Recommendations for a new Water Cooler

[bigfoot]

Ok, well as you all can tell from my Rig list, I'm looking into a new system and I've never done a water cooling setup but since I know a water cooling setup will beat the heck out of the best HSF and that thing would cost me 80 bucks alone so... Like I was saying, I'm looking for some recommendations for the best radiators, water bocks and pumps.

[bigfoot]

Can anyone pleaz help me out.

*bump*

[Voodoo Rufus]

Let's see here. A no holds barred H2O setup? Cool.

Radiator: Blackice Extreme or heater core. Panaflo L1A fans
Waterblock: Swiftech MCW-462 or Danger Den Maze 2 with 1/2" ID connections.
Pump: Eheim 1250 or 1060. Restrict the flow as neccessary to get the best temps.

This is my opinion, but these parts would get you a nice system with good temps.

[bigfoot]

Nice, I took a look at those things and they look awsome, thanks for the suggestions.

[curnow]

I think that you can get better results with a heater core rather than a black ice radiator, but it can be hard to find an already converted heater core (like the big momma which hasn't been in stock at www.caseetc.com for what seems like a million years).

In favour of the black ice products however, they look really nice and are very easy to attach fans to.

For me the cost of the black ice radiators was too expensive when compared to the performance and price of a heater core from the automotive parts store (which I put hose connectors onto myself... this is all they actually do when you buy a "converted" heater core). Buying in town makes returns easier and there is no shipping costs, and no waiting in my case either as they had suitable heater core in stock.

People say good things about the eheim pumps, although I've never used one I'm not convinced they are really any better than any aquarium supply store pump with a similar rate of flow. If I'm wrong about that someone can please tell me why.

[Voodoo Rufus]

The Blackice is good, but if you read the recent article on radiators, it has a high pressure drop. The Extreme model should alleviate some of that as well as performing better. The Big Momma I think is not going to be stocked any more by OCWC or Casetc. The Eheims are good pumps, and they're quiet, but I don't know if they're any better than the other mag drives out there.

[bigfoot]

Where have you guies seen the different models of the black ice and so fourth, I just read the article on radiators at this Web sight and from this pic:
http://www.overclockers.com/articles481/dissvsflow.gif
I think I'l actually try to go hunt down a hearter core and that would work nice, although I would like it to look somewhat nice, It's gona look a little different than I might like but who knows how this will work out. Or on the other hand I might go look for one of those shreck's, they sook like they might be expensive, but it looks like it will cool very nicely. I'd really like to see a review in some of those other blackice models. After I get this built I'l tell you guies how it works out, maybe even some pic's.

[ButcherUK]

Big Momma style rads are easy to find - DD sells one for starts. As for the Serck, it's an Al rad which could cause corrosion issues with a Cu block.

[Voodoo Rufus]

Corrosion isn't an issue if you use water wetter or a little antifreeze.

[bigfoot]

Well, after I'v done some research, I relised that my choices are very similar , if not exactly as Voodoo Rufus had sugested first, thank you all for your help, you guies always rock:D I think my decision is going to be with a Black Ice Extream (mainly because It should perform awsome plus it already looks good), 1 or 2 maybe 1 Ehiem 1048 (158 GPH for resoveror to radiator) and maybe another Ehiem 1250 (317 GPH for resoveror to water block), and for a water block I think I'll get a Maze2 (I'v herd some nice things about), I know this is going to be really really expensive but I think it will work out really nicely.

Does anyone recomend to use a resoveror vs. not.

[Voodoo Rufus]

I'd say use a reservoir to make filling easier, say, a small one inside the case. At minimum you should have a fill tube running up the side of the case, but an aluminum or PVC reservoir would be good. I attached mine using a PVC Tjoint, and another person made a vertical one using a 90 degree tee, but that makes installtion a little more difficult.

You don't need two pumps unless you're using a water chiller or are afraid of pump failure. I think that a single Eheim 1250 would do just fine.

[bigfoot]

The reason I was pondering on using two pumps would be for something where I would be able to have a fast flow going to the water block and a slower floe going through the radiator, hear's a really fast sketch of the idea I had in mind:

[ButcherUK]

This was brought up in another post, probably won't work that well - you mix warm return water with cool water and end up with the water for the cpu being warmer than it would otherwise be. Of you want slow flow in the rad, get two and run a parallel setup.

[bigfoot]

That's one problem I already thought about, does anyone think that if I had a really small reservoir that it would work any better, I think I'm gona change my mind and just have a single simple setup, pump > water block > radiator > reservoir (just incase I loose a little water:eek:, I DON'T wana rum dry).

I think my specific setup will be something like this Eheim 1250 > Danger Den Maze 2 > Blackice Extreme > self made 3x2x2in reservoir.

How's it sound, I just like to imagin it, It looks remarkibly similar to Voodoo Rufus sugestions doesn't it, I guess since I seemed to come to the same conclusions as he did, he's already done his research.

[Voodoo Rufus]

The size of the reservoir doesn't matter. It just takes longer for the water to reach it's equilibrium temperature with a big res. A plastic res would be better because then all of the heat goes to the radiator instead of the res dumping some heat into the case which goes to the radiator anyway, raising temps.

[bigfoot]

Hmm, I guess I could find a plastic one, I was thinking that It would be cool If i could build one of my own in metals shop, but If plastic will work better, then why waste my time, it would still be awsome though:)

[Voodoo Rufus]

Hey, I get weird faces and replies from people when I tell them I water cool my computer. They think I'm insane, stupid, or both. THe only person who though it was cool was an elderly gentleman who worked at Ace Hardware who helped me with choosing the PVC components for my reservoir.

It proves that water cooling by itself is a cool thing.

[bigfoot]

I'm shure I'd get an awkword look from my teacher if I asked hif If he could approve my production planning for a resorvoir to use in a water cooler for my comp!

[Voodoo Rufus]

Probably, but that's part of the fun of telling people. My computer has been called a "f*!@ing freak of nature". I take pride in that.