Rate my a64 first water cooling setup

[AlanD911]

Ok guys I just did tons of research on my first watercooling setup it's for an a64. Tell me what u think

Watercooling setup:
Pump: Swiftech MCP600 v2.0 Inline 12v 160GPH Pump Your Price: $79.98 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)
Water Block Chipset: Swiftech MCW6002-64 A64 & Opteron CPU Water Block $63.98 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)
Water Block GPU: Swiftech MCW50 GPU Waterblock $54.98 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)
Radiator: HW Labs: Black Ice *BLUE* XTREME rev2 Radiator $89.68 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)
Radiator Shroud: BLUE-UV MiniCoolshroud Kit Retail - Coolingworks $13.50 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)
Radiator Fan: ThermalTake Smart Blue 120mm LED Case Fan Blue $17.99 (www.tigerdirect.ca)
Reservoir: Swiftech 5.25" BayRes Resevoir $24.98 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)
Tubing: CLEARFLEX 1/2" ID Flexible Tubing - PER FOOT $2.49 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)
Hose Clamps: BLUE 1/2" Hose Clamps $1.98 (www.bigfootcomputers.com)

total price minus tubing and clamps=396.85 (after tax canadian dollars)

I dont know if it's just me but this price is kind of high for a watercooling system. However the products chosen were well reviewed products that dont require any type of modding to work.

QUESTION: how much tubing would i need for a system with the following specs:

CPU: Athlon 64 3200+ RETAIL BOX $242 (www.canadacomputers.com)
HeatSink:XP-90 Heatsink Only - Thermalright $44.98 (www.bigfootcomputers.ca)
HeatSink Fan: Vantec 92mm Tornado Case Fan Retail $31.98 (www.bigfootcomputers.ca)
MotherBoard: ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Dual DDR 2x PCI-E, 16x SATA RAID, 2x GB Lan more info $227 (www.canadacomputers.com)
Power Supply: Enermax 600W EF701AX-VE SFMA Dual Fan more info $148 (www.canadacomputers.com)
Hard Drive: Maxtor 200GB ATA-133 w/ 16MB cache OEM $152 (www.canadacomputers.com)
Video Card: BFG GeForce 6600GT OC 128MB SLI-Ready w/ DVI/TV-Out more info $299 (canadacomputers.com)
Ram: PQI Turbo 1024MB Dual Channel PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory (2 x 512MB) $364.97 (www.tigerdirect.ca)
Case: Chieftec Dragon Series Lightning Yellow ATX Case with Clear Side, Front USB and FireWire Price: $40.97 (www.tigerdirect.ca)
Total=1783.53

QUESTION:HOW CAN I CUT DOWN ON THE COST OF MY WATERCOOLING

[jcw122]

dont buy a resovior...many people advise against them (dont remember the reason but its a good reason)...and fugget about the shroud kit too, u can make ur own if ur up to it...its cheaper

[AlanD911]

ok will all this watercooling stuff be able to fit along with all of the other action i'm having in the case. btw im thinking of going dual vid card with sli in the future so the watercooling will have to be able to incorporate that in future plans

[9mmCensor]

dont buy a resovior...many people advise against them (dont remember the reason but its a good reason)...and fugget about the shroud kit too, u can make ur own if ur up to it...its cheaper
There is nothing wrong with resivoirs.

Want to cut costs?

Drop the GPU block. Get a Black Ice Pro. Buy things second hand. Get Zip ties for clamps and vinyl tubing at Home Depo. 10 feet for ~ 8 bucks.

[AlanD911]

There is nothing wrong with resivoirs.

Want to cut costs?

Drop the GPU block. Get a Black Ice Pro. Buy things second hand. Get Zip ties for clamps and vinyl tubing at Home Depo. 10 feet for ~ 8 bucks.

Well I really want a full blown watercooling setup so I don't want to drop the GPU block (since I plan on overclocking the vid card also). I read REALLY bad reviews on the black ice pro also. I would not feel safe buying second hand watercooling parts just because its water in the comp. thanks for the nf0 tho

[ians2k]

I recommend a bigger radiator if you run both the cpu and gpu block because of the extra heat from the gpu block. Also be careful if you use zipties, I know someone who used zipties on his setup and things didn't go too well.

[AlanD911]

ok the thing is the only main supplier i can use is bigfootcomputers.com since I can actually go to that store (i unfortunately dont have access to purchase parts online). The only larger option would be a black ice xtreme 2 and that thing is huge and I have no idea how I would mount that at all.

QUESTION: If i watercool my cpu only will i still need to add extra fans for the heat that the vid card and the rest of the junk in the box make? for example regular 80mm case fans

[Mr.Guvernment]

the only bad thing about the black ice pro is that you need a strong fan to get decent air flow through it.

[MameXP]

the only bad thing about the black ice pro is that you need a strong fan to get decent air flow through it.

That is SO FALSE SO FALSE.

Let me re-phrase it:

"the only bad thing about the black ice extreme is that you need a strong fan to get decent air flow through it "


With typical fan (75cfm) BIP BEATS BIX ANYDAY ANYDAY. Why? more air more efficient



Back to the topic, you want to drop out the cost? The only way is to get HEATERCORE instead of the commercial rad.

buy tubing from ww.mcmaster.com (the warehouse is in markham)

drop the res, and use T-line

[Mr.Guvernment]

Sorry, it was what i had read in a few reviews was that was the PRO was the issue.

upon finding some more it seems the pro does alot better with low speed fans - so ymself iam going to get a black ice pro II for my prescott :D

[AlanD911]

guys plz close this thread i ended up getting a corsair COOL kit, im gonna be testing it soon :) also i just did my first casemod! a 120mm fan hole with a dremel! wooot to noobness
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0180.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0190.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0150.jpg

[Achilles17]

that actually doesnt look too bad for a prebuilt kit, I was about to scream at you but its basically a switech kit with a different name. You might want to replace that tubing if it starts to kind, get Clearflex60 or Tygon. If it doesnt though, stick with it. Also, what are the specs on that fan? That is the easiest and cheapest thing to replace, so if you can find something better go for it. Finally, how is that waterblock? I dont recognize it...

Sorry, I'm just a little curious about these unknown parts, although ive heard that kit is quite good for a prebuilt.

[MameXP]

you did the right thing. Its basically a combination of best parts. So you will have excellent performance.

just interested, how much does it cost in total? Where did you get it in Canada?

[AlanD911]

that actually doesnt look too bad for a prebuilt kit, I was about to scream at you but its basically a switech kit with a different name. You might want to replace that tubing if it starts to kind, get Clearflex60 or Tygon. If it doesnt though, stick with it. Also, what are the specs on that fan? That is the easiest and cheapest thing to replace, so if you can find something better go for it. Finally, how is that waterblock? I dont recognize it...

Sorry, I'm just a little curious about these unknown parts, although ive heard that kit is quite good for a prebuilt.

The fan is a panaflow im not sure how fast it spins or anything tho. I'm thinking of replacing it with a UV one cuz my case is gonna be like pure UV. But yea i'm also focused on quietness which the box says the fan will accomplish. The radiator is a black ice pro i believe.

[AlanD911]

you did the right thing. Its basically a combination of best parts. So you will have excellent performance.

just interested, how much does it cost in total? Where did you get it in Canada?

The watercooling kit is abit price where I bought it from. I got it from tigerdirect.ca and the price was $256.99 canadian.

Here is a link
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1221695&CatId=1057

I'm going to be leaktesting this kit soon so i'll post the results here or in my journal thread found in the AMD CPU forum

[Jas]

Wow that 120mm hole looks great for a freehand cut!

[LaTeRaLuS]

dont buy a resovior...many people advise against them (dont remember the reason but its a good reason)...and fugget about the shroud kit too, u can make ur own if ur up to it...its cheaper

Why not a res? I would think it would be better for the cooling process....but im a noob at this, what do i know. Can someone plz explain? Im going to be doing some custom WCing and it would be nice to know if there is any validity behind not having a res.

[Jas]

Like anything, it depends on how it's used.

Basically, a Res will NOT kill flow as long as there is adequate pressure on the outlet side. Two ways to make sure that works. Have the Res at the highest point of your loop, Or, have a really big res so that the water amount of water creates enough pressure to maintain an equilibrium.

So basically unless you put a tiny res say at the bottom of your loop, and the pump say at the top, and res has a dividing plate, you shouldn't be killing flow.

[eobard]

The watercooling kit is abit price where I bought it from. I got it from tigerdirect.ca and the price was $256.99 canadian.

Here is a link
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1221695&CatId=1057

I'm going to be leaktesting this kit soon so i'll post the results here or in my journal thread found in the AMD CPU forum
O... M... G... You actually shopped at TigerDirect? I hope everything you paid for works and continues to work. Having said that, here's (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller5616.html) a link to their ResellerRating.

[namgorf]

O... M... G... You actually shopped at TigerDirect? I hope everything you paid for works and continues to work. Having said that, here's (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller5616.html) a link to their ResellerRating.

I got my CPU and hard drive from tiger direct's US site, but only cause of their finaning. 6 Months and no interest.

Anyway, Reseller ratings is a fickle site at best, most people only post there when they're insanely ****ed and want some minor payback for all the hell they went through.

Having worked at a large online (now gone) hardware company, I know what it's like. I would go the extra mile, give out my personal cell number to customers, ship things on my own buck, go to the post office on my saturday to ship stuff, you name it, I did it.

I worked my ass off. But not everyone there did, so, we had a mixed reseller rating, A few of them were priasing me, most were complaining about little things we really could help. Or about how the asian staff couldnt speak english and this place needed more white people.

I can remember people calling me up off pricewatch and ordering from me, just because I was the first person they could understand, and that my name was Chuck. Damn honkeys. :mad: Where was I? Oh yeah, cool kit man. :)

[eobard]

Anyway, Reseller ratings is a fickle site at best, most people only post there when they're insanely ****ed and want some minor payback for all the hell they went through.
I couldn't disagree more. The place (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2064.html) I order my stuff from has a resellerrating of 9.04, most of their reviews are positive. Resellerratings is a very good way to see if a e-tailer can be trusted.

[/end detour]

[AlanD911]

O... M... G... You actually shopped at TigerDirect? I hope everything you paid for works and continues to work. Having said that, here's (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller5616.html) a link to their ResellerRating.


yup i bought my ram/case from there along with my watercooling from them. They have one by my house so thats the only reason why i did it

[AlanD911]

Thanks for all the possitive feedback here's some pics of how I got the leaktest running atm! I plan on adding hydrx after the overnight leaktest
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0207.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0202.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0199.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0198.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0206.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0205.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0204.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0203.jpg

[situman]

would u say thats a rebadged Swifty kit without the coolsleeves?

[Sentential]

would u say thats a rebadged Swifty kit without the coolsleeves?
Yea pretty much. Its a nice kit

[AlanD911]

So what do you guys think of my sealS? I ran everything overnight and there seems to be no signs of leaks or anything. I'm also running it right now while i'm at school

[Sentential]

So what do you guys think of my sealS? I ran everything overnight and there seems to be no signs of leaks or anything. I'm also running it right now while i'm at school
If it runs 24hrs without an issue its time to install it :D

[AlanD911]

Sweet. I started leak testing at around 12am last night and left it on overnight. SO i guess i'll be installing things tommorrow since this leak test is still running

[MameXP]

hey guys Corsair may get them directly from manufracture which is in Taiwan. So price is just about the same with swfitech if not cheaper.

[AlanD911]

coolness i have an updated picture of the whole loop check it out
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/AlanD911/IMG_0208.jpg

[situman]

u using hydrx right? it will cloud ur tubes, but then again almost anything will cloud tubes.

[AlanD911]

yea im using hydrx. I dont know what else to use and since it came in the kit heck might as well.

what else would be nice to add to the loop as an additive

[smokenjoe]

Nice! That is a good kit I cant beleve they included a panflow fan too that is nice. I am curious about the tubing how thick are the walls?

[AlanD911]

the tubing walls are pretty thick but it's only 3/8" tubing not 1/2 inch. the tubing seems to be really good tho ive been using metal hose clamps that I bought from wallmart with this setup and it's never leaked

[Achilles17]

Just make sure it doesnt kink when you put it in, but as long as you dont have any really tight turns it shouldnt. Also, youre probably going to want to cut some of that tubing, that seems like a LOT to go into a case. But do it when you need to, no need right now.

Oh, and hydrx is good stuff, it preforms well and is a combination of three addatives (biocide, antifreeze and UV dye) so you dont have to deal with mixing them all. I used antifreeze, but in retrospect Hydrx might have been simpler, as I'm adding UV dye soon. Just put the recommended amount in and you will be fine.

I still want to know what that waterblock is though, has anyone seen it or heard of it?

[kbtat2]

I'm almost positive that it's a swiftech.

[voigts]

I just got blue VW/Audi coolant and it really looks nice. I didn't like that puke green color with the Hydra X, Zerex racing is way too expensive and stains everything red, but so far the Blue VW is nice.