Archive for the ‘ How To ’ Category

Cooler Master Storm Stryker – Water Cooled Level 1

Last week I had the chance to work with the Storm Stryker on cable management, and I did mention that liquid cooling was coming down the pipeline for it… Well, here’s the first level of liquid cooling. This is a very, very simple CPU only loop, and should be treated as such. With some smart shopping around, you can easily achieve the same effect for maybe $150 or so, and it has the advantage of being completely expandable. Even taking into account their small size and their simplicity, loops like this do actually perform quite well.

 

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Storm Stryker – Cable Management

 

Cable management has to be at once the most pleasing thing to do with a build, and the most stressful. It’s extremely pleasing in that the system just looks awesome after the task is finished. You can then show it off to friends and family. I have, but alas, none seem to understand my passion for the more artful perspective of computers. Cable management is also however, the most stressful thing to do in a system, short of extreme cooling.* Luckily for all of us however, the Storm Stryker is actually incredibly easy to cable manage in. It took me about 20 minutes to build this system, and another 10 to disassemble it after I had finished. Read more

HAF-XM: Water Cooling – Phase III “Revelations”

We’ve seen how to plan water cooling in Phase I, and how to do a very basic build in Phase 2. We’ve also seen testing to find the best high density radiator fan, the Blade Master. We’re going to be using the best case fan as well, the mighty Excalibur, which, while it lacks in pressure for a thick radiator, it is still the absolute best case fan by Cooler Master. So… What is there left to do? All bases are covered.. Except for one…

Extreme water cooling.

HAF-XM: Water Cooling – Phase II: Origins

Water cooling is of course a very useful tool for computer hardware enthusiasts. It allows a system to run quieter, cooler, and because of running cooler, it has the potential to run faster thanks to over clocking.  This means that water cooling has many applications, anywhere from a gaming rig, to a workstation or server. Cooler temperatures will result in less power draw, so the system would produce less heat over time, and lower power bills eventually. (Naturally, it is impossible to say how much they would drop.)

This week, I have designed pretty much the most basic possible way to achieve a simple CPU only water cooling loop. It involves less than two feet of tubing, and is a very minimalist design. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise with showing a picture of the loop prematurely though, since there isn’t truly that much to see, literally.

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Extreme Water Cooling in the 690 II Advance Black and White

Last week, I showed how to do a very basic water cooling loop in the 690 II Advance Black and White. It was a loop consisting of a CPU block, pump, and a radiator with a built in reservoir. Like I said, very simple overall. It was a loop that could be built for close to $100, so it would serve as a very good option for anyone getting their feet wet with water cooling for the first time. (Hopefully not literally though.)

 

This week however, I have something to show that’s a little different…

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