I'm ultimately going to go for a custom water cooled setup but in the interim and to get a new build going, like a lot of folks, I just ran to Fry's and picked up an H100.
Reviews weren't half bad and I figured it would let me explore the clock capabilities of my new 2700K chip.
Anyway, a week after installing and modifying it a bit, I've found that (barring a horrid pump failure, leak or similar disaster) the H100 is actually a fairly acceptable temp cooler for my system and wanted to mention a few things I did to make it work better.
Currently, I'm 5.0ghz stable @ 1.39v (Prime95 blend) with max CPU core temp of 74C (22C ambients). Prior to the following mods, my load temps at the same overclock were hitting the low 80's after a few hours.
Here's a few things I did (some overclock related and others not):
1: Cut holes in my 600T case to allow much better air flow through the radiator in PUSH/PULL:
I hate the standard case mesh that all the cases use. I think it seriously impedes air flow and I generally cut it out wherever I have a 120mm intake or exhaust fan mounted. It's also more quiet by my experience. For this, I used a handy little pneumatic saw. You could also use metal snips of some kind but I had a fast little saw available and so I used that:
2. Mod H100 with a bolt-through, high pressure mount system.
I think this is one of the main hacks that have helped with maintaining really decent temps at 5ghz. The default stock H100 mount method seriously sucks as in regards to applied pressure to the CPU heat spreader. One has but to only tighten the stock "thumbscrews" a few turns before they bottom out on the motherboard offsets. So, as with my TRUE air cooler previously, I went to the hardware store and picked up the $7 dollars worth of screws, nuts and springs necessary to do a quick and dirty (but effective) high pressure mount on the H100 waterblock. The pressure is very high, enough to slightly bend the backplate.
NOTE: You have to pop out the little plastic inserts in the backplate to do this mod and you have to use screws thin enough to pass through the backplate. ALSO...unless you use *very* thin screws, you will have to drill out the default holes in your H100 waterblock mount arms (the little mount brackets coming off each corner of the pump/waterblockf). Of course, all of this will void your warranty so keep that in mind.
As always...YMMV...but I found dramatically reduced temps after doing this high pressure mod
**NOTE: that's an old parts image from a previous high pressure mount for an air cooler. You can use *any* sturdy backplate at all, as long as your bolts pass through it just fine.
...
3. Lapped the H100 waterblock and CPU heatspreader
This also netted me a slight decrease in load temps. Sorry but I did not take any photos as I did the lap job at work and did not have my camera. The next time I take the system apart, I'll shoot some photos and update here.
The H100 waterblock was not convex or concave in the least but it *was* lopsided, higher on one side than the other. It took me about three hours to get it flat/evened out. The 2700K CPU heatspreader on the other hand was very convex, higher in the center and lower at the sides. The CPU went much quicker...taking me only about an hour to get flat.
(PICS LATER)
4. Mounted fans in PUSH/PULL (drawing room air *IN* to the case)
I understand the norm is to use one's radiator as an exhaust. However, after extensive testing I found that not only did using my H100 fans as an INTAKE result in much better overall CPU temps, it also hardly affected the temps of my other motherboard (and otherwise) components in the least. Therefore, I have stayed with the PUSH/PULL as intake set up.
Also, for my particular set up (and I'm sure many other folks) ... standard width 120mm fans would not fit inside my 600T case due to the motherboard cooling heatsinks. RAM height is not an issue as I use very low profile Samsung sticks. To remedy this, I use 2x Scythe "Slim" S-Flex fans. Even with the very very slim Scythe fans, though ... the motherboard six pin power plug in the upper corner of the board also interfered with positioning of the fans and so I had to slightly modify one of the fan shrouds with a dremel tool to allow it to fit.
...
**Note: this pic was obviously taken prior to implementing the above mentioned high-pessure modification
...
**NOTE: Had to trim fan shroud to fit against motherboard power cable
5. NON CLOCK related: Run noisy ass H100 pump off of a fan controller for DEAD SILENT operation
This is not overclock related but it *is* comfort related. And since my machine needs to be super fast for work/rendering while at the same time doubling as an audiophile listening music server (feeding some fairly high end DAC/Headphone amp listening gear), I require the ability to run the machine at inaudible fan levels when necessary.
And let me be the first to inform you. The stock H100 pump that I received is NOISY AS HELL! It made this horrible and annoying "grinding" sound that although not super loud, was nonetheless of a percussive enough sort of frequency and period as to cut neatly through any amount of system fan noise, even when the fans were at their highest level. It drove me crazy and I was seriously jaded upon first hearing it.
But after some reading online (this forum included) I found that running the pump off of a powered fan controller header and dialing back the RPM's just a touch (maybe 5% decrease) would ABSOLUTELY silence the pump. And so that's what I did.
The pump is now completely undetectable in so far as sound is concerned with the only indication that it is even running being the light emitted from the Corsair logo on the pump housing and the RPM info reported via Speedfan. This was an essential hack that actually was the deciding factor in my choosing to leave the H100 in my system.
BTW: you can also use a very easily constructed in-line fan voltage regulator to achieve the same effect: SEE HERE for a post by OCN user "Erik in sac".
...
As mentioned, I am now running happily at 5.0ghz with my new 2700K. This is a "daily driver" speed and my system is rock solid/stable.
Prime95 (blend) max temps are 74C on the highest core and my daily render temps hardly ever break upper 50's/low 60's (Sony Vegas). True, I have a chip that can run at these speeds with sub 1.4v settings but still, all things considered, for a cheap ass water kit and with a few mods, I think those temps are fairly respectable (they work for me, anyway):
2700K @ 5.0ghz / 1.4v / Room ambient 22C-23C / Fans @ HIGH
...
Anyway ... if you have the time and inclination, you can make an H100 do fairly well.
Just a little PSA should anyone be interested.
Best!
[ this post brought to you by Insomnia(tm) ]
;-)
Edited by s1rrah - 3/3/12 at 6:58am
Reviews weren't half bad and I figured it would let me explore the clock capabilities of my new 2700K chip.
Anyway, a week after installing and modifying it a bit, I've found that (barring a horrid pump failure, leak or similar disaster) the H100 is actually a fairly acceptable temp cooler for my system and wanted to mention a few things I did to make it work better.
Currently, I'm 5.0ghz stable @ 1.39v (Prime95 blend) with max CPU core temp of 74C (22C ambients). Prior to the following mods, my load temps at the same overclock were hitting the low 80's after a few hours.
Here's a few things I did (some overclock related and others not):
1: Cut holes in my 600T case to allow much better air flow through the radiator in PUSH/PULL:
I hate the standard case mesh that all the cases use. I think it seriously impedes air flow and I generally cut it out wherever I have a 120mm intake or exhaust fan mounted. It's also more quiet by my experience. For this, I used a handy little pneumatic saw. You could also use metal snips of some kind but I had a fast little saw available and so I used that:
2. Mod H100 with a bolt-through, high pressure mount system.
I think this is one of the main hacks that have helped with maintaining really decent temps at 5ghz. The default stock H100 mount method seriously sucks as in regards to applied pressure to the CPU heat spreader. One has but to only tighten the stock "thumbscrews" a few turns before they bottom out on the motherboard offsets. So, as with my TRUE air cooler previously, I went to the hardware store and picked up the $7 dollars worth of screws, nuts and springs necessary to do a quick and dirty (but effective) high pressure mount on the H100 waterblock. The pressure is very high, enough to slightly bend the backplate.
NOTE: You have to pop out the little plastic inserts in the backplate to do this mod and you have to use screws thin enough to pass through the backplate. ALSO...unless you use *very* thin screws, you will have to drill out the default holes in your H100 waterblock mount arms (the little mount brackets coming off each corner of the pump/waterblockf). Of course, all of this will void your warranty so keep that in mind.
As always...YMMV...but I found dramatically reduced temps after doing this high pressure mod
**NOTE: that's an old parts image from a previous high pressure mount for an air cooler. You can use *any* sturdy backplate at all, as long as your bolts pass through it just fine.
...
3. Lapped the H100 waterblock and CPU heatspreader
This also netted me a slight decrease in load temps. Sorry but I did not take any photos as I did the lap job at work and did not have my camera. The next time I take the system apart, I'll shoot some photos and update here.
The H100 waterblock was not convex or concave in the least but it *was* lopsided, higher on one side than the other. It took me about three hours to get it flat/evened out. The 2700K CPU heatspreader on the other hand was very convex, higher in the center and lower at the sides. The CPU went much quicker...taking me only about an hour to get flat.
(PICS LATER)
4. Mounted fans in PUSH/PULL (drawing room air *IN* to the case)
I understand the norm is to use one's radiator as an exhaust. However, after extensive testing I found that not only did using my H100 fans as an INTAKE result in much better overall CPU temps, it also hardly affected the temps of my other motherboard (and otherwise) components in the least. Therefore, I have stayed with the PUSH/PULL as intake set up.
Also, for my particular set up (and I'm sure many other folks) ... standard width 120mm fans would not fit inside my 600T case due to the motherboard cooling heatsinks. RAM height is not an issue as I use very low profile Samsung sticks. To remedy this, I use 2x Scythe "Slim" S-Flex fans. Even with the very very slim Scythe fans, though ... the motherboard six pin power plug in the upper corner of the board also interfered with positioning of the fans and so I had to slightly modify one of the fan shrouds with a dremel tool to allow it to fit.
...
**Note: this pic was obviously taken prior to implementing the above mentioned high-pessure modification
...
**NOTE: Had to trim fan shroud to fit against motherboard power cable
5. NON CLOCK related: Run noisy ass H100 pump off of a fan controller for DEAD SILENT operation
This is not overclock related but it *is* comfort related. And since my machine needs to be super fast for work/rendering while at the same time doubling as an audiophile listening music server (feeding some fairly high end DAC/Headphone amp listening gear), I require the ability to run the machine at inaudible fan levels when necessary.
And let me be the first to inform you. The stock H100 pump that I received is NOISY AS HELL! It made this horrible and annoying "grinding" sound that although not super loud, was nonetheless of a percussive enough sort of frequency and period as to cut neatly through any amount of system fan noise, even when the fans were at their highest level. It drove me crazy and I was seriously jaded upon first hearing it.
But after some reading online (this forum included) I found that running the pump off of a powered fan controller header and dialing back the RPM's just a touch (maybe 5% decrease) would ABSOLUTELY silence the pump. And so that's what I did.
The pump is now completely undetectable in so far as sound is concerned with the only indication that it is even running being the light emitted from the Corsair logo on the pump housing and the RPM info reported via Speedfan. This was an essential hack that actually was the deciding factor in my choosing to leave the H100 in my system.
BTW: you can also use a very easily constructed in-line fan voltage regulator to achieve the same effect: SEE HERE for a post by OCN user "Erik in sac".
...
As mentioned, I am now running happily at 5.0ghz with my new 2700K. This is a "daily driver" speed and my system is rock solid/stable.
Prime95 (blend) max temps are 74C on the highest core and my daily render temps hardly ever break upper 50's/low 60's (Sony Vegas). True, I have a chip that can run at these speeds with sub 1.4v settings but still, all things considered, for a cheap ass water kit and with a few mods, I think those temps are fairly respectable (they work for me, anyway):
2700K @ 5.0ghz / 1.4v / Room ambient 22C-23C / Fans @ HIGH
...
Anyway ... if you have the time and inclination, you can make an H100 do fairly well.
Just a little PSA should anyone be interested.
Best!
[ this post brought to you by Insomnia(tm) ]
;-)
Edited by s1rrah - 3/3/12 at 6:58am
Arrogant Bastard(tm)
(15 items) |
|
Arrogant Bastard(tm)
(15 items) |
i cant decide which to buy really h100 or noctua
: I have a better "High Pressure" Hardware config:
