new member! watercooling - can i have some advice?

[pheurtonskeurto]

hey all im new here ^^ i've been reading here for a while and i know you guys all know your stuff, so i'm hoping you might be able to help me out with some questions, as i've done some research and im having trouble knowing what is good and bad, and what to look for.

i have been having temps that i havent liked since i got my pc, usually around 47c idle and about 57c load. which i guess isnt that bad but i have a ton of loud fans and my room ends up getting pretty warm and uncomfortable.
specs:
athlon xp 2800+
asus a7n8x-e deluxe
kingston hyperx
radeon 9800pro w/vga silencer
36g raptor
some cd drvies
vantech stealth 470W psu

i've been toying with the idea of going water cooling and now that i have the extra cash i might go ahead and order some stuff. I dont need the greatest setup, i just want to lower my temps a bit and chuck out these loud annoying fans that keep me awake at night. i wont be overclocking i just need something that will:
a) keep my pc a little cooler (or even around the same temps as they are relatively safe temps)
b) make my pc a lot quieter.

right now i have 6 80mm case fans... id really like to lower that amount.
also i want to get a kit that can be adaptable if i want to upgrade my pc later, i've been thinking of going to AMD64 in the future and going pci-e, will i just need to replace the waterblocks if i upgrade? or buy a whole new kit?
i want to have waterblocks on my video card and cpu.
please someone point me towards something that may suit my needs, or point me somewhere with some decent information on different kits.
i wouldnt be against buying seperate parts and putting it all together if its cheaper or better to do that, i was just thinking a kit might be easiest and safest.
i think my budget should be around $200 - $250 CAN, but if that is a really low figure i have no problem waiting til my next pay cheque and doubling that amount.
also how safe is it to have a water cooling kit in a pc that i frequently bring to LANs. id be a bit worried that it would spring a leak if i hit a big bump in the road or carry it around too much.
thanks guys, i know you'll help me out^^ im glad to finally register on your forums !

 

[HardWarrior]

Your first consideration is the case you have. It's possible to mount two 80mm rads to the fans cuts you currently have, but that depends on how far apart they are. If you?re adventurous and want lots of overhead in terms of dissipation, I'd suggest you cut (or have someone cut it for you) 2x120mm fan holes in the top of your case. This would allow you to mount a more efficient 2x120mm rad\core. This way allows you to use generally quieter 120mm fans also.

There are at least a few universal mount CPU blocks. The means that the blocks mounting plate has holes situated in several places that take advantage of current and past mb mounting schemes. The Polarflo TT series is a good representative of this approach. The Dangerden TDX (the block I use) takes a different route to the same destination. Instead of having myriad holes in its mounting plate, it has different mounting plates (that you have to buy) for different styles of motherboards. In fact, I used the same TDX contact plate on a mb just like yours before upgrading.

Kits: By this you mean all-in-one-box solutions? There are a few available. Some are quite good, like the TT big water and the Corsair COOL. The problem, at least for some, is that neither unit comes with a video block. Another problem for sticklers is that they both use 3/8 ID tubing instead of the big-bore, American-style 1/2 ID tubing. Both issues only qualify as problems if they don't meet your requirements for the project. In general, I'd suggest buying your cooler as individual parts. This way you get veto rights over all aspects of your unit, which, if you're studious about it, will net you a high-quality finished product. Asetek and Innovatek make some interesting kits also.

As far as moving a water-cooled unit, I've only done it once. For me this was like moving a critically ill patient. My box was covered in styrofoam, wrapped in my favorite blanket and held in place with a dozen interlocking cargo-straps. As long as your barbs are secure (mandatory in any case) and you drive VERY carefully, I'd say you could get to a LP and back without any problems, and without being as fanatical as I was.

Forward compatible video cards blocks aren't as cut and dried, at least not yet. For instance, the NV68 block I use will fit the 7800-series cards in terms of the mounting hardware. However, since the since the 7800 series' GDDR3 is a hair flatter, the RAM cooling portion of the block won't make contact. There are simpler blocks available that MAY allow for some forward compatibility though. Consider this well before you buy.

As far as where and what to buy; I have a few links that you might find useful. Would you like me to post them?

 

[NINaudio]

Hey there. HW touched on quite a few good points. Another thing you may want to consider if you are transporting the case is one of the water alternatives that are non-conductive. The most common ones are Fluid XP and MCT-5. I used to use Fluid XP, but it left a white coating on my tubing, which I was not too fond of and just yesterday switched it over to MCT-5. According to the FluidXP people the problem is not a common one, but it seems to occur more often with my particular pump. The MCT-5 is good so far, if you're more interested in it, I can update you more later. It has though lowered my temps a few degrees when compared to Fluid XP.

In general you can reuse most of your components, with the exception being the occassional waterblock as HW mentioned. Most of them nowadays though can be used on many platforms. You don't need the ram on the video card to be water cooled either, it's nice, but not necessary, you can save a few bucks there by just getting a gpu die cooler and ramsinks.

As far as 3/8" ID vs. 1/2" ID is concerned, they both have their pros and cons, the main ones being that 3/8" is usually easier to route and bend but constricts flow more than 1/2" ID does, but the 1/2" is usually not as easy to route and bend.

I always recommend Danger Den. You should at least check out there site and get an idea of what you want. I don't know if they ship to Canada though. I've also found the reviews here to be very informative and helpful.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Ah god. Too much to read.

 

[chinkgai]

Originally posted by: Kensai
Ah god. Too much to read.

 

[pheurtonskeurto]

thank you all for your replies so far. i feel the knowledge seeping in.
post any links you know ^^ im an info whore.
so im looking at 1/2"" ID tubing, waterblocks for cpu and gpu, a pump, resevoir, and radiator (or two)? what else is necessary to put together something like this? im wondering how the resevoir and radiator would even fit in my case... they seem rather large. sorry but im a total watercooling noob, i know a good amount about hardware but i dont know jack about this.
what to look for in a pump or resevoir? what distinguishes a good one from a bad one?

my case:
pic of inside
back-inside
front-inside

its not a super good case, im not sure if i'd have room to put any 120mm case fans ...
hmm, lemme know what you guys think would be good for me.

 

[NINaudio]

What case is that? I can't tell from the pics, but it looks similar to the chieftec dragon. If you're into modding you might be able to make a cutout for a 120mm fan in place of the 2 80mm's, but I can't tell from the pics. The kind of pump really depends on the rest of your system. The Danger Den D5 is one of the better pumps out there, the Danger Den DDC is also quite good for it's size. The DDC is a high pressure pump, more restrictive blocks will not decrease the flow as much as with a low pressure pump. For a reservoir I would just say go with a 5.25" bay reservoir of your choosing.

 

[pheurtonskeurto]

its the x-dreamer II

 

[NINaudio]

Some other good place to read from is:

System Cooling

 

[pheurtonskeurto]

oh god there is so much ><
perhaps you can tell me a good setup for my system and i can see what i could change? im trying to read through all this and im having a hard time following >< i feel stupid

 

[NINaudio]

Well, I would recommend a setup similar to mine, of course. If your are a bit tight on room in your case, the DDC and 3/8" tubing will suit you just fine. If you absolutely must have 1/2" tubing then I'd recommend either the ddc or the D5. The swiftech storm is one of the best blocks out there, but it needs a lot of volume to really shine. Otherwise I'd go with a TDX. For the video card, I'd recommend just a maze4 and ramsinks. A single 120mm rad if you can fit it; if not a 80mm x 2 rad. An HDPE 5.25" reservoir.