Overclocking / best value water cooling solution for QX9770

[WoodButcher]

daw, now you've got someone "knowlegeable" aigo is current on most things water and PC, He has guided many through the maze of watercooling and is a wealth of current info. I frequently pick his grey matter.

I was picking on your "newbs' guide". It seems our new friend daw has got a firm grasp on the basic ideas and his post read at first better than some of the other guides I've seen on the web!
So, was that Koolance plug steel or what? I read so many off topic posts in that thread I gave up.

 

[daw123]

I think I'm defintely going to go with metal barbs. I don't want to run the risk of a leak developing because of a damaged plastic barb.

WoodButcher - I will have a look at the links you suggested.

Thanks for the help and advice.

P.S. It is D-day tomorrow regarding whether or not the computer will be built this weekend (i.e. whether the outstanding PSU and graphics card will be delivered in time).

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: daw123
You have a good point about saving cash.

Car went in for a service last week and I got a few surprises. Hence, do not have the cash to spend on the liquid cooling that I originally thought I would have. Bloody cars and their expensive parts.

Any way I thought raising the question about value liquid cooling would be useful for other newbies that know very little about it / what to get.

To sum it up in a nutshell (and from looking at other posts on this fourm) am I correct in saying for a liquid cooling system for the CPU only (I am not going to overclock the graphics card) that the part list would conprise of (not in any particular order):

1. Reservoir
2. PVC tubing (7/16" ID / 5/8" OD ideally??) and lots of it.
3. Tie wraps
4. DC Pump
5. Fans and radiator (2x or 3x 120mm fans - 3 fans would allow for future expansion of the system if required)
6. CPU block
7. Distilled water and additives

And connected in this order:

Reservoir (at highest point in loop) to Pump to Radiator/fans to CPU block and back to Reservoir. You can bleed the system through the reservoir or alternatively you can use a T-line in lieu of the reservoir (T-line goes before pump at lowest point in loop).

Do all components require barbs (1/2" ID for a tight fit) on the inlet and outlet (i.e. 4 components x 2 = 8 barbs)?

If you add a GPU block to the system and you want the liquid cooling to be biaised toward cooling the CPU more than the GPU then the CPU block would go before the GPU block in the loop. And the reverse if you want biais cooling toward the GPU.

If you want to save cash, use a T line not a res. They are much cheaper though may take longer to bleed air. I prefer worm drive clamps as opposed to ties, sure they look ugly but they are meant for clamping tubing. For the rest, just look in the FS/FT section for deals. You can find awesome deals on waterblocks all the time.

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: WoodButcher

Aigo, your fired! I like his accent better :laugh:

*kicking the can*

If your talking about gillbot, :X.

His first project was sooo ghetto, i felt bad and gave him some parts. The second project came out awesome and then got greedy.

Now he's on his third/fourth project. ROFL.

HEY HEY HEY!!! My ghetto WORKED! and for the record, I didn't get greedy, I got AIGO'ED! Constantly via AIM i'd send him cheap parts and ask his opinion, then Aigo tells me, TRY THIS! Then THIS, THEN THIS $$$ part, one after the other!!! Now my cheap ghetto setup is nowhere near cheap and ghetto.

 

[EvilSponge]

Hey Aigo no love for the sponge! Where were my parts! and I have a dead mother board to boot comon man at least a happy meal

-sponge

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: EvilSponge
Hey Aigo no love for the sponge! Where were my parts! and I have a dead mother board to boot comon man at least a happy meal

-sponge

He keeps loaning me stuff.

Don't let him fool you, he keeps offering me an EK (to borrow) and I keep declining...... For Now!

 

[daw123]

I'm very tempted to say sod it to the cash and go for a fairly decent liquid cooling system (say £200/$370).

Its pretty much what I did for the other components (and please do not mention the RAM )

I'm sure I can live with the performance for a month or so and buy the parts for the liquid watercooling individually (and thanks for the help in identifying what parts to buy), once my funds have been replenished.

 

[Gillbot]

I hate to keep echoing the same advice but if you are paitient and keep an eye in the FS/FT section, you can KEEP your budget and get GOOD watercooling components.

My initial setup was under ~$50 and even though Aigo called it "ghetto", it worked VERY well. As time and budget allowed, it has been upgraded at very minimal cost.

 

[daw123]

I was bored so I had a look on the Internet (UK-based shops only) using BTRY B's spec for what I presume to be a decent system:
MCP355 DC pump £47.00
XSPC res top for Laing DDC £11.00
EK Extreme Water Block £34.00
Swiftech MCR320-QP Triple 120mm Radiator £39.00
3 x 120mm dia fans £30.00
Swiftech MCB-120 Radbox £10.00
PVC 7/16" ID and 5/8" OD pipe work £2.50 per meter x 7 meters = £25.00 (a complete guess on the length, but I hope I overcompensated)
1/2" brass barbs with BSP threads (I'm not sure this is the correct thread type)
£1.50 x 8
Swiftech Micro Reservoir £15.00

(Please correct me if I've missed something obvious - I've assumed the cost of the distilled water and additives is neglible in the grand scheme of things)

I make that £223.00 inc. tax, but exc. delivery (say £40.00 at 18.0% of total cost) bringing the grand total to .... wait for it .... £263.00 inc tax.

Bear in mind that I took the prices from the first suitable website I came across on the search engine, I don't think this is too bad. You can obviously get the components for a bit cheaper if you shop around (maybe save £50.00 overall if you look hard enough).

Since the cheapest 'decent' kit I found (and I did look hard) on the internet from a UK based shop was £150.00 inc tax for a Swiftech H2O 220 Apex Ultra, this is not bad at all.

This is certainly something where you can buy the components over a period of time without making a major dent in your pocket.

I can provide the links upon request (although I do not know how reliable these shops are in terms of lead in time, delivery, reliability, credibility, etc.). As I said before, this was a quick no frills search of UK online shops.

 

[EvilSponge]

Good Gravy! thats $345 USD!

-sponge

 

[daw123]

Well Swiftech H20 220 Apex Ultra was £150.00 inc tax but excluding delivery (or $270.00 at $1.8 to £1), I thought it wasn't too bad and you have the benefit of buying the parts individually over a period of time as opposed to having to fork out £150.00 in one hit.

Plus you have a rad with 3 fans as opposed to 2 fans allowing for further expansion of the system in the future.

 

[daw123]

The exchange rate is bad at the moment for the Brits - the Americans are getting more for their money.

 

[EvilSponge]

Well let me say this though the coin is large now. I think it will serve you well into the future. The simple fact is that air is no match for a mid tier water system the list is a good one it's the same parts I am running now with excellent results take your time and you should have a nice result best of luck.

-sponge

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: EvilSponge
Good Gravy! thats $345 USD!

-sponge

Did you ever tally up what is in your box? I'm afraid to,,,

 

[EvilSponge]

Nope I'm very happy on my island of denial

-sponge

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Gillbot
I didn't get greedy, I got AIGO'ED!

ROFL. Im an adverb now?

Originally posted by: WoodButcher


Did you ever tally up what is in your box? I'm afraid to,,,

...
i know how much mine costed, however thanks to depreciation, it probably doesnt cost half as much anymore.

EKwaterblocks.com.


also sells direct.

 

[IanY]

ROFL. Im an adverb now?

You're also used in a present continuous fashion.. as in I am aigo-ing my machine as we speak...

 

[WoodButcher]

Not to mention the aigo-isms, aigo-eese and assorted goodies that can't be mentioned in the presence of a mod!:laugh:

 

[EvilSponge]

Yeah that just puts it in a nut shell I got Aigo'ed LOL my wallet will never be the same
It's really all due to his darn sticky you read it and go well that seems like a good idea then it evolves to I think i can do that then it really starts ok just one loop then you say if one loop is good......

-sponge

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: WoodButcher
Not to mention the aigo-isms, aigo-eese and assorted goodies that can't be mentioned in the presence of a mod!:laugh:

I have other words for him but I prefer not to put them in print.

 

[daw123]

The gloves are now off.

I'm p***ed off with online shops messing me about with orders / deliveries. This is an e-mail I sent earlier (I've asterixed the company names and my address):

'I ordered this item on 2nd September 2008. My order was for expedited delivery which has a delivery time of 1 to 2 working days (expedited delivery). Please be aware that if this item does not have an attempted delivery to my address (***) on 5th September 2008, I will report your company and **** to Trading Standards and Watchdog because you claimed that the item was in stock and by my reckoning this item should have been delivered, or had at the very least an attempted delivery, today (4th September 2008 or two days after 2nd September 2008). Bearing in mind that I paid extra for expedited delivery, at a cost above the normal rate charged for standard delivery, which has not come to fruition.'

If it doen't arrive tomorrow there will be hell to pay.

On a happier note, the online shop for the graphics card has stated that it will be delivered tomorrow.

I may still make the weekend build after all. These shops just need a not so gentle push in the right direction.

 

[WoodButcher]

(crosses fingers!) Good luck.

 

[daw123]

Thanks

 

[daw123]

The plastic push pins on the bracket for the Thermaltake BigTyp are crap. Press two pins on one side (or diagonally) and the other two pins pop out. This bracket is not deep enough for the socket/chip/heatsink!! Hopefully I have not damaged the MB in the process (I don't think it flexed that much because it was mounted in the tray).

I figured that the bolt through bracket Thermalright sells will be a better option (on the assumption that since the 4 holes are the same distance apart on every MB, that it would make no difference if the HSF is not made by Thermalright).

So I placed the order with next day delivery. I will have to remove the Crazy Cool (although other people have menitioned that it is useless any way), to fix the bracket on the underside of the MB - hopefully this won't present a clearance issue with the standoffs for the board.

I also mounted a small fan on the Northbridge using tie wraps (what a pain in the arse that was). Found that the 60mm dia fan I had originally chosen obstructed the HSF after I spent 30minutes and dozens of tie wraps later top mounting it. So instead used a slimline 40mm dia fan (which is also LED lit so should look quite nice).

Any way, ground to a halt in the build until the PSU and HSF bracket turn up early next week.

P. S. The Sapphire HD 4870 X2 is huge (as in long) and heavy. Its a good job I mesured the case beforehand for clearance