Mac OS 9 Discussion > CPU

MDD Water cooling

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supernova777:


who was the member who discussed this recently?

i think this would be of tremendous benefit to all of us MDD lovers
if we could get some more into + visual direction on how to go about
implementing water cooling.

http://aqua-mac.com/newsataqua-macaq.html

this page is the best thing to start with.. but.. i dont understand really what im looking at or how it works to attach this thing.. ???

http://www.s155158671.websitehome.co.uk/moremddcoolingmo.html

too bad theres no way to water cool the power supply..
as the power supply fans are the biggest problem
i need to find a better quality fan the ones i have are still too loud for my liking

blemk:
My final fans are on the way (a few 50x50 and 60x60 mm fans, one of which is to get rid of that nasty dvd/cd-rom fan), but I plan to share images when done. If I could source enough of the random nuts/bolts/hardware I could piece together a means/kit of mounting a corsair h80 water cooling system quite easily to a MDD FW400/FW800 that would easily fit in the lower back section of the case (mine is already in there and working great). Corsair H80i might even work better (would look prettier at least)

In any case, I have had mine running under OS 9 with a Dual 1.42 running, without benefit of OS X reducing temps, for hours and hours straight. Very very quiet and very cool (not warm).

It's an investment, but get rid of the factory power supply unless you absolutely want ADP support (well, power for ADP video card anyway). Even in working condition, those factory power supplies must have hideous efficiency ratings with the heat they throw off. A nice modern 300/400/450 Micro ATX will fit beautifully in the MDD and clear a lot of space and reduce internal case temps quite a bit. If you get one like below, I can tell you the powersupply is likely to be the quietest component in the system (far quieter then either of the MDD G4 power supplies by far).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CP07PQ/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Above is what I went with, plus (since it was a big time saver if not $$$ saver) a ATX adapter from a guy on etsy.com (http://atxg4.com/).  Not sure I should share this as before I experimented with water cooling I ended up with two of the nice big copper fin and heat pipe apple heatsinks I may be interested in selling shortly due to how well the Corsair H80 is working.  ;D

This is first night in a while (again, as I seem to get only a night every so often to work on it and read/post about it/classic-macs on the web) I have gotten back to it like I keep wanting/trying to do.

One thing to note, don't hook up Corsair water coolers to standard 4 pin molex or sata power connectors and put your mac to sleep without significant testing.. Pump will stop running.. I got mine pretty much worked out, but I would avoid trying it unless you are adamant about getting sleep to work. This could be dealt with by a bit of a circuit to keep the water cooling pump and at least one 120 mm fan spinning a bit.

Anyway, figure I might have been one mentioning the water cooling in progress..... Will see how soon I want o share pics of it (last parts should be here right before or right after holiday). Will visit local hardware store first chance I get to see if I can get generic specs and/or part numbers for the few pieces of od hardware I used make it work.

Oh, last comment.. Biggie compared to other methods/solutions I have seen. No cutting of meta or plastic. I took out the little support brackets right below the power supply (just took the rivits out, but turns out I didn't need to.. ). So yeah, not metal or plastic cutting. Case looks unmodified inside and out.

MacTron:
The water cooling MDD is a very interesting topic. I'm specially interested in it, to enhance the cooling of some overclocked MDDs ...
So please, keep us informed of your progress in this subject ..

blemk:
Will be post holiday before I get remaining fans and what not in for small remaining work, be gentle on it's appearance (loose cables are normally not loose or seen as some are not even plugged in right now).

(typing, and realize I forgot or don't know how to reference attached images so sorry please see file attached).

2-block.jpg and 1-overallf.jpg





Early fit info basically for you.. This is with a corsair H80. Top part of waterblock/pump/controls removed and internal 3 ping connectors (for power and controller) extended to put controller elsewhere. If you don't remove it, the block/pump/controller will be crushed by the radiator and the door won't close. The Corsair H80i's lower profile block should fit without modification, but you loose the simple 3 speed push botton control (only controlled by corsair usb link or whatever they call it). Disregard the zip ties around the for posts/mounting-pins/bolts. Could easily get a thin acrylic sheet with holes on top to deal with holding them straighter if needed, but really needed the water block fits very tight between the 1.25/1.33/1.42 dual processor 4 hole pattern around the dual cores. Note, this will not work for anything without that whole pattern on the cpu module (which means, pretty much dual processor modules only from what I have seen).

Control module is on top of 120 mm standard Corsair H80 radiator and 2 included 120 mm fans. 3 built in speed settings. Lowest easily keeps the dual 1.42 under the waterblock cold under max load. Control module could really be anywhere I guess. Works there in case I want to access it quick by opening the door.

"3-front facing.jpg" and "4-between 120 and 120.jpg"






Quick look of radiator spacing and replacement Cooler Master 120 mm fan (optional, provides a bit steadier fan speed from the coolermaster fans on the radiator as it helps provide (in combo with a pair of 80x80x10 mm fans way up front in front of drive cage) a nice quiet steady flow of air. Had wired them into the onboard fan header (may return there if the motherboard speeds up the replacement 60mm fan I have on the way for the dvd/cd drive too much with no load on the normal 120 mm cpu fan header). But at max rpm of 2000 RPM the cooler master 120 mm fan is nice and quiet. Video card is easily louder yet.

"2-upper psu area.jpg" and "5-2.5hdmount.jpg"





3m 2 side taped a very simple 2.5 dual drive mount to the top of the cd/dvd sub-chassis. Comes out with the cd/dvd chassis without interference. I wanted a couple more drive bays back from loss due to radiator position. Earlier images, you will see similar adaptation to the original 3.5 mount brack under the cd/dvd sub-chassis. Went with nice 2.5 inch 7200 RPM sata drives and 2.5 inch sata ssds. Small size of modern mechanicals might as well be taken advantage of as well right? Well.. I don't need any super 1tb/2tb/3tb/4tb/6tb range 3.5 inch drives right now anyway. But they would fit in lower bays if needed.

Other notable points in images, the FSP 450 watt micro atx power supply and simple little mod of a power cord (cut off, shortended and soldered to a simple socket). Power supply is 3m double side taped in. It will come off any day I want it off hard enough, but it isn't coming loose and fits perfectly in the depth of the original power supply (actually, it is a little thinner). Fan in it is controlled by PSU. 4 drives, Geforce 4 TI4600 or Geforce 7800 C (one or other, but either), water cooling, 2x burners, all fans.... the Fan barely turns on. Well over need of hardware in the mac, but it allows the power supply to run at lower output levels (less heat, less to cool). Silverstone makes a version of almost identical powersupply (same oem from what I have read), but atx 24 pin cable is quite a bit shorter and will make it tricky to reach the motherboard with or without your own custom adapter.

Little support bracket is taken out under power supply, but was not needed to fit anything in the case (does clear a spot for the h20 cooler controls though  :)).


So..

Parts list minus hardware to mount water block/pump.

Corsair H80 water cooler all in one kit. (you find via google, not H80i will also likely be fine)

ATX adapter from: http://atxg4.com/mdd.html   Note, I added one more pin so onboard firewire would be powered (vs unpowered and requiring external power for firewire devices.. wire is one left out by most people as it is for 25v normally used for Apple ADC).

450 watt FSP Micro ATX power supply (really, any micro atx should fit wonderfully.. take your pic but remember it is a long way to reach the motherboard).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CP07PQ/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

IEC 60320 C14 Socket (for power supply)
There are several sources/brands for this type of part. This one comes with screws etc that could be used to affix this after simply sliding it in from the back of the MDD G4 case. I did that and essentially epoxied (high temp hot glue) on the inside to hold it in when you pull the external power cable out of the socket. Design of socket makes it so you can't push it into the case. Make sure you are comfortable with soldering/electronics if you do this approach as I do not support/suggest-this/etc (don't take my word on this.. went to school for electrnonics amongst other things but I am not saying this as certified electrician or anything of that sort. That is my public statement for today on this.).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00917Z96S/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

If you don't want to extend the internal connections in the water-block/pump/control setup.. You can get a 2 pin and a 3 pin fan extension cable from various sources.



I know, I left out mounting method. Will see if I can pick up a second set of misc bolts, take pics and show I I crafted a mounting method/clamp for this as soon as I can get to hardware store and commit to building the second setup like this for the FW800 (currently this is all in my FW400 board/case combo).


blemk:
Oh, and before someone asks.. Nothing special done with original heatsink to hold the cpu module in there. Left the plastic bracket in, and snapped in the module socket. it has never come close to pulling out even as I open and close the side panel with the water-block/pump/hoses attached. If I pull on it from the edge close to the back plate (usb connectors/etc) I can disconnect the cpu easily enough. Otherwise, it isn't coming off on it's own.

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