watercooling

[pickleton]

ive been thinking about watercooling fo rmy system. Where can I find CHEAP watercooling systems that are easy to set up and that I can bring to a lan that I can bring with me places
??

 

[cirthix]

diy. take an old heatsink, a hacksaw, a via aqua 1300, tubing from hardware store, heatercore from junkyard, jbweld, and some antifreeze. let your imagination run with ideas and remember to measure twice, cut once

 

[cirthix]

or get an xp-120, it will smoke cheap watercooling systems and be far lighter and easier to set up. no worries about leaks or pumps dying either

 

[iamtrout]

How cheap are we talking about, do you plan on overclocking a lot, and what parts will you be watercooling?

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: pickleton
ive been thinking about watercooling fo rmy system. Where can I find CHEAP watercooling systems that are easy to set up and that I can bring to a lan that I can bring with me places
??

It seems like you want things that tend to be mutually exclusive. A CHEAP water-cooling system that's durable and well-built enough to move around on a regular basis. Be more specific about your wants, needs and what you can spend.

 

[pelikan]

Originally posted by: cirthix
or get an xp-120, it will smoke cheap watercooling systems and be far lighter and easier to set up. no worries about leaks or pumps dying either

 

[moonboy403]

via aqua pump
dtek pro radiator
a bay reservoir
buy a good cpu block

 

[iamtrout]

A cheap DIY watercooling setup can actually be had rather easily. The Aqua Via 1300 is a good pump to start out with, although in my experience I've always had to seal them up with goop like crazy and then wait a day or two for it to completely cure. An Aqua Via also died on me once but it gave some very advanced warning in that I could hear the impeller clanking inside the pump while it spun.

You don't even need a reservoir. You can just use a t-line which would cost $1 to set up.

Get a Fedco 2-342 heatercore from autozone or somesuch for $25. Get some cardboard and make your own shroud.

So I guess the total could be something like this:

Waterblock - $45 (Swiftech MCW series seem to be the cheapest)
Aqua Via 1300 - $25
Fedco 2-342 Heatercore - $25
1/2" Vinyl Tubing - $5
T-adapter for T-line - $0.50
Rubber stopped to plug up T-line - $0.50
Cardboard + Scissors - $2
Hose Clamps - $5
Goop - $5
Distilled Water + Additive like Antifreeze - $5
2X120mm fans - $15
Fan Controller if you so choose - $15
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $148 for all the parts and all the supplies

 

[HardWarrior]

Maybe it's just me but I don't understand the logic of buying a pump that you have to "prep" prior to using it. The term "penny wise, pound foolish" springs to mind.

 

[cirthix]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
A cheap DIY watercooling setup can actually be had rather easily. The Aqua Via 1300 is a good pump to start out with, although in my experience I've always had to seal them up with goop like crazy and then wait a day or two for it to completely cure. An Aqua Via also died on me once but it gave some very advanced warning in that I could hear the impeller clanking inside the pump while it spun.

You don't even need a reservoir. You can just use a t-line which would cost $1 to set up.

Get a Fedco 2-342 heatercore from autozone or somesuch for $25. Get some cardboard and make your own shroud.

So I guess the total could be something like this:

Waterblock - $45 (Swiftech MCW series seem to be the cheapest)
Aqua Via 1300 - $25
Fedco 2-342 Heatercore - $25
1/2" Vinyl Tubing - $5
T-adapter for T-line - $0.50
Rubber stopped to plug up T-line - $0.50
Cardboard + Scissors - $2
Hose Clamps - $5
Goop - $5
Distilled Water + Additive like Antifreeze - $5
2X120mm fans - $15
Fan Controller if you so choose - $15
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $148 for all the parts and all the supplies

making the waterblock saves some money, buf from my experiences, i dont recommend it. heatercores rock, and i did have to put some sealant on my via aqua 1300. I use a T line as well as 5 120mm fans and antifreeze. wow, we are thinking the same thing!

 

[pelikan]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
A cheap DIY watercooling setup can actually be had rather easily. The Aqua Via 1300 is a good pump to start out with, although in my experience I've always had to seal them up with goop like crazy and then wait a day or two for it to completely cure. An Aqua Via also died on me once but it gave some very advanced warning in that I could hear the impeller clanking inside the pump while it spun.

You don't even need a reservoir. You can just use a t-line which would cost $1 to set up.

Get a Fedco 2-342 heatercore from autozone or somesuch for $25. Get some cardboard and make your own shroud.

So I guess the total could be something like this:

Waterblock - $45 (Swiftech MCW series seem to be the cheapest)
Aqua Via 1300 - $25
Fedco 2-342 Heatercore - $25
1/2" Vinyl Tubing - $5
T-adapter for T-line - $0.50
Rubber stopped to plug up T-line - $0.50
Cardboard + Scissors - $2
Hose Clamps - $5
Goop - $5
Distilled Water + Additive like Antifreeze - $5
2X120mm fans - $15
Fan Controller if you so choose - $15
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $148 for all the parts and all the supplies

You have a good point here. I did my first watercooling setup for $70. by buying used parts.

I'd change this:
No Fan Controller: - 15
No Goop: - 5
Already have cardboard/scissors: -2

And use the $22. to trade the via aqua for the CSP 750 pump. Its a very good pump and runs off the 12V line so you don't need a relay like you would with the via.

 

[iamtrout]

Good point on the used parts thing. eBay or FS/Trade on watercooling forums should turn up some results. Maybe it's just me, but I've never really liked pumps that run off of the 12V line. I don't find it that much harder to just connect the pump to a seperate power outlet. It's easier to fill the system (you don't have to turn on the entire system to do so) and puts less strain on the PS. As for the prepping the pump thing, if you do it right prepping is perfectly safe, pretty easy, and yields good results. But I would recommend it only if you can get a pump for dirt cheap like the Aqua Via.

 

[HardWarrior]

This CSP 750 huh? From ProCooling. Another example of why there are so many horror stories.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
Maybe it's just me, but I've never really liked pumps that run off of the 12V line. I don't find it that much harder to just connect the pump to a seperate power outlet. It's easier to fill the system (you don't have to turn on the entire system to do so) and puts less strain on the PS. As for the prepping the pump thing, if you do it right prepping is perfectly safe, pretty easy, and yields good results. But I would recommend it only if you can get a pump for dirt cheap like the Aqua Via.

12v pumps require no wiring beyond a molex, don't need extra HW like relays and otherwise allow a pump to exist as an on-demand device. Anyone with an extra PSU lying around can F&B a 12v pump simply by jumpering the ATX power-on leads. It isn't physics. 12v pumps are as valid a choice as 120vac pumps.

There's no such thing as "perfectly safe" when you take a device out of spec. The entire idea behind buying a 1300 instead of a more expensive, better built pump is that you're saving money in exchange for the margin of safety that's usually inherent in more expensive models. Just the act of having to goop it means that its design is faulty for its intended purpose. It just doesn't make sense to digest thousand dollar expenditures to have a solid gaming rig and then cheap-lick the heart of its cooling system. Under these conditions a high-end forced air solution would seem to be a better solutions.

 

[pelikan]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
This CSP 750 huh? From ProCooling. Another example of why there are so many horror stories.

I hadn't heard about problems with that pump. Thanks for posting the link. I got out of watercooling about six months ago. Back then everyone was still happy with their CSP 750.

So now I would recommend a used pump, like the Eheim 1250. I used to have one and it is super reliable and pretty quiet. I got mine used for $25. but they tend to go for $40.-$50.

In the end, I had an Iwaki pump and one of Cathar's Cascade blocks. It was a top of the line system. But I sold it and used the money to upgrade to an A64. Now I have an XP 120 with a quiet fan and don't miss watercooling at all. It was fun for awhile and I don't regret it, but now it makes more sense to me to use the money on faster parts instead of watercooling. Compared to high-end air, you only get 100-200MHz more of an overclock with watercooling, and that's only if you are willing to use a lot of vcore. So if you use the money on faster parts instead of watercooling you can get more performance for your money.

 

[Killmenow]

^_^ hehehe, this might be irrelavent (actually i am posative that it is), but don't tell me that iamtrout's sig is for real !!!! >__< (man, that must suck)

Anyways, i was just wondering if watercooling is one of those things that could lead to some sort of an upgrade addiction.....like say, i slap together a cheap watercooling unit. Is this something that could lead me into getting better parts, and ultimately spending more money in an attempt to satisfy some sort of an erge to have a better watercooling unit??? Or is it usually a one-time-deal(build it once; done, and no more upgrades). Reason why i ask this is because i am considering the possibilty of going with water..........but im somewhat of a spontanous buyer, so i dont want to end up spending a sum of 700 dollars in the future because of an adiction to buying better watercooling parts >_< heheheheh............or maybe im just crazy....oh well.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: pelikan

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
This CSP 750 huh? From ProCooling. Another example of why there are so many horror stories.

I hadn't heard about problems with that pump. Thanks for posting the link. I got out of watercooling about six months ago. Back then everyone was still happy with their CSP 750.

My Pleasure pelikan.

 

[iamtrout]

If you manage to somehow spend more than $400 on a complete watercooling setup, I would be amazed. It can definitely be done, but the fact that you spend $300 extra for 1C lower is stupid. At that price you might as well go with a phase change setup like something from Asetek and bring the temp to below zero.

Eheim 1250 for $40-$50? Are you sure you're not thinking about the Eheim 1048? I bought my 1250 for around $60-$70, damn expensive for a pump if you ask me.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Killmenow
Anyways, i was just wondering if watercooling is one of those things that could lead to some sort of an upgrade addiction.....like say, i slap together a cheap watercooling unit. Is this something that could lead me into getting better parts, and ultimately spending more money in an attempt to satisfy some sort of an erge to have a better watercooling unit??? Or is it usually a one-time-deal(build it once; done, and no more upgrades). Reason why i ask this is because i am considering the possibilty of going with water..........but im somewhat of a spontanous buyer, so i dont want to end up spending a sum of 700 dollars in the future because of an adiction to buying better watercooling parts >_< heheheheh............or maybe im just crazy....oh well.

Like most things, whether you end up moving to increasingly advanced parts depends on your temperament and how much disposable income you have. One can be satisfied with stock, something in between or go for the sky. Any way you cut it, it's all good.

 

[pelikan]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
Eheim 1250 for $40-$50? Are you sure you're not thinking about the Eheim 1048? I bought my 1250 for around $60-$70, damn expensive for a pump if you ask me.

It was a 1250. I got it used for $25. shipped. I also got a maze 2 for $10. My first watercooling system didn't cost that much.

Anyways, i was just wondering if watercooling is one of those things that could lead to some sort of an upgrade addiction

Yes.

 

[pickleton]

cheap meaning, about 50 bucks, IF possible, oir around that? but it hasto be portable

 

[iamtrout]

50????? What's your current system?