Asus Maximus VI Formula Crosschill WC

[Gene5is]

Hi everyone!.. im an avid reader of this forum and i gotta tell you its one of the bests out there hands down! i never posted before so bear with me please!.. The only reason im posting is because i dont know anywhere else to ask since its a pretty particular and specific question and you guys are the only ones who have the knoweledge to answer it propperly... haha

 

Ok here's the question:

Im considering watercooling my formula motherboard using the crosschill solution and im wondering... is there going to be any galvanic corrosion issues with my following setup?...

im using EK-Supremacy Clean CSQ - Nickel + Red Acrylic on the gpu 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=38326 

And 2X Bitspower BP-WBVGNGTX580AC-BK Black Freezer VG-NGTX580 Acrylic Top w/ Black Sparkle Panel Blocks on my GTX 580 SLI setup

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=29796

i seriously dont want to screw anything up so any help would be much apreciated! thanks already in advance!

Sorry for the bad english and typos, im doing my best!

[KylSp]

Yes, the VRM channel is anodized alu, which you can bet won't stop galvanic corrosion at this price point (the anodizing has to be completely perfect, which it won't be on a consumer product).

 

Do not use the VRM block in your loop unless you're running a corrosion inhibitor, and in fact, just don't bother using it at all. The board will show zero performance differences with it running air.

[jclappers]

Yes, the VRM channel is anodized alu, which you can bet won't stop galvanic corrosion at this price point (the anodizing has to be completely perfect, which it won't be on a consumer product).

 

Do not use the VRM block in your loop unless you're running a corrosion inhibitor, and in fact, just don't bother using it at all. The board will show zero performance differences with it running air.

We tested it at work on a seperate loop with one rad and we got about 10-15 degrees Celsius lower

[Gene5is]

Yes, the VRM channel is anodized alu, which you can bet won't stop galvanic corrosion at this price point (the anodizing has to be completely perfect, which it won't be on a consumer product).

 

Do not use the VRM block in your loop unless you're running a corrosion inhibitor, and in fact, just don't bother using it at all. The board will show zero performance differences with it running air.

 

what about this?  http://rog.asus.com/262892013/maximus-motherboards/mixing-alu-and-cooper-is-fine-if-you-anodize-right/

 

any source you can provide to confirm your theory? 

 

We tested it at work on a seperate loop with one rad and we got about 10-15 degrees Celsius lower

 

i have seen people getting even around 20 degrees celsius lower temps!.. have you tried it on a complete loop? (CPU+GPU+Crosschill, or CPU+Crosschill at least)

 

i mean, the reason i bought this motherboard is cause i saw so many people getting mad OC's using crosschill only.. im asking because its always better to investigate deeply before attempting to do anything.. just saying!..

 

oh and thanks for the quick replies guys, you are awesome!

[KylSp]

what about this?  http://rog.asus.com/262892013/maximus-motherboards/mixing-alu-and-cooper-is-fine-if-you-anodize-right/

 

any source you can provide to confirm your theory? 

 

 

i have seen people getting even around 20 degrees celsius lower temps!.. have you tried it on a complete loop? (CPU+GPU+Crosschill, or CPU+Crosschill at least)

 

i mean, the reason i bought this motherboard is cause i saw so many people getting mad OC's using crosschill only.. im asking because its always better to investigate deeply before attempting to do anything.. just saying!..

 

oh and thanks for the quick replies guys, you are awesome!

See the title of that thread? The anodizing was done to cut costs as it's not as cheap to implement a copper channel/pipe with threaded ports as it was with affixed barbs like the M5F.

 

Anodizing, if done with zero imperfections will function as they're stating. Anodizing done by a mass manufacturing process, with QC levels (costs) that would not realistically allow for zero surface imperfections, won't be. At the end of the day it's up to you, but functionally the board will not perform any better with the crosschill in use. A 10-15° drop in VRM temperatures will not allow for any better over-clocking then you'll get without it, the boards are entirely CPU limited thanks to Haswell. Getting a "Mad OC" is all about the CPU lotto this generation more then ever. 

 

ASUS PR is trying to put a stamp on something that is their own creation. Swiftech had a similar problem with plating alu tops for their GTX block, which on most of their samples worked completely fine. As with everything in the real world, QC isn't perfect and all it takes is one spec, scratch, etc. As well, those plated bronze fittings you screw into this block will react the same way copper will if they thread and damage that anodized surface.

 

This isn't some whacky theory, it's basic science and a history of this genre. Use it if you want, if you do I would advise using a coolant or mix with glycol and an inhibitor to limit corrosion.

[Gene5is]

See the title of that thread? The anodizing was done to cut costs as it's not as cheap to implement a copper channel/pipe with threaded ports as it was with affixed barbs like the M5F.

 

Anodizing, if done with zero imperfections will function as they're stating. Anodizing done by a mass manufacturing process, with QC levels (costs) that would not realistically allow for zero surface imperfections, won't be. At the end of the day it's up to you, but functionally the board will not perform any better with the crosschill in use. A 10-15° drop in VRM temperatures will not allow for any better over-clocking then you'll get without it, the boards are entirely CPU limited thanks to Haswell. Getting a "Mad OC" is all about the CPU lotto this generation more then ever. 

 

ASUS PR is trying to put a stamp on something that is their own creation. Swiftech had a similar problem with plating alu tops for their GTX block, which on most of their samples worked completely fine. As with everything in the real world, QC isn't perfect and all it takes is one spec, scratch, etc. As well, those plated bronze fittings you screw into this block will react the same way copper will if they thread and damage that anodized surface.

 

This isn't some whacky theory, it's basic science and a history of this genre. Use it if you want, if you do I would advise using a coolant or mix with glycol and an inhibitor to limit corrosion.

 

 

First of all, thanks for taking the time to read this post and answer my question, cause this was the most helpful answer i've received...

 

Alright im taking notes from everything you guys said.. tomorrow i'm receiving the last set of fittings to finish my build and i'll decide wether if i decide to WC using crosschill or not...

 

i've seen a couple builds already and nobody said anything bad yet, tho it has been only a couple months since MVIF was released and galvanic corrosion takes its time..

 

this is the stuff that motivates me to try it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

if i decide to give it a try, ill be updating this post just to let you guys know(in case any of you is considering to buy this board) how it goes...

 

Thank you very much man! much appreciated!

[jclappers]

EK have released some new wc components for this mobo, one that changes the anodized alu to nickel or acetal and nickel, http://www.ekwb.com/news/429/19/EK-introduces-ASUS-Maximus-VI-Formula-water-block-kit/