Core i7 water temps

[joysofpi]

Just set up my first water cooling setup and I just want to check to make sure I have things running ok.

So at idle, my core i7 920 is running at 36/33/36/29
Under Prime95 load for 10 minutes I get 53/50/51/45
Ambient temp is probably around ~23C

I haven't overclocked at all, so this is all running on auto (2.6ghz @ 1.28 vcore). Seems a little high to me but then again I'm used to the old core2's and I've heard the corei7 runs a bit hotter. Do these seem like normal temps with water?

 

[Conumdrum]

Can't say if it's good or bad. Temps are okay for sure.

What WC setup are you using (parts)?

 

[joysofpi]

Antec 1200 case
CPU: Swiftech Apogee GTZ
Rad: Black Ice GTX 240 mounted externally on the back
all fans set to lowest speed
Pump: MCP350
Res: Swiftech Micro Revision 2
3/8" ID tygon tubing
distilled water as coolant

I'm just using the antec tricool fans that I got with the case. What kind of airflow does the radiator need (ie would my antec tricool 120mm at low setting be sufficient)?

 

[Conumdrum]

That rad is specifically designed for HS fans. Crank em up, check temps again. The Antec fans are...okay.

I don't know why peeps buy these rads unless they are max overclockers and just run bench tests. These rads aren't made for a quiet rig at all. Research.....

And you need a biocide in that loop. Don't want green goo growing and clogging your loop.

3/8 ID or OD? Kinda small, but is okay in a simple CPU loop. You don't need to worry about your flow rate being too low. Could be better with bigger tubing, but enough for your loop.

A pretty solid loop actually except the noisy rad and pump could be better, but enough for your needs. Ever heard of these forums? You'll learn a ton.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/index.php? Not a noob site, but great stickies
http://www.ocforums.com/ My fav, good peeps, know their stuff, less hardcore
http://www.skinneelabs.com/MartinsLiquidLab/
http://www.over-clock.com/ivb/index.php?showtopic=20277 A GREAT Europe site
http://www.overclock.net/water-cooling/
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.effizienzgurus.de%2Fmain%2Findex.php%3Fcontent%3Darticle%26action%3Dview_spec_article%26article_id%3D222&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Info on rad testing
http://skinneelabs.com/

 

[Groveling_Wyrm]

Your temps aren't bad for being stock speeds, but they aren't good either. I wouldn't try to overclock with that setup.

The i7 series is the biggest series of "heaters" that Intel has come up with for desktops. With 130 watts at normal clocks, it can give your GTX240 a workout (Thus Conundrum's recommendation to crank fans). At overclocks, I would be careful, or you can heat her up good.

That being said, even with good the best W/C loops and i7 setups, people are experiencing higher temp deltas. If you are looking for performance, then, as Conundrum stated, crank the fans. However, If you are looking for quiet, as well as decent temps, then I would also recommend a better radiator.