Overclocking Core i7 920/Liquid Cooler?

[azathoth]

Hi.

I have an ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 motherboard with a Core i7 920 series CPU running at standard speed with the fan ASUS provided. My three 2Gig memory sticks are 1066Mhz Corsairs running at standard specs too.

I'd like to kick the clock up to 4Ghz, which I hear is very doable and safe on a 920, if you have good cooling. But I've never had a liquid CPU cooler before and have no idea what to use. Can anyone recommend a good one?

Also, if you've built up the same board & CPU specs, can you tell me what settings work best for you for overclocking?

Thanks!

-az

 

[Lordbob75]

You could buy the Corsair H50 and H70, or you could run a custom watercooling loop.
Koolance has both parts and some (very) high end kits.

~Lordbob

 

[azathoth]

I was looking at the H50/H70, so I guess I'm on the right track. Thanks.

-az

 

[linnemeyerhere]

As much as I like the Corsair, heck I have a H50.....if I had to do it over again I would only compare the H70 with this Cool It design.
Vantage A.L.C.

 

[azathoth]

Oops! I just ordered a H50...

-az

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Not to worry as my H50 rocks and I have it in push/pull with two fans and I love it. Running two Noctua's.

 

[jimbonbon]

H50 is a good choice - check out the Corsair recommendations on a good push/pull setup.


J

 

[azathoth]

OK, here goes nothing...

OK guys, I'll take your words for it and install the thing, assuming it will fit in my mid-tower (I haven't opened the case to mock it up yet).

IF my tower turns out wanting, can you kind folks recommended a nice mid tower that'll work with my specs?

Also, if I end up replacing the tower I might as well get a nice new 1000+ watt PSU. Can you guys recommend a good one? I want one that can support (power) two XFX Black Edition GTX 260s... I think my current PSU can only power one.

-az

 

[linnemeyerhere]

You can find some nice bundles out there and if your more concerned with temps than a big window to show off the rig then this is a nice combo.Ultra M923 Full Tower ATX Case & Ultra X3 ULT40311 1000-Watt Power Supply Bundle ULT40125 w/ULT40311 at TigerDirect

 

[azathoth]

PC Case FAIL

Yeah, on mock-up, I found that my case can't mount 120mm fans... Ho hum... That's what I get for keeping the case from my last upgrade; ironically the ONLY old piece of hardware left from my Core 2 Duo or whatever it was...

Now I have to save up and buy a new case & PSU. And while I'm at it, why not get get another nVidia GTX 260?

Would I have to get another XFX Black Edition? Or would any board with that chipset do?

-az

 

[Solarstarshines]

Yeah, on mock-up, I found that my case can't mount 120mm fans... Ho hum... That's what I get for keeping the case from my last upgrade; ironically the ONLY old piece of hardware left from my Core 2 Duo or whatever it was...

Now I have to save up and buy a new case & PSU. And while I'm at it, why not get get another nVidia GTX 260?

Would I have to get another XFX Black Edition? Or would any board with that chipset do?

-az

well if i were you i would seek out the same xfx blk ed thats just me though im not useing 120 mm fans i got like 6 - 80 mm fans and 120 mm fan on the psu other then that i think large fans are great but not tottally something you need to be cool

 

[thefabe]

The only advantage to a larger fan providing it's a quality fan would be mrore air flow and running at a lower speed thus less noise.
JMO Fabe

 

[azathoth]

Mid-Tower Case, PSU and dual XFX Black Editions?

Thanks guys. I appreciate your point; just have to install a 120mm for the damn Corsair H50 cooler. So I guess I'll just stow the H50 till I get the other stuff... Namely:

A good Case. I'm not looking for anything extravagant like this Thermaltake (designed by BMW? $800?! For a CASE?), maybe something by Antec, like this case.

And of course, I need a PSU that can power two ridiculously power-hungry video cards. Something that's 800w+ and dual SLI ready, so I can get my CrossFire on (finally)! And with another XFX Black Edition GTX 260, I might just go full tilt and get another 3 DDRs and a memory heat sync. I can sort of justify the stuff, since I do use PhotoShop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Flash; even After Effects & 3D Studio Max on occasion. But maybe I'm just itching for an upgrade and trying to justify...? I'm just not impressed enough with the new hardware out there to do another full one so soon. In fact, I would've stuck with my perfectly fast Core 2 Duo and GeForce 4 (or something) till recently, but I'm addicted to Fallout and had to upgrade to play Fallout 3. I find it appalling that Fallout: New Vegas doesn't run as fast... What do these people expect from us? Geez!:shock:

Still, this is just short of a full-upgrade, when it comes to difficulty. Part of the H50 has to be installed behind the MB, for Pete's sake! They don't tell you that in the info on the site, from what I recall. So I'm really more worried about down-time than expense, not that I have much money... But I gotta be able to work.

So I'm probably gonna wait till I'm definitely free from any work duty for a few weeks before I do it, in case something major goes wrong and I have to send crap back. This last time, Mwave had to replce my MB, Memory, CPU and even a DVD-R to get the thing up. I let them do it, since they were paying...

Thanks for all the input, guys. And if anyone wants to suggest any particular hardware, please do. I'm open to all opinions! Especially from those who share similar hardware to mine.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Don't fret the H50 mount as most modern cases have a hole in the mobo tray just to make this easier and do look for other holes for cable routing to make your life much easier and cleaner air flow will prevail. Are you thinking full tower or mid tower. If space isn't a big concern then I would just jump to full tower and find a case with the PSU on the bottom with it's own intake filter and with at least one fan on the top or more. I love my Thermaltake Element V BE but there are tons of choices and really when you stop to think about it the case and the PSU is the under pinnings of your system and when purchased wisely they won't need changing for many mobo's, cpu's, ram, gpu's and the like to come! Buy them once and the quality will last and last !

 

[azathoth]

Re: Mid Towers vs Full Towers

I like your BE tower, very nice! But I can't get a full tower, unfortunately. I had full towers from 1991 until 2001, when I bought my new desk/workstation thing. It's all cherry wood and includes (among other modules) a "CPU Hutch" thats only about 20"-21" high inside. I also had to take the door off the hutch, because, you know...stuff like needing get access the front of the DAMN computer! I don't know what they were thinking... It's a sweet desk though and it cost me a couple grand, so it takes precedence in this matter.

So I'm basically looking for the best mid-tower available for my particular hardware. Although I'm still wondering whether I:

a). Have to get another XFX NVidia GTX 260 Black Edition VC
or
b). Can just buy any decent GTX 260 with the same amount of memory, etc...

Anyone know? And are there (affordable) cards out there already that could easily outperform two GTX 260s, BTW?

Anyone know off-hand?

 

[sygnus21]

I like your BE tower, very nice! But I can't get a full tower, unfortunately. I had full towers from 1991 until 2001, when I bought my new desk/workstation thing. It's all cherry wood and includes (among other modules) a "CPU Hutch" thats only about 20"-21" high inside. I also had to take the door off the hutch,

I feel your pain. I bought a HAF X because of the listed dimension given by Cooler Master, which turned out to be incorrectly printed on the box. See post - http://www.sevenforums.com/overclocking-case-mods/96257-cooler-master-s-haf-x.html

Anyways, I had to modify my desk by removing a bottom shelf and it worked out fine for me. Maybe you can do the same?



BTW the "correct" dimensions for this case is 23.2 inches high, 21.7 inches deep, and 9.1 inches wide.

And no, I don't regret getting this case

 

[thefabe]

Wow really love your desk sygnus21. Pmed you a question about it.
Fabe

 

[sygnus21]

Thanks Fabe, sorry I couldn't help

Peace

 

[azathoth]

My Desk

"I feel your pain. I bought a HAF X because of the listed dimension given by Cooler Master, which turned out to be incorrectly printed on the box. See post - http://www.sevenforums.com/overclocking-case-mods/96257-cooler-master-s-haf-x.html

Anyways, I had to modify my desk by removing a bottom shelf and it worked out fine for me. Maybe you can do the same?"

Afraid not. My desk is very similar yours tho. Just a little deeper table that the monitor sits on and taller and with more shelves, drawers & space under each side of the "n" shaped thing thats fitted to the top of the desk, over the monitor (for small printers and stuff).

Mine also has a matching mini desk-type attachment on the left, with drawers and stuff. On the right is the CPU hutch. The two "modules" can be fitted at either side of the desk, or elsewhere. But the CPU hutch is basically an attractive, glorified wooden box and there's no cutting it (without unsightly damage). I could theoretically just put the tower below the desk like you have it, like I did when I first got the desk (and still had a full tower)... But that would make it hard to move my legs around, and be a waste of the hutch...an awesome piece of furniture... It has a built-in master power supply with switches in front to turn anything on or off and two built-in CD/DVD drawers and even rear access and ventilation. All the knobs/handles are nickel or something... Very nice.

Yeah, It's gotta be a Mid Tower. I remember being pissed off to find that out, after I bought it, but here we are...

Thanks for the idea though.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I would consider this fine case, it's all steel and much less expensive than the 800D but still feature loaded. Please flush all fan options out to keep from having any dead air heat zones and enjoy!
http://www.corsair.com/cases/graphite-series.html