iBUYPOWER Erebus GT: Custom Cooling for Less
by Dustin Sklavos on March 15, 2012 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- iBuyPower
- Systems
- Water Cooling
- boutique
- desktops
- Radeon HD 7000
- i7
Testing Issues and a Statement from iBUYPOWER
I mentioned the problems that surfaced during shipment of the iBUYPOWER Erebus GT on the previous page (a minor coolant leak due to the reservoir cap not being completely fastened, and a loose lighting strep), but there were also issues with stability.
Speaking frankly if anecdotally, the idea of a desktop (especially a heavily overclocked desktop) that can actually enter and exit sleep mode properly is practically mythical in nature. I've never owned or serviced a desktop that could do it without locking up or getting stuck in a power cycle when I tried to wake it up. My experiences there are fraught. [Ed: I have a couple old Core 2 Quad systems that manage this feat, as well as a couple Bloomfield systems that can sleep and resume, but I do admit that the overclocks are relatively tame by comparison to the Erebus GT.] That said, when you buy a system from a vendor, be they large or small, you want the system to work perfectly.
During setup, I left the Erebus GT for a couple of hours and it idled to sleep on its own. Unfortunately it wouldn't wake up, and when powered off and then restarted it wouldn't POST. I had to clear CMOS to get the system to POST again, and then manually re-enter the overclocking settings. After that the system ran smoothly (though I disabled sleep in Windows), with just one hiccup where it locked up during PCMark 7. This isn't entirely unheard of; I have a notebook from a major vendor I'm reviewing right now that locked up during a run of PCMark 7, but like the Erebus GT the system ran smoothly before and since.
Acknowledging that there were problems with our review unit, though, we asked iBUYPOWER for a statement which is provided below:
We apologize for the issues you have had setting up the system. It is our number one priority to make sure that our customers’ systems function properly as expected when it arrives and throughout the product’s lifespan. Our customers obviously expect the same from the moment they hit the customize button to configure their system. That’s why every system we ship is tested to be fully functional under harsher conditions than they are typically ever used in. In addition, we put a lot of time into engineering safeguards and redundancies into our products, like our unique Erebus line, to prevent major mishaps and limit possible damage. For example, we use Koolance compression fittings, instead of much cheaper alternatives, to prevent coolant leaks and we use specially formulated non-conductive coolant, in case there is a leak.
Unfortunately, when you deal with massive customizability on a large scale, it is impossible to anticipate every situation. There are a lot of things that can happen after the system leaves our factory floor. That’s why we have policies in place to protect our customers, like a 30-day money-back guarantee with no restocking fee (for the worst-case scenarios). Obviously, before we get to that level, we always try to work out the problems with the system. Ultimately, what everyone wants is for the system to work.
Our technicians and customer service representatives are based right here in the USA, and are very experienced and have each worked with hundreds, possibly thousands of unique systems and customers. With customers who are more comfortable with technology, we will work with them to get the system running. For those who are not comfortable with tinkering, we will have the system shipped back to us for repair. Sometimes, the problem is simple, like a SATA cable that came loose in shipping, or an oddly misbehaving BIOS. Other times, fixes are more difficult, like physical damage due to the box being dropped by a shipping carrier. Either way, our representatives have the experience, the knowledge, and, most importantly, the authority necessary to remedy any issue that may arise.
Again, we apologize for the issues you have had setting up your system, and I am pleased to hear that you were able to get the system running with the assistance of one of our technicians. We want to assure you and your readers that we stand by our products, and will do anything necessary to ensure our products operate and perform at a level at or above expectations.
The 30-day money-back guarantee is a nice safety net, but there's certainly a concern with long-term stability with a hefty overclock. We had two minor issues that we experienced; one couldn't be reproduced in our limited and may have just been one of those random issues that sometimes crop up, but more likely is that the overclock might be just a bit too high or too close to the edge on one of the settings. I'd expect more problems to manifest over an extended period of time, and unfortunately evaluating long-term customer support for a product like this (e.g. over a year of use) is beyond the scope of what we can test.
The other problem (inability to resume from sleep) is unfortunately relatively common for significant overclocks. There's a simple workaround (don't put the computer to sleep and disable the sleep option in Windows), but it's not an elegant solution. The cause of such problems usually goes back to the motherboard and BIOS, but regardless it's a quirk you need to be willing to live with (or willing to troubleshoot) if you choose to purchase a heavily overclocked PC. Not every overclocked PC will experience this problem—not even PCs with the same components and same overclock—but often there's no real fix other than backing down on the overclock or disabling sleep mode. YMMV.
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Reshesnik - Thursday, March 15, 2012 - link
I just switched the overclock from always on to turbo mode. Now it sleeps fine.vicbee - Thursday, March 15, 2012 - link
I pretty much have the same set up although based on yesterday's greatest. The 2 negatives I've found (and will not make that mistake again...) are:1. Liquid cooling the GPU is not such a good idea mostly because a video card's life cycle is generally shorter than a mobo + CPU. Once you've taken apart a video card to install the liquid cooling system it can't be put back together and sold. Also, the cost of the hardware to cool the GPU is pretty high and card specific so it would have to be resold as a package and who would buy a 2nd hand liquid cooled video card? Right... I would have already replaced my 285GTX if it wasn't for the above issue.
2. Liquid cooling is not about reducing noise levels. It's about keeping CPU/GPU at acceptable temps. I was looking for both and failed at the noise level... Liquid cooling requires a radiator to cool the liquid which is powered by 2 or 3 fans. If the radiator fits in the case (not often) the noise might be managed but often the radiator has to be installed out of the box and it ends up being pretty loud, much louder than my air cooled gaming rig.
Death666Angel - Thursday, March 15, 2012 - link
1. I've used my HD5770 for 2 years now until I upgraded to a HD7970. That one cost me 560€ with a liquid cooling block and I'll use it well into 2013 I'm sure (mostly because of stagnant graphics thanks to consoles).Of course, if you frequently change graphics cards or don't mind the noise of normal ones or the bulk of custom cooled solutions, then by all means, don't go the liquid cooling route. But your criticism applies to a lot of non-liquid-custom-cooling graphics heatsinks as well. And normally, you can always switch back to the standard cooler, you don't break it in the process. Also, you can go GPU only liquid cooling with passive heatsinks for the RAM and VRMs and that GPU block usually works on all GPUs.
2. What liquid cooling is about is pretty much in the eye of the beholder or the user in this case. I used it to enable quieter cooling of my components, increase their overclockability, while at the same time not have the whole case full of copper from large CPU and graphics heat sinks which prohibit access to RAM or internal USB ports.
If your liquid cooling is loud, you either have made a mistake or want the best possible cooling. Yes liquid cooling needs fans as well, at least if you are serious about hardware and don't run sub 100W systems. However, the amount of radiator space you can get via liquid cooling compared to what you can get on your CPU and GPU widely differ, I have 480mm radiator screwed to the side of my case (TJ08-E) and as soon as I'll find the time I'll get a 2nd one on the other side. A good CPU heatsink has radiator space for 2 140mm fans. A good GPU heatsink has space for 3 92mm fans or 2 120mm fans. The extra amount of radiator space I gained by using liquid cooling in an external fashion (although there are cases that can accommodate 560mm radiators and more) can be used to let the fans run much more quiet. I can let them run at their lowest volt which results in 5xx rpm, which is inaudible. Once my PC starts working, they rise to low 1xxx rpm which is audible, but still much quieter than anything I could have done with normal heatsinks and still much cooler. Once I get that 2nd radiator it'll be quiet even under load. :-)
LtGoonRush - Thursday, March 15, 2012 - link
It's disappointing to see a high-end system use such a low-end board. I don't like Gigabyte as a brand (due to their abysmal and spec-violating CPU power quality), but it's absolutely unacceptable to see a $2000+ system using a motherboard with a Realtek Ethernet adapter. $20 more gets an Asus board with more features and an Intel adapter, and there's a reason you only see Realtek on the cheap boards. I used to not mind so much, but then late last year they pushed a driver through Windows Update that broke connectivity to certain websites and required a manual driver update from the Realtek website to fix. Not the biggest deal for one person once you know about it, but I've had to fix this problem on dozens of machines so far, and expect to do many more. Bottom line: life is too short for crappy network adapters, and iBUYPOWER should know better.Death666Angel - Thursday, March 15, 2012 - link
Can you maybe go into more detail concerning the water cooling setup?I'd be interested in how expandable it is, what kind of pump is used and how noisy the pump is on its own (usually a very different kind of noise than fans make). Is the coolant dyed or are the tubes? What diameter are the tubes? How fast do the fans rotate?
And really, they should have added a flow meter, water thermostat and corresponding fan controls with alarm function. This way the fans can be regulated according to the water temperature and be much more silent in idle and probably load as well. And I would know if one of the coolers is clogged up. Running a water cooling system without knowing a flow meter is too dangerous for me. And the added costs could easily be recouped by easier troubleshooting via phone for the service guys.
OVerLoRDI - Sunday, March 25, 2012 - link
You highlighted the issue that the computer came with coolant having spilled due to a loose cap. You went on to say that this isn't that big of a deal due to the fact that iBUYPower uses non-conductive coolant. This is not an issue that you should have dismissed so quickly. Non-conductive coolant really doesn't stay non-conductive for very long. The second it leaks and acquires dust and other particles from the air it becomes conductive and dangerous to the internal components of the computer. The carelessness that resulted in the coolant spillage on iBUYPower's end is unacceptable and you should have highlighted that.Drittz121 - Friday, February 28, 2014 - link
Just do yourself a favor. STAY AWAY from this company. Yes they look good. But when it breaks and it WILL. All they do is give you the run around. They have had my system for over 2 months trying to fix the garbage they sell. Worse company out there for support. DONT BUY