How to mate Asetek Waterchill & Swiftech MCW5002-PT

I'm new to liquid cooling, but was considering purchasing these two pieces listed in the title. Can someone tell me what extra parts I would need to mate these two up? And if this would be a good combination. I already know I will need the Meanwell S320-12 PSU; but I'm not sure if I will need any tubing adapters and not sure what OD and ID mean. Thanks.

ID is inside diameter, OD is outside diameter.

The MCW5002 uses hose barbs and it appears that the Asetek waterchill is a 3/8" ID kit. So to mate them you'd need a couple of 3/8"NPT x 3/8"OD hose barbs from somewhere like Home Depot. Use nylon barbs not brass as the brass will eventually cause corrosion with the anodized aluminum top. Does Swiftech sell a MCW5000-A with Pelt? That would be completely compatible as it uses 1/2"OD (3/8"ID) quick disconnects same as the Asetek unit.

I would personally suggest you NOT use that Waterchill kit to cool a peltier; I don't think the radiator will keep up with a 226W pelt.

pHaestus said:

ID is inside diameter, OD is outside diameter.

The MCW5002 uses hose barbs and it appears that the Asetek waterchill is a 3/8" ID kit. So to mate them you'd need a couple of 3/8"NPT x 3/8"OD hose barbs from somewhere like Home Depot. Use nylon barbs not brass as the brass will eventually cause corrosion with the anodized aluminum top. Does Swiftech sell a MCW5000-A with Pelt? That would be completely compatible as it uses 1/2"OD (3/8"ID) quick disconnects same as the Asetek unit.

I would personally suggest you NOT use that Waterchill kit to cool a peltier; I don't think the radiator will keep up with a 226W pelt.

Click to expand...

Listen to the man. He knows his stuff.

Hey, thanks a lot for the advice. Like I said, I'm just now getting into water cooling, but from what I've learned so far, it seems as though a water-block/peltier combination is the way to go. I just need advice on what to get. I am very experienced at overclocking on air just not water. I have a roomy Antec1080 AMG case with a TruePower 430W PSU, and an IC7 motherboard using a 2.8C SL6Z5 MO, and 2x256 OCZ PC4200 EL memory. Keep in mind that I'm willing to pay to keep the system somewhat quiet. I really don't want a 50db fan on my radiator...I would like to keep the noise below 40db...preferably around 35db. But from what I've read I feel I should be able to get the idle core temp. in low single digits (Celsius). Also keep in mind that I don't want to spend a lot of time trying to custom build one of these. It also appears that major strides have been made with complete kits, and the MCW5002-PT seems like the best peltier/water block combo out there right now.

Don't try to cool water with a louder fan on same rad; instead try to fit a larger radiator. I would consider a chevette/escort sized heatercore (Like Dtek and Dangerden sell) as the bare minimum for a 226W pelt and tolerably quiet fan. If you can find a way to fit one of the bigger single pass heatercores (that have room for 2 120mm fans) then I'd highly recommend going that route.

I know the Chevette core will fit in your case: http://phaestus.procooling.com/chevettehole.jpg

If you are going for somewhat quiet peltier cooling why not just build an external box to hold PSU, pump, and radiators? You can use 2 BIG heatercores then, get by with quiet 120mm fans, and not have all the heat from cooling loop (and PSU) dumped into your case. Something like this (work in progress) http://phaestus.procooling.com/radbox2.jpg
is easy to build from Home Depot parts and simple tools. Performance will be better than trying to squeeze it all into a case with a fully loaded PC...

Ok, you've convinced me to go with the double heater core sold at Dangerden. And yes, I will put everything outside the case. That won't be a problem. The PC sits under a huge desk. Now can you tell me a good pump to use, resevoir, tubing, clamps, and anything else to get this custom built cooling system mated up with the MCW5002-PT. And do you think using the MCW5002-PT is a good idea or do you have a better suggestion. Thanks a million for your help.

I just came across the Black Ice Xtreme II at dangerden.
What do you think of this one?

HeatSync said:

I just came across the Black Ice Xtreme II at dangerden.
What do you think of this one?

Click to expand...

The double heatercore would be better as it's performance characteristics are proven and in no way inferior to the BIX2. Also, it costs 30-something dollars as opposed to a ludicrous 102 for the BIX2.
I would go with 1/2" ID tubing/fittings throughout for a heavy application like a Peltier. The White Water block sold by DTEK is a fine choice for a block.

Ok, you guys are assuming I know a lot about watercooling when this is all brand new to me. I looked at the white waterblock at DTek and noticed that it has 3 connector instead of two so I don't even know how to hook it up. Also I don't see a peltier built in to it like the mcw5000-pt has. Would I have to get a separate peltier and what type would I get. Also it looks like the white waterblock is designed for 1/2" OD tubing not 1/2" ID tubing; and what's the Y connector used for? I really need some more information big time.

Watercooling is usually done without having a Peltier. You can add a Peltier, but you'll need to insulate the cpu and socket from condensation and your watercooling loop that cools the peltier hot side will have to be high performance. If you're set on a peltier, then the Swiftech block seems a logical choice.

The 3 barb design is not so complex once you know the trick; the central barb is the inlet, and the two others are outlets that you join up farther downstream with that Y connector.

For the same price as one of the Dangerden heatercores, you can almost buy two large heatercores from Auto Zone or similar. Do this and run them in parallel (split the flow with "Y" before and after the radiators. This gives you a TON of surface area and will let you cool your water down well without having to resort to loud fans. For pump I like Swiftech MCP600 (powerful), Hydor L30 (good compromise), and Eheim 1048 (quiet). I agree that 1/2" tubing should be used throughout. I like the Swiftech blocks for pelt applications because of the amount of bolts they use to tighten the coldplate to the baseplate. Mounting pressure for pelt to block is one of the most important things in pelt cooling. The MCW5002 has a very flat performance curve (higher flow rates won't help it) so perhaps the 1048 would be a good enough pump (and very quiet).

On waterblocks....


The whitewater is a GREAT cpu block. However, I believe it would make a rather poor TEC block. The whitewater was made to cool a very small, specific area--your CPU's core. A TEC will generate heat around the entirety of the block. I know for the MCW50T (swiftech's GPU TEC block), the TEC is directly cooled by water--there is no clamping between it and the block. This is most likely the case with the MCW5000-T.

Everyone so far has given me excellent advice and inputs. I really appreciate it. Phaestus, I really like your parallel radiator idea. I’m assuming you are advising a parallel connection to reduce the flow resistance…correct?
And yes, it sounds like ½” tubing throughout is the way to go as well. However the excerpt below tends to make me think otherwise.
Could I get some more inputs and general consensus on this waterblock/peltier combination as to its effectiveness? I read an article in the latest issue of PC Modder (Spring 2004) that lead me to believe I could drop the idle CPU temps another 20C, down to the low single digit Celsius range. If that were in fact true, then I would tend to think the waterblock/peltier combo would allow considerable more O/C headroom? I just would like some more feedback on this. After all, it would require considerable more investment for the extra Meanwell PSU and MCW5000-PT if the dividends weren’t going to be that great. Here’s an excerpt from the “Cool It/The Deep Freeze” section of the latest issue of PC Modder:
“Combining water and a jolt of electricity worked wonders. We used a Swiftech waterblock with a peltier plate (i.e. MCW5000-PT) to accomplish this feat. To keep the water flowing smoothly, we actually used a pump with less power (150 gallons per hour) and smaller-diameter hoses. We were happy to see that we attained our lowest CPU temperature yet, and it was a doozy, a whole 20C cooler than with our high-volume watercooling system. The side of the heatsink suffered more than with other systems; this location recorded its highest temperature in all of our tests, but that was just more reassurance that the heat-pumping action of our peltier was working fine. What’s more, we didn’t have to worry about heat runoff from the heatsink because our four fans (talking about case fans here) were hard at work and kept case temperatures as stable as ever. Our 3Dmark test elevated temperatures significantly. The CPU reading rose from 2C to 15C, and the chipset heatsink rose a couple of degrees, too. The side of our CPU heatsink stayed steady, and saw no cause for concern. Overclockers could have a heyday with such a peltier/water combo.”

If this is actually true, then it sounds like I will want to go with the quieter pump and 3/8” ID hoses. Also, would two radiators still benefit me if I’m only pumping 150GPH through 3/8” tubing? In the above test, they only used a single Asetek WaterChill radiator and 120mm fan.

Inputs please?

Ok, based upon what I've learned so far, here's what I'm leaning toward:

MCW5000-PT TEC waterblock: $110
JR-120 High Performance radiator 3/8": $35
JR 120 Fan Shroud Kit $10
120mm Aluminum Fan $12
Nylon Hose Clamp (10- pack) $7.50
Eheim 1048 (158GPH) Pump: $58
Bay-Rez resevoir $25
Meanwell S320-12 PSU $115
SuperCool (4oz) $4
Tygon High Grade Tubing: 3/8" 12ft. $32
Pump Relay Kit $18
Grand Total: $426.50

I'll take all the inputs I can get here. Thanks.

Don't forget stuff for insulating the TEC & CPU socket. A reservoir is optional, you might consider a T to save some cost and space.

Yes you are right. I must not forget the dialectric material. I'm not sure what a T is. And for this setup do you think a resevoir will benefit and if not...why? Thanks. I also don't know anything about maintenence overhead on watercooling systems. Can you tell me what I would be in for there?

A reservoir does nothing, mostly. It may hinder flowrate, but on the flipside may also provide a small temperature buffer (= less fluctuation). The main thing about a reservoir is filling and bleeding the system. A T-line has the same function, but it's just a piece of tubing upright connected to the loop by a T-joint. Simple yet effective.

Maintenance is limited, but you may have to monitor the system for a while looking for leaks. After some time you may want to refresh the loop's contents, depending on how much growth (if any) you have built up over time.

One last thing- if you're new to watercooling and such, it may be wise to postpone the TEC idea for a while until you're more comfortable with the ins and outs of this cooling method. The TEC complicates things a lot and increases the chances of disaster if your watercooling fails (e.g. by overheating).

Thanks for the advice Fizz3. I guess what I would really like to get a feel for before making an investment of this magnitude is, what could I expect to get out of it over and above the air cooling I'm using right now. In otherwords, I've got a 2.8C SL6Z5 running at 3.6Ghz using the Zalman CNPS7000cu right now at 39C idle temperature at 20C ambient. How much more do you think I could take this chip up if I dropped the idle temp. down to 4C using this TEC setup? Any ideas, because $425 is a lot of money to spend for only a few hundred extra Mhz. Know what I mean? I just need some inputs here is all.

Predicting increases in overclocks is difficult. CPU's vary a lot in their potential, and some chips will not clock high no matter how well you cool it. Others may clock very well even without heavy cooling.

Maybe some rough average estimates may be helpful. It seems reasonable to assume about 100-200 Mhz going from high end air to high end watercooling, on a P4 like you have. Going from said watercooling to TEC cooling and reducing the temperature to 4C load (which seems low btw), you may gain another 200-300Mhz. Remember, we're talking guesstimated averages here. Your mileage may vary.

Fizz3 thanks again for your invaluable help. I lieu of everything you've said. I think I will take this one step at a time and hold off on the TEC for now. So now I have a few more questions. First, can you provide me with a link to a good T-line; not sure where to get one? Second, if I subtract the TEC and PSU from my list stated previously, do you feel this list is still good or should I make some modifications (e.g. tubing size and pump)? Third, what would you recommend for a good waterblock? Fourth, should I use a dual 120mm radiator now? Fifth, should I reconsider the AseTek Waterchill kit?
And last but not least, how much time and effort is involved with cleaning and refilling the system and how often should I expect to have to do that?