Desperately seeking advice...

I'm currently in the process of a new build, which I've decided to WC primarily because the mobo I've selected has the chipset already set up for it. My last few builds have been nothing short of ThermalRight advertisements, lol, and this will be my first shot at watercooling a rig as opposed to highend-air.

Components:

E6750
Asus Maximus Formula SE
2 GIG Corsair Dominator 1066
Sapphire 2900XT
PCP&C 750 Quad CFE
WD Raptor 75
Seagate Barracuda 320

Now on to my question!

I've always been a fan of Lian Li cases, and yes I'm aware of their overpriced nature, lol. Silverstone also, for that matter. Recently I came across this case/kit from Koolance/Lian Li.

http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?cPath=28_43&products_id=274

This seems to be a decent system, and is advertised as capable of 1000 watts of heat dissipation (I know, I know...it could all be BS...hehe)...

Could any of you gurus check this item out and give me your opinion? I only plan to WC the CPU/NB/GPU. I am also not sure whether to use the Koolance CPU/GPU waterblocks or another brand instead (I'm a "bit" impressed with Koolance's GPU block for 2900's that covers EVERYthing and not just the GPU).

I'm desperate for some help here, as the parts will start arriving immediately, and I need to make the decision on my case/kit soon.

I'm aware that many of you custom build you rigs from scratch, and I'd love to start a project like that.....but cannot at this time. I'm short on time, and to be honest, skill...lol. Time is an issue, as I've sold my OLD rig to a friend to help finance the new one...I have his money..he wants his rig...=)

Thanks everyone,

Vynny

I'm not a water cooler guy; so till someone chimes in, I'll say, that looks pretty cool; no pun intended. I think it's a good idea to get a quality package. You'll have plenty of other of parts and things to do.

You cant go wrong with a LIAN LI. They are a little more money, but the quality is well worth it. As for Koolance, their sytems arent the best performers. You're better off putting together a custom setup. You could get a Lian Li case and build your own loop for less than that case and it will work much better.

Forgot to add
If you like the idea of a kit check out Swiftech ,Danger Den and there are some nice setups at Petras Tech Shop.

I primarily picked that Koolance setup because....

...ummm...

....well...

...(ducks his head)...

...I'm actually a bit scared to attempt custom installing a pump/radiator/reservoir into a case

So nervous, in fact, that I even considered not watercooling at all, buying a nice CM Stacker 830/832, and going back to my tried'n'true 50 pounds of ThermalRight products....lol...along with enough 120mm fans to lift an Apache.

I realize some pump/reservoirs can be installed in the 5.25 bays, but can the GOOD ones be installed as such? Even if they can...where in Gods name do I place the radiator?? I do NOT want it sitting beside my case, as I've 2 cats and a 150lb dog with an inversely proportional I.Q. (not to mention a 4 year old daughter and a wife who at times competes with the dog at clumsiness)

I also do not wish to purchase some cheesy bolt on system that will not provide the cooling I require. I overclock like a madman, and if the system cannot top the high end ThermalRight products, then I'd just be wasting my time/money.

I know many of you may be rolling your eyes and muttering, "christ...not another noob"....and I definitely fit the bill ....but bear with me for no other reason than I'm in no way a system building noob, lol. This is just my first excursion into watercooling, and I find myself in a position that I'm, not entirely accustomed to: ignorance. I don't know who makes the best blocks....pumps...reservoirs...radiators...tubing....

...I don't even know the best coolant to buy...

....but hopefully someone with vastly more experience than myself can point me in the direction I need to take

Thanks again everyone,

VYnny

Nothing to Fear. Im new here but Ive read a lot of posts. There are quite a few helpful watercooling people that would walk you through it. Heres one of Swiftech's Kits. It even comes with Hydrx to solve your coolant worries.

http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-Apex-Ultra-H20-220-With-Apogee-GT-pr-3198.html

I would stay clear of any koolance kits/case combos. They are not what they advertise to be. I'm sure the other guyz here will say the same, but in all seriousness those setups are not designed for xtreme watercooling, more for silence and eye candy.

If you want to stay with a kit, then get something along the lines on one of these:

Swiftech Kits

Danger Den Kits


Or you can piece a kit together using specified parts. This way you save alot more money, get quality parts you want and get the knowledge of setting it up yourself. Nothing is more impressive than when your friends see it you can say "yeah, I built it"

Besides we're here to help you out along the way

Please don't buy that, it is way overpriced and does not perform well. If you can't or won't do a custom unit I would contact Petra's Tech Shop http://www.petrastechshop.com/contact.html and contact them about a custom solution for you. In all honesty it isn't hard if you just use some common sense and get good gear. We can help you if you decide to DIY and it would be cheaper for you too.

i would go all swiftech there in the top for good parts. the setup i'm looking at is all swiftech accept for the tubing and fans. i'm not sure they have a full water block for the 2900XT but other than that there good for what you want. installation for the parts is pretty easy, you may have to drill a couple of holes but nothing a "noobies" tool case wouldn't have. not sure if you have ordered your hdd's but i would look into the new segate barracuda's 250gb 410AS's. there faster than a raptor accept for the seek time i believe it is. they are also quieter, produce less heat, and cheaper. i have 1 right now and its top temp was 30C.

Ok .... I've been perusing the Swiftech site, and have found a few items that may (or may not? *cough*) be noteworthy...

The first is a: MCR-320 radiator, which utilizes 3 120mm fans. This seems to be the biggest radiator they offer, which I believe I may need as I'm using 3 blocks on the line (CPU, NB, and GPU) and plan to cook them thoroughly . Swiftech also claims their MCB120 "Radbox" will mount this unit to the back of the case, which makes be rather happy.

A few questions about this unit, if you would.....

(a) Can I do better? Am I looking at an inferior product that I will regret buying later on? Will this product meet my current needs, and perhaps the later addition of a second 2900XT?

(b) The mounting diagram for the MCB120 "Radbox" shows the MCR220 (only a 2 120mm unit), and from the looks of it, a MCB320 would not fit. This is odd as the documentation for the MCB320 specifically states the MCB120 "Radbox" can be used for mounting. It's entirely possible that the "idiot light" is blinking rapidly above my head, lol, so feel free to point it out if so

(c) After some searching around, it seems to be that only Swiftech offers such a clean solution for mounting a radiator (well except for Koolance =p). If there is a better unit, that can also be mounted without me modifying my case, then I'd happily chase it down

The second item I found is the MCP355 pump. There was one model higher available, but I prefer to stay with 3/8 instead of 1/2. This unit does not appear to have any "install-it-for-dummies" kits that I can buy, but doesn't appear to be too complicated

(a) Is there a better pump, perhaps by a different manufacturer, that I should consider? I'd prefer a nice pump that was bundled in a 5.25 bay along with the reservoir, but perhaps that is frowned upon? Or perhaps there is no such unit that also is high quality/performance?

The last thing I noticed, or failed to notice to be exact, is a lack of bay reservoirs. As I stated above, is there any problem with locating a high quality 5.25 bay reservoir? I could live without the pump being attached to it, but I'd prefer having that much less hose to run

With all of that being said....could you guys recommend the best CPU and GPU blocks currently available? No phase change/Peltier systems please, lol

Thanks!

EDIT: Ok...I figured out the Radbox, lol....and yes...the dummy light was blinking...*sigh*

Excellent radiator, should be okay for c2d + one xt

I dunno about 2 xt's though.

Whew!

Believe it or not, I've been researching nonstop (no dinner even...graaar!) since I posted this thread initially.

Some tidbits I've found that may be helpful, or at least entertaining, to others here:

(a) It seems that no matter where I look, the Fuzion and the Apogee GTX CPU blocks outperform all the others. On a side not, while the results are speculative, the new Koolance 330 hasn't done so well in raw performance.

(b) Oddly enough, the Koolance GPU block for the 2900 has done extremely well.

(c) It seems that the Koolance radiator, while scoring fairly high in tests (the 1 kilowatt version that is), is rather unpopular due to its aluminum construction. Shame on them it seems, lol.

(d) It appears as if the "Black Ice Extreme" radiators rule the roost.

(e) Most reviews show that pumps using the Laing D5 (Danger Den, Swiftek) seem to be the most popular/powerful followed closely by the pumps using the Laing DDC (sp?) (Swiftek and the NEW Koolance units). Its possible I have this all mixed up, but it also appears that the D5 units work better with larger/better radiators.

So where does this leave me?

Not too much further than I was before, lol....

I'd have to say the tastiest looking setup appears to be a Black Ice Extreme II (is that the right name?) radiator, a Koolance Liang DDC pump/reservoir unit (same motor as the Swiftek MCP335), a D-Tek Fuzion CPU block, and a Koolance VID-290 GPU block.

If mounting the pump/reservoir seperately, I'd have to go with the MCP-655 pump, and probably the Swiftek reservoir.

Opinions, anyone?

Dont ruin that setup with the Koolance video block. Where are you seeing that they are so good? also arent they made for 1/4 " tubing..ewwww! Stick with Swiftech or DD. Koolance is the AOL of watercooling!

First off, stay away from Koolance, period! Here is what I'd go with:

D-Tek Fuzion CPU WB
EK-FCR600 Full Cover GPU WB
MCP655 Pump
ThermoChill PA120.3 Radiator (or Swiftech MCP320 if price is an issue)
Swiftech MCRES or a T-line
Tygon 7/16 ID tubing (since you wanted the smaller tubing and 7/16 fits snug on 1/2 barbs)
Worm driven hose clamps

As for the coolant: I'd use 5-10% antifreeze with distilled water and a few drops of iodine.

yes i second the thermochill rads for best performance otherwise swiftech is your best bet. i would go with 2 rads instead of 1 big one. (MCP220(2 x 120mm fans and MCP120 1 x 120mm fan) i would have it go from the cpu to the smaller rad (MCP120) then to the gpu then chipset block then back to the bigger rad). also put the put before going to the bigger rad.

Pump > MCP220 > CPU > Chipset > MCP120 > GPU > RES > Pump etc.

You'd get better performance with one radiator because there is less tubing for the water to go through

I've read the great reviews about the Thermochill products actually. I just pray that I can find a way to mount it in an tidy fashion. For this reason alone, I originally had my sights set on a Swiftech rad (they have a nice mounting kit for the back of the case, hehe). So the only question that remains, at least on the radiator front, is this:

Is the performance difference between Thermochill and Swiftech so severe as to overcome the comprehensive mounting package that Swiftech offers?

I reseached the EK gpu blocks also, and the only problem I found with them was availability. Is it true there are no U.S. vendors for them? =/ That makes me nervous, if so.

In response to a few of the helpful responses here:

(a) No, money in not a problem here. I'm not rich, by any definition of the word, but I've saved up nearly 2 grand to build this computer and plan to use all high quality components (well...at least as high as I can with the money I have, lol)

(b) I would like to avoid 2 rads for 2 reasons. First, and I can hear you guys laughing already =p, is the additional complications of mounting. I'm scared of one rad . The second is the additional tubing/routing required. I would like to keep the inside of the case neat and orderly (it's a pet peeve of mine).

(c) I believe I would like 3/8 ID hose, as the barbs on the Asus Maximus are 3/8, and I do not wish to use reducers and/or adapters.

Ok...now on to a few final questions...lol...

(1) Can anyone recommend a high quality bay mounted reservoir? I have seen a unit by Thermaltake, but am not aware if this brand is a no-no for reservoirs. I would really prefer to not mount an additional item into the case.

(2) If I were not comfortable and/or happy with the EK GPU block, which non-full cover block would y'all suggest?

(3) I am having a hard time finding the darn EK GPU block for sale...any pointers?

(4) Assuming I am willing to pay, is there any premixed coolant I can just buy and use? If so, I'd prefer the best available.

(5) Seeing as I've been steadily (and vehemently!) herded away from Koolance products, this leaves me in a different predicament. I now need a case that (a) can fit all of this new equipment and (b) is of a HIGH build quality. I've stated my preference for Lian Li cases, but with their compartmentalized design, finding space to neatly mount all these units may prove cumbersome. Any suggestions?

I'd get an MCW60 + Ramsinks for your GPU, less expensive nicer too.


best coolant is water + anti algae/anti freeze too...


please dont use 3/8 tubing way to restrictive, i know it comes preinstall w/c i'd just get 2 hr-05s or another block (mcw30)

no drastic difference betweeen thermochill/swiftech just thermochill can perform better with slower fans.

JamesXP said:

no drastic difference betweeen thermochill/swiftech just thermochill can perform better with slower fans.

Click to expand...

So if I were willing to use noisy fans, the Swiftech would be a fine choice?

Noise bothers me little...I've 4 computer running in a 8x10 room...all superbly aircooled...and the noise doesn't bother me a bit =)

To be 100% honest I've always found Lian Li to be way overpriced. On top of that if you spend 500$ on case an cooling alone, that money could be spent on a very high end, awesome, dead quiet aircooling system and you could upgrade the parts a whole lot. IE: go quadcore and drop that 2900xt for a real mans 8800.