Make own Block or Buy Used?

[chunkeymunkey25]

Im making a cheap wc setup cause I was bored, and Ive got 10 feet of 1/2"id Home Depot tubing, Eheim 1048, & an Escort HC so far for just $43.50 :clap:
Anyway, in keeping up with the inexpensive, but good performing setup I have going, should I make a simple block like ghettocomp's (http://www.lwcma.com/), or I could get a used MCW5000 or something like that for about $10 more.
Is it really worth it to save the $10, or should I get a used block?
Also, would ghettocomp's block w/out the dividers perform anywhere close to an MCW5000 w/ my pump & HC, and nothing else?

[chunkeymunkey25]

I could really use some advise quick here, Im going to be gone for a week soon, so I would like whatever I buy shipped by the time I get back.

[ZachM]

I would just go with the used block. I don't know the performance of that particular homebrew block though. If you get a kick out of building things, go ahead. You would be better off IMO with use used block in most cases though.

[ls7corvete]

Both, that way you will enjoy your project. Build your own and I am afraid you will be dissapointed with WCing and block building. Buy used and then enjoy both.

[Sneaky]

get the used block

[Moto7451]

The copper cap block looks to be a good performer. You could always go for both in theory, that way you know which is better ;). Actually I wanted to make one. Maybe after I finish my current waterblock project I will make one.

[itchy5]

id make my own just for fun (just like on that site) looks cool and is cheap as hell :beer: but if you dont have any solder skills :p then buy a used block

[jamesavery22]

You should make a block because you like doing it. If you like making things on your own, being inventive etc, you should do it then.

[ghettocomp]

Im making a cheap wc setup cause I was bored, and Ive got 10 feet of 1/2"id Home Depot tubing, Eheim 1048, & an Escort HC so far for just $43.50 :clap:
Anyway, in keeping up with the inexpensive, but good performing setup I have going, should I make a simple block like ghettocomp's (http://www.lwcma.com/), or I could get a used MCW5000 or something like that for about $10 more.
Is it really worth it to save the $10, or should I get a used block?
Also, would ghettocomp's block w/out the dividers perform anywhere close to an MCW5000 w/ my pump & HC, and nothing else?

I Can't compare my coppercap temps with a commercial WB, what I made was out of boredom and wanting to watercool my PC. I decided to make one from coppercaps mainly because I was not going to shell out over $40 for a waterblock or buy a kit (most at the time were around $200 and up) to see it WCing was what I wanted to do.
CPU Temps currently are running under load at about 39C :attn: with ambient temps around 24-27C, the inside of the case is hotter at about 43C+. :shrug:
IMHO, I think my copper cap waterblock works better.

I believe my copper caps work so well that I will be assembling about 40-50 coppercap waterblocks for my current project, the 'Big Box Project' in my sig.

[MailOrderSausag]

make your own, it's more fun. i was able to make a simple spiral block that performed awesome. i paid 20 bucks for the copper, it took a bunch of hours to mill/dremel/solder, but it performed just fine with my big arse radiator. make your own,

diy 4eva!

[chunkeymunkey25]

Well, the used block wont work for me, so Im going to Home Depot tomorrow for a nice copper cap & some barbs :)
I have some thick acrylic that Ill use to hold it down, making a combination of the popcan & ghettocmp's blocks, with visible liquid, but what nuts & bolts will I need? I saw you used plastic ones ghettocomp, do you know exactly what you used/how you installed things?

As for how Im going to hold everything together, I already made a backplate for the K7S5A thats going to be modded so I can OC the 1600+ Palonimo it has in it.
Im going to take a knex case (the huge ones with door flaps & handles), cut off the door & somehow get the mobo in one, then make mounts/cut holes for cd, floppy, hd, & psu in there, as well as some more holes for some front usb action from the same old case Im getting the power switch from :attn:
Ill have the HC, reservoir & pump held externally, maybe in another knex case that I have.

For the end to this way too long post, should I have my 1048a submersed or have an external reservoir? Space wont be too much of an issue, as long as things fit into a knex case.

[ghettocomp]

I think I used the 6x32 2 inch plastic bolts. The plastic holding down the coppercap waterblock is some left over 1/8" Lexan that was cut to fit. Those dimensions I don't remember at the moment. it was just one of those stick it in to see if it works things, since it works better than I thought, I have never changed anything.
Soon I will be discussing how I am making the WB's for the Big Box rig I'm building (in sig.) but even they are going to be different now.

Something i forgot to mention is that a lot of plastics do not like to be glued. and if you do get a tight seal it will be only for a short time. home depot sells a epoxy that is used exclusively for copper connections, but I am not sure if it will bond well with plexi. Your best bet to keep any chance of leaks to a minimum will be to solder a top to the coppercap. plastic and metal dont seem to like being bonded to each other very well.

edit: You mentioned that you had acrylic, That plastic seem particlulary picky about any glue to attach things (-I've tried-) every type of glue has failed, even silicone.

[Craptacualr]

The only way to glue acrylic to a waterproof seal is with a few VERY VERY expensive contact cements. The material itself was designed to be as smooth as possible and not provide a surface to glue to. Listen to ghettocomp and get the brass top to solder on it.

[chunkeymunkey25]

Ok, I have a chance to go to HD tonight, and right now Im leaning towards a copper cap block with a 2" cap, 1/4" 2x3 bar, and 1/2" pipe w/ barbs. I will make it pretty much just like this http://www.overclockers.com/tips730/ block, except w/ 1/2" tubing of course, and I'll drill a couple dimplesin the center to increase the contact area.

Im sorry ghettocomp, your clock looks like it works grewt, but I want to be slightly original and revive an old design. Once I get the bar, I should start leak testing that day, and Im also continuing with my Knex case that will hold everything. Only thing left now is to go to HD & get all the barbs, hose clamps, and whatever else I need.

I need feedback quick, my chance to go to HD is in 2 hours.

[chunkeymunkey25]

Ok, heres what I got:
6-#6-32x1" thumb screw knurled heads
4-neoprene 5/32" flat washers (for springs)
12-#6-32 nylon screw nuts
6-#6 nylon flat washers
6-1/4"x1/2"x.035 compression springs (pretty damn strong)
4x1/2"x1/2" barbs
10-stainless steel hose clamps
And finally, for the part of the block actually holding the water:
1-2" pvc-1 cap, about 1/4" thick :p
Still need: 2 more barbs, converters for my old Escort HC (I want something more stable than just soldering 1/2" barbs into 3/4" pipe), 3x2x1/4" 110 bar.

The plan right now is to basically copy the instructions I found for the Maze 3 (http://www.dangerden.com/Instructions/AMD_Maze3_Plastic.pdf) using the above parts, and drill the mounting holes on the cu110 bar. The bar as I said before will be dimpled 1/8" over the core contact area, and have the pvc cap epoxied on the bar. I dont know If Ill use any soldier period, as I dont have a very powerful one, and epoxy is so much easier to use (for me at least) and that much more ghetto :attn:

Pics to come when my bar comes in the mail!

[ghettocomp]

Pics are always cool! and always ther is nothing wrong with trying it the way you want. you never know it may work very well.

[Craptacualr]

So you're gonna glue PVC to copper and thread the top of the PVC for fittings? Sounds like it could work, just make sure you use a good cement and clean your surfaces really well before gluing

[chunkeymunkey25]

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/P3290194%20(Small).JPG
Theres all the stuff so far, except the springs, extra barbs, & copper bar.

Im this close to ordering a 2.5x3x1/4" bar for $6, so if no one says anything against that size for a socket A on a k7s5a, then Im ordering :P
Today Im working on cleaning the HC, building more of the Knex case, and going back to HD to get the right fittings/extra barbs. And yes, my plan is to epoxy/pvc cement everything, and no, there wont be any threading on the cap, to make things more ghetto, and the barbs arent threaded anywyas.

More pics to come!

[chunkeymunkey25]

I cleaned the HC today, most of the gunk in there is gone now. I also went back to Home Depot, & found some plastic threaded converters that I'll epoxy on the inside of the copper pipe coming out of the HC, and use the barbs on it as well. I think its supposed to be a 1/2"-3/8" adapter, but it fits with my tubing & the HC. I also got a different PVC cap, I didnt realize that a 2" cap means that the inside is equal to the outer diameter of 2" inner diameter pipe. Instead, I got a 1.5" cap, which is about 2-1/4" wide. Ive ordered a 2.5x3x1/4" CU110 bar, and I have some very poorly done Paint pictures of what I plan to do:

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/block1.JPG
Basic design, none of these are done to scale or are neatly drawn, but they get the point across.

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/block_dimple.JPG
Simple 1/8" deep holes to increase the contact area.

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/barbs.JPG
A single inlet right above the core, with a piece of copper pipe acting as an extender/flow accelerator, and two outlets at the top.

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/loop.JPG
How the entire loop will look, the order being pump->HC w/ 4 80s->block->Tubberware reservoir->pump. Yes, there will be 2 outlets seperately going into the reservoir, unless a bunch of people tell me that it wont work any better than a single outlet.
And yes, each connection has scribbles for hose clamps :p

[LabRat23]

In my personal experience, building you own gets to be more expensive than buying a used one. It is possible to make a waterblock cheap, but the performance will probably be on par with good air cooling. It is possible to make a waterblock that performs at least as good as one you can buy, but you unless you already have access to a machine shop, you will spend several times the cost of a good waterblock in tools alone.

[chunkeymunkey25]

Yep, the block alone is going to end up costing about $30, as I had no nylon thumbscrews/nuts/washers, and the cost of the copper w/ shipping was $13 :mad:. Ill probably have some leftover parts, as I got spares of everything, so the total cost might go down some. I would have done a copper cap block, but HD didnt have any, so Im using a pvc cap now :p.

For the exit barbs, Im thinking of putting them like this:

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/side_barbs.JPG

With the exit barbs epoxied a lot to hold them up. And to confirm, having two outlets both going into the same reservoir wont create a whirpool or anything like that? If so, what could I do to prevent that from happening?

AS for the last thing to make, the reservoir is going to be a little pint container with markers on the sides & a cap of course, which is about 4x4x6" l-w-h.

[chunkeymunkey25]

Once again people, there will be no whirlpool action going on with two seperate outlets going into the same reservoir, right? Right?

[Skeen]

I imagine it depends on the angle that the outlets enter the res. If, for instance, they're just pointing straight down into the res then, no, there wouldn't be a whirlpool.

[Nnyan]

I'll end up getting a commerical block but I'm pretty interested in playing around with making my own block. I've got access to some decent metal working hardware and just think it would be fun to try to make one, but I'm under no impression that it would perform anything like commercial blocks, it would be for the fun factor.

[chunkeymunkey25]

Just a small update here, I think I might have decided what to make my reservoir out of, but I think I'll still need to do some modding for it to work:


http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/P310194%20%28Small%29.JPG
I would have used regular Dew, but I didnt have a 2 liter of it ATM. I think I'll make part of the top before it curves towards the opening flat, and stick both of the exit barbas there. Kinda like this:

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/dew_concept.JPG
With pretty thick plexi holding things together. This should eliminate any possibility of a whirlpool effect happening with the flow from the waterblock outlets going straight down, to the bottom barb, and also giving the heat in the water from the block some time to dissipate before getting sucked to the pump, and back through the loop again. Tonight I might start on cutting up the bottle, because even if I screw up, I can just use another 2 liter bottle

I also have another item Im going to add to the res, whatever it ends up being, but I'll give you something to look forward to when everything's finished.

I guess this is now my project thread, so tell me now if the new res idea wont work.

[chunkeymunkey25]

I wont bore the few of you who are actually watching this thread, so heres my top w/ 3 barbs :attn:

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/P4010206%20(Small).JPG
Top, the barb on the right was put too close to the center (inlet) barb.

http://1stclasspcs.com/uploaded/P4010207%20(Small).JPG
The inside, loaded with epoxy, and the bent copper pipe I used to make an extender & accelerator nozzle for inlet. Think I used enough 5 Minute Epoxy to make things hold together?

Right now my copper bar is still going to come one Monday, but I might be finished with everything by Firday, when my schools next lan party is.