Another i7 review - The most bad ass i7 ever

[ComputerHelper]

This build has been going on for quite some time and since we delivered the final product I figure it wouldn't hurt to share the details. This PC was ordered by a friend of a friend and we have worked on it for about 2 months now.

Specs -

Well if you can be made jealous very easily then don't read on

CPU -
Core i7 Extreme

Mobo-
ASUS Rampage II Extreme

RAM -
3x Corsiar Deminator 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1800 = 12GB

Storage -
OCZ Core Series V2 250GB SATA II Solid State Disk
2x Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 10000RPM SATA II
3x Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB

Video -
3x XFX GeForce GTX 280 XXX

Disk Drives -
LG Super Multi Blu-Ray Disk Burner & HD DVD Rom Drive

Power -
2x ABS Tagan BZ Series 1300W Modular

If you click on the parts names it will bring up there product page, I will post more with the cooling and specs of the custom fabricated case

[ComputerHelper]

Cooling

CPU -

For this we used Phase Change (I will tell you more about phase change in a little bit)

Our Cooler

Video -

Now for this we used 3 independent H2O Systems so each card as a completely separate cooling system

(Unless otherwise stated we ordered 3 of each)

Danger Den GPU Block

Pump

Radiator

Reservoir

Lots of Tube

[ComputerHelper]

Phase Change 101

Welcome Class, today we learn about phase change.

{The following is from Wikipedia}

Phase-change cooling is an extremely effective way to cool the processor. A vapor compression phase-change cooler is a unit which usually sits underneath the PC, with a tube leading to the processor. Inside the unit is a compressor, the same type that cools a freezer. The compressor compresses a gas (or mixture of gases) which condenses it into a liquid. Then, the liquid is pumped up to the processor, where it passes through an expansion device, this can be from a simple capillary tube to a more elaborate thermal expansion valve. The liquid evaporates (changing phase), absorbing the heat from the processor as it draws extra energy from its environment to accommodate this change (see latent heat). The evaporation can produce temperatures reaching around −15 to -150 degrees Celsius. The gas flows down to the compressor and the cycle begins over again. This way, the processor can be cooled to temperatures ranging from −15 to −150 degrees Celsius, depending on the load, wattage of the processor, the refrigeration system (see refrigeration) and the gas mixture used. This type of system suffers from a number of issues but mainly one must be concerned with dew point and the proper insulation of all sub-ambient surfaces that must be done (the pipes will sweat, dripping water on sensitive electronics).

Alternately a new breed of cooling system is being developed inserting a pump into the thermo siphon loop. This adds another degree of flexibility for the design engineer as the heat can now be effectively transported away from the heat source and either reclaimed or dissipated to ambient. Junction temperature can be tuned by adjusting the system pressure; higher pressure equals higher fluid saturation temperatures. This allows for smaller condensers, smaller fans and/or the effective dissipation of heat in a high ambient environment. These systems are in essence the next generation liquid cooling paradigm as they are approximately 10 times more efficient than single phase water. Since the system uses a dielectric as the heat transport media, leaks do not cause a catastrophic failure of the electric system.

This type of cooling is seen as a more extreme way to cool components, since the units are relatively expensive compared to the average desktop. They also generate a significant amount of noise, since they are essentially miniature refrigerators, however the compressor choice and air cooling system is the main determinant of this, allowing for flexibility for noise reduction based on the parts chosen.


Also we laped the CPU and the bottem of the Phase Change thingy

Laping 101

{Source Wikipedia}

Heat sink lapping is the smoothing and polishing of the contact (bottom) part of a heat sink to increase its heat transfer efficiency. The desired result is a contact area which has a more even surface, as a less even contact surface creates a larger amount of insulating air between the heat sink and the computer part it is attached to. Polishing the surface using a combination of fine sandpaper and abrasive polishing liquids can produce a mirror-like shine, an indicator of a very smooth metal surface. However, it should be noted that even a curved surface can become extremely reflective, yet not particularly flat, as is the case with curved mirrors; thus heat sink quality is based on overall flatness, more than optical properties. Lapping a high quality heat sink can damage it, because, although the heat sink may become shiny, it is likely that more material will be removed from the edges, making the heat sink less effective overall.

If attempted, a piece of float glass should be used, as it self-levels as it cools and offers the most economical solution to producing a perfectly flat surface.

[ComputerHelper]

The end OC result

We were able to get the CPU to 5.8 stable and it ran great, we oc'd the gpus alittle too.

Sorry there different posts but it was the easyest way to speerate the information

[ComputerHelper]

Opps I forgot the case. The case is as tall as a full atx case and double wide (all that cooling needs room). Its custom fabricated and sound proofed. Case is toped of with brushed chrome