Good (and cheap) Water Cooling

[Elcs]

Ive studied Air cooling a little and know how much its going to cost to retune my system to a more comfortable noise level.

Since one of my relatives might be coming from US to UK in March, Im interested in anything to do with Watercooling.

Ease of Installation, Possible Risks, Rough Cost for good basic kit, Main points of failure, Maintenance, Size of case needed, Extra Power Supply, How quiet is it? and how compatible will it be with future processors such as the Hammer? are all points that i'd wish to get some information on.

Any info recieved is helpful, there will be more points but im too newbie to know at the minute.

 

[natopotato]

a lot the hassle of water-cooling is moding the case, among other things. if you are comfortable with a dremel, it isn't a big deal. installing a watercooling system takes some working and i would suggest learning all you can before jumping right in. procooling.com and overclockers.com are great resources. the risks aren't that big. if you use a peltier then it's different but straight watercooling is pretty low risk. you could have a pump failure(effects similar to CPU fan failure) or a leak(damage varies greatly from none to catastrophic depending on the fuild used and the quantity that leaks out and where). you could get a waterblock, pump, rad/heatercore, and tubing for around $100-120. you won't likely need an extra PSU but having a beefier unit than you would otherwise have doesn't hurt. closed loop systems(radiator based systems) are low maintenance, you might want to add/flush the fluids every few months. as far as the case goes, i use an Antec 835 II and it works great. you could go bigger or smaller though. i would recommend a large mid-tower/entry level server case. watercooling can be very loud or very quiet. depends on what you want. all that would be needed to be compatible with different procs is possibly a new waterblock. everything else can stay the same.

hope that answers at least some of your questions. good luck on your watercooling journey. even if you decide not to persue the water route farther, you can learn a lot of things that can be applied to air-cooling as well.

 

[Elcs]

Thanks natopotato. Some good info there.

Im an avid Thermaltake fan. They might not be known for consistantly producing great products but I like the look of their water cooling.

I read a few reviews and its only a small pump. Small enough to run off a beefy PSU.

I dont trust Web Reviews without some consumer thoughts. My first impressions are that of high end air cooling with a reasonably quiet operation. Any thoughts?

Im prepared to do a lot of research. I have about 1 1/2 months to prepare and make a decision.

 

[natopotato]

the thermaltake watercooling kit does not have the makings of a high performance cooling system. however, it probably will delivier results like those of a high-end air cooler with, like you said, less noise. i would really advise against going with the thermaltake kit but the choice is in your hands. you could get something better for less money but if you like thermaltake products then there really isn't much of an alternative.

 

[Elcs]

The kit shown seemed quite comprehensive.

If there is a better performer that is as quiet, if not quiet for a little more or less then suggest away.

 

[Blurry]

Try the Koolance Exos water cooling system.
Its very, very easy to install because you won't need to modify your system.

Here's a review

I think it goes for a little over $200, but it has very good performance.

 

[natopotato]

the exos is better than the thermaltake system likely is, there are still better solutions. look at dtekcustoms.com for some products. dangerden is also a good supplier. i'd suggest a heatercore based system. a heatercore with a quiet 120mm fan will perform better than the exos and or thermaltake kit. add in a TC-4 or one of the swifttech blocks for a waterblock, a maxi-jet pump or eheim. maybe one of swifttech's new pumps along with some clearflex tubing and you'll have a much better system.

 

[Elcs]

$200 is a bit too much for me. I was thinking of about $100-$150.

If you can build a reasonable watercooling kit, linkify the parts and give an explaination to why its good, how complex it is to set up and what else I'd need to check up on, ie. Beefy PSU, large case etc. then I'll be very grateful.

From the US, at the minute Id be paying about $70 + taxes for some quiet air cooling. When my GF4 came through customs, my relative declared it and said it didnt need to be taxed so I might be saving on tax if I wait and get Water.

 

[natopotato]

waterblock: TC-4
heatercore: dtek or you could grab a chevette HC for about $20 and put the barbs on yourself
tubing: clearflex 60 i'd go with 7 to 10ft.
pump: eheim pumps might be cheaper in the UK than here so i'd look into that first. otherwise i'd look into this
i believe hydor/seltz is based in europe so this is another item that might be cheaper to get in the UK. one BIG thing to keep in mind is the outlet type there. i don't know if the UK uses european style outlets. if you do use european style outlets then you can look into the maxi-jet pump here

you can get a T fitting or make a res for easier filling and bleeding of the system.

 

[Elcs]

I'll check up on that, if i can get some things cheaper in the UK then I'll be happy.

What wattage of PSU would be needed to carry the burden? Would a Big Brand 420/430W hold to load or would it need to be higher?

If so what, how much and where from again?

 

[natopotato]

400 watt power supplies are not needed as those pumps listed are all AC powered pumps, you just plug them into a wall outlet. just keep whatever you've got or if you are looking for a new one, thermaltake's 360watter is a great supply(dead silent too)

i did forget to mention that you would need a 120mm fan(panaflo, vantec stealth, papst, etc.. are all pretty quiet) and you might want to buy or make a radiator shroud(i use a modded tupperware container cost less than $2)

 

[Elcs]

One thing I just noticed in one of your posts, the European Vs US outlets. Electrical outlets or Water outlets? I seem to remember we use a 3 prong plug and some other countries use the 2 pin. I remember because my mate forgot his when he went abroad so didnt shave for 2 weeks 🙂
Whats the difference? If I know which one is what, I can take a look and inquire some more.

I can pick up a Thermaltake Silent 420W for about £42 and Silent 360W for £38 from here. Very good dealer here so I might just get one while Im on. I read a review of the 420W and I think it outperformed the Enermax by pushing closer to the voltage thats supposed to be pushed on each line. (Enermax still within safe limits)

While Im on, I have been thinking about watercooling for my GeForce4 Ti4400. I have to ask the 3 questions. Is it worth it? How much? and where from? Id be eliminating the 2 fans plus Id be taking out one large case heat producer. Id only be down to Northbridge, HDD and CDROM noise.

Northbridge could be Zalman'ed.

Mind is working overtime. WC looks very affordable from my point of view at the moment. Almost feels as though Im missing something.

[EDIT: How quiet is the system you picked out?

Is it possible to a 'dry test run'? Say take every piece, stick it on a desk, set it up, put the water in a see how it flows and how everything connects up before actually installing it? Experience would be useful here I believe.

Also, to what degree does my Computer have control over its cooling? ie. Could it shut itself off if say the pump failed or a blockage occured?

I have this and this website in the UK. How does it look? Anything interesting that I could check up on in the US? If I can pick up parts here for a reasonable price then I can save my relatives luggage space 🙂]

 

[natopotato]

if you've got 3 prong outlets then i think you'll be fine. the US is 110-120V 60Hz outlets. if those are the same in britian then there won't be a problem. on the topic of watercooling a vid card, i say it isn't worth the extra hassle. you could pick up one of the zalman heatpipe dealies that seem to work pretty good. if you did want to though, you'd need a vid card waterblock and a little extra tubing. the setup i picked out is as quiet as the fan you choose.

as far as a "dry run goes" you can do that easy and would fully suggest it. that way you can get everything set up to put in the case without having to worry too much. i would suggest doing the dry run for at least 48 hours to test for leaks.

the computer could shut itself off, you could just rely on the built in diode if your mobo has protection built in. otherwise you might have to wire something up. procooling has some info somewhere about it. you can ask pHaestus over at the forums as he knows his electronics pretty well. some of those stores you've got over there look pretty good. if you wanted you could get the innovatek rev 3 waterblock instead of the TC-4. i would really recommend this if you haven't got the 4 mounting holes on your motherboard.

 

[Elcs]

I think the EPoX 8KHA+ has the mounting holes - wont take 2 seconds to check.

Eheim 1250 (317gph) Pump $66.50
Cooler Core Radiator $32.00
Aluminum Topped TC-4 Waterblock $47.00
ClearFLEX 60 Tubing 1/2' - 10 Foot $15.00

Total: $160.50

Convert to GBP - £107 - very reasonable, low cost always makes me worry that ive forgot something.

Geforce4 Waterblock $36.00
Northbridge Waterblock $37.00

An additional £49 if selected.

A Thermaltake Silent 420W PSU for £45 shipped from the UK sounds good as well.

 

[muddocktor]

I'm running an Eheim 1250 in my watercooled dual rig and it's more pump than you really need for a single proc setup. You could get the next size smaller Eheim (1046 or 1048?) and still have great waterflow and save you some money. Stick with the Eheim though; they make great products and are reliable and hold up well under continuous use.

 

[dannybin1742]

i second the eheim 1250, look at my system stats in my sig. go for parts from dangerden.com, they make quality stuff that is probably the best you can buy, and FYI, use tygon tubing, i replaced all my vinylcovered tubing with this stuff and its super flexible and never colapses, great stuff

 

[natopotato]

clearflex is very similar to tygon and is much cheaper. i'd stick with clearflex unless you find some tygon cheaper.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: muddocktor
I'm running an Eheim 1250 in my watercooled dual rig and it's more pump than you really need for a single proc setup.

does you're definition of a single proc system include a waterblock on the graphics and northbridge. At the minute, its a possibility for the noise reduction benefits more so than unleashing extra overclocking potential.