First Timer - Inprogress

First timer here ready to get my feet weet. haha.

I have been a member for some time here, trolling the forums and ready articles and reviews here and there on OC.com for a few years now. You guys have made my expericnce with overclocking come to life with my first PIV 1.6a cpu overclocked on air to about 2.2. my second experience was another PIV 3.06 @ 3.6 again on air. I have since moved on with the rest of the band wagoneers to a 805 D, with a very minor overclock due to misrepresented motherboard that said it had cpu volt control, but did not.

anyways I have been pondering a whole new build and water cooling has always piqued my interest to get some uber Mhrtz. After taking a refresher course and looking around at parts at some sites, I thought well let me just step in small I dont want to drop 2k on some new hardware only to blow it all on a leaking hose. So I decided to take it slow and see what I can squeeze out of my 805 D with my midsize case with watercooling.

My goal for this set up is High performance with silent/quiet operation. So on to to the nitty gritty.

I definetly want to use 1/2" hose's but a couple of questions first.
should I use 1/2" outlets and just a straight 1/2" hose and clamps. I have read before using slightly smaller hose size would make a tigher fight any thoughts. I also read for years about "Pressure drop and the impact it can have on a loop" so I use 1/4" threaded bards that have a 1/2" outlet is that going to cause a issue. Should i be looking for somthing else I see products everywhere that have these 1/4" threads.

Also I want a pretty high horse power pump looking to move about 600+GPM. Any recommendtions on a silent/quiet one.

I am also looking to do some cutting in my case I am going to mount a double 120mm Fan/Rad in my top two 5.25" drive bay slots. Blowing up of course. I have a dremal and done cutting before in my cases but this leads to uneven cuts in the material due to some unsteady hands any recommendations on cutting out some blow holes perhaps tools or techniqe?

Anything else you guys or gals that might want to point out on a first try would be much'o appreciated.

Ill keep you all updated with this post. Thank you.

You definitely do NOT want to use smaller hose than 1/2in with 1/2in barbs, it's hard enough to get the hose on them as it is, and wormdrive hose clamps will provide all the seal you need.

the 1/4" threads are not a problem. When you take a look at a 1/4" NPT 1/2" barb you will see what I mean, it is not a smaller opening.

For a pump, I would recommend a Swiftech MCP655 or a Laing D5 (they are the same thing). This is a powerful and small pump that will serve you well.

For cutting I use a rotary tool called a 'rotozip'. It's a bit like a dremal on steroids, and is used for cutting drywall and tile. It uses a bit that looks like a drill bit, and I use a circle template for an even cut. If your dremal is fairly powerful, I would try using the rotozip bits, I find it much easier to get good cuts than with cutoff wheels.

Good luck with your first setup, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

1/4" NPT is a little over 1/2" in outer diameter. See reference image:
http://www.mcmaster.com/library/5/574478/50785K220l.gif
1/2" NPT is a little under 7/8" in outer diameter. See reference image:
http://www.mcmaster.com/library/20060328/4757T740L.GIF

To cut sheet steel you'll get the cleanest results with a jigsaw using metal specific blades.

I recently built a new Loop, here is the link.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=493077

Very happy with the performance gains over my old setup, I to read the stickys and follwed the good info. Uped my hoses from 3/8" to 1/2". So far no leaks at all. On the pump i will second the mcp655, it is quite and has 5 different speed settings. Obviously yate loon 120mm fans (which i still need to upgrade on my loop). I splurged and got the thermochill pa120.2, but the mcr220 from swiftech is another rad you can use. I'm using the swiftech storm block but I've read the apogee Gt is the newer version and is better then the old, if you are on a budge t. If not then the storm would be the one to go with. On the tubing, the thin walled tygon is good if you are in a tight spot combined with the smart coils you can make a very tight bend like me on the outlet of the GPU block i only had 2"s to make the bend and i did it with no kinks. Once that tubing is over the barbs it is pretty snug and will not easily pull off. For cutting the case a rotozip is a good tools you can do it with a dremill just keep a steady hand, cut short and then file away the rest. post results as you go, would like to see the progress. Good luck

You can use 7/16" tubing over 1/2" hose barbs. The hose really isn't hard to get over the barbs, just boil the end of the tubes for about 30 seconds. I feel much more comfortable doing this, than using clamps. I do have one length of 1/2" tubing running from my radiator to my waterblock, that makes draining the system easier ( I don't have to cut off the 7/16" tubing). There is no performance difference going from 1/2" to 7/16". In the end it's all personal preference, but you should be aware of the possibilities.

downer said:

You can use 7/16" tubing over 1/2" hose barbs. The hose really isn't hard to get over the barbs, just boil the end of the tubes for about 30 seconds. I feel much more comfortable doing this, than using clamps. I do have one length of 1/2" tubing running from my radiator to my waterblock, that makes draining the system easier ( I don't have to cut off the 7/16" tubing). There is no performance difference going from 1/2" to 7/16". In the end it's all personal preference, but you should be aware of the possibilities.

Click to expand...

Actually, 7/16" is supposed to be somewhat better than 1/2" tubing. It doesn't restrict flow enough to justify using a larger size tubing, and it gets rid of the "lip-effect" that you get using 1/2" tubing with 1/2" barbs. The 1/2" barbs ID are closer to 7/16" then 1/2". Plus, 7/16" tubing is much easier to bend and route. Plus, MasterKleer 7/16" is dirt cheap at McMaster-Carr (5233K44) @ a mere $0.38/ft.

I have no problems using 7/16" tubing over barbs. I can pull most of my tubing off my 1/2" barbs no sweat, just takes a little effort.

The 1/2" vs 7/16" issue to me really just comes down to preference. In most systems it isn't going to make any measurable difference in performance. I tried going to 7/16", but frankly to me it simply is too much or a pain to work with as I do most of my computer assembling out in a work shed where I don't have access to hot water.

I have a couple of lines to take off when I drain, and the 7/16" has to be cut off just to get it off. I'm going to stick with 1/2". I have a good sized case so tubing size and routing are non-issues.

For making cuts, I agree that a jig saw with metal bits is the way to go. It provides much better control than a dremel ever will.

For the pump, the gph rating is not as important as the head pressure rating. Pond pumps have great gph ratings, but most can't push water through a watercooling loop for squat. The best pumps currently are the D5 aka MCP655, the DDC-2 aka MCP355 (preferably with petrastechshop top or an alphacool add on top), or for real silence, a DDC-1 aka MCP350 (still preferably with same said top). These DC pumps have good head pressure and good flow and are small and reliable.

For rads, the best of the best are the Thermochills. The next best thing is the Swiftech MCR rads.

When it comes to fittings, clamps, tubing, heat shrink tubing, and about a million other things, mcmaster.com is your friend.

voigts said:

The 1/2" vs 7/16" issue to me really just comes down to preference. In most systems it isn't going to make any measurable difference in performance. I tried going to 7/16", but frankly to me it simply is too much or a pain to work with as I do most of my computer assembling out in a work shed where I don't have access to hot water.

I have a couple of lines to take off when I drain, and the 7/16" has to be cut off just to get it off. I'm going to stick with 1/2". I have a good sized case so tubing size and routing are non-issues.

Click to expand...

agreed. 7/16 tubing is damn near impossible to get off a barb. i tested it out on a danger den fill port. after 5 mins of trying. i just decided to leave the tubing on the barb and i put a hose clamp on. even though i don't need it, i still put it on to make me feel better.


but yea, its all preference. i like the small size of it. and because im british. i like things small. unlike the large SUV's of America lol.