Please comment on watercooling setup

Hi !!!

I watercooled my previous pc (Duron 800) with a completely homemade system. It worked ok, but looked like it was rejected by a salvage yard, this too was ok since I didn't have a window in my case so all the uglyness was hidden. After the Duron I built a P4NW system wich up til now has been cooled with the stock cooler. The system is a lot louder then my old system wich I really have noticed after I moved to a dorm last month, kinda hard to sleep with what sounds like a vacuum cleaner 10' from your bed.

In other words: Time to watercool once again

This time I want to have a nice lookin solution aswell as an effective one.

These are the parts I've picked:

CPU: Dangerden Maze4 - Socket 478
GPU: Dangerden GeForce 4/FX
Chipset: Dangerden Z-Chip
Pump: Eheim 1250
Radiator: Hayden 676 (already have this from old setup)
Fan: Papst 4412FGL (already have this too)
Hose: 3/8" tygon
Res: Innovatek Tank-O-Matic

Ok then, any suggestions?

you might want to get a mod to move this to the water cooling section.

True wrong section but i'll give you my thoughts anyway.

About the maze4 poly or copper top? Heard some bad things about the poly top so may be better to play it safe with copper. Another suggestion is that the whitewater is out probably better getting that one.

Haven't cooled a graphics card yet so can't comment.

Cooling the chipset seems a bit excessive IMO, unless you're going for some serious speeds on new canterwood/sprindale chipsets. Replacing stock sink could be better but personal preference i guess.

be warned the eheim 1250 is quite big well i had no idea it was so big when mine arrived(i imagined it smaller), i'd say it was twice the size of the 1048 approx. Also makes more noise than it so some foam or something wouldn't hurt.

Hose i would go 1/2" ID as 3/8 is too restrictive especially since you'll have a powerful pump anyway and will help temps with bigger hose.

Res? Dunno much about it but aren't innovotek ones all like 3/8 or are some 1/2" anyway i normally connect res to pump and if the res is 3/8 you'll be struggling to fit the tubing over the suction end of your 1250. and if you do you'll lose a lot of flow because you are restricting the pumps suction end which is 3/4 or something a bit bigger than 1/2" although 1/2" tubing fits over it. (Clearflex does anyway.)

Enough ranting, good luck dude.

Are you going for all out cooling performnce or just good cooling and quiet?

If you want full-throttle performance and the low temps to match, use 1/2" tubing- or bigger! Bigger tube flows MUCH better.

If you just want good performance and quiet, then 3/8" tube will do you fine.

I am not sure what is available for GPU/NB blocks with 1/2" barbs because all I have cooled with water is my processors, but there must be SOMETHING.

Trouble is that I live in Denmark where the selection of wc'ing quipment is limited. Dangerden, innovatek and swiftech are just about the only big wc'ing companies on the scene.

found401>> I have an antec full tower, so there's enough room for the 1250

rogerdugans>> Don't you think 3/8" is enough? My MB is maxed out @ 156 mHz fsb, and my [email protected] is around 40C idle/50C load

I think Dtek ship worldwide so the Whitewater is available to you but pricey. Cathars new cascade is also available worldwide but is a wait as i am still waiting for mine. but i have an old block so its not a problem.

Hope you don't mind roger but i will give my opinion on your q too.... i think basically 3/8" is "enough" but bigger tubing will provide better temps and when WCing lower temps is what you go for well thats how it is for me and less noise is a bonus. And since your pump and system have the capacity for it why not?

Ditch the res, get a T-line, and I third the 1/2" ID suggestion.

Gautam said:

Ditch the res, get a T-line, and I third the 1/2" ID suggestion.

Click to expand...

ya these t-lines for about 2-3 dollars seem to work great.

CHECK IT OUT

That's a very excellent setup. Rogerdugans is right that 1/2" tubing would do better, but I'm guessing the radiator is 3/8"? If so, I'd just go with what you have up already.

I have:
1/4" ID tube in one system
3/8" ID in another
1/2" ID in my main rig

All will eventually be 1/2"- even if radiators and blocks use smaller size barbs.
I have tested using 1/2" tube with a block that had 1/4" barbs (Koolance CPU200g) and guess what? Temps went down quite a bit!About 6c in fact. A large portion of my temp drop was due to a better radiator as well, but NOT all of it.

The 3/8" system has also had 1/4" tubing (the block itself is MADE of 1/4" copper tube) and performed adequately. When I switched that one to 3/8" the cpu temp went down about 3c.

Even if there are other bottlenecks in the system, larger tube will help- just how much it helps depends on a LOT of factors.

And I do NOT think it's impossible to make a system that works well with 1/4" or 3/8" tube- many do use it and it does the job nicely.
But 1/2" does it better.

In fact, at some point I am going to pick up some 3/4" and see what happens with that

I love it all, but I think a 1/2" tubing for better circulation.
-L_P

I agree with the 1/2 tubing. it gives better results.

however... i lean more towards the res side, not the t-line. i recently had to get rid of my res because of an accident, and my temps went up 2 degrees C. I think its worth the extra money.

The res in question is this one:
It's meant to be mounted on the outside of the case, which I think is a pretty nifty idea