Utgurard = nice! Here is the email I sent to said supplier who I won't name as it is not their fault, and they have been kind enough to RMA it even though I had "modified" it slightly: "I received the above order today but would like to return the water block. On opening the box and inspecting the contents, I noticed that there was a scratch across the centre of the water block. This was not perfect but I have seen worse on new Zalman equipment, so I accepted it, knowing that the TIM should take care of any imperfections - I was a little miffed though as this was my first EK product and had been interested in their GPU blocks and bay reservoirs too. I then started to fit the block to my case, due to having an AM3 motherboard, I needed to open the block to change the mounting bracket (even though this is not mentioned in the mainly Intel instructions. On opening the water block I noticed that the outside o-ring was not in fact an o-ring, but just a piece of rubber and was not joined up like it should be. I did my best to try and get it into position and fit. I then fitted the rest of the water block and noticed that the allen key screws were very weak even using a better allen key than the one provided for a better fit they were extremely soft. I ran a leak test over a pyrex jug, and straight away there were drops forming were the o-ring was pushed together rather than being a proper ring. During the leak test I had removed the AM3 mount from my motherboard and fitted the new mounting bracket. I noticed here that one of the screws that is used to mount the block had a faulty thread and needed to use a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to get the nut past mid-way - (I have left this bolt separate to the others in the packaging). I then attempted to re-open the block to see if I could make the O-ring fit any better, but straight away the alen bolts sheared and I was unable to completely remove them, even with pliers for grip. I therefore filed a cross thread into the top of the screws to try to allow me to remove them. I realise at this point I should have stopped and returned the product, but I was keen to get it fitted today, which was why I paid extra for next day delivery. I modified the screws in an attempt to get it fitted and did not think this would affect warranty as they are cheap / simple parts. Even after trying to re-seat the o-ring, the block still leaked. I therefore gave up and refitted my Zalman block. I would therefore like to return the product for a replacement ASAP. But please could someone check the quality of the block before dispatch."
Hopefully the RMA will tie in well with the arrival of the side panel, because at the moment, the Zalman performs fine anyway so the EK block was a bit of an indulgence
Really nice job, and great use of the space. I bet its going to be a pig to drain though having a rad in the top and the bottom? DeadMan
As I have never watercooled anything (yeah, I'm a w/c noob) I don't know. It looks logical though - having the valve at the bottom will allow you to drain the loop more easily. Do ball valves give problems with leaks at all? Given that removing the GPU(s) or motherboard will require draining the loop, I think it is a very good idea to add an easy drain facility.
It's a shame they're not the same size as domestic one's, I've always got some in the van. @ Fingers66. The only problem with a drain off in Paul's system is that the bottom rad will have to be lifted out to be fully drained, if it was upright he'd be laughing.
Just a couple of quick comparisons now I have the HF Supreme fitted (the second one was perfect!): These are from everest stability test. First with the Zalman CPU Block and AS5: Second with the new EK Block and MX2: Core temps and CPU show a MASSIVE improvement, the lowest idle I have seen on the cores is 14c - that was when it was cold, but with the zalman, I was lucky to get 19c! Well happy. Will put together a new thread as my side panel is here now too.........
I have started to put together a web page of my build from standard PC to the current machine: Click Here
Hey 23RO_UK... nice build...question...what screw length did u use with the phobya shrouds? Just curious on that. I got some but forgot to get the screws. Thanks
Ahh.. great....gives me an idea...and i'll be sure to check which system it uses...pretty sure imperial can't wait to see the final build
Yeah cold boot temps. Currently running Outlook / Chrome (6 tabs) / Remote Desktop / iTunes / MakeMKV (Encoding) and still only 17-19c core temp
How freaking cold is it in your room, gcwebbyuk? Is has to be less than 16 as your not using any cooling to get it sub-ambient. I am not sure I could sit in a room quite that cold
It's a little know fact on here, that he's a Yeti and lives in the freezer. But that said my Amd rig is overclocked @3.5GHz on air and sitting at 18 degrees, unlike the i7 which refuses to drop below 32 or low 40's @ 4GHz..needs to go underwater me thinks!
