My 1st Time! Pics

[JPetrillo]

I always wanted to have a water cooled rig, with the much needed help of people from this forum, I'm making that happen right now! :D

Here's what I got so far:

My case:
http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/11-156-019-12.JPG

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/11-156-019-09.JPG

The modifactions I have done to it so far:

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/casemod001.jpg
The 120mm fan nicely cut into the top of the case as a blow hole which should work out really nice. I didn’t have room to squeeze this fan in-between the CDROM drive and PSU, since my new PSU is longer than my old one. It's no big deal though, I'm just going to put the CDROM drive in the 2nd bay down from the top and then use that top bay for my fan controller.


http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/casemod002.jpg
Here is the bottom section of the case cut out for the heater core to fit in. It should fit nicely on it's side laying down with the barbs on the close end. As soon as it comes in I will cut out most of the front to match up with the heater core and then mount it. Hopefully it all goes as planned!


http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/casemod003.jpg
Here's the front of my case all done now. Drilled in 70 holes almost perfectly to help more air get into the heater core. Hopefully it makes a big of a difference as the time it was worth. Also you may have noticed I painted the inside of it blue. It's looks pretty cool like that. I did it just because
I'm going to paint the inside of the case that same color as well. And I need to find a cool case badge to put on there!

And then here is everything I've bought for the project:

-------------------------------------
Radiator:

https://www.dangerden.com/images/heater_core/heater_core_small.gif

DangerDen Heater Core
Specs: Outside: 6 1/8" x 7 3/8" x 2"
With 1/2" Barbs

-------------------------------------
Fan Shroud:

http://www.dtekcustoms.com/ProductImages/radiators/Shroud%20kit.jpg

D-Tek Core Fan Shroud Kit
Specs: 1 3/8" X 6" x 5 7/8"

-------------------------------------
Fan for the Heater Core:

http://www.crazypc.com/images/fans/ystech120full.jpg

YS Tech 120x38mm
Specs: 3pin - 125.5CFM - 45dBA

-------------------------------------
Fan for the Blow Hole:

http://www.crazypc.com/images/fans/crystal/4blueledfanfull.jpg

LED Blue 120x25mm
Specs: 3pin - 69CFM - 4 LEDs

-------------------------------------
Other:

3 to 4 PIN with RPM Sensor Wire Adapter
I rather not run the YS Tech off the motherboard.

-------------------------------------

And this is how it will be mounted to the front of my case:

http://www.dtekcustoms.com/ProductImages/radiators/radiator_assembly.JPG

-------------------------------------
Pump:

http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/detail_hires/ex-pmp-22.jpg

Swiftech MCP650™ 12v Water Pump
Specs: 317 GPH (1200 LPH)
Maximum Head: 10 ft (3.1 m)

-------------------------------------
Reservoir:

http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/detail_hires/ex-res-39.jpg

Green UV Reactive Tundra
Specs: Single 5.25" Bay Reservoir

-------------------------------------
Tubing:

http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/detail_hires/ex-tub-29.jpg

Tygon Anti-Kink
Specs: 1/2" ID (5/8" OD) - 7ft.

-------------------------------------
Coolant:

http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/detail_hires/ex-liq-02.jpg

http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/detail_secondary/ex-liq-02_3.jpg

Swiftech HydrX Coolant
Specs: Green UV Reactive

-------------------------------------
So I still have a few more things to get, but I would say I'm off to a good start. There are already a few things I would do differently if I went and did this again a 2nd time, but hey... it's my 1st time, what should I expect?! :D

[Permanoob]

Expect spending more money than you expected. Especially when it comes to modding your case.

[JPetrillo]

I think most the money has already been spent ;)

[Nico3k]

Looks like a good plan. The only thing you should consider is your radiator setup. I have had better experiences with the fan PUSHING the air through the radiator instead of pulling.
You should also double check to make sure that the DTek shroud works with that heater core. I have both the dangerden heatercore and dtek 120 and they have different sized shrods.

[Killaapp]

Wow, all I can say is that looks REALLY good. You should be really proud when that setup is complete. =)

[JPetrillo]

Thanks Killaapp :)

Nico3k, the DTek shroud isnt the one thats made for the DTek Pro-120 Rad. They got two different shroud's - one for their Pro-120 rad and then this other one I got thats like 6x6 which will fit the DD Heater core almost perfectly ;)

Do most people have the rad fan pushing air out from inside the case out??

[gungeek]

Do most people have the rad fan pushing air out from inside the case out??

Looks good so far. You've got good components.

Most people who use 1 fan tend to have it pulling air rather than pushing through the rad. I believe that pulling is slightly better for axial fans. I also think a pulling setup in the lower front intake makes for a smaller fan/shroud/rad package when tubing is considered.

[JPetrillo]

Alright, I'm just going to leave it as I have it now.

The thing thats really scaring me now is I cant run the tubes any way without them kinking... I thought this Tygon stuff was supposed to be "kick proof" ?!?!

[threeputt]

Definetely PULL outside air in through the rad.

When I had bayres, it actually didn't make my life any easier. And when I did *sol flush, it cracked...

Cutting out the front grill to help air flow to the rad is good thing but your front cover doesn't look too airflow friendly...

[JPetrillo]

but your front cover doesn't look too airflow friendly...Yeah well, its more airflow friendly then it was when I 1st got it ;)

[threeputt]

Yeah well, its more airflow friendly then it was when I 1st got it ;)

Well, go put more holes on it then:)

[JPetrillo]

LOL.. cant. They'll be too close and it'll crack ;)

Like I said though... if I ever did it a 2nd time there would already be some things I would do differently - that being one of them. But for this system that will just have to be enough. I'm thinking it will be :)

[JPetrillo]

Finished up the last few case mods just now. Opened up the one 60mm hole in the back, and at the same time cut in a 2nd 60mm hole just for that extra amount of exhaust. I know it's not a lot, but it cant hurt... right?!

Back of case - Before:

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/case_back_stock.jpg

Back of case - After:

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/casemod004.jpg

Yes, the holes arent perfect, but its going to get the job done... thats all that really matters. It was a hard spot to get at. And anyways... it's the back side of the case - who's going to see it??

Front of case - Heater core spot cut open:

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/casemod005.jpg

Getting closer now finally! :D

[Jbroad572]

Look nice. I like how the Heatercor is a perfect fir for the front of the case. If you were to paint the fins I think it would look good even without the cover.
What did you use to cut out the blow hole? Looks like a good job, unless the grill covers the imperfections, :)
I'm just curious, because I'm looking to add 2 120mm fans up top for my HC and a window.

[EluSiOn]

frozen cpu is a good vendor but a bit $$$

try go to usplastic.com for tygon tube and also http://www.aquastealth.com/ for the shroud

[Xenocide]

nice setup and nice hotlinking from fcpu :D

[JPetrillo]

Looks like a good job, unless the grill covers the imperfections, :) The grill does cover the little imperfections and makes it look perfect. That was done free hand with a jig saw :) It was all done free hand. The only real pain was those two 60mm holes in the back... they where just so small and in such a hard spot to really get at. But its the back of the case so I dont care! :)

Glad everyone thinks its coming out good so far! :D I've never done this before so I really cant tell myself!

[JPetrillo]

Primed:

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/casemod006.jpg

Painted and Mounted:

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled001.jpg

I like how its going so far... I just really really hope it works right!

[enduro]

Wow, that's awesome man. Looks great. I never knew that the radiators for WC setups were so small. For some reason I thought that I has heard that people used car radiators from junk yards. Hmmmm.

That's a great looking case, I can't wait to see what overclock you get. Didn't you have a NF7 before? What happened to it. I see the Epox, but no Abit.

[JPetrillo]

Thanks enduro :)

Didn't you have a NF7 before? What happened to it. I see the Epox, but no Abit. LOL, Dont even ask!

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/Computer/ooops.JPG

And before I managed to pull that one off I broke that diode under the CPU off lol. Anyways, I think this EPoX is going to be MUCH better than the Abit. We shall see.

[JPetrillo]

Getting closer to finished now!

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled002.jpg

[ls7corvete]

Looks good, I like how you didnt put the pump in where the PCI slots go. Darn kids think empty PCI slots are stylish or something....

[Senater_Cache]

why not turn the pump around and directly couple to the core?...much less tubing that way.

SenC.

[secretweapon]

Nice cable management.

[JPetrillo]

Thanks guys :D

Senater_Cache - Yes, you're right, there would be much less tube that way... a lot less. I'm a strong believer that the rad should be directly before the block though. I just feel if its not my performance wouldnt be 100%

[gungeek]

I'm a strong believer that the rad should be directly before the block though. I just feel if its not my performance wouldnt be 100%
Why? Do you have temp measuring equipment that is accurate to 0.1 degree C? That's what it would take to measure any difference in routing (and that assumes equal length tubing).

Your setup would be very clean by running the pump inlet to the bottom rad barb or mounting the pump with the inlet pointing straight up and connect the pump outlet straight to the rad.

[JPetrillo]

Alright, well. The pump is already mounted, if I turn it around it will be hitting the rad, and I'm not drilling any more holes ;)

[enduro]

JP, you're making me want to start WC man. There's a guy that goes to my college who's building a phase change setup from some parts he bought online. He had WC before, so I'm considering buying it from him.

Just to ask, how much does it cost for all of the random parts that you have to buy to start WC? I wouldn't buy a prebuilt, because they are always either more expensive or just pieces of junk. But I've always wondered how much it actually costs to build your own setup.

[upstreamcurrent]

JP, you're making me want to start WC man. There's a guy that goes to my college who's building a phase change setup from some parts he bought online. He had WC before, so I'm considering buying it from him.

Just to ask, how much does it cost for all of the random parts that you have to buy to start WC? I wouldn't buy a prebuilt, because they are always either more expensive or just pieces of junk. But I've always wondered how much it actually costs to build your own setup.

How much performance do you want? Watercooling can go from about $150 all the way up to like $400 or so.

[enduro]

Well, I know absolutely nothing about WC, so I'll just describe what I'd like to use it for.
1) I'd like to get my cpu temp down enough that I can run 2.1V without a problem. I don't want 30°C full load at 2.1V, but 45-50 would be acceptable.
2) I'd like it to have a NB water block, but not a gpu block, because I don't overclock my vidcard.
3) I don't really care about noise so much, because I have a Tornado and Delta 70 cfm in my case, so I wouldn't mind having a radiator that requires a high pressure fan.
4) I'd still like to have fairly nice parts, but at a good price. Because I hate poor quality components, but I also hate overpriced components that do the same thing as something 20 bucks less.

So that's really what I'm thinking about. Just something that is efficient, cools well, and definitely is easy to setup and maintain.

[jackrungh]

Well look around, all the answers to pretty much any question are here or over at procooling. One thing though, if you do this, even with high pressure high cfm 120's on your rad/HC, it will be MUCH quieter than one of those banshee tornado HSF rigs.

Good luck, and welcome to the fold :cool:

[enduro]

Well, I looked around, and for a good setup ( I guess?) it would be around 230 bucks. What cpu and chipset block would you guys recommend? I was looking at the Black Ice 120mm radiator. Tygon(?) tubing, it was only like 3 bucks per foot, not too bad, the resevoir can be anything from what I've seen and it wouldn't be that hard to build my own, although for 25 bucks you can save yourself the work. I'm guessing that distilled water is pretty cheap, so that wouldn't be that bad. The only thing I was wondering about was the waterblock and chipset block, which company tends to make the best quality copper wb.

[enduro]

You know, I was thinking JP. The front of your case is really air restrictive. Something that you could do if you're in the modding frame of mind, is cut out the entire front of the case and move your power switch either up to one of your drive bays and mod one of the inserts to hold the switch, or put the switch on the top of the case. Then you would have the space to cut out the front and after that, you could just mod a bracket around the outside of the newly cut hole to hold a filter or something to hide the hole but let air through. That would look pretty cool I bet.

[JPetrillo]

JP, you're making me want to start WC man. Heheh, its fun :D

Yeah, I know I could open up the front of my case more. I'm not trying to go all out with the performance though.. it will be good enough the way I got it. I still want it to look good... I think it would look ugly if i just cut up the whole front and threw the switches in a bay... none of my bays are empty anyways, they're all full.

[woutertal]

Jpetrillo,

One word: Nice!

[enduro]

Well, what I was think is that you could cut the square out of the front, then use edge molding around the edges in crome or black, and then use some mesh from the front. Like aluminum mesh, not black mesh. Then you could move the power switch to the top of your case by cutting out that rectangular piece holding the power switch and then drilling holes in the power switch plate and your case, so that the rectangle goes inside the case. Then cut a hole in the top of your case smaller than the rectangular piece so that you don't get an uneven cut look and then screw it in. After that, put in some chrome edge molding around the power switch, and you're done. Excellent airflow with an easy mod. Here's the power switch idea. Just mold the open edge with chrome edging, and that would look pretty good.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/enduro/casemod.jpg

[Senater_Cache]

I'm a strong believer that the rad should be directly before the block though
Well you wont notice the difference !!
But the tubing lenght you save will yield better performance, even if not measurable, it will be there.
I mean you bound to save at least a foot that way !!

How were you going to route anyways??
pump->rad->block->pump->?

SenC.

[JPetrillo]

I was just going to go

pump>res>rad>block>pump

im waiting for my 5.25" bay tundra res to come in the mail.

[enduro]

Well, I'm in the process of selling a vidcard and my EB ram, so maybe after that stuff is gone, I'll have some money to buy these parts. WC sounds like it would be fun. I'd like to hit 2.8 Ghz on this chip anyway. Something to showoff in the NF7 forum.

[JPetrillo]

I'd like to hit 2.8 Ghz on this chip anyway. Something to showoff in the NF7 forum.Me too :)

[Nightingale]

Really to be honest with watercooling usually one of the main benefits becides the occational higher oc is the lesser amount of noise. With a chevette heatercore and a pair of 120mm fans you can make a fairly efficient and quiet setup. Only complaint I had about my WC experience was the fact that my tygon was so hard to get into the right positions it ended up forcing me to stick the pump right next to the case door and every once in a while it would push the pump into the door causing the case to chatter(very annoying). I think the key to a quiet setup is large fans and proper mounting of the pump lol. Also if you want an easy setup I always say use a rez since I tried the t-line thing and it is a real pain to fill and bleed. Cheap rez equals pvc pipe and some fittings at the local hardware.

[enduro]

No no no, not pvc. Clear plastic tubing with uv lights and highlighter ink in the water. Just think about the sick green glow that would come off of that thing. Beautiful. Then again, I like to run my computer while I'm sleeping. Maybe making my entire computer radioactive looking isn't the best idea ;)

[JPetrillo]

My system will be running Monday.

I would have had it running today, but my girlfriend just got surgery and I'm spending the weekend here at her house :)

[Ducatti]

Water is in my future too, but I don't think it's gonna help my overclock on the CPU, just the video card... JP.. good lookin setup there, hope 2.8 ghz is in your future..

[JPetrillo]

JP.. good lookin setup there, hope 2.8 ghz is in your future..Thanks man, me too :D

[Nightingale]

The PVC solution is good if you only want to spend about 5-10 on the rez. If you want clear pvc or acrylic your going to have to add a couple more dollars to that but it can be done. If you feel up to it you can always get a sheet of acrylic or polycarbonate and build your own rez(guess who got a big arse piece of acrylic for nothing hehe).

[JPetrillo]

If you feel up to it you can always get a sheet of acrylic or polycarbonate and build your own rez(guess who got a big arse piece of acrylic for nothing hehe).Haha, post some pics when you're done! :D

[enduro]

No kidding. You can get polycarb for cheap? You lucky duck. It costs like 25 bucks for a 3x3 sheet over here. Which is a lot more than any resevoir you can find online. Plus you have to build it afterward. Work, extra work is badddddddd. JK, I like doing extra work on my computer and car, so a resevoir wouldn't bug me.

[Nightingale]

Well what happend is on this house that my uncle bought we are doing the renevation work for him and on this large front window there was a big piece of acrylic sheet over it as weather insulation,but he decided he thought it looked tacky having scratches etc in it so he said I can have it. The piece is about 5'x5'x1/8" and it has some scratches and hazing in it but I figure I can either purpously give it a frosted look or get some novus polishing compound and work the scratches out of any finished piece I do. Also a case for an HTPC comes to mind lol.

[JPetrillo]

I started this project one month ago tomorrow and FINALLY it's up and RUNNING! Putting WinXP Pro on it right now as we speak :D

Here is the picture I took right before I plugged everything in and turned it on. I was so nervous something was going to go wrong or it just wasn’t going to turn on or something lmao, but it did, and it did very nicely, as you can see in the 2nd & 3rd pictures.

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled003.jpg

Finally running! It's going to look awesome in the dark tonight! I CANT wait!!!

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled004.jpg

As you can see on my monitor I'm in the BIOS. The system Temp was 26C and the CPU Temp was 24C - How awesome is that?!?!?! :D

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled005.jpg

Now its getting everything installed, setup & updated for the rest of the night hehe

[Aphex_Tom_9]

good for you!

[JPetrillo]

Haha that was fast Aphex :D Thank you.

I SERIOUSLY couldnt have done it without this community of ppl here at ocforums and I thank you ALL very much!

[threeputt]

Looks good... That's exactly how I had mine when I had bayres. Two things. Well, I already mentioned the first one a while back. The intake... maybe you'll get around to mod it some more later:) Second. It doesn't look like you have enough slack on the tubes in between the block and the bayres. It was PITA when I was trying to refill it. I ended up looking for a small, thin and long funnel...didn't find one:(

[JPetrillo]

Thanks three :)

The intake... maybe you'll get around to mod it some more later:) Second. It doesn't look like you have enough slack on the tubes in between the block and the bayres.Yeah, thank God I was going slow enough to think to take that into consideration... I left just enough to pull the res out far enough to access the hole :) And about the front - yeah ppls have told me, including you, to open it up more, and I will def. take that advice if I am unhappy with the results... but at 2GHz it was 24C so if you ask me I'm real happy with it so far! :D

[mR|bUNgLe]

Verry colorfull and clean
good job

[JPetrillo]

Here's some cool pictures of it @ night :)

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled006.jpg

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled007.jpg

http://pages.cthome.net/dragfameson/WaterCooled/watercooled008.jpg

I like!

[Alacritan]

Maybe you should switch your water additive to UV orange and do a Frosted Flakes motif on the exterior?

[JPetrillo]

Frosted Flakes motif?

[Aphex_Tom_9]

teh orange and black like tony the tiger? duhh

[enduro]

^^^ Shakes head. Bad one ;)

[JPetrillo]

lol - I actually think it wouldnt look bad... if I painted my case black instead of blue :) And had a big sticker of him to put on the side... I think it would be cool actually - oh well, something to think about for next time! :)