WC Setup Opinions

Howdy,

I am building a computer to take with me to college. I have a very large budget to spend on it, so I decided that I wanted to water cool both for performance and looks. I really do not care about noise. My computer components are the following:

Athlon 64 x2 4800+
SLI 7800gtx
DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939
Lian Li PC-V2000A Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Now, I have read alot of posts on this forum and they have really helped me choose the water cooling components. But before I got out and buy them I want some opinions on them. Here is what I have choosen so far:

Swiftech MCP655 12v DC Pump
SwiftTech MCW6002-64
Danger Den NV-68SLI (Still researching if they fit a 7800gtx)
MCW20-B Chipset water-block
Black Ice XtremeIII Radiator
Delta 120x38mm Triple Blade High Speed (x3) 142cfm!

I have two questions for my setup. What can I do about getting some shrouds for my fans, because I have read in some of the posts that shrouds really improve performance. Also, what are some recommendations on coolants. Any comments and feedback on that setup would be very helpful before I spend a large chunk of change on this. I also want to say thanks for a very helpful forum getting my started on my first water cooling beast of a machine.

Welcome to O/C Forums!

First off that setup is gonna do you justice

The Black Ice doesn't need shrouds. It has something like an outer ridge that the fans mount up to so it acts like a shroud.

As for coolants, no need for that either. Personally for myself i use like 1/4 cup of antifreeze to kill off any bacteria growth. Use distilled water and a 1/4 cup of antifreeze. You'll be fine.

Another thing is you really don't need the chipset waterblock. A good active cooling sink on it will do. Unless you're looking at sub-zero temps, the nb block isn't gonna do any better cooling that a good fan/sink combo on it.

Remember the flow goes like this:

Pump>Rad>cpu wb> Gpu wb>Pump.

Be sure to leak test the setup outside the case for a min of 24 hrs before you install it. Other than that, that setup looks good to me.

Good luck and have fun-

welcome my friend

imo, the rad does NOT need to be before the blocks, this is an arguable subject. tests have shown negligable differences in temps for where the rad resides. just go with whatever order makes routing the tubes easiest.

and i would consider either getting or making a shroud for the black ice. mounting a fan directly to it can hinder its performance. u should have a clearance of at least an inch between the fan(s) and the rad. having them further away reduces the 'dead spot' where the fans center hub is, and spreads the airflow and pressure across the entire surface of the rad. shrouds can be made from almost anything laying around the house, just get creative.

as for coolant, i personally use 100% distilled with a few capfuls of redline watter wetter. although, everyone will tell u a different solution. maybe try a few and see what works best for u.

looks like a nice selection of parts to me

just my $0.02

citronym

Not to burst your bubble, but have you seen the black ice extreme III? Maybe you should take a look here . As i've had several of the I's and II's and still have the II series. I'd like to know where to mount the shroud

Also in a wc loop it is suggested that in a loop the rad comes before the wb's, therefore the cpu block gets the coolest water available. I'm sure ppl who wc their machines don't want better temps possible...

but then who am i to suggest otherwise eh?

like i said, having a rad before the blocks is arguable. it is not always the best way to go.

and i have a black ice extreme, and a shroud on it. its not hard at all to make a shroud for those rads

Hmmmmm, interesting. I must have been doing it wrong all these years then.

no no no, no right or wrongs here
all just opinions

def not trampling you

citronym said:

no no no, no right or wrongs here
all just opinions

def not trampling you

Click to expand...

I know, j/k If i made you feel that way I apologize.

But back on topic: You are absolutely correct tho. There are numerous ways to hook up a loop that will work. I'll cuncur with the fact he has to try out what works best for his particular setup