I guess I better grease it. How much of the board do I need to cover when just chilling the cpu?

Youre gonna skin the outer area of the cpu socket, front and back of the board. If you use grease in the socket, remember what spfoam said, not too much if its vicous because you dont' wanna bend the pins when clamping down the cpu fastener. You should only need to grease the socket and not the rest of the board since you have the skin to spread around the socket.

If you have closed cell foam, i'd cut out the square of the cpu h/s in a layer of paper towel and then cut out the shape of your waterblock base and lay that over the paper towel.

Whatever method you choose, papertowel or foam, mount your block, bolt it down and then remove, check contact of the block and TIM spread to make sure the papertowel or foam isn't preventing good contact with the processor h/s

I can't imagine bending the pins once the cpu is seated in the socket. Thanks for the advice.

Now I'm wondering how I will prime the pump with no res to fill right before it. I don't want the pump before the cpu. I'll probably keep that little res right before the pump. What do you think of that idea?

Hehe, yap, priming in this configuration takes some creativity. Submerging the pump in the bath is the easiest route. But if you can't/don't have a submersible, you can backfill the line and clamp it.

So, if you're config goes: Chiller bath >>>>>>>> pump >>>>>>>>>>> cpu
then you remove the intake from teh block and backfill the line all the way to the Chiller bath using a funnel. Then you take a clamp and pinch off the line. Attach intake back onto block, turn on pump and un-clamp tube at the same time to get the coolant running thru the loop till its all good.

OK maybe try the latter. I don't think the pump is submersible.

So this morning I look at the board which I Dragon-Skinned last night, and I see a couple small air pockets on the back-side of the board. Do I need to re-skin the back?

If they are close to the socket yeah, but if not I wouldn't worry about it....

Thanks for the quick reply FACE!

I didn't cover the entire board. I did about an 8-10" square on the back, and on the front I went from the top to the NB and the mosfets to the DIMMS. Does that sound like enough coverage for just chilling the cpu?

I'll probably redo the back and wipe it clean with alcohol first. I think I forgot to clean the back last night. OOps.

EDIT: and the plan was to go chiller bath>cpu>pump>chiller bath.....you think it's ok to put the pump before the cpu because that would make things easier, but I think I'd lose/gain a couple degrees going through the pump on the way to the cpu. And it seems like it would flow better if it was just pouring out from the chiller directly to the cpu.

I would not redo the back ny - it will be just fine.

Already peeled it. It was a touch greasy underneath where the air pockets were.

Should I put some dielectric grease around the NB also?...It worries me a little being right next to the edge of the Dragon Skin.

Right now I am making a hold-down plate for my block insulation. Plywood will work fine.:thumbsup:

I'm now very frustrated. I cannot get a configuration where I can get all the air out and get it primed. The problem is that my hoses are through the top of my chiller so air gets trapped almost to the end of the return hose.

I tried adding the reservoir right where the air gets trapped, but because it's not a closed loop the res continues to drain out. I know the pump is strong enough to go twice as far as it is.

I have the pump on top of the chiller in the feed line and that seems to work well, but not quite well enough. I'm so irritated with this right now. I started with the pump in the return line, but ended up with air trapped in the line between the cpu and the pump and the end of the return hose.

WTF shall I do next?:blink:

I got a more powerful pump.:ohcrap:
Maybe tomorrow I'll get to try chilling the cpu. After finally getting the loop flowing nicely with the new(old as dirt) pump, I discovered that the hose clamps on the waterblock weren't quite tight enough. I had been so focused on getting it flowing that I for one didn't tighten the clamps enough, and for two didn't notice the water sneaking it's way everywhere.

OK back in time now for the events leading up to what I just told you. :blush:

I got the hoses all insulated and everything is coming together now. Time to throw the memory and video card in there and plug everything in.

Well here goes...........I flick the switch.........and the lights come on and then BANG!!! from the PSU and I guess a spark too. I'm like WTF???, I figure I dripped in the PSU, but nothing shuts off and the lights on the mobo are telling me something is wrong with GPU. So I shut down and put it in a different slot , and reset the CMOS for kicks and it boots up, I went into the BIOS and checked all the voltages and they looked fine, so then on to windows. While it is loading windows I decide to look closer at the board and I see some water....and I'm like F$#@$@#!!!!!!.....so I shut 'er down and took everything apart, only to find water everywhere I didn't put Dragon Skin.....lol........under the pci-e slots, DIMMS, etc...etc......

I'm going to dry it out until morning with my Vantec Tornado....that little fan is insane. Hopefully the card works in that 1st slot tomorrow when everything is dry. I'd hate to have to RMA this board again.

Boy am I tired....I worked on this thing for a good 12 hours today.....you'd think I'd have it up and running by now. :Dizzy: Too much like WORK:eek:

wow, 12hrs?! way to grind, buddy. :thumbsup:

it's always the little things we miss that bite us. Hopefully the board dries out and everything goes back to normal. :blink:

yeah been workin on my superpi runs the whole day too...

borrow your mom's hair dryer it'll be faster...or just put in the over...with some wax paper so you won't short anything

meh, if the battery is out, you won't short anything. Walmart carries Wagner heat guns in the paint section for $25 for quick-dry win action.

heatguns i think can go as hot as 300C...

:thumbsup: Feelin' hot hot hot :splits:

Dont forget the clothes dryer. If the dryer came with a shoe rack (keeps shoes from tumbling in the dryer) just place your motherboard on the tray and run on medium to low heat for an hour or so, check temps every so often.

Actually more like 15 hours. :blink:

Great ideas guys, but I just used that insane little fan and time...it blows the water out from under the slots so I could mop it up. All dry today and working fine....WHEW!!!!!!

Anyways to help prevent future water seepage I elevated the front/bottom end of my rig so water will run right off the back end instead of down into the middle of the board if it leaks again......or if the frost starts to melt and run.:thumbsup:

I'm getting ready to shut down and turn the chiller on for an hour or so while I take a shower and stuff. Too bad I have no thermometer telling me how cold the surface of the chip/IHS is getting, but I'll get one this week sometime.

:ohcrap:I suppose you guys will want some pictures. I better get back to work. :eek:

uh yah :P

feed the pic monster! :picmonster:```````"FEED ME!"

ok here is 1 for now..... Time to shut 'er down and fire up the chiller.

I'll be BACH:keeporder:

How inaccurate are the software temp sensors? My cpu won't go below 5c, but the chiller bath is -30c and holding steady or maybe still dropping. More pics very soon. :cool3:

:ohcrap:4.5GHz seems to run good, haven't tested at all yet.

software temps are just feedbacks from the cpu...the old intels haev good sensors..not sure about the amd stuff ...

Glad you got it workin bro :) , did you mount and unmount to check the spread/contact of the thermal paste?

Sure did. :thumbsup: Thanks I'm very happy now. i think I will go down and get 2 gallons Antifreeze and replace 2 gallons of the washer fluid, because it's only rated for about -25F/-32c. It seemed to stop getting colder and start warming a couple degrees when the coolant got ~5c below it's rated temperature. May have been geling up slightly.

Tell me something...if the chiller is @ -30c, what would the digital probe I intend to put on the chip say approximately? Software says the chip hasn't gone below 5c...do you believe that could be true?

Well, thats why I asked about the mount, wanted to make sure you had all the cold on the IHS.

-30c at stock speeds/voltage on a QX9650 was in teh neighborhood of -15c if I recall correctly. The efficiency on this type of chiller setup isn't at all nearly as good as strapping a pot onto the processor, but its sure fun.

You can look to improvements in efficiency between the bath temp and the cpu temp by making sure the entire line of tubing is well insulated. If you've already taken care of that, don't expect too much more in gains.

Running a chiller on gpu blocks usually lets you see gpu clocks screeeeeem in comparison to cpu overclocks. Its a bitch to insualte tho :P

I'm using Ceramique and I'm sure it's on there tight.

I better get a digital thermometer and see for myself.

I'm hoping it's actually below zero........hey is it safe to crank it to 1.7v now?

a decent k-type thermo is a handy tool in the subzero game...great investment.

1.7v would be safe if you could confirm a subzero temp at the IHS level, until then I'd stay patient unless you can replace the cpu out of pocket ;)

I think Kal mentioned a great suggestion earlier. Using this chiller for GPU's and a DICE/LN2 pot for the cpu would be seriously epic. Either way, thanks for sharing this with us.

Yeah probably someday I will do that too. Thanks for the advice.

More problems.........sitting there @ 4GHz typing and the system froze up and would not reboot. The light on the mobo says cpu is not initializing because it never gets past that light which is the first to light up.

I removed and inspected everything to find the paper towel gasket slightly moist, but nothing else wet at all. I thought maybe "cold-bug" but after warming up and reinstalling the block(which I did not turn on), I get the same result. I reset cmos, removed battery and unplugged for awhile.

Seems that my cpu just quit. :blink:

I may look for a cheap 555BE or something to see if it's actually the cpu. Anyone got an AM3 cpu for sale?

Might be condesation issues. I'd dry it out and test the chip again.

I greased the socket with dielectric grease. I thought that was to make it so I didn't have condensation issues with the cpu.

If I pop the cpu out it will be greasy and so will the socket....I am not seeing how anything will dry out.

I'll try doing that, but I think I'm in the market for a cheap 555 or 720BE unfortunately.

Maybe running it at 4.5Ghz with 1.6v earlier killed it? Couldn't be. One time I set it to 1.63v long enough to get a validation awhile ago, but it lived through that.

dielectric grease...why? lol

clean it up, dry it out and hope she comes back to life which I'm sure it will.

:ohcrap:What do you mean why....and how do I clean it out?

Wow...I found out how to clean it out, but is that really the issue here? Don't people use the stuff all the time for that?

Here is what the socket looks like.......I guess I'll clean it out with WD-40, some rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush. The pins weren't even all that greasy it seemed, but I filled the socket and spread it in all the holes. I'll have to re-skin it too I suppose.

Should I just try sealing up the socket and leave out the grease? It's not that hard to remove the block/cpu and air out the socket daily.

How am I supposed to seal up the socket that must move to latch the cpu in place?:blink:EDIT: electrical tape?

Well....cleaning the cpu was easy obviously, but with limited supplies on hand here is what I did.

I tipped the board so the alcohol would run right off the end and scrubbed the socket with a toothbrush. Then to get the grease out I used, of all things, my mouth to blow compressed air through the socket and I repeated the procedure several times.

Now in the picture I am blow drying the socket with the Vantec Tornado.

Until the next episode...............

Cleaning and drying did not help, using just rubbing alcohol, a toothbrush and blowing the stuff out of the socket with my mouth. I went and bought QD electronics cleaner and a can of spray air. If it won't work after this cleaning I am buying a 965BE from the egg and try to RMA this 1055T. I'm sick of the stupid locked multiplier anyways. And if it's not the chip I guess it must be the board :Dizzy: What a mess.

Bummerz bro, casualty of war. Good luck on the next chip ;)