Liquid Cooling -- HP Pavillion Phoenix h9z Desktop [ Edited ]

[Bud2248]

I bought an HPE Phoenix h9z today online.  I ordered the heat sink/fan for cooling.  I do not do gaming, but I do a lot of design, photographic and publishing work with adobe products.  Should I consider going to the liquid cooled option, for for my needs, or am I ok with what I ordered?  Windows 7, 64-bit.  Thanks

[Personal Information Removed]

[Big_Dave · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Unless you are driving the processor into very high to extreme usage then the typical fan/heat sink arrangement should be adequate.

The latest versions of Adobe do most of the rendering via the video card.

[Bud2248]

Dave,

I greatly appreciate your insight and advice.  Thanks very much.  On a related note, do you have any experience with eight-core machines -- such as the h9z?  Is there a fan noise issue with this many fans doing the cooling?  It was another reason for my looking into the possibility of going with the liquid cooling option.

Thanks again,

Bud

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Quad and hex core processors will often support multiple (2x) threads with hyperthreading.  I have never been a big fan of hyperthreading technology as most if not all of the applications that I use can't effectively take advantage of that function.  I have tested and benchmarked many applications with hyperthreading turned on and off and I have yet to see a significant if any improvement in performance.

The law of diminishing returns comes into play with multiple processors (MPs). When MPs were first introduced to the marketplace, the performance was 1.5.  Over time, software, processor architecture and hardware design have improved the MP performance ratio.  Unless you are running true parallel processing applications or server applications, stick with fewer cores running at a faster clock rate. In short, two processors running at 5 ghz will almost always be a better choice than four processors running at 2.5 ghz..

If you are running a quad core, turn off hyperthreading and see if you can tell the difference with your everyday applications.

[hafdasa]

Sorry to ask this here but...is it possible to put a fan for the processor and another closed-loop liquid cooling for the GPU(instead of the processor) in Phoenix?

[Big_Dave]

Hi hafdasa,

What you are asking might be possible but why do it?

If the GPU is running that hot then consider a bigger case or a GPU that doesn't run hot.  What video card are you considering?

[hafdasa]

Well, it's because I like the phoenix's size, starting price and etc. So, I'm testing if it's possible to keep the GPU cool, and also the CPU. I'm planning to buy my own eVGA GTX 680 Hydro Copper(requires liquid cooling) and pack it here...

[Big_Dave]

Hi hafdasa,

Be sure that your power supply has the correct power adapters. One part of documentation from eVGA indicates two 6 pin PCI-E power connectors and another indicates one 8 pin PCI-E power connector and one 6 pin PCI-E power connector.

Did you measure to see if the card would fit?  It's not only long but it's also 5.5" tall.  Are you prepared to dimple side of your PC case?

So if you were to convert the CPU water cooling to air then how do you plan on exhausting the hot air from the CPU when the GPU has taken over the area for the CPU hot air exhaust?

Actually your needs as described above may not even need a 680.  However, if you do want to proceed on this path then you will need a full size tower cabinet that is setup for water cooling.

[Bud2248]

Dave,

As it turned out, I decided to purchase the 8 core AMD Phoenix machine -- with liquid cooling.  I have found it to be a good decision.  It is fast (3.6 ghz or better), but also very quiet without many fans operating.  There is one small fan, but it hardly makes any noise.  In sum, it does what I hoped it would do, and I guess if the user is content, all is right with the world.

Nonetheless, thanks very much for you responses -- I learned a lot in the process.

[hafdasa]

Since the GTX 580 has also two six-pins and can be used for the Phoenix, then I guess it 's not a problem for the power. BTW, the GTX 680 only requires 200W than the 244W 580 and has a smaller length too.

Well, I can't measure exactly how the GPU will fit and I only know that the the tower's width(6.89') is > 5.5'. It's not a big deal though, I'll just choose other cases for the GPU.

What I want to know is...can the hot air exhaust(LED fan) absorb the hot air from the CPU and at the same time cools the liquid for the GPU... 

Thanks for the answers!