WC setup around $200 -$250

Ok, I have a Koolance Exos system atm, I really don't like it. It gets alright cooling but i would like better. I have heard people say that pretty much any other WC setup(as in buy the parts yourself) instead of preconfig kits such as Koolance Exos, thermaltake aquarious and astec waterchill will preform MUCH better. I am looking for a good setup that will fit in my Antec Superlanboy case without much modding.

some stuff I am planning on getting for the setup, any suggestions/revisions will be very apreciated:

SYSTEM it will be used in is the one in my sig.

Pump: Ehiem 1250 (read this is a very reliable and powerful pump)
Tubing: Clearflex 60 [1/2 ID] (How much tubing do you think I will need?)
Radiator: Black Ice Xtreme (1/2 ID fittings)
Reservoir: Dual 3.5 floppy bay reservoir
CPU waterblock: need ideas but have heard that the Maze 4 is a good block, looking for a decently priced one that preforms well, price is not really an issue but it would be nice if i didnt have to sell my soul for the WC system
Northbridge Water block: have no idea. need suggestions please
Videocard Water block: for a 9700p or 9800p (have junky mx440 now, still deciding on card), yet again i have no idea of a good block.
water additive: thinking water wetter or Zerex, need help on this too.

with all this stuff plus UV dye and clamps etc i was running around $310 at DangerDen.com. the koolance stuff i bought cost $330, so this isnt bad i guess? what would you guys who have had experience with do-it-yourself kits suggest? This will be my first time assembling one on my own(not from kit i mean). Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!!!

btw, the SYSTEM it will be used in is the one in my sig.

~M

Chemical PVC tubing at Mcmaster.com This stuff is high quality ClearFlex 60. Same properties as Tygon, but allot cheaper. 10" of 1/2" ID is $6.50

FEDCO 2-226 heater core at NAPA online. The same thing as the Dtek ProCore, but cheaper and offering better performance than a Black Ice Extreme. Price - $21.99

D-Tek shrouds. Two of the should be used with the radiator. total price for 2, $29.98

White Water @ D-Tek. IMO, the best performing block on the market. $49.99

Fans - I'll leave this one up to you since I have no idea what your noise tolerance is, but I'll budget $25 for two of them.

MAG 3 at Marinedepot.com. IMO, and many will agree with me, the best pressure/flow characteristics of a pump for our application. $39.99

Ditch the reservior. T-lines are simpler and cheaper.

Fittings - what ever tickles your fancy, except the for the intake for the pump. Use plastic for that. The MAG 3's have a habit of splitting open when metal fittings are used.

Misc stuff - Additives, fittings, and clamps. $30 is a generous amount.

$203.45 total.

All the vendors I listed, I have done buisness with and trust.

What kind of case do you have?

That can also be a factor in how your system is set up, but you got a good start.

Go with the heater core UberBlue posted if you have the space.

Fans: Panaflo L1A or M1A preferably for your rad. Push/pull setup using the dual shrouds.

Yeah, forget the res. Build your own out of PVC pipe or use a T-Line.

I went with most of what UberBlue's recommended, I'll be heading to Target for the ghetto-fabuous tupperware shrouds! Shipping is fast from DTek ($8), McMaster ($4), and Marine Depot ($8), within a couple days they'll be on your doorstep, but Napa is lagging. Since I'm spoiled by Amazon.com, I hate paying for shipping So I'll vouch for all these vendor, too.

thanks a ton guys, that will save me a junkload of money, and give me better preformace from what you guys say, um, a few last questions

1. How do I set up the whitewater? (since it has 3 plugs, ((guessing one is for intake two for output?))) Does one output go to GPU and one to NB and then Y together? or how... lol i'm a nub to the realy WC scene, (as you can tell.... i used koolance....

2. I have an Antec Super-Lanboy(not the biggest case..) where should I mount the Radiator and pump? I would like to keep it all internal if possible.

here is a few pics of the case.











3. I have no idea how to setup a T line, so if anyone could explain how, that would be VERY helpful.

thanks a ton guys!!!

~M

1. On WW, the intake is the center plug, the exhausts are the two flanking it.

2. Unless you want to hack your drive cage, you should mount your rad on the back exhaust. Now I see why you wanted a BIX.

3. a T line can go just about anywhere I think, as long as you make sure it's plugged once you're done filling it.

does the T line have to be above the cooling just like a res? also, how do you make one(when you said it can go anywhere do you mean anywhere in the line or anywhere in the case?), lol i dont want to mess it up somehow. Will that rad that uberblue suggested still workor should i stick with the BIX? and yeah i can mount it outside no prob. Also, the WW, should i have one go to the NB and one go to the GPU and then Y it back into the rad?

thanks again

~M

It can go anywhere in the line. Reason being if your system is filled and the T-Line is in the bottom, assuming you have no leaks, there would have to be a vacuum created in order for the water to flow out of the T-Line. Since that won't happen, you can have the T-Line below the highest point in the system.

alright thanks for the help with the T-line! The last few questions, will that Radiator that uberblue suggested work with my case, or should i stick to the BIX? Also, the WW, should i have one output go to the NB and the other output go to the GPU and then Y it back into the rad? thanks again!

~M

No problem. I like questions I can answer.

In this case, stick with the BIX. Unless you want to seriously hack the lower end of the case or punch a huge hole in the top of your case, a heater core won't fit nicely.

For the WW, you want both outlets to come together again before going anywhere else in the cooling chain, and similar tubing lengths coming together. Putting other blocks in the way would cause the flow to not be equal to both sides of the block.

Not to crap on the thread or anything, but I was thinking of getting watercooling myself. I am thinking of getting the Swiftech MCW5002-A for my cpu block. The overclockers.com water block comparison shows that it comes out pretty good.

Is the Swiftech MCP600 a good pump? It only pushes 160gph but then again the Eheim 1250 pushes less. The Hydror L30 pushes 320gph but can't connect directly to the psu.

It seems to me the white water block looks a lot like the DD RBX so won't it perform similar?

And forgive me for asking but, what is a t-line. Some sort of built in reservoir? Man...I am n00b...

The advantage to the Swiftech block is that it has better high pressure capabilities. It is a good pump. So are the Hydor and Eheim, but the Swifty is a bit better I think.

The WW performs better than the RBX, as stated here:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=267540&highlight=cascade

A T-Line is basicly shaped like a "T" with three hoses attached. The top hose is where the fill line is, and the bottom two parallel to each other are in the flow path. Makes filling the system much easier than submerging the entire system.

hehe, sometimes i ask too many questions but i guess its always better "safe than sorry" BIX sounds good to me. I hope it will fit on the back of the case ok. I am going to put it behind the 120mm fan on the back, and put a spare 120mm i have laying around pulling through the radiator with that fan shroud from dtek, also, aboutt he shroud. i can put it on the back side of the rad pulling through, but should i also put on on the front of it through the case (as in on ther side of mesh inside of the case)?
i think my line setup will be

---T-line>Pump>Radiator>WW>NB>GPU>T-Line---

sound good? any other suggestions are very welcome!

oo also, i just found this site through a thread
( http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=268181 ), you guys can get a bunch of free tubing and accessories such as y-connects, t-connects, barbs, etc

just find the part you want, go to the sample page type it in and hit submit and they will send it to yah! FREE SHIPPING, how cool is that??

http://www.eldonjames.com/html/sample_guestbook.html

enjoy

thanks once again!!

~M

Just remember that that shroud on Dtek won't fit a BIX. You could either do without, or here's a site that has made some shrouds for them: http://www.coolingworks.com/

You could also make your own. There's threads all over the place on making shrouds out of tupperware or cardboard or aluminum.

That arrangement for your parts should work fine.

your gonna be putting an immense amount of weight on the back 120mm fan mount so you might want to put some thick bolts through the back. With dual shrouds though your gonna be protruding into the case very far and you will probably be over the cpu which would be bad. The best option i see is to put a 120mm fan hole in the top and mount it there so you dont lose any room and might only lose a single drive bay.

He mentioned that he might place the rad and fan+1 shroud outside on the back. That would eliminate that problem of overhang over the mobo.

Placing it in the top would work fine, but you'd lose the top 5 1/4" bay probably.

good lord. I forgot about the price of the BIX... $68.00! is there anything else that will preform as well that i could get for cheaper, and fit the case? if not thats cool, just trying to save some money if possible, That shroud
( http://www.coolingworks.com/ ) is relativaly cheap, a few more dollars saved

thanks again!

~M

You could look for a thermochill rad. But they're about the same price.

I don't know if anyone has them cheaper than $65. That's the problem with those. They don't work as well as a heater core and cost a bundle.

There's another option that *might* work. Check out the Dtek JR-120. They got shrouds for them too. Measure the area on your rear exhaust and up top in the case and see if the dimensions might work. it should work better than a BIX too.

http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=103

well the dimensions are 5.5"W X 6.25"H, maybe 6.5" H; if I overlap some screws.

the rad dimensions are are 5.5"W x 6.38"H X 2"Thick.

whadya think? My guess is it probabbly could work... mounting might be a small issue, depending on where the screws go through... which I sure cant see where and/or how you mount it.. hrumph. lol. also how in the world do you mount the shroud?(lol, I know, I know im a nub WCer...) Also where is a good place to get the shrouds for this rad if i get it?

thanks

~M

Dtek sells shrouds for their radiators. They have screws that go all the way through it.

You might trim some metal from the back fan mount to get it to fit better, and it'd be easier just to go with a single fan/shroud combo if you mount it on the back or up top too.

If it physically fits, you can do it.