Building first watercooling system some advice requested

[Lazien]

I am considering buying the following components. Please let Me know if they are the best, money is not a problem I just want the best parts so I can make the best WC system possible.

I have considered phasechange cooling and decided against it because it looks so friggen ugly!!!

Instead, I have a mini-fridge in the computer room and thought what the hell I'll drill some holes in it and put my Rad in there...that said, some ideas on condensation prevention would be much appreciated.

Black Ice XtremeIII Radiator
Danger Den DD12V-D5 Pump
CPU PolarFLO TT Waterblock
GPU PolarFLO TT VGA Waterblock
Zerex Super Coolant --- this the best?
Tygon 3603 Tubing 3/8" ID 5/8" OD --- would 1/2" ID be better?

I have not decided yet on the GPU waterblock since I'm going to buy a new vidcard in the next month or so. I'm considering buying the new 7800 GTX but I would also like to see what ATI will ship since I lean toward them in general.

Basically I would like the best parts I can get. Also, if You post "better" parts I would much appreciate it if You could also include a link showing some test results or benchmarks of the products so that any arguments over what's best can be avoided

I know that all this information is probably available in the forums if I search long enough but after reading posts for about 2 days I decided to make My own post and just ask all You Experts out there



Thanks alot for all the tips and advice Guys.

Lazien

 

[Elfear]

Looks like a fun project. I just built an H2O setup myself and the difference over air is amazing.

If you don't mind doing a little modding yourself I'd recommend using a heatercore for the rad as they seem to flow a little better and they are a lot cheaper. I'm using one out of a '77 Bonneville w/AC and it fits two 120mm fans perfectly.

Here's a link to a great site with a lot of knowledgable people. I did most of my research there and eased the pain of my first H2O setup a lot. Definetely read Maxx's guide to watercooling. He's the man when it comes to H2O.

Personally, I was looking for the least expensive yet highest performing parts I could find. If money is no object than I'd go with something different but for cost/performance ratio I'd go with the following:

Swiftech MCW6002 cpu block
Swiftech MCP-600 pump (AquaExtreme 50Z) or D5 as you suggested
Danger Den Maze4 GPU
1/2" I.D. Clearflex or Tygon tubing (the thinner 1/4" thick stuff is pretty flimsy so I'd recommend the thicker stuff)
Above mentioned heatercore (Weapon from Xtreme can make pre-modded ones if you'd like)

From what I've read there are better parts out there but would probably only decrease temps by 1-3C and will cost 2-3 times as much. For me it wasn't worth paying the extra money but maybe for you it is.

Here's a mini-review I did if you're interested.

 

[Lazien]

Thanks for the information....I'm at Xtreme now reading up

 

[Crescent13]

Come on, Water cooling??? Where's the liquid helium????

BTW, Welcome to the Forums!!

 

[Lazien]

This is what I really want....Liquid Metal Cooling would rock


http://www.techpowerup.com/?3105

 

[Lazien]

Could someone please post wether these components are "the best" or not? I'm really getting anxious to start buying this stuff

 

[Lazien]

Thanks for the Welcome Crescent13

 

[Lazien]

After reading some most posts I wonder if anyone knows if that 77 Bonneville w/AC heatercore is better than the Black Ice Xtreme III Radiator? I mean the black ice rad is a 3x 120mm rad...it's got some sick heat dissipation also....can a heatercore perform this well?

 

[Loomen]

I thought messing with a heatercore sounding like a pain in the ass so i just bought black ice extreme 120, works great, have 2 120mm fans - push pull

 

[Mrvile]

There are a lot of good waterblocks out there, but the best ones usually belong to small Australian or European companies and are hard to get hold of. The Swiftech MCW6002 and Dangerden TDX are examples of high-end ones that are easier to get. As for the pump, your best bet is the DangerDen D5 pump.

And for the video card, I suggest you holding out on this one until more 7800 waterblocks come out and we see some results.

 

[Lazien]

Mrvile I read from other forums that the PolarFLO WB's were the best (besides some "whitewater" WB which has like a 3month wait list)...does the MCW6002 and DD TDX perform better then they do?

Also I went to Danger Den and found these 2 Radiators but I'm at a loss for which is better according to the given spec's.

ThermoChill HE120.3 --- http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=46&cat=15&page=1 This one says 550W heat dissipation.

Black Ice XtremeIII Radiator --- http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=4&cat=13&page=1 This one says 9702 BTU per hour.

Does anyone know of a conversion so that I can get these both to the same units. I mean how does BTU/hour compare to Watts LOL ???

Thanks for any help

 

[Lazien]

I googled a website that had the conversions for BTU/hour to Watts.........this can't be right though.

It said that 1 BTU/hour = 0.29307107 Watts

That would mean that the Black Ice XtremeIII Radiator will dissipate 2843.4 Watts?????? My God that thing rocks then if the ThermoChill HE120.3 only does 550W..........

Can anyone confirm this calculation/rad stats.....hell if this is true then wouldn't everyone want a black ice rad?

 

[PhateX1337]

Not sure if those stats are correct, but anyway I thought I'd put in my 2 cents on the best WCing system out there.

Iwaki MD20RZT Pump
Weapon 302 Custom Heatercore w/ 2x Custom Shroud and 4x Sanyo Denki's
Silverprop Fusion HL GPU Block (2x Low Profile Maze4's if you go for SLi/Crossfire)
Storm G5 CPU Block (Almost Impossible to get, try the G4 - made by Swiftech now I believe)
All 1/2" ID Tygon Tubing
Swiftech HydrX Coolant

 

[wasserkool]

well..what is your budget?
I highly recommend german watercooling kits, they are made of very high quality and cools extremely well..

this website sells a range of H20 kooling gear from germany and they ship to USA www.alphacool.com

I bought their pump http://www.alphacool.de/perl/shop.pl?s=...2&prod_id=130&art_kz=131&art_id=15119)

waterblock http://www.alphacool.de/perl/shop.pl?s=...2&prod_id=120&art_kz=129&art_id=12913)

and Radiator http://www.watercool.de/cms/forum/threa...2&sid=1e671620ca51e3455266ece81e4006e7

 

[Mrvile]

The thing about radiators is that there isn't really a "best" radiator. You can get some huge car ones (like 3x3ft plates of heatcore), point a house fan at it, and you've got a damn good radiator setup. But of course, this wouldn't be practical.

So it comes down to size really. You want the biggest radiator you can get while still being able to fit it in your case. If you can attach one along the roof of your case, a 3x120mm one would be the best choice.

 

[jkresh]

would highly recomend checking out ocforums">http://www.ocforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71 I will be building my first watercooling setup within the next month and have found those forums quite helpful.

and the Storm G5 (about 180, and 6 months) or the Swiftech storm G4 (75 and less then one week) would be the best non peltier based water blocks. As for leaving your radiator in a fridge that is going to cause lots of issues with condensation and you would be better off getting two peltiers (1 for graphics and 1 for cpu) as it would be easier to deal with condensation from them

 

[Lazien]

Thanks for all the help Guys......I will be visiting all these links and the OCforums to see what I can scare up info wise. You guys have been a great help with websites and such, googling everything was getting really boring and I quit going past a couple pages so I missed alot of stuff.

 

[Lazien]

I think I finalized My WC setup...from everyones suggestions these parts look to be the best.

Black Ice Xtreme II Radiator --- the 3 wont fit in my case without some MAJOR work and will look ghetto lol
Danger Den DD12V-D5 Pump --- I've read it is the same pump as Laing D5
CPU Swiftech Storm G4 Waterblock --- Thanks JKResh this was a great suggestion it appears to be much better than the PolarFLO TT
GPU PolarFLO TT VGA Waterblock --- Still undecided, I'm waiting on the new vidcard's to come out....that "Fusion HL" looks very promising though PhateX1337, thanks for the suggestion.
Zerex Super Coolant or Swiftech Hydrx --- I hear this stuff is great for corrosion control and heat transfer.
Tygon 3603 Tubing 1/2" ID --- Most everyone on all the forums says this stuff is the best.

I do have one last question though.....originally I didn't want a reservoir because they usually look like crap and I have a system at work that can vacuum seal my WC setup. That said, I did a test run today of the vacuum sealer and I found that I couldn't get "all" the damn air bubbles out of crevices...so it looks like I should go with a reservoir just to make sure that I have no air bubbles at all.
Does anyone know of any really nice looking reservoirs that I can put in My case that won't look ghetto? price is of no concern if it looks good.

Thanks again for everyones help.....tomarrow I will start buying the suggested parts

 

[Mrvile]

Hmm...

I'm worried about your video card cooling...I dunno if mere ramsinks could handle the 7800GTX. Although the Fusion HL is probably the best single waterblock out now, I dunno if the ram would stay cool unless you had massive airflow over it. Just a thought though. I dunno if some of the all inclusive waterblocks (like the Dangerden NV68) work on the 7800's?

 

[Lazien]

Well I'm waiting for the new ATI card to see what it's going to do.....I hear it's going to be a killer because it's using alot of the xbox360 tech. I want to atleast wait until beta boards come out to the major sites for testing before I buy the 7800......I usually lean toward ATI but I have bought nvidia cards before.

Are the all inclusive GPU waterblocks worth the hassle of adding more lines? or is there a design that has a single inlet/outlet for the GPU & Ram?

My original thoughts were to have ram sinks and just make sure a fan blows across them, maybe this wont be enough?

 

[Lazien]

BTW, Thanks for all Your posts Mrvile. You've been a big help in setting up this system

 

[Mrvile]

The NV68 only has one inlet and one outlet, basically the water travels along all the ram, through the GPU, then out.

 

[Lazien]

That's kickass!!! That would be the best for the way I want My case to look.

Yet Again I Thank You Mrvile

 

[Lazien]

Just had a thought...is northbridge water cooling needed with an AMD64 system since the memory controller is on-die there should be alot less heat when over clocked right?

I was thinking that I could just put some active air-cooling on it and be all set? Maybe a nice Zalman NB cooler or something?

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Lazien
Just had a thought...is northbridge water cooling needed with an AMD64 system since the memory controller is on-die there should be alot less heat when over clocked right?

I was thinking that I could just put some active air-cooling on it and be all set? Maybe a nice Zalman NB cooler or something?

That's correct, though there are chipset water-block options for the A8N if you change your mind.

If you're still in the market for a CPU block take a look at this. Follow the link to Gruntville for a surprising comparative review against the TDX. I know I was shocked. :Q Bear in mind that the Polarflo requires extra plumbing and may not allow for 3/4 inch OD. About the Swiftech Storm; it's probably one of the best performing blocks you can get currently. But unless you're VERY careful about your coolant it can clog easily.