Last year I managed to finish a build for my new gaming machine that is slightly more complex than average. I posted a detailed specification and some pictures on the overclock.net forum, here:-
https://www.overclock.net/threads/ocn-wa…4#post-28637655
which I won't reproduce just to save time and forum space. The core elements of the build are:-
Thermaltake WP200 Case, with Plinth
Intel i9 7920XE @ 4.4GHz
Pair of RTX2080Ti in SLI
Aquacomputer Aquero 6XT
Aquacomputer Quadro
6 x Temperature sensors - 1 on the output port of each of my 5x EKWB CE560 Radiators and 1 for case/room ambient
3 Dedicated Cooling Loops:-
1. CPU:-
D5Next with integrated Reservoir to HeatKiller IV Pro Copper CPU WaterBlock to EKWB CE560 Radiator equipped with 4xNoctua NFP-14PWM fans
2. GPU #1:-
D5Next with integrated Reservoir to EKWB Waterblock to 2 x EKWB CE560 Radiators, in series, each equipped with 4xNoctua NFP-14PWM fans
3. GPU #2:-
Same as GPU#1, except the radiators are in the case plinth as opposed to case roof.
Before I go in to detail, I would like to make clear that I didn't magically think up this setup from scratch... I had a good idea in my head of the basics, but the configuration for the cooling and the setup fo the 6XT, Quadro, sensors and fans came almost exclusively from Sven at Aquacomputer, who was incredibly patient with my and gave really excellent advice. Thanks, Sven!
OK, this little lot is pretty epic, as you might imagine... Although in the not too distant future I do plan an upgrade on CPU and GPU's, hopefully going to a pair of 3090s in SLI, just to see what that's like.
My questions are all around how to use Aquasuite X36 to tune the available cooling tech to give the best performance. I currently have 2 profiles set up on each of the 6XT and the Quadro: Profile 1 is a noise-optimised [I hope!] setup intended to throttle the fans and pumps to keep the noise down unless temperatures demand more response; Profile 2 runs all 20 fans at 100% in an attempt to "purge heat" from the machine. I use Profile 2 after a decent gaming session and before switching the machine off... I basically don't turn anything off until temperatures I down to low 30's centigrade.
[ I really wish I'd put flow meters in to each loop... I will add them during the next upgrade]...
Unless I'm gaming, Radiator #2 typically goes completely idle - all fans shut down, but the pump keeps going...
For general desktop use - say as I write this blog post, with AquaSuite running - GPUR1's coolant is 35 Centigrade and the GPU itself is idling at 7% and 37 Centigrade...
Also for general desktop use, my CPU idles at 42 Centigrade with coolant at 35 centigrade...
Under load, my CPU might get as hot as 50-55 Centigrade [when I run Prime95, I can see some of the individual cores are peaking as high as 110 Centigrade (according to CPUID HWMonitor), but overall the coolant stays around 45 centigrade]
Also under load, my GPU#1 might get up to 49-50 Centigrade with the Noctua fans at 500-550rpm... especially when I'm playing a single-GPU game like Horizon:Zero Dawn...
As you can see from the embedded images, I seem to get some unusual responses from my radiator fans. Look at the speeds of the 5 groups of radiator fans. For example, you can see that both GPU#2 radiators see the temperature as 26 centigrade, yet one has fans running and one does not. Both have the same fan curves... I don't understand why this happens...
I'm also completely unsure how to set or tune the 3 D5 Pumps ... no idea what a sensible lower edge rpm speed should be, or how quickly I should boost flow as temperatures rise. Pumps seem very noisy when they crank to higher speeds...
I'd be very interested in and grateful for any general advice as to how to set about optimising this slightly complex setup. I'm looking for something that is as quiet as possible for as much of the time as possible... but perhaps some specific questions might also help?
1. What would be a good pump speed to aim for?
2. What's the best way to achieve the right pump speed? Even setting a very low "curve" for a pump, I'm getting 2190rpm with 6% output. It feels/seems as though 500-750rpm might be perfectly OK for what I need, but it's not clear if I can get the pumps to run safely at that low speed...
3. Any idea why the input data to the curve controller for GPU#2's 2 radiators appears to be the exact same, but radiator fan speeds end up being different? I'm looking at them now and they have the exact same settings. Radiator 1 output port temperature is 26.3 centigrade; Radiator 2 output port temperature is 26.1 centigrade, yet I have fans running at 483rpm/5% output on Radiator 1 and 0rpm on radiator 2. This seems a bit odd...
4. Any other suggestions/improvements anyone would care to make?
Thanks in advice...