Good News! Gigabyte's RMA'd 890XA-UD3 works excellent and rides again!

[soarwitheagles]

Hi everyone!

Well, I have very good news.  I finally found some time to put my AMD 1055T/Gigabyte's 890XA-UD3 back together again and...after receiving the motherboard back from Gigabyte's RMA program, it works absolutely perfect!  I am very happy with it!  BTW Absic, it came back with a F5 BIOS installed...

I did modify the CPU cooler and fan set up.  I was attempting to remount Corsair's H70 water cooled CPU cooler when it suddenly sprung a very nasty leak...needless to say, I could not sleep at nights, worrying about what would happen if I put a new Corsair H70 in this build and then it leaked again!  Even trying dark ale did not help, nor did warm rum...I just kept having nightmares of my 1055T drowning along with my poor 890XA-UD3...

So, I decided to do a modification...it is similar to the English Channel Tunnel, with just a wee less engineering involved...

I found the piece of metal alongside the road as I was driving home from work...no joke, it was run over and bent a little, but I straightened it out and it appears to work just fine on my new Hyper 212+, which by the way, weighs exactly half as much as that monster Noctua NH-D14.

Thanks to DM for giving me the idea of building a shroud...

Anyway, please let me know what you think...I know we can't drive a super fast train through it like the English Channel Tunnel, but, hey, I had to start somewhere and besides, it was free, except of course for those two rivets...

Soaring through my new tunnel!

[Dark Mantis]

Well done Soar, nice mod.  I would imagine that makes quite a difference to the standard cooler's performance. Free too, what better price than that?

[soarwitheagles]

Well done Soar, nice mod.  I would imagine that makes quite a difference to the standard cooler's performance. Free too, what better price than that?

Thanks again for all your help and good ideas.  I seriously do not feel comfortable anymore with the Corsair water coolers...so I had to make do with what was available.  It only took a few minutes and yes, I think it does work well!  Here's a couple more pics of the build process:

[absic]

Nice idea Soar!

What temperatures are you now getting on your CPU? Are they much different from the H70?

[soarwitheagles]

Nice idea Soar!

What temperatures are you now getting on your CPU? Are they much different from the H70?

Hi Absic!

With the rebuilt 1055t system I am getting 25-26 at idle...my i5-750/P55A-UD3 with a Corsair H50 is running one degree hotter.  I'll be taking the H50 off too.  I haven't tried loading the AMD system much yet, just taking it easy until I let it run over night.  Just finished it about one hour ago.

Here's some more pics:  I think I'll do the same with the 2500k build...it may not win any beauty contests, but it's cheap and it works well!  I never even thought of it until DM mentioned it.  Never thought about building a wind tunnel...it sure is a great idea!  Best of all, no more worries about leaking water...

PS I am certain I applied too much thermal paste...can this cause any serious problems?

[absic]

Well, the temps you have now are very similar to my own with the Noctua which are currently reported as 23C but it is a little cool here today!
As you say, nice low temps without the fear of drowning and as they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Once you have your side panels on the case who's really going to see the home made wind tunnel?

[soarwitheagles]

Well, the temps you have now are very similar to my own with the Noctua which are currently reported as 23C but it is a little cool here today!
As you say, nice low temps without the fear of drowning and as they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Once you have your side panels on the case who's really going to see the home made wind tunnel?

Yes, you are right again.  I'll be the only one here that knows about it.  Shhhhhhhh....let's keep it a secret!

BTW, I put too much thermal paste on the CPU/heatsink...will it make much of a difference?

Soar

[absic]

A bit late to start worrying about that now. The biggest problem of using too much thermal paste is that sometimes it can spread onto the CPU Pins which can cause problems. If everything is working OK I would advise you to leave it alone. If you are going to be removing the Cooler for further modifications then you could wipe some of the excess away but it is not essential.

[soarwitheagles]

A bit late to start worrying about that now. The biggest problem of using too much thermal paste is that sometimes it can spread onto the CPU Pins which can cause problems. If everything is working OK I would advise you to leave it alone. If you are going to be removing the Cooler for further modifications then you could wipe some of the excess away but it is not essential.

Ok, thanks.  People recommended smearing the Hyper 212+ heatsink thermal paste with a credit card and it worked quite well to fill the grooves in the heatsink...but then I put way too much thermal compound on processor itself...

Currently running a cheap 5570 for a GPU.  I am still a little nervous about plugging in a new 460 GTX...remember, last time that is what fried the MOBO.  Have you any suggestions before I attempt to install the 460 GTX?

I also RMA'd the 460 GTX, removed the Enermax 720 PSU, and installed a brand new XFX modular 650 watt PSU.

BTW, I used an old Zerotherm 120mm fan to mount the tunnel...I merely cut out the fan and used the frame...here's the pic:

Thanks,

Soar

[absic]

Not really Soar but I can understand your trepidation.

Bust advice I can offer is to:
Remove ATI Drivers.
Shut down the PC and disconnect it from the mains supply.
Press the Power button on the PC Case to dissipate the remaining electrical current.
Remove 5570. (at this stage you might like to pack the 5570 and send it to the UK)
Install GTX460 and connect the power leads.
Reconnect PC to mains power supply and switch on PC.
If everything works OK you can then install the NVidia Drivers.
Hopefully Job Done!

[soarwitheagles]

Not really Soar but I can understand your trepidation.

Bust advice I can offer is to:
Remove ATI Drivers.
Shut down the PC and disconnect it from the mains supply.
Press the Power button on the PC Case to dissipate the remaining electrical current.
Remove 5570. (at this stage you might like to pack the 5570 and send it to the UK)
Install GTX460 and connect the power leads.
Reconnect PC to mains power supply and switch on PC.
If everything works OK you can then install the NVidia Drivers.
Hopefully Job Done!

Ok, I will give it a shot tomorrow...it is now 3 am here and I need to take some rest...thanks again for all your good ideas and for helping me get my AMD system up and running again!

Sorry, about not being able to ship that 5570 to you...the shipping would cost more than the card itself!

Soar

[Dark Mantis]

Nice cooling tunnel Soar. I use the same cut out fan surrounds to help decrease the vortex effect in my coolers.

You could get the corners of your sheet metal products tighter and smoother if you made up a bending jig. You only need a couple of pieces or wood and some hinges and preferably a vice to hold it in.

[jolphil]

Hi Soar..
You are the Man...."Necessity is the Mother of invention"... Could not be more true..
Once again nice job..
Have Fun
jolphil

[soarwitheagles]

Nice cooling tunnel Soar. I use the same cut out fan surrounds to help decrease the vortex effect in my coolers.

You could get the corners of your sheet metal products tighter and smoother if you made up a bending jig. You only need a couple of pieces or wood and some hinges and preferably a vice to hold it in.

Thanks DM!

BTW, what is "vortex effect?"

Soar

[soarwitheagles]

Hi Soar..
You are the Man...."Necessity is the Mother of invention"... Could not be more true..
Once again nice job..
Have Fun
jolphil

Jolphil,

Thank you and yes, I agree...when we are left with no other choice and become desperate, we become more creative...

Thanks and glad you like it!

Soar