Group Buy: 220W Multichip LED Cooler

[Sonny]

Here is what I plan on using:
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=p...s_id=34&lng=en

Testing and reviews using the latest intel cpu show excellent results for sustained cooling at high wattages. One test shows thermal testing at 180 watts the temperature was only 28.9C. The AC-RC is showing 69C at 218 watts. I found tests where they ran for more than 8 hours and temperatures remained stable.

The cooler is big:


They are a bit pricey but they have a 6 year warranty.

[gtfcniles]

Nice piece of kit.

[acabgd]

Wow... 65 Eur per piece. Anything cheaper?

[gtfcniles]

I'm going to be using the cooler on the previous page.

[Sonny]

You are looking at the best cpu cooler on the market. Currently, the only thing better is water cooled setups. This is what I chose to make sure the LEDs will stay cool for extended periods. Plus the fans are whisper quiet.

[acabgd]

You are looking at the best cpu cooler on the market. Currently, the only thing better is water cooled setups. This is what I chose to make sure the LEDs will stay cool for extended periods. Plus the fans are whisper quiet.

I'm not at all saying this is a bad cooler or that it's expensive for what it offers. I just asked for some cheaper alternatives of somewhat lower quality but also lower in price.

[tentacles]

At the risk of totally derailing this group buy thread...

Try checking out the listings at http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm - they list by performance (best to just pick a "new" one from the list and look at the comparison chart last page) and by noise level.

The cooler master "Hyper212Evo" is highly rated for the $35 shipped (newegg) price tag. In sound level and performance..

[ronreef]

Aesthetically, over a rimless tank like mine, none of those will do for me. I've explored frostytech time and time and again. Getting caught up in the numbers. Give me low profile heatsink that'll do the job cooling the multichip panel. Something that'll look good over a rimless. Inside of a canopy the other solutions are good. If you don't have a canopy and don't care what you put over your tank then the other solutions are good enough.

My solution:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1030484...eat=directlink

You really want something that's good enough. There's no sense in going overboard with a hunk of oversized metal. That'll drive up the price and the weight. Whether you use AC-RC's solution or mine, it's good enough.
Mine came out to $20 for an Arctic Cooling VGA cooler. I'll just need to come up with an adapter to use along with the Arctic Cooling VGA cooler.

[007Bond]

Ron, which Arctic VGA cooler did you use? Will it cool the Dream Chip even when driven at the chips max wattage?

[ronreef]

Ron, which Arctic VGA cooler did you use? Will it cool the Dream Chip even when driven at the chips max wattage?

My first multichips were 50 and 60 watts. So this was good enough. What you see in the photos in the link above:
http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vg...us.html?c=2182
It's pretty slick. Low small profile and looks real good.

For the Dream Chip with a fV of 36V and driven at 7A, the max power would be 252W.

I wouldn't drive it anywhere near 252W. Nominal power would be 3.5A at 36V = 126W. That would be about where I'd drive it most of the time. 126W. I wouldn't drive it over 1.5X 126W, but thats just me.

This would be good enough for most users: http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vg...us.html?c=2182
Again really slick looking and a low small profile. I was thinking of creating a bracket to mount this cooler to a Kessil Gooseneck for my Dream Chips, but I'll make one for AC-RC's solution too.

Ron

[tentacles]

Ron, one thing to keep in mind wit VGA coolers is that GPUs are made differently than CPUs, and can tolerate significantly higher temperatures, and this is taken into account in cooler design. IOW 300w of GPU cooling takes into account that GPUs are often rated for 105
+C max, where as CPUs are 70-80C max and usually shut down or throttle speed to cool down. (The I5 series is 72C max for example and athlon fx is 70C)

Ron, that accelero mono looks pretty slick, that temp they measure for the HD 7870 is a 175W TDP chip.. how close it is to that in their test, don't know. Is the Kessil gooseneck strong enough to hold that thing up?

Edit: I feel a little dirty hijacking this thread for so long, should we take this elsewhere? Also, almost done making the copper plate for my 60w multichip.. Taking a while cause I had to tram in my milling machine without a dial indicator and then sand the machining marks smooth. Just have to cut it off and drill for the multichip, then I will arctic silver epoxy it to the heatsink, etc.

[ronreef]

The mono is about 350 grams. The Kessil Gooseneck can hold that up and a little more. If I remember correctly, the Gooseneck can hold about 600 grams. I'll have to double check that. I stated it somewhere on the RC multichip thread. That post should be accurate.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...postcount=1277

[Sonny]

Ron, one thing to keep in mind wit VGA coolers is that GPUs are made differently than CPUs, and can tolerate significantly higher temperatures, and this is taken into account in cooler design. IOW 300w of GPU cooling takes into account that GPUs are often rated for 105
+C max, where as CPUs are 70-80C max and usually shut down or throttle speed to cool down. (The I5 series is 72C max for example and athlon fx is 70C)

My thinking too. The chip has a 100w footprint and it has the capability to be pushed twice that is my concern. Most coolers are similar in cooling when cpus are running at designed speeds/voltages, but when you start overclocking the chip produces some serious heat (80 - 100C). Having a cooler that can pull this amount of heat from the chip surface at a sustained rate is what you are looking for. In most cases we will be overdriving the chip which doesn't have internal temperature sensors like cpu's so I want to go with a cooler that has proven it can keep the chip cool.

I wouldn't be suprised if specturm shift can be influenced by temperature.

[007Bond]

For the Dream Chip with a fV of 36V and driven at 7A, the max power would be 252W.

I wouldn't drive it anywhere near 252W. Nominal power would be 3.5A at 36V = 126W. That would be about where I'd drive it most of the time. 126W. I wouldn't drive it over 1.5X 126W, but thats just me.

This would be good enough for most users: http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vg...us.html?c=2182
Again really slick looking and a low small profile. I was thinking of creating a bracket to mount this cooler to a Kessil Gooseneck for my Dream Chips, but I'll make one for AC-RC's solution too.

Ron

Thanks Ron
Couple more questions to help me understand if you don't mind. I most likely will run the chip like you stated and others have also said in the 700ma area, but I like to over build things so as not to limit myself. #1 What is a safe operating temp. for the chip.(max./not to exceed) If the chip could in theory be run to 252W, should I be looking for a 300W cooler? #2 Will I need to make a adaptor plate for the Arctic?( AC-RC cooler looks ok - pros/cons?) and #3 my tank water is 42" deep, if I run the chip at 126W do you think that would be enough light to grow SPS on the sand? This is the main reason that I want to make sure I size my coolers and drivers correctly in case I need to run higher wattage (really like the versatility of this chip). I'm looking forward to the par tests from AC-RC that you posted.I appreciate any input.---Rick

[ronreef]

For a tank 42" deep, 126W likely won't be good enough for SPS at the bottom. Though, I can't tell for sure. You'll have to experiment with your lighting intensity. You'd definitely want to take advantage of the power range of the dream chip. 200W capability is something to be prepared for in your light setup. Your specific light setup.

According to AC-RC you want to keep the multichip back plate at 60C ideal. Don't go over 70C. If you can keep it 70C stable, then you have nothing to worry about. Take a look at the photos in the first post. Temp is monitored at the multichip backplate. The thermocouple is taped to it.

Yes, you'll need an adapter plate to efficiently move the heat from your multichip. Esp. at higher currents. You can probably get away without an adapter and having to bolt it down if you run it near .35A per 10 led series leg (0.7A per channel), but I wouldn't chance it.