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Albuquerque

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2003
Location
North America
Went cruising through the classifieds, picked up a nice collection:

WA2's Rad combo: silver rad, 1/2" barbs, shrowd, 2 x 120mm Delta fans, mounting hardware
WA2's Res combo: plexi res, 1/2" barbs, 5' of vinyl tubing
Nocturnal's old DTek WW cpu block with 1/2" barbs
Dibs on (but don't have yet) a DD Maze4 GPU block for the incoming X800XTPE
Went online surfing, found a Via Aqua 1300 for $19.99 + cheap shipping.
Went to Home Depot and found some necessary fittings, clamps and more tubing.

So for around $200, I think I've got a pretty good shot at this. The current setup is pump -> rad -> CPU block -> res -> pump, and I think I'll put the Maze4 (if I get it) right after the CPU block for easy routing of tubage. My generic case has been completely taken apart for proper hole drilling et al, and I took this opportunity to try out my first case painting scheme as well :p It's not going to win any awards, I haven't changed any LED colors or mounted a plexi window or anything ;)

The loop has been leak-testing for the last four hours, and so far so good. The Via Aqua had a small leak around the threading of the output pipe threading area; it ended up taking seven windings of teflon tape around the threads to finally get it sealed up (yes I tried less, no it didn't work!)

Once I actually get my poor machine back together, I'll post some pics and some stats and let everyone know what kind of results I get :)
 
Nice collection for nice parts but I'm wondering why you skimped on the pump? There are many much more reliable, non-leakey pumps out there for not much than 20$ more new. I'm not trashing Via 1300's, I have one myself, it's just that for a high performance watercooling system on high performance parts, why go with an iffy pump? Other than that it's looking good. I think I speak for everyone when I say let's see some pics'.
 
I'll see if I can post up some pics tomorrow, it's not really together yet but some "initial testing stages" pictures are always fun :p I did end up getting the Maze4, rock!

As for the Via Aqua 1300:

I know quite a few people who share your thoughts on that pump, but I did quite a bit of websearching and ended up deciding that was my best bet for a beginner setup. Here is my basic reasoning:

1. Most of the "professional" sites that reviewed it found it to work quite well. Most of them did cite leakage issues around the intake side, I actually had none there but had the tiny leak above the output side. No biggie to fix...

2. Several people cite it as being loud -- mine is inaudible at about 5-6 feet when sitting on a counter (without the rubber feet). When I first powered it on, it was a bit noisy, but after about 20+ hours of constant running it has dulled considerably. I haven't performed the impellor mod yet (where you superglue it together so it doesn't freely rotate) but I'm already on it.

3. Flow-wise, it's right up there with a lot of the "better" pumps. 6+ feet of head, still sustaining around 300gph of flow at 3ft of head (which is MORE than plenty for a small in-case WC setup like mine).

4. Money. You mentioned there are other $20 pumps available, and there are; none of them have the same flow or head capacity as this one. The Hydor L30 is a good competitor and (by reviewers) is much quieter, but goes for about $40USD at bare minimum. That's not much, but is it necessary? Do I spend $20 more in a different pump, or $5 more for some little thick felt or foam pads between the pump and the case? Know what I mean? :)

I think the Via Aqua has a lot more going for it than a few naysayers give it credit for. And hell, if I'm "proven" wrong, so be it. I'll grab a Hydor and have it done with :)
 
I didn't mean to be so negative about the pump. I actually like it. What I ment was if you're going to spend alot, might as well not skimp. For $40 you could have gotten the Mag 3 which is probably the best "small" pumps you can get.
 
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