Sunday, April 08, 2007
1st successful overclock
CPU-Z Validator Database not quite perfect - testing apps failing and finding errors... much work to do :/
Saturday, April 07, 2007
MetkuMods - Because you love your hardware!
Lapping of a processor I just came across this tutorial for sanding down the heat spreader for a processor! I suppose it would have been prudent to look one up before I did my own ;) I just used the surface of my drafting table for a flat surface to tape the sand paper to and I didn't protect my processor at all like this guide shows! I didn't use much water and I did use the plastic shell protector that the processor came with... I'm not completely retarded but just wanted to get it over with I guess.
Fans and Asus' AI N.O.S.
These Thermaltake smart fans are driving me nuts. I have 3 temperature sensors mounted to the heatsink base (only using 2 of them though) just as Thermaltake instructs but the only fan that seems to change speed is the 80mm fan. Both 120mm fans idle along at about 1400 RPM no matter what. The front intake 120 has it's sensor under a heatsink on my video card... meaning that I can actually open the case and get at that sensor while it's all running. So I did the unthinkable. I grabbed a lighter and held it under the sensor. It took at least 30 seconds before the 120mm fan started to speed up. Not good... to further prove this point I grabbed the good old meat thermometer and held my lighter under it at the same distance for the same amount of time. I'm guessing the 120mm fans don't start to speed up until the sensor sees a temperature of 120 - 140 F which is 48 - 60c and is not exactly the 20C to 55C low to high speed range Thermaltake claims IMO. I'm not seeing any abnormal temperatures I guess so maybe I should just let it be. I tried to get it as hot as possible (image lost) but you can see in that screenshot that the temps are fine and I never saw any higher while I was letting the AI N.O.S. overclock the CPU and throttling the system. You can also see the 80mm (chassis2) is at 2057 RPM - well above it's idle of 1400 RPM. I'm kind of glad that the rear intake is 80mm and blowing towards the CPU cooler. If it were a 120mm fan it wouldn't be speeding up at all.
Speaking of the AI N.O.S. overclocking - it works quite well but UT99 hated it! I would get stuck in maps and have to move all around to free myself. I wonder if overclocking manually/permanent will be different.
Some more temperature readings (PC idling, not at load) from the meat thermometer:
Front 120mm intake: ~70f / 21c
Rear 80mm intake: ~75f / 24c- right below the PSU exhaust but isolated
PSU exhaust: ~85 / 29c
VGA exhaust: ~90f / 32c - below the rear intake and not isolated
top blowhole: ~85f / 29c - fan disabled, just a vent, don't want negative case pressure so one 80mm fan exhaust via the PSU is fine. I might even block the hole off.
With the front intake measuring about 5 degrees cooler I'd rather that fan would speed up instead of the rear intake I think. Even so the sensors' wires aren't long enough to attach the front fan to the CPU heatsink. Putting it on a video card heatsink is the best I can do without an extension cable.
Overall I'm VERY happy with the cooling situation now (I've come a long way from the initial 140f PSU exhaust about 2 weeks ago) but I'm left wanting a little more if I can get it :) I'm nearly positive that the loudest fan in my system is now the fans in the Ultra Xfinity 600 watt PSU. They aren't very loud but I can hear something that sounds like an electric motor whine and it seems to be in the PSU area.
Speaking of the AI N.O.S. overclocking - it works quite well but UT99 hated it! I would get stuck in maps and have to move all around to free myself. I wonder if overclocking manually/permanent will be different.
Some more temperature readings (PC idling, not at load) from the meat thermometer:
Front 120mm intake: ~70f / 21c
Rear 80mm intake: ~75f / 24c- right below the PSU exhaust but isolated
PSU exhaust: ~85 / 29c
VGA exhaust: ~90f / 32c - below the rear intake and not isolated
top blowhole: ~85f / 29c - fan disabled, just a vent, don't want negative case pressure so one 80mm fan exhaust via the PSU is fine. I might even block the hole off.
With the front intake measuring about 5 degrees cooler I'd rather that fan would speed up instead of the rear intake I think. Even so the sensors' wires aren't long enough to attach the front fan to the CPU heatsink. Putting it on a video card heatsink is the best I can do without an extension cable.
Overall I'm VERY happy with the cooling situation now (I've come a long way from the initial 140f PSU exhaust about 2 weeks ago) but I'm left wanting a little more if I can get it :) I'm nearly positive that the loudest fan in my system is now the fans in the Ultra Xfinity 600 watt PSU. They aren't very loud but I can hear something that sounds like an electric motor whine and it seems to be in the PSU area.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Ready for my closeup, Mr. Sean...
Thursday, April 05, 2007
WOW!
I have my new CPU cooler installed... the Enzotech Ultra-x.
Here are the numbers that I can't believe! They are all 'under load', running 2 instances of Prime95 for at least 20 minutes.
65c/53c = CF800 from ZEROtherm.
40c/33c = ULTRA-X from Enzotech.
I was hoping for a 10 degree improvement! I've got 25 degrees cooler on the CPU!!! The temps under load are LOWER THAN IT IDLED with the CF800!
I did make an alteration or two though.
1st, I sanded down the top of the processor using paper with a grit of around 600 or 800 to give it a smoother finish and better contact with the heatsink.
2nd, I took the stock fan off of the ULTRA-X and replaced it with a Thermaltake Blue LED Smart Case Fan. That was purely for aesthetics but let's see the specs:
EU = 1200 - 2500 RPM
TT = 1300 - 2800 RPM
EU = 24.5 - 38.5 db
TT = 17.0 - 46.5 db
EU = 35.8 - 62.67 CFM
TT = 38.6 - 93.7 CFM
According to the Asus pc probe software the TT fan is spinning at 2700 rpm, we're under full load for 25 minutes now, cpu is at 40c still, and I can certainly hear this fan! I'm definitely going to see if I can't slow it down some. The fan in the CF800 was practically silent in comparison (27 db) but it's max flow is 42.8 CFM according to their site. I'm going to play with the Asus Q-fan settings to see if I can't quite things down some :)
This Enzotech cooler is freakin awesome!
*Edit*
Okay okay... I'm such a noob. These TT fans all came with jumpers on the pins to make them run at full speed! I had to take the jumpers off (no small feat with everything installed) and now they're running slower and just about silent. The rear intake 80mm and front intake 120mm are both running at 730 - 740 RPM - that's below the specs on the box (1300 RPM for both) and the Asus software alarm goes off at 800 RPM! Arrrrgggg!
Right... so you'd think the same is happening with the 120mm TT fan I have on the heat sink. Nope! I took it's jumper off and it stayed at 2700 RPM no matter what the Q-Fan settings were. So I attached the thermal probe to this fan and stuck it into the northbridge's heatsink. I've yet to see that fan go above 1400 RPM. 30 minutes of full load and the temps are 52/43 and still climbing. So on top of the power cables being too short on these fans (about 6 inches) it looks like I'll have to rewire them in order for the BIOS to be able to control their speeds. It's either rewire them or mount fan speed control knobs which is NOT what I want to do. I WANT the BIOS to be able to control the speed based on temperature! I suppose I could wire them all up with their temperature sensors...
One last thing... I ordered a UV LED ring puk... I recieved a RED LED ring puk. I will let them know about this but I kinda like the look the way I have it so I'm not going to send it back. I might order another UV LED ring puk and tell them to check 10 times before shipping the next time. It's 2 a.m. now and I've been working on this crap since about 4 p.m. I cut a hole in my case to route wires from the PSU also and that required taking it all apart to just the aluminum rails. It's been a fun day and I do have pics :)
Here are the numbers that I can't believe! They are all 'under load', running 2 instances of Prime95 for at least 20 minutes.
65c/53c = CF800 from ZEROtherm.
40c/33c = ULTRA-X from Enzotech.
I was hoping for a 10 degree improvement! I've got 25 degrees cooler on the CPU!!! The temps under load are LOWER THAN IT IDLED with the CF800!
I did make an alteration or two though.
1st, I sanded down the top of the processor using paper with a grit of around 600 or 800 to give it a smoother finish and better contact with the heatsink.
2nd, I took the stock fan off of the ULTRA-X and replaced it with a Thermaltake Blue LED Smart Case Fan. That was purely for aesthetics but let's see the specs:
EU = 1200 - 2500 RPM
TT = 1300 - 2800 RPM
EU = 24.5 - 38.5 db
TT = 17.0 - 46.5 db
EU = 35.8 - 62.67 CFM
TT = 38.6 - 93.7 CFM
According to the Asus pc probe software the TT fan is spinning at 2700 rpm, we're under full load for 25 minutes now, cpu is at 40c still, and I can certainly hear this fan! I'm definitely going to see if I can't slow it down some. The fan in the CF800 was practically silent in comparison (27 db) but it's max flow is 42.8 CFM according to their site. I'm going to play with the Asus Q-fan settings to see if I can't quite things down some :)
This Enzotech cooler is freakin awesome!
*Edit*
Okay okay... I'm such a noob. These TT fans all came with jumpers on the pins to make them run at full speed! I had to take the jumpers off (no small feat with everything installed) and now they're running slower and just about silent. The rear intake 80mm and front intake 120mm are both running at 730 - 740 RPM - that's below the specs on the box (1300 RPM for both) and the Asus software alarm goes off at 800 RPM! Arrrrgggg!
Right... so you'd think the same is happening with the 120mm TT fan I have on the heat sink. Nope! I took it's jumper off and it stayed at 2700 RPM no matter what the Q-Fan settings were. So I attached the thermal probe to this fan and stuck it into the northbridge's heatsink. I've yet to see that fan go above 1400 RPM. 30 minutes of full load and the temps are 52/43 and still climbing. So on top of the power cables being too short on these fans (about 6 inches) it looks like I'll have to rewire them in order for the BIOS to be able to control their speeds. It's either rewire them or mount fan speed control knobs which is NOT what I want to do. I WANT the BIOS to be able to control the speed based on temperature! I suppose I could wire them all up with their temperature sensors...
One last thing... I ordered a UV LED ring puk... I recieved a RED LED ring puk. I will let them know about this but I kinda like the look the way I have it so I'm not going to send it back. I might order another UV LED ring puk and tell them to check 10 times before shipping the next time. It's 2 a.m. now and I've been working on this crap since about 4 p.m. I cut a hole in my case to route wires from the PSU also and that required taking it all apart to just the aluminum rails. It's been a fun day and I do have pics :)
Monday, April 02, 2007
A little Bling for Z5
I got my shipment from Performance-PCs today... most of it at least. There was a slight problem but after just one email to them it was completely taken care of in less than 2 hours. So now I have my Enzotech cooler, Lian-Li drive covers, blue case fans (the power cables are only about 6 inches long on the thermaltake fans - a little short IMO), red UV round IDE cables, some aluminum fan filters and a UV LED Ring-Puk... and everything's wires have been expertly sleeved in red UV reactive materials. Their website has the phrase 'Sleeve it and they will come' in the title bar. I think that if you order just one sleevable item from this website you'll understand that phrase. You can always buy the sleeving materials and DIY but it's likely that it will never look as good or well done as it does from Performance-PCs. I'll take pictures eventually. I get a silly grin on my face when I sit and look at the sleeving job on my stuff. It's just so cool :)
I'm not sure when I'm going to tackle the cooler install. I want to sand down the processor's top when I do that to make sure it's as flat as it can be and hopefully I'll get some pretty interesting temperatures. I think I'd like to see a 10 degree drop but I'm not sure that's possible. Z5's proc is currently idling around 45c.
I'm not sure when I'm going to tackle the cooler install. I want to sand down the processor's top when I do that to make sure it's as flat as it can be and hopefully I'll get some pretty interesting temperatures. I think I'd like to see a 10 degree drop but I'm not sure that's possible. Z5's proc is currently idling around 45c.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Cold front!
The last time I ran Prim95 x2 for a stress test I had 65c processor/53c motherboard with the CPU fan at 2343 RPM. Those numbers were reached after running the test for over an hour.
Today I have new numbers! 61c processor and 49c motherboard CPU fan @ 2100 RPM.
What did I do? A new processor? A new CPU cooler?? Drill more holes in my case???
None of the above. I got a new power supply.
Yesterday I tried to play FEAR. The game would run for about 4 minutes and then the whole machine would shut off. I also tried UT99 and that ran for 15 to 20 minutes before the machine shut down. I had an old 300 watt PSU... it only had a 20 pin mobo connector (not 24 pin), a 4 pin aux motherboard connector (not 8 pin), no SATA nor any 6 pin video card connectors. I figured there was a risk that this PSU wouldn't even work and I guess I was right. Playing the games demanded more of the video card than doing anything else for the past few weeks and that's what pushed the PSU beyond it's limit... or so my theory goes.
So I've got a new PSU installed now. No modular connectors and no LED fans (although I might change that later) and I don't even like the placement of the fans because the PSU's intake fan sucks air away from the blowhole fan of my case. Poor airflow theory I think.
At any rate I've got a 4 degree drop in temps and I figure that's just because the new PSU isn't being taxed to and beyond it's limit. The exhaust is still pretty warm and makes for a nice heater but there is a difference.
Today I have new numbers! 61c processor and 49c motherboard CPU fan @ 2100 RPM.
What did I do? A new processor? A new CPU cooler?? Drill more holes in my case???
None of the above. I got a new power supply.
Yesterday I tried to play FEAR. The game would run for about 4 minutes and then the whole machine would shut off. I also tried UT99 and that ran for 15 to 20 minutes before the machine shut down. I had an old 300 watt PSU... it only had a 20 pin mobo connector (not 24 pin), a 4 pin aux motherboard connector (not 8 pin), no SATA nor any 6 pin video card connectors. I figured there was a risk that this PSU wouldn't even work and I guess I was right. Playing the games demanded more of the video card than doing anything else for the past few weeks and that's what pushed the PSU beyond it's limit... or so my theory goes.
So I've got a new PSU installed now. No modular connectors and no LED fans (although I might change that later) and I don't even like the placement of the fans because the PSU's intake fan sucks air away from the blowhole fan of my case. Poor airflow theory I think.
At any rate I've got a 4 degree drop in temps and I figure that's just because the new PSU isn't being taxed to and beyond it's limit. The exhaust is still pretty warm and makes for a nice heater but there is a difference.
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