WC Noobie Needs some Help

Hey guys,

So i decided to move from my air setup to WC to help bring the temps down as well as reduce the noise levels in my case (it sounds super loud right now). For the past 3 days, i have been doing tons of research and i think that for the most part i know what i want to get. However, there are still 2-3 things that i need some advice on so i turn to you for some help. Here is a list of the items that i am considering at the moment:

Rad- Swiftech MCR320
CPU Block- Swiftech Apogee XT for i7
Pump- MCP 655
Reservoir- either the DD RAD reservoir or Swiftech micro R2

now here is what i need help with:

1) What fans would you recommend for a good combination of performance and sound? i want to use good quality fans but i don't want them to be super loud.
2) what would you recommend as far as tubing and fittings? i think that i would like to go with compression fittings and tygon tubes but i am not really sure what would be the best size that would work with that pump and system. yes, the sizing of the tubes and fitings is confusing the hell out of me
3) Do i need anything else? i am trying to think if i am missing other hardware or misc. items.

In the future i will probably add GPU cooling as well but for now, i think that this will do. and btw, my plan is to use it in the corsair 800D case so space is not an issue even for a large pump, reservoir and rad.

Thanks for all the help!!!

Glad to see your moving to W/C, I made the switch myself about a month or so ago and haven't looked back since! I have the same equipment your planning on getting (except I have the drive version of the MCR320) and I can really say that it's great quality.

1) The fans that I have are the Yate Loon Medium 120mm fans. They're quiet and move a lot of air.
2) Well, I can't really talk about Tygon tubing 'cus I haven't used it in a W/C rig. I will say that Primochill tubing is great quality and can bend a lot without reducing flow. I use 3/8" tubing and 1/2" fittings (it was actually by mistake) but the connections are nice and tight and there's no need to worry about getting expensive fittings. If you buy the tubing, you would actually be okay with the clamps and fitting that they provide (3/8" and 1/2" metal fittings for MCR320, 1/2" metal fittings for the XT).
3) Well, you need either a silver kill coil or PT Nuke PHN- (what I use) to keep algae from growing. Other than that, you have all of the essentials.

Hopefully the other, more experienced people can correct my mistakes and fill in the blanks

Hi, For fan.
YL L/M/H 120mm are cheap and (best bang for the bucks) 3.95each.
You want something that do less noise with same perfo?
Scythe Gentle typhoon 1450/1850 RPM (i prefer 1850 one) but 14$each
2) +1 for primochill tubing! size will depend in what case you are going to put ur wartercooling (external or internal?) 1/2' ID 3/4'' OD are the bigger tubing overhere. if u doing everything in a medium sized case i would recommend 3/8'' Tubing but with 3/8'' u will need to go with the MCP355
Since your are going to go for the MCP655 1/2'' ID / 3/4''OD are for this one.
Distilled water + pt nuke ( and if u buy barbs instead of compression ) buy PURE SILVER 0.999 silver barbs.

Grosjambon said:

buy PURE SILVER 0.999 silver barbs.

Click to expand...

True silver, not pure just to make things clear.

ah... i just did a mistake in my word choice ...

the Swiftech XT is a restrictive block but it is good but why bother with it while you can go with a non restrictive and better block which is the EK Supreme HF and use Plate 1(Don't know if plate 1 is the stock now because Eddy wrote on another forum that he might change it to plate 1 because it has best temperatures than the stock while it has good flow),i would suggest getting a mcp355 with XSPC Arcylic res/top combo
1-As what has been mentioned if you wanna go cheap then yateloon medium fans but if you don't want to skimp on the fans then get Scythe Gentle Typhoon 180 RPM
2-NO and a big NO for Tygon,while they are very good as a tubing but for looks they sucks because they will make a kinda of shade after using so you will be fine with either Primochill or masterkleer,i would suggest getting Bitspower compression fittings and a couple of 45 and 90 degree fittings
3-it has been already mentioned

Wow, thanks for the great feedback guys!! Well, after reading the responses here, i decdied to revise my list a bit. of course it means going through like 4-5 different vendors but i am sure that i can manage. Here is my new list:

1) Swiftech Apogee XT- i know that there are better blocks out there but i like the way it mounts, the way it looks and it does get great reviews especially for the price.
2) Swiftech mcp355 with the xsps top
3) Swiftech MCR320 rad with 3 Scyther gentle typhoons (kinda wish that they made them in UV)
4) I decided to go with all 3/8"ID and 1/2OD tubing and will go with the Primochill that you guys recommended.
5) Bitspower 3/8" Compression Fittings x8
6) I haven't decided on Reservoir yet since i am not sure if i want to use bay mounted one or internal one (i need to fill all these bays on the 800D somehow )

Does that look better?

Actually you don't need a reservoir because the XSPC isn't only a top but it is also a reservoir,i am thinking that if you are going to add anything other than the cpu in the loop the Flow wouldn't be that great because of the restrictive XT,but i think that i many people are using the XT,mcp355 pump and cooling other things and they have good flow so i don't think you will need to worry

i was actually talking about just the XSPS top (the one with out the reservoir) but after looking at all the options, i think that the one you are talking about would be best.

Also don't forget to get a couple of 45 and 90 degree fitting because you may need them

good point, adding a couple right now. so far it looks like i need 3 vendors but the total is not that bad at $350 or so...

why do you need 3 vendors ? http://performance-pcs.com has all the parts you have listed

they have alomost everything but they are also much more expensive and between the WC setup and the Corsair case, i need to save all the money i can get.

blonde said:

they have alomost everything but they are also much more expensive and between the WC setup and the Corsair case, i need to save all the money i can get.

Click to expand...

Quoted for truth there. I look to them if PTS, Jab-tech or Sidewinder Computers doesn't have what I'm looking for. All 3 of those vendors consistently beat Performance PC in pricing.

Oh i forgot to tell you to get the thermal paste which i suggest to be Arctic cooling MX-3 which can be found at http://www.petrastechshop.com/arcomxthco4.html

alright, i ordered everything. now just need to buy the case and than determine how to install everything without blowing up my house