of heat) but was worried about stability so left the corners so the block can sit on the 4 foam pads on the corners of the processor!
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/04
    well, you could drill some holes next to each other to create channels i guess
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/04
    hmmm......

    i could definately try, but it looks like there is too little metal left lol, i could try redrilling the holes with a larger drill bit (therefore widening the gaps), but that has a tendency to 'catch' when there are sharp corners - with disastrous consequences - i nearly had one of the 'pins' bent out like this :/ ... now its just like passing water through a alu heatsink - only larger surface area of the fins ...

    i might gather my courage, strap the block in tight and go for it, il see what happens

    laters!
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/04
    LOL actually - the block is 15mm deep and acrylic is 10mm deep

    Slight mis-measurement lol!
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/05/04
    great first block, it looks very well done. The performance won't be optimal, but that takes some time to improve... nonetheless, actually having a working block that looks great too is already a big achievement

    if you're going to make more of these, try to optimze the flow a bit. and try to find some good-looking screws to keep it together.

    I envy people with all the tools, I had to buy all my gear by myself (50euro drill press etc). today I drilled some holes at school with a way better drill press. I wish I could have used such great hardwarde (including a mill) to make my blocks back then
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/05
    like Teus said, it is indeed a great first block, and nice temps for an alu one i must say, before i forget, congrats on the plexi, it's really nicely cut, geat idea, but indeed as Teus said too, a lot of people don't have the tools (or not that good ones) to make blocks by themself
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/05
    Cheers guys !

    I was quite lucky to have been able to laser-cut the plexi, our school just bought the cutter a few weeks ago (£15000 ) - had to use my own time afterschool !

    Now started making the northbridge block - totally un-restrictive this time (dont want too much heat being put in the loop either :/ ), basically a hole lol - with some drilled valleys to increase surface area +add abit of turbulence - should do the job!
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/05
    well, most of the time a NB block is overkill, but it can't hurt i guess, i heard the NF4 NB can get pretty hot
    Comment from wutske @ 2005/05/05
    Nice cpu block , hope those screws hold it till you replace it.
    Also, very good temps for a first block on a 100w cpu.

    I also think a NB block is overkill (max. 20w or so), but if it is that less restrictive, its fine (more water in the loop ).

    R u also gonna make a vga block ???
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/05
    Thx - yeah - theres not much point in the NB block i guess, mainly making it for the looks - kinda hoping to get a higher FSB aswell as i cant unlock my multiplier :/ (15x)... mayb voltmod would help too ?

    Anyway ! lol

    Mine does get quite hot - well to the touch at least - anything better than the sucky alu heatsink thats on there i guess

    And yes! im planning a block for my 6800le, just thinking at the mo wether go small&simple for mounting to the 4 holes around GPU, or make the block larger (+heavyer) to cool the ram too - using the holes all over the card :/ ... any suggestions ???

    Ive upped the core by 0.2V to give me upto 410mhz stable on air (300mhz stock), gonna hopefully raise it close to 500 with higher-still vcore when its water-cooled

    Ill certainly make sure it looks good hehe
    Has anyone made any decent 6800 blocks here???
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/05
    you'd be better of making a smaller block just for the core, and putting some ramsinks on the ram i think
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/05
    Cool - that seems like a sensible idea, i have ramsinks already so i guess the OC'ing will put them to good use

    has anyone got any decent design ideas??
    i was thinking a simple zig-zag channel:
    http://upload.pio.be/jort/lakkewc/DSC03875.JPG

    Anyone ?
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/05/05
    Quote:
    Originally posted by djivesp
    has anyone got any decent design ideas??
    i was thinking a simple zig-zag channel:
    http://upload.pio.be/jort/lakkewc/DSC03875.JPG

    Anyone ?
    the maze design is old, it's not being used anymore in high performance waterblocks. go for another #rotor design

    darn, I feel like starting again with the whole WC affair. I've still got two CPU blocks and one GPU block in the closet, catching dust
    Comment from wutske @ 2005/05/05
    Don't go for a maze design, way to less surface area.
    Maybe something like this: http://www.lesprix.net/prix/photo.php?photo=25339b.jpg
    Comment from wutske @ 2005/05/05
    Oh, but then less restrictive and NOT with the left channel (where some water can rest and heat up)
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/06
    hardfreak, that block looks pretty restrictive, but that's not necessarily bad, anyhow, i would widen those middle channels a bit, put the inlet right in the middle, leave the hole on the left, and would put two outlets on it, one left, one right
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/06
    Actually - that would look insanely good

    ill have to get myself a 'Y' connector - and some more tubing i think

    how about the weight ?? i think i would need some sort of support bracket for the card ? all that piping 'hanging' off it :/ ?
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/06
    don't worry about that, if you look at those blocks covering the ram and all, they must be a lot heavier than your block will be, and they don't have any support either, or if you have ever seen on of those passive cooled cards, those passive coolers weigh a lot too, and they don't have any support either, so shot: don't worry bout it
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/05/06
    don't worry about the weight. in the worst case you can suspend the video card with some wires to the chassis
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/06
    Wires - good idea

    Meanwhile - my new NB block - just finished making it today !
    Im quite pleased with the cut - laser didnt melt the edges this time (and managed to skank some lovely 4mm Allen bolts off the technician)

    Havent tested this one yet, sealant still drying :/

    NV40 block coming soon !
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/07
    nice looking NB block
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/12
    the 6800 block in the making !

    The plexi top looks pretty sweet imo
    Havent started machining the block yet, i think ill have to put a hacksaw to it (width-wise), cut out 5 or so fairly deep channels, mill some aluminium off the top of the channels for more flow and seal the sides off with small blocks screwed in+superglued on to the sides...

    What do you guys think?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/12
    AND of course red ultra-bright LED's in the sides to match the UV dye

    Oooh - and a mirror at the bottom of the case so you can see the block in action

    Hehe its gonna look yummy ...
    Comment from jmke @ 2005/05/12
    looks like DangerDen RBX (this is a good thing btw)
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/12
    LOL it does !!!
    so i guess il be sueing DD for stealing my idea

    if only i had some copper :'(

    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/05/13
    :ww:

    how thick is your aluminium, and how deep will you mill the channels?

    I want some of those too, they're too damn nice. would you be able to build some of my designs?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/13


    It may be possible, however there would be limitations - so ideally i would need to see the design and i might tell you

    i think the pic will give you all the info

    Will be finished start of next week !
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/13
    3 barbs instead of two nearly always looks good
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/19
    Right - one step closer to finishing the final block !

    I have been busy so this is taking me longer than i expected! ...
    I had to improvise slightly on this one - i did not know how to change the drill bit on the mill - so had a better idea - drilling a valley every few millimetres on the top of the block - and now that i have cut the 'channels' this looks like it will have even more surface area for contact with the h2o!!

    Should be finished early next week!

    (i managed to snap a pin on the far-side of the block - ouch )

    more pics coming up!
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/20
    looking good djivesp
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/24
    Here we are - as promised - finished 6800 block !!!

    At first i cracked the plexi top in two places - screwing the barbs in and screwing the thing down, so had to make another top :grum: ...

    all polished up and shiny - i think it looks pretty good - gonna do leak testing now

    Considering i used fairly basic tools - hacksaw, drill press and a tapping set - this is within anyones reach (with the exception of the laser cutter for plexi - decent hand cutting skills would have achieved similar result though anyway) - people - get making your own blocks!

    And this is the first 3 barb VGA block (as far as ive seen anyway:P )

    Laters all&good lux !!!
    Comment from jort @ 2005/05/24
    nice job!!!

    i would like to see the performance and installed inside a case

    barb heaven your going to have
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/25
    Cheers !
    Im hoping to have the whole set-up running by the end of the week so ill post the details here then !!!

    Making a plexi drive bay reservoir at the moment

    More pics soon!
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/25
    i just saw something interesting over here: http://www.a1-electronics.net/Heatsi...rsys_Mar.shtml
    goes about installing a dual rad setup in a thermaltake kandalf, which seems to be really easy to do, without any clutter. anyhow i'm thinking about doing the same thing with the thermaltake armor i'm going to buy this summer, as they seem to be quite the same cases, just another front (or am i wrong here?) the 80mm seems to show quite some good performance if you read their review bout it

    maybe an idea for you too?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/05/26
    That seems like a good idea - thanks !!!

    I have a little trick up me sleeve with my rads - maybe i should start a radiator thread ?

    Mines a cheap £20 case (looks about £50's worth) lol, i have 2 toyota oil coolers with a 120mm fan sandwitched in between - gonna cut out the 3" hdd/fdd trays and have it so air is being pulled from one side of case to the other!

    Thats another thing - the 80mm fan might be a little noisy full speed - thats a huge consideration for me, i dont no about you!

    +btw the case looks goooorgeous!

    if i had the money for one of those i would have never even needed to make my own blocks lol

    +while im on here, i had a leak of my CPU block, thankfully not when it was inside my comp (PHEW) - after i replaced the screws :/ - NEVER use super glue on waterblocks - practical observation #1 :/ .... will need to screw&seal the side plates on :/ ...
    SO - i opened it up again (with difficulty) and widened the channels with my dremel, making lots of little cuts on the pins and connecting some together, so the pump should be quieter - more flow less pressure and even more surface area - cannot be bad ...

    temps, pics and all when i finish
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/05/26
    well, i don't know if you read the review or not, but they mention in there that performance with lower rpm's on that rad isn't that much lower than with high rpms, and it's a good use of space, who would ever have enough hdd's to fill all of those racks in the armour case? (ok, i guess you could spread them to keep them cool, but still) and it's a nice addition to a 120mm rad placed below. I'm thinking bout buying a "corsair cool" kit, they seem pretty good and i might add that 80mm rad to it, anyhow tell me what you think (the kit seems pretty good priced too, you should check it out, and if i'm not mistaken most parts come from swiftech, just relabeled)
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/02
    Well its definately a good use of space with the 80mm rad, it looks nice too - looks quite efficient - in my opinion go for it !!!

    As for the 'corsair cool' kit - it looks awesome - im just reading the review now - temps are decent - the pump looks like a good one (and 12V so no need for relay card), but only a cpu block - and looks nothing special - tubing looks quite narrow - though this can be an advantage as its more flexible and temps show that still overall it performs - i would say if you have the cash - go for it $200 definately seems good value!

    As for my set-up - i managed to fit everything inside the case and running leak-free for about 2 days now. Temps vary quite abit - just experimenting with fans and stuff at the moment - so temps aren't concrete - pics and final data as soon as im finished !

    as for now:
    CPU overclocked to 2400mhz (1.85v core)
    6800 overclocked to 415/890 (biosmodded for more volts - cant remember vcore)

    CPU (load) gets to 47C
    6800 (load) core to 50
    CPU (idle) - 39C
    6800 (idle) - 42C

    These are fairly decent - will cut off a few C's when finished fan setup soon!
    the thing looks awesome so far (note to self - buy more UV dye)
    BTW - beat my 3Dmark03 record - 11088
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/02
    well, about the kit, i kinda thought the same thing, and about the tubing, i checked it and if i'm not mistaken the tubing matches that silverprop 80mm rad, so that's a good thing and i can add blocks to it if i want, actually i saw this interesting GPUblock from exos yesterday, it cools whole the card (yes, whole the card, you can't see anything from the card when it's installed) it uses some kind of special technique and it seems like the backside of the card is cooled by something looking like a bag where the water runs through, that way it nicely adjusts to the card.
    and for my system that i'm going to build, i'm currently in a dillemma, i'm thinking bout either a 6800 or a 6800GT. The 6800 is reasonable in price and performance, but the 6800 comes with 16 pipelines while the "normal" 6800 only has 12. So a 6800GT could be clocked to a 6800 ultra.
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/02
    That sounds like nothing ive heard of before - good idea!!!

    As for the card - without stealing the thread - go for the GT and try to unlock the pipes/verts with rivatuner - you can get a GT upto an ultra no sweat (especially with watercooling)

    My gainward 6800LE (LE that is lol - lowest one in the range £170 a few months ago) has unlocked from 8pipes to full 16 and from 4 verts to 6!!! - making it an Ultra without the Ultra clockspeeds (ok there was abit of luck involved) - biosmodded for more volts as i have watercooling, then overclocked - is now running as fast as a GT and nearly as fast as an ultra (i see more biosmodding in near future ) - SO dont bother with the Ultra - with your watercooling you could make a GT go Ultra speeds quite easily!

    AND you would have much more potential to fully unlock the masked pipes/verts than i did !!!

    Good luck!
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/02
    Aah poo (note to self - start reading properly) i thought you were wandering wether GT or Ultra - well - same applies - theres hope the standard 6800 (NU) can fully unlock to 16/6, GT thought would have higher clock speeds - so - look at the price diff and decide for yourself - the 6800NU isnt that much slower than the GT and furthermore - the cards will be pushing your processor - if it is the 1.7Ghz as in your sig - that definately would be the limitation overall - so you propably wont see any difference between NU and GT

    I have a mate with a athlon 1800 and a 6800 Ultra (yes ultra lol) - and my 3Dmark03 scores beating his even though my card is only a heavily tampered with LE!!!

    Theres food for thought for you :P
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/02
    lol, of course i'm not going to use that weak 1.7Ghz, i'm talking about an A64 3500+ or maybe if i'd have enough cash a 3800+, but about the gfx cards, unlocking the 16 pipes doesn't always work right?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/03
    Nice - either of those processors should give you some sweet FPS!

    As for the pipes - its not guaranteed - basically as far as i know the cards that come out of the production line that fail to show successful 16 pipes/6 verts get sold as the cut-down versions of the card (with further *defective* pipelines being 'hardware masked') - then RivaTuner can UNmask the pipelines and if youre lucky all the pipes will be fine and you will get much more oomph from the card, if youre unlucky then you will get artefacts in game and on-screen, in which case you can mask them again in RivaTuner! Theres a whole lotta stuff on the net about it so have a google around! Most people can unlock a few without any problems, very few people successfuly unlock all without any problems - i done some research and went for the Gainward card as i heard theyre one of the most unlockable cards and luck has it that it was the case !!! you might have more luck with a thread in other forum sections on this topic !!!
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/03
    meh, i'd rather be sure about what i buy
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/09
    Finally - here we are - project complete

    Temps are pretty much the same as in my post above - not the best but i guess theres alot of heat from all the OC'ing im doing

    All blocks in action (note 3 barb 6800 block )
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/09
    very nice djivesp, you put your rad on the side of your case?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/09
    Naah - the rads are where the HDD bays were - i cut them out - theyre behind the fans... if u were to look from the front of the case it wud be :

    FANS | RAD | FANS | RAD | FANS

    6 of them total (120mm) and all at 7V

    The radiators are oil coolers from Toyota celica
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/09
    Quote:
    Originally posted by djivesp
    Naah - the rads are where the HDD bays were - i cut them out - theyre behind the fans... if u were to look from the front of the case it wud be :

    FANS | RAD | FANS | RAD | FANS

    6 of them total (120mm) and all at 7V

    The radiators are oil coolers from Toyota celica
    nice man i bet that setup can remove quite some watts
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/06/10
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON

    nice man i bet that setup can remove quite some watts
    and I bet his pump must be quite powerful. what one are you using?

    great setup by the way
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/10
    you study latin deus?
    Comment from jmke @ 2005/06/10
    any self respecting human should have studied Latin at one point in his life.

    alea iacta est
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/10
    i study latin, fourth year secondary school, going to quit after this one though
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/10
    Wish i could speak latin :/ ...

    Im using a 1000lph submerged Eheim, though everything is large flow - i think the most restricting part is the CPU waterblock!
    1/2" tubing, DD large flow barbs, the rads have large insides as they designed for oil! (much less viscous than water)

    the rads are like :

    IN ----------------
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    OUT--------------

    as opposed to the zig-zag single pipe design of most heatercores - so theyre not designed to cool in a single pass, hence why two of them and the [somewhat] powerful pump
    Still - nearly silent and water temp is around 27C
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/10
    ok - that diagram messed up - ill try again

    ---------------- < IN
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    | | | | | | | |
    ---------------- > OUT

    thats better
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/10
    nice, how much did you pay for the rads?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/10
    Hehe thats the best bit - one is from my old car (Toyota Celica), and i some how came accross a similar looking one on ebay £6 - received it and found it was exactly identical to the one i already had!! Even had Toyota written on the side lol! The only downside is that theyre aluminium - so i couldnt have used copper for the block anyway cos of possibility of corrosion :/ still - £6 !!! lol!
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/10
    nah, if you put waterwetter or something similar in it, you should have been fine
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/06/10
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON
    you study latin deus?
    did it for 4 years. quit ASO and did IT (informaticabeheer) in a technical school, biggest mistake in my life so far. I didn't learn anything there, but did in all my free time. it was fun to have MUCH time on my hands, but it would have been better if I worked harder and continued my studies.

    Quote:
    Originally posted by jmke
    any self respecting human should have studied Latin at one point in his life.

    alea iacta est
    you've studied latin?
    though, "at one point in his life". I wouldn't know where you could learn Latin, except in secondary/high school. self-study is impossible and a private teacher is expensive.

    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON
    nah, if you put waterwetter or something similar in it, you should have been fine
    true. it's expensive though, it compensates for the cheap alu radiators

    I'm looking into watercooling again. I need a HUGE (cheap) case for my radiator(s) and pump + place for my hard drives. I'll make a WC block for 3 or 4 loud Maxtor drives and then surround it with isolating foam so it's very silent... and big

    a 19" case would be great but I don't want to pay so much, for even a 2nd hand one
    Comment from jmke @ 2005/06/11
    Quote:
    Originally posted by TeuS

    you've studied latin?
    6 years
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/11
    from what i've heard, the last 2 years aren't really worth the effort, that's why i'm quitting it
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/06/11
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON
    from what i've heard, the last 2 years aren't really worth the effort, that's why i'm quitting it
    your vocabulary/grammar will be pretty complete by now, the last 2 years you only read texts and learn culture. the best part imho. in my school there's a trip to Italy in the last year, too bad I missed that
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/11
    Quote:
    Originally posted by TeuS

    your vocabulary/grammar will be pretty complete by now, the last 2 years you only read texts and learn culture. the best part imho. in my school there's a trip to Italy in the last year, too bad I missed that
    same here, we haven't seen anything new this year i think, except for the PPC (persoonlijk passieve constructie) and some stylefigures like hypallage, asyndeton, hyperbaton,... and yes, our school does a trip to italy the last year too, but as i said, i don't think all the extra work is worth it, and i heard you see the roman laws in the 5th or 6th year too so
    Comment from wutske @ 2005/06/11
    Nice temps for a total of 140w.

    And 'bout the Latin, did it for 4 years. 2 other years would have been laws, texts, culture, and also few other things about the latin itself. There's also an Italy trip included.
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/12
    140W thats quite abit of heat lol!

    Mind you my 6800's voltmodded so thats pushing out way more than it should
    from 1.1V to 1.4V core i think (if i remember rightly)! Gonna check that out as soon as i get a floppy drive LOL!
    As for the CPU - plannin on voltmodding my mobo for 2.05 volts and NB - that should give me around 2600mhz (with a helluva lot of heat!) at 174x15 (My CPU is multiplier locked )

    + im already using WaterWetter
    that stuff stinks!!
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/22
    Bump!

    Well-update on the system:
    Bios-modded my 6800le for 1.5Vcore
    Also had to add a cut-up p150 heatsink onto the voltage regulators (nearly burnt my fingers when i touched them after i smelt something funny )+a 80mm fan at 5V - so i am estimating thats pushing out about 50W now, if not more - even the PCB is hot :/...

    Voltmodded the mobo - found that the highest my multi the CPU will go is 166mhz stable - at 2.10Vcore, so bumped it down slightly to 165mhz, currently at juuust under 2.5ghz .

    Sisoft Sandra thinks that at 2V my CPU pushes out about 95W, (its a bugger to get a correct reading:/ )so lets say 100W, and how much is a standard non volt-modded Northbridge put out? Around 30W??

    So thats about 180W of heat im thinking, yet currently CPU temp is reading 41C (the diode), and at load i saw it at 54C - thats not bad for a aluminium-based system is it?

    I wasnt quite happy with the water temps though, around 10C higher than ambient - i dont think there is enough air getting through the sandwitched rads:'( - SO - another block in the making - a peltier chiller! i got 3 cheap 30W pelts, gonna put them side to side, use a large audio amplifier heatsink with some slow fans on it, hopefully should bring my temps down to ambient! Theres a (loaded) Delta of around 15C - between the water temp and the CPU temp, so if i bring my water temp down to ambient (~25C), it should mean that my CPU will be around 40C loaded (at 2.10 volts!). GPU temp is usually a few C's more than the CPU when loaded.

    Watch this space! - more block in the making
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/06/22
    in my setup back then my water temps were also pretty high, I don't know why either because my radiator was pretty good.
    those 3 small TEC's wont make a big difference in temperature - only in noise and your power bill. though it's an idea if I start watercooling again, I've still got a lot of those small TECs lying around.

    by the way, till when are you able to manufacture those blocks?
    Comment from wutske @ 2005/06/22
    Nice temps over there, but your cpu is even at almost 140w ! So you're probably above 200w of heat.
    I'm not sure if the pelt chiller is going to work, I've already seen a guy that used 1 120w pelt and he only got 1°c cooler. But maybe the 3 pelts are better because of the higher surface area.
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/22
    200W hehe

    About the pelts, i did have major doubts, ive also read through some project logs&stuff&it seemed pointless, but then i thought the temperature delta of my TECS is 67C, so if i use a huge heatsink for all 3 (attatched to the back of the case), the temps of the cold side should be quite low, backed up by the large surface area (as theyre 30x30mm, the waterblock will be 90x30mm - long&thin for large contact with water), they should be putting up a fight! ...
    I dunno, i bought these really cheap so i thought ill have some fun :grin:

    Well, i have just finished 6th form&doing my last exam tomorrow, so officially im not their student anymore, but i know the design&technology teachers&theyre used to the annoying&pestering little me ... so ill probably be making blocks till they kick me out of the workshop

    TeuS i will be VERY interested to see the HDD configuration you were talking about, it sounds awesome
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/22
    Quote:
    Originally posted by djivesp

    TeuS i will be VERY interested to see the HDD configuration you were talking about, it sounds awesome
    ?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/22
    *shock horror*

    i just found out that the readings that i was getting for CPU temps were actually from the probe in the socket, and not the CPU core *swears at MBM*

    Slight dissapointment, as the actual core temps are around 8-12C more under load - at the moment theyre the same :wtf:

    Just remembered though, that i didnt finish the surfaces very well, so in the next few days i will take everything apart and lap the blocks good and proper !
    Comment from TeuS @ 2005/06/22
    Quote:
    Originally posted by GIBSON

    ?
    a waterblock to cool 3-5 hard drives, that gets surrounded with isolation to make the drives noiseless
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/06/23
    Quote:
    Originally posted by TeuS

    a waterblock to cool 3-5 hard drives, that gets surrounded with isolation to make the drives noiseless
    nice, it will raise your temps a lot though i think, or am i mistaken?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/06/27
    Hi guys!!

    Right - now as i have more time ive been able to mess around with the system and achieved:

    load CPU probe (prime95) - 50C
    load socket - 48C
    Load 6800 core - 55C

    The CPU is at 2.11V, GPU is at 1.5V

    idle CPU probe - 48C
    idle socket - 38C
    idle 6800 core - 44C

    so the system is running at 2511mhz (with my multiplier locked at 15x)

    Developments:

    > lapped the surface of the CPU block;
    > re-seated&regreased the block - before i saw the core temp peak out at 75C just before it crashed, now its 50C at prime load
    > cut a big rectangular hole at the top of case
    > split up my fan/rad sandwich and put one rad where the PSU was - blowing air up - this cut the water temp by about 8C's
    > blew up my 600w psu somehow...
    > 1.5Vcore for the 6800 ment that FET's were toasting, so put a heatsink on with a home-made clip&fan blowing on it
    > put a 80mm fan blowing on the mobo FET's and caps - more stable core voltage!
    > now running 6800, HDD, fans, CD-drive of an old 200W AT PSU,
    and mobo off a 350W one, so the case is sitting on-top of 2 PSU's - so voltages now nice&stable

    lol

    Well - mission accomplished

    thank you for following

    on the way - the pelt block i was talking about
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/07/06
    so if you say pelts don't really differ that much, why bother making one?
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/07/06
    Well - theres still that delta:
    7-9C's that could potentially be reduced - i think in best case scenario it would shave about 5C's off my CPU temp, as ive noticed thats quite sensitive to changes to ambient temp...

    And of course at worst case it wouldnt make any difference but consume about 100W extra electricity lol

    i dunno, i guess - its all good fun

    (and i have already paid $42 for shipping of a 5$ heatsink from the US) :grum:
    its big
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/07/06
    lol, bet you could have easily bought it cheaper in your local shop
    Comment from djivesp @ 2005/07/06
    Lol and there is the irony ...

    i saw one on ebay UK and i would have paid around the same, but the fins were going horizontally, i needed long vertical ones!

    Ahh well, it will do
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/07/06
    anyhow, why did you buy a heatsink, you have your wc right?
    Comment from MIKHAIL @ 2005/08/23
    Hi! everyone, I'm a newbie in this forum. And newbie also to water cooled system.
    By following djivesp nice tuts on custom built waterblock. I have several questions and hope you people can share some gold before I start building one in my intel P4.

    My first would be is it advisable to use aquarium water pumps? How many GPH is recommended. 2. Does anyone here knows some links e.g (www.overclockers.com)/hints/tips. step by step with pics doing a complete DIY water cooled pc? (non-commercial)

    Thanks!
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/08/23
    yes, aquarium pumps will do the trick, GPH isn't really THAT important, most important factor for a good pump is the head pressure (the higher the better), as for links, i wouldn't really know, there is a step by step one on this site though, just go to the articles and look around in the extreme cooling section. It's there somewhere.
    Comment from MIKHAIL @ 2005/08/24
    thanks for the headstart! does anyone has other hints besides gibsons.
    thanks again.
    Comment from GIBSON @ 2005/08/25
    no problemo i know wc is quite confusing in the beginning, i read a lot about before trying it out too

     

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