New to the watercooling game. suggestions appreciated

[BF_TEXMASTER]

I'm looking into getting into water cooling after being a self proclaimed king of all aircooling for years. early work (http://www.overclockers.com/tips316/)

I'm taking 9mmSensor's comments about what to ask to heart.

I'm looking to watercool for both noise and performance issues

My budget is fairly large 300+

I've modded cases in the past for air cooling and I have access to a dremel, drills, and other hardware tools needed.

In my sig I have listed my components and I want to cool both the cpu and gpu, even the chipset if necessary.

I'm also not really looking to shove everything in that tiny shuttle case. I'd actually prefer the radiator, resevior and possibly the pump to remain outside.

My biggest issue is the video card because I can't find a block for it. I like the black ice II and III units from danger den and especially their new flexi hoses. For me, its more about efficency than style and I'm not really into overclocking as I once was.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)

[[O-CuK]Marci]

Swiftech Storm G4 for CPU - about as good as it's ever gonna get for a CPU Waterblock... designed by Cathar
Laing D5 - has adjustable voltage control to reduce speed of pump for lower noise, but it's damn silent at 12v anyways... noted by Cathar as the best pump to use with the Storm out of today's commonly available choices.
ThermoChill PA160.1 and suitable silent fan as recommended at www.thermochill.com/pa160.php - go by the max dB that you want, use a fanbus to drop it lower, leaving the option of raising it for further performance at times when noise isn't an issue... - again designed in the majority by Cathar and ProCooling member, so pairs up nicely with the Storm...
Reservoir - of personal preference or T-Line. If looks no issue, then go for cheapest - HPDE Res from either Swiftech or DangerDen
Maze4 GPU for video card... just requires a tiny bit of modding work to the top - jigsaw a small chunk out - nice n' easy as it's delrin - could even do by hand with hacksaw, or use PolarFlo GPU block... also, spare individual delrin tops are available for the Maze4 block should you knack it up, and they don't cost the earth...
7/16" Tygon if you can source it, otherwise 1/2" ID Tygon.
FluidXP for simplicity, Distilled with Zerex for traditional.


To convert the whole kit above into a full-on performance only, noise of no concern system, just substitute PA160 and fan for HE120.3 Triple 120mm rad and suitable fans, again choosing roughly by max desired dB...

Keep all tubing runs as short as physically possible, minimise the amount of tubing required to retain best performance possible, so getting all the kit into as compact a space as possible can be beneficial purely for this reason. Avoid using elbows - nice clean bends thruout.

Pipe it up as follows:

res > pump > rad > cpu > gpu > res

OR

res > pump > cpu > gpu > rad > res

(s'generally only the rad that varies in position thruout the loop these days)

As long as fan is moving cold air from outside the case thru the rad, rather than warm air from inside the case thru the rad, performance should be superb in as near to silence as you can get depending on rad-fan choice.

For examples of PA160 mounting in various cases:

LianLi v2100 / v2x00 series in general (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=405243)
MountainMods Twice 7 (http://www.over-clock.com/ivb/index.php?showtopic=12522)
LianLi PC6x series (http://www.over-clock.com/ivb/index.php?showtopic=12424)
LianLi v1x00 Series (http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=378300)

[SewerBeing]

[O-CuK]Marci: its not 7/16" tygon its Masterkleer tubing with a 3/32" wall you can get it on page 82 of the www.mcmaster.com catalog. Next up I do not recommend that radiator it is too small and hence needs too much fan power. i would recommend a BIX2 or 3 (if you have the room) if you want 80CFM+ fans and a BIP2 or 3 if you have fans with less than 80cfm. Now as far as a reservoir goes they are less safe than a T-line so I recommend against them. Also anti-freeze will work just as well as those other additives and is cheaper. Now order is irrelevant, just use the least amount of tubing or tight bends as possible.

[BF_TEXMASTER]

Thanks for the feedback guys. How about this reservior? (http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=55&cat=28&page=1) and does it have to be higher then the blocks its supporting?

So should I worry about the chipset or just leave the little fan on it and as far as the rest of the components like ram, hard drive, do they need a ton of air or will a little suffice? Right now I rigged a 80mm fan to suck heat off the surface of the hard drive. Can I get rid of it after this mod or should I leave it there?

And [O-CuK]Marci, on the mod for the GPU, are you saying the block is too big for the card?

I've also heard that its sometimes necessary to run a dual radiator one going to each block or risk sub standard cooling. Is this something I should worry about?
Thanks again guys.

[SewerBeing]

Thanks for the feedback guys. How about this reservior? (http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=55&cat=28&page=1) and does it have to be higher then the blocks its supporting?

So should I worry about the chipset or just leave the little fan on it and as far as the rest of the components like ram, hard drive, do they need a ton of air or will a little suffice? Right now I rigged a 80mm fan to suck heat off the surface of the hard drive. Can I get rid of it after this mod or should I leave it there?

And [O-CuK]Marci, on the mod for the GPU, are you saying the block is too big for the card?

I've also heard that its sometimes necessary to run a dual radiator one going to each block or risk sub standard cooling. Is this something I should worry about?
Thanks again guys.

First off that reservoir looks fine, but again they can be a safety risk in your loop because they have been known to crack. Next up the block will not fit your card, if you look on www.dangerden.com you will find it says that no All in wonder cards are supported. So you can stick with aircooling or try and mod the block (although you risk a leak, and you will void the warranty). Now if you will re read my first post you will see the radiators that I recommend at its at least a 2x120mm radiator because anything less will not be good enough. Also the reservoir does not need to be physically above the pump, it makes no difference.

[BF_TEXMASTER]

Gotcha. Thanks for the info. I will probably get the BIX3 to be safe. Looks like I'll be waiting for that GPU because I can't stand that damn fan changing speeds.

[SewerBeing]

Gotcha. Thanks for the info. I will probably get the BIX3 to be safe. Looks like I'll be waiting for that GPU because I can't stand that damn fan changing speeds.

for the BIX3 be sure you get fans that can pump out over 80CFM otherwise the BIP3 would be the better choice

[g0dM@n]

Wow, BIX3... I wouldn't get that unless I was doing serious overclocking. I have the BIX2 and sometimes I feel like it's more than enough. Be sure to know that the BIX3 is huge! My BIX2 is pretty big. If you need help with fans, then lemme know.

[BF_TEXMASTER]

Well I dont plan on putting it in the case anyway so its size isn't going to bother me. Could I go with slower running fans on the larger BIX3 like the SilenX iXtrema 120mm? And is one of those 5 1/4 bay resoviors a better idea?

[g0dM@n]

How many CFM is that 120mm? Also, I dunno about reservoir b/c I don't even use one. :D

[BF_TEXMASTER]

40 cfms

[g0dM@n]

Definitely way too little. I would also suggest you getting 120x120x38mm fans, not 120x120x25mm.

[BF_TEXMASTER]

Ok I'm going with the BIX2. Now what kind of fans should I be looking at?

One more thing. Should I be looking at thermal adhesive or paste?

[SewerBeing]

Ok I'm going with the BIX2. Now what kind of fans should I be looking at?

One more thing. Should I be looking at thermal adhesive or paste?

First off avoid Silenx fans they are crap. You want a fan that can push 80+ cfm and has high pressure, look into Delta, Papst or Sanyo Denki fans. However what do you consider loud and not loud? I suggest poking around www.svc.com, www.jab-tech.com and other online retailers and look for fans. BTW Silenx fans are rebranded Adda fans with a sleeved bearing (in other words you are paying more for the Silenx fan cause it says Silenx on it and the sleeved bearings are bad). You want thermal paste (such as Artic Silver 5 or Artic Silver Ceramique)

[BF_TEXMASTER]

Thanks for the tip. Right now I have 4 squirrel cages and 2 80mm fans not including the fan on the video card. I just want to quiet some of that noise but I remember my 120s that were knocking out 120cfms and were 12012032 but damn were they loud! Is an 80 cfm 120 fan that much quieter?

[SewerBeing]

Thanks for the tip. Right now I have 4 squirrel cages and 2 80mm fans not including the fan on the video card. I just want to quiet some of that noise but I remember my 120s that were knocking out 120cfms and were 12012032 but damn were they loud! Is an 80 cfm 120 fan that much quieter?

Again it depends on the fan and the manufacturer. How they test noise is important, so I would look around online and find a fan that you like and then we can tell you what we think...