Water block help
Water block help
Hey Tom's Army,
It's time to reach out once more for assistance.
I'm currently in the designing phase of water cooling and upgrading some older rigs for resale.
I've tried contacting XSPC and DD but haven't received any solutions or responses—so here I am asking you all.
If I assume that all water blocks are essentially square copper pieces, then I just need to know the dimensions of the item I'm trying to cool. Correct?
CPU, GPU, N. Bridge etc.
Now, how should I go about ordering that specific piece of copper if it's no longer in production?
Exam 1: I have an older EVGA 9850 GX video card that gets extremely hot—almost too hot to touch.
No one makes a watercooler for that card anymore, but I know I can order some misc blocks and build a rig that would work and look just as impressive.
Exam 2: My ASUS M2N32-Wireless Deluxe Motherboard requires watercooling for the N and S Bridge setup.
When I contact XSPC, they keep asking me what product number I should reference?
Well, uh... I need two blocks, about 33mm square and around 12mm thick.
What options do you have? And I'm getting nothing but silence or hang-ups.
I just don't know how to proceed.
It's going to be challenging - those cards were quite uncommon when they first came out, as very few people purchased them, making it hard to locate them today...hopefully you can manage it.
That said, I'm aware there were numerous problems with the SLI micro-stuttering that started appearing with these cards. I don't have confirmation if nVidia addressed this in later firmware or drivers. Running multiple copies of these cards also presented certain constraints, I thought...
DangerDen are out of business, so they won't engage with any inquiries.
You might consider ordering a universal GPU block from that era or a modern model compatible with the 9850 GX...?
They produce blocks (waterblocks specifically) and tailor their offerings to their existing lineup, which is why you often get a blank response.
You could explore Aquatuning, but in hindsight, it seems like a poor use of time unless you have the tools for CNC milling and precise dimensions to work with copper blocks. Also, sticking only to air cooling with fans might not be the most efficient approach.
Regarding CPU blocks, any model supporting AM2/2+, 2+/3+/3+ will fit without issues. Adding watercooling could actually reduce your return on investment.
Here’s a rewritten version of your text:
I appreciate the helpful responses, thank you all.
However, I want to be clear without being too direct—many forum members tend to leave irrelevant comments on questions.
So, when I’m considering adding the cost of watercooling, it actually makes the return on investment even more negative.
In short, why would I invest more money in something that doesn’t seem to bring value?
Simply put: after accounting for all the expenses involved in assembling these rigs, I plan to double the price and sell them on eBay.
I think there are many experienced users who enjoy classic games and will buy my setups without worrying about overheating, slow performance, or needing upgrades for better performance. Since I’ve already upgraded these motherboards to their full potential, I see a lot of interest from seasoned players.
When I notice extremely high prices for the cheapest items...
For example:
- eBay item 291863480455 – bought for $250
- eBay item 191893008754 – bought for $35
- eBay item 322256172975 – bought for $65
I’m wondering, if I can repurpose all this old computer stuff I’ve had for over a decade—putting it in a new case, adding a good HDD, and maximizing the CPU—then selling it on eBay for a few hundred dollars, wouldn’t that be worth it?
I’ve owned a Creative Labs RIVA TNT2 Ultra for about 20 years, and now someone in Australia is selling it for $8,000.
I’m planning to mine in a rig and sell the whole thing for around $300. I’m sure someone will be interested.
As for older CPUs, GPUs, and N. Bridges, I found these on eBay:
- eBay item 401333369211
- eBay item Vid-398GX2 Water Block (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 Video Card)
I hope this gives you some insight into why I might be spending more rather than helping with generic water block options.
Thanks.
It's quite challenging to locate blocks for older GPUs, yet they are frequently available on Ebay. Additionally, you can review Swiftech's official website, which often lists clearance items from previous models, though these may disappear once sold out. Universal blocks remain the most promising option, although I don't remember a 9850 model—only a 9800 GX2 and a 7950 GX2 existed, not a 9850 GX or GX2. It could be either a sandwich card or a dual-GPU card; therefore, I'll need to monitor the situation. The safest choice would still be universal blocks.
You're absolutely right, and I was puzzled about my card. It's a 9800 GX2, and I tend to get older sometimes. I would really appreciate it if you could upload a photo of my card to you. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to do that. The thing that bothers me the most is that the next build I plan to do next week will use three 9800 GX2 cards... This water cooling aspect is really important to me. I managed to find this (VID-398GX2 Water Block - NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 Video Card) here: https://www.pugetsystems.com/parts/Liqui...block-5475. Could anyone help me out?
It's going to be challenging - those cards were quite uncommon when they first came out, as very few people actually purchased them, making it hard to locate them today...hopefully you can manage it.
That said, I'm aware there were numerous problems with the SLI micro-stuttering that started appearing with these cards. I don't have confirmation if nVidia addressed this in later firmware or drivers. Running multiple copies of these cards also presented certain constraints, I thought...