- Joined
- Dec 4, 2002
- Location
- Hell's Kitchen
With my new watercooling setup (pics to come when girlfriend finds lost digi-cam 
), I decided to get the best parts out there. Just for kicks, I went for an Iwaki pump instead of the more run of the mill Eheim. Because I had purchased a block from Cathar (a highly restrictive block) and I had planned on getting a custom made vid card block in conjunction with a mammoth Lytron radiator, I felt that the enormous head that the Iwaki produced would help my system out quite a bit.
After running into logistic problems, I had to settle for a dtek heatercore avec shroud and I'm *still* waiting for my vid card block. That being said, I was still able to construct my watercooling system with the Iwaki pump since they are fairly easily found.
I must say, this thing literally ROCKETS water out of its outlet. the amount of pressure and head this thing produces has to be seen to be believed. In fact, when I first plugged in the pump in my bathroom, I was so unprepared for the deluge of water I would recieve that I was practically attacked by a jet of water that had richocheted off the bathroom wall and into my face. Yes folks, this thing makes an Eheim look like a siphon by comparison. Although the Iwaki produces only about 400 gph (about 200 less than the top of the line Eheim) it loses very little of its max pumping ability after 10 feet of tubing--because of this, in a watercooling loop after all the twists and turns caused by the blocks, radiators, etc., the water is still going at a pretty high velocity. Whether or not this will actually aid *your* particular wc setup depends on your components (high flow doesn't necessarily translate into lower temps as evidenced by numerous articles out there on the web). That being said, if you carefully pick your components out, the Iwaki pump can be quite an asset to your cooling setup.
The first thing that will blow you away when you see the Iwaki pump is the sheer size and weight of it. This thing really is a beast. It is encased in a painted metal cylinder that feels solid as hell. Seriously, your girlfriend could probably get a good workout curling this pump. If you have a mid-tower case, I would stay far away from the Iwaki as I cannot concieve of a way it would fit inside. With fittings, the pump will probably be around 9" in length--this, in addition with its 4" diameter adds up to one humongous piece of machinery. I have an ATC-710 case (same chassis as the wildly popular Chemning/Alien case) and I had to do quite a bit of hacking to mount it. I ended up losing my entire 3.5 drive bay just to fit it and it STILL blocks a good portion of my mother board.
PROS:
-Solidly built. Could probably survive a nuclear holocaust
-Enormous head. Loses very little over a wc loop
-Looks badass. I must say, the industrial look of it is quite appealing.
CONS:
-HUGE. I highly suggest a full tower case or even a cube to fit this mammoth.
-3/4" fittings. Getting adapters for this thing will just add more to its heft. Also, if you REALLY want to take advantage of this pump's power, you should probably stick to 5/8" tubing--I settled for 1/2" as I simply don't have the space.
-Expensive. At around 120-140 retail, these puppies ain't cheap.
*edit*
One thing that I think I should point out: there are two variations Iwaki makes on this particular line of pumps. One is the MDRLT and the other is the WMDRLT. The 'W' in the front means that the motor was made in America to help lower costs. The 'MD' appelation means that the motor was made in Japan. Generally speaking, the two pumps are identical except that the WMD series are slighlty longer and produce a little more heat than the 'MD' variation.
), I decided to get the best parts out there. Just for kicks, I went for an Iwaki pump instead of the more run of the mill Eheim. Because I had purchased a block from Cathar (a highly restrictive block) and I had planned on getting a custom made vid card block in conjunction with a mammoth Lytron radiator, I felt that the enormous head that the Iwaki produced would help my system out quite a bit.After running into logistic problems, I had to settle for a dtek heatercore avec shroud and I'm *still* waiting for my vid card block. That being said, I was still able to construct my watercooling system with the Iwaki pump since they are fairly easily found.
I must say, this thing literally ROCKETS water out of its outlet. the amount of pressure and head this thing produces has to be seen to be believed. In fact, when I first plugged in the pump in my bathroom, I was so unprepared for the deluge of water I would recieve that I was practically attacked by a jet of water that had richocheted off the bathroom wall and into my face. Yes folks, this thing makes an Eheim look like a siphon by comparison. Although the Iwaki produces only about 400 gph (about 200 less than the top of the line Eheim) it loses very little of its max pumping ability after 10 feet of tubing--because of this, in a watercooling loop after all the twists and turns caused by the blocks, radiators, etc., the water is still going at a pretty high velocity. Whether or not this will actually aid *your* particular wc setup depends on your components (high flow doesn't necessarily translate into lower temps as evidenced by numerous articles out there on the web). That being said, if you carefully pick your components out, the Iwaki pump can be quite an asset to your cooling setup.
The first thing that will blow you away when you see the Iwaki pump is the sheer size and weight of it. This thing really is a beast. It is encased in a painted metal cylinder that feels solid as hell. Seriously, your girlfriend could probably get a good workout curling this pump. If you have a mid-tower case, I would stay far away from the Iwaki as I cannot concieve of a way it would fit inside. With fittings, the pump will probably be around 9" in length--this, in addition with its 4" diameter adds up to one humongous piece of machinery. I have an ATC-710 case (same chassis as the wildly popular Chemning/Alien case) and I had to do quite a bit of hacking to mount it. I ended up losing my entire 3.5 drive bay just to fit it and it STILL blocks a good portion of my mother board.
PROS:
-Solidly built. Could probably survive a nuclear holocaust
-Enormous head. Loses very little over a wc loop
-Looks badass. I must say, the industrial look of it is quite appealing.
CONS:
-HUGE. I highly suggest a full tower case or even a cube to fit this mammoth.
-3/4" fittings. Getting adapters for this thing will just add more to its heft. Also, if you REALLY want to take advantage of this pump's power, you should probably stick to 5/8" tubing--I settled for 1/2" as I simply don't have the space.
-Expensive. At around 120-140 retail, these puppies ain't cheap.
*edit*
One thing that I think I should point out: there are two variations Iwaki makes on this particular line of pumps. One is the MDRLT and the other is the WMDRLT. The 'W' in the front means that the motor was made in America to help lower costs. The 'MD' appelation means that the motor was made in Japan. Generally speaking, the two pumps are identical except that the WMD series are slighlty longer and produce a little more heat than the 'MD' variation.
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