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Have done my research and am almost ready, need some final advice

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Chaos_Being

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2003
Location
Eldersburg (Sykesville,) Maryland
I've been thinking about it for a while and have decided to try watercooling. Why? Because I always want to learn something new and this is the next natural step from aircooling, it looks fun, I'll get to try modding my case (whee!,) and from a practical standpoint my cpu is starting to run uncomfortably warm due to summer. Also, I have a little hope to achieve a higher stable overclock- may not happen, but who knows!

Anyways, after a lot of R&R (Reading & Research :p), going through the stickies, finding reviews of hardware, and browsing through the watercooling forums here I've pieced together a list of hardware. I feel fairly certain on some of the pieces; as for others I have narrowed it down to two choices and am hoping for a little bit of input. Here goes, starting with the easy choices:

-ClearFlex tubing, 10feet
-Bay-style reservoir
-Evercool Chrome 120mm Fan- http://www.dangerden.com/mall/Misc_Hardware/fans.asp
-Hose clamps (8)
-Zerex Super Coolant + Green UV dye

Pump: I have fairly well decided on the Hydor L35 (http://www.dangerden.com/mall/Pumps/Pump_hydor.asp) There don't seem to be many reviews for this one yet, but most of the talk I have read about it have been positive. The size and reported noise level also appeal to me. I had considered "Danger Den DD12V-D4" at first because I like the idea of a 12v pump, but decided against it due to the cost and the high pitched noise it is supposed to make.

Radiator: I am still a bit unsure about this one. I had thought about getting the Black Ice Xtreme at first, but after reading the forums here I have started to think about just getting a heater core like this one instead: http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=91 The heater core would be a lot cheaper, and it *sounds* like it preforms better too. I'd like to hear some user feedback/comparisons on these two radiators, actually a direct comparison would be great but I haven't been able to find something like that as of yet.

Waterblock: Again, I have two choices here. My first choice was the Danger Den TDX (http://www.dangerden.com/mall2/more_block2.asp?fmmore=210) It has gotten a lot of good reviews, yet is a bit pricey. Here are the pros and cons as I see them:

Pros:
- Has been shown to have good performance by many reviews
- Looks cool!

Cons:
- Fairly expensive
- Some could say the lucite top is a liability
- I need to take the heatsink brackets off to mount it


My second choice is the Swiftech MCW6002-P (http://sidewindercomputers.com/swmcforinpe41.html) It looks promising, but I can't find a single decent review of it!

Pros:
- Made entirely of copper, looks very sturdy
- Easier to mount
- Cheaper

Cons:
- I can make no expectations of performance due to lack of reviews


I am really hoping that someone may be able to shed some light on comparing these two waterblocks. I'd prefer to save some money, but if one performs noticably better than the other, I"d go with that one.



Basically, I just want to be sure that I am purchasing a good pump that is suitable to the task (not overpowered/underpowered, etc,) and I need to decide between my two radiator choices and waterblock choices.

Also, one thing I am unsure of is my water additive. I know I want to steer clear from Water Wetter just because of the stories of it creating buildup or staining tubes. I want to run green UV dye, so I need a additive which will not interfere with that color. I believe Zerex has a color to it (pinkish,) so I am not entirely sure that it is a good choice. Colorless would be the best, really.

I'm going to be out of state next week, so I'll check back and reply as often as I can- I'll really appreciate any help I can find- thanks!
 
I hadn't heard that lucite tops were potential problems. :eh?: The 6002 reviews very well and the price is right. I've been happy with my TDX, and yeah, it has a high "cool" factor. I've heard good things about the L35 as well. Hunt up some reviews on the D4 before you make a final decision though. It's small and powerful, an explosove combination. :burn:
 
the dtek ww is suppose to do a little better than the dd block, and you can get it with an al top, or order a copper one (i have not seen the web site for the guy making them up yet though), polar has some nice looking new blocks out also, buti have not found a review on em sides he one the maney gives. I was looking at the dtek rad also, but the pic on the web site looks like a brass rad, however the specs say it is copper... So i sent them an email and awaiting a response before i order anything. Was going to make one from a autozone heater core, but it did not look like i would save enough cash to make it worth modding (i like my free time :))
 
Yep :( i have been wanting to see how much they charge for the top. I am currently looking for a cpu water block also.
 
gbaz said:
Yep :( i have been wanting to see how much they charge for the top. I am currently looking for a cpu water block also.

used to be $27 (or $37 for a polished one) + shipping ..... but that's from a few months back so may be different now - replaces either the poly top or the top + middle plates of an ally one so you may as well get a poly one to add it too....
 
Finally checking in from San Francisco- beautiful weather out here :D

Danger Den seems to be selling the Hydor L35- its listed on their page, at least.

The procooling.com review was just what I was looking for- thanks! I will probably end up going with the swiftech block, its preformance looks good. I'll check out the dtek one that was mentioned too once I get the chance...I finally managed to get to the internet to check this thread and the family is already ready to go- blah! :p

I'm still curious about the heatercore style radiator- I'm currently leaning towards purchasing one, I'll still need to try to find a compairson between that and the black ice radiator.

More questions to come, but at least I have some answers- gotta go before someone yells at me, heh.
 
Chaos_Being said:
Finally checking in from San Francisco- beautiful weather out here :D

Danger Den seems to be selling the Hydor L35- its listed on their page, at least.

The procooling.com review was just what I was looking for- thanks! I will probably end up going with the swiftech block, its preformance looks good. I'll check out the dtek one that was mentioned too once I get the chance...I finally managed to get to the internet to check this thread and the family is already ready to go- blah! :p

I'm still curious about the heatercore style radiator- I'm currently leaning towards purchasing one, I'll still need to try to find a compairson between that and the black ice radiator.

More questions to come, but at least I have some answers- gotta go before someone yells at me, heh.


It is of note that not all reviews are created equal....review ProCooling/pHaetsus's testing methods, and decide for yourself the validity of his review, compared to others.
 
Ah, back home.

I've been able to find a lot more reviews on the Swiftech MCW6002-P now (well, most are of the 6000 3/8 fit variety, but I figure the performance from the 1/2 fit 6002 will be the same if not better.) I'm definitely going for that waterblock now.

I'm going with my gut feeling and am going to use a heatercore instead of a Black Ice radiator now. The price is better, and from what I've been reading the performance is better, too.

So as of now, my list is looking like this:


-Swiftech MCW6002-P
-D-Tek Pro-120 Heatercore with shroud
-ClearFlex tubing, 10feet
-Bay-style reservoir
-Hose clamps (8)
-Zerex Super Coolant + Green UV dye

Pump: I'm still planning on the Hydor L35, unless I can find another pump that is more appealing price/performance wise. Honestly, I think I"d prefer a 12v pump but they're all too expensive for my taste, or don't pump enough water.

Fan: I've changed my mind on this one, I think I will be getting an Enermax 120 adjustable fan - http://www.svc.com/en12vasphipe1.html instead of the Evercool chrome fan. If those specs are right, I should be able to get just a little less performace with less noise, or more performance for the same level of noise (~30dba)

Water Additive: I"m not even sure if there is a good one out there that doesn't add a lot of color, but a little added color doesn't seem to affect those who are using dyes, so I figure I'm just not going to worry about it.

As for the bay res, Danger Den has one for $29, D-Tek for $24, and SVC for $19. As far as I can tell from the little picture, they are all the same. I'm tempted to just get the cheap SVC one, but I don't want to save ten bucks just to get stuck with an inferior (ie, leaky) product. I'm wondering if anyone has had experiences with different models of bay reservoirs.

That's it for now- I'm hoping to be able to order this stuff pretty soon, so long as I can justify spending a couple hundred bucks on PC stuff with my wife :p
 
Why not just go with a T-line? It'd be a lot more streamlined, space-saving, and cost-saving, without that worry of leakage.
 
I'm still planning on the Hydor L35, unless I can find another pump that is more appealing price/performance wise.
I like the L35 but in regard to your question I feel I must tell you that the Mag3 is probably the most powerful while maintaining a decent price. (~$45) Do some research on iot however as it has a minor leak that is an easy fix. Deceide whether you want to go through that little fix-mod.
I think I"d prefer a 12v pump but they're all too expensive for my taste, or don't pump enough water
12-Volters are more expensive than AC pumps. Do not be fooled by flowrate numbers !! The MCP600 will definitely outperform the L35 in conjunction with your block. The Mag3, I think, will be on par with the MCP.
 
Hmm, what about the D-Tek CSP750 pump? http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=140

The price and size of this thing is excellent, but I'm not sure if one would be sufficient for the block and radiator I am planning on. For instance, the MCP-600 pumps 185gph and has 10.5 ft of head, while the D-Tek pump pumps ~120 gph I believe and has 6.5 ft of head.

I'm going to check out the Mag3, but I may just end up pinching pennies until I can get a 12v pump. Unless the cheapie D-tek pump would be powerful enough.
 
One note on the fans:

I have an Enermax 120mm adjustable fan from a couple years ago, and it's still in use, BUT!
My Evercools move more air, and are quieter. I either use a rheobus or 7v my fans, so the adjustability of the fan isn't an issue with me.
 
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