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Help a watercooling noob! por favorrrrr

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J-honson

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Trying to wc my rig now. corsair 800d. asus p6x58d premium, i7 930,

CPU block - Swifttech apogee xt
Pump - Swiftech MCP 355 12v DC Pump
EK-BAY SPIN Reservoir - Acetal
Swiftech Radiator - MCR320 Quiet Power Series Triple 120 mm - Black
Watercool DDC Pump Top LT - Acetal


I need some feedback on the quality of these parts and if i should get another kind.

I already have noctua fans that illl be using to cool the radiator

Whats better, barbs or compression. I like the look of compression rings, but i read they are more expensive. Do they work better than barbs?

Is the swiftech MCP355 loud? Theres this warning on the website that says "A Note of Caution! the MCP355 generates higher audible noise than the MCP350 and MCP655 pumps. This product is not recommended for users seeking silent operations."
 
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What components are you planning to cool? The355 isn't that loud at all just louder than the 350.
 
Let's see here:

Waterblock - A top performer. Great choice and has an excellent mounting system.

Pump - Another excellent choice. I have 2 of them and also an Apogee Drive, which is the MCP350 motor/impeller components mounted on top of an Apogee baseplate by Swiftech and I modded it to run like an MCP355. That should tell you that the MCP355 isn't real noisy.

Reservoir - No experience with that, but that bling thing on it isn't necessary. I would much rather go with the XSPC Res top for the MCP355. Gives better pressures, can put on 1/2" barbs and makes it ultra easy to bleed the system down, compact. IMO, a much better choice. BTW, I have one, so I'm not talking out my *** on the Res top. ;)

Radiator - Best bang/buck choice out there, bar none. There are better performing rads, but you'll pay twice as much for them too.

Pump top - Already covered that with the linked XSPC Res top.

Barbs versus compression fittings: Personal choice really, but both work well when used correctly. And both can leak if used incorrectly. Since I don't mind the look of hose clamps, I rather barbs. I like the Bitspower/DD Fatboys barbs most because of their large ID.
 
Let's see here:

Waterblock - A top performer. Great choice and has an excellent mounting system.

Pump - Another excellent choice. I have 2 of them and also an Apogee Drive, which is the MCP350 motor/impeller components mounted on top of an Apogee baseplate by Swiftech and I modded it to run like an MCP355. That should tell you that the MCP355 isn't real noisy.

Reservoir - No experience with that, but that bling thing on it isn't necessary. I would much rather go with the XSPC Res top for the MCP355. Gives better pressures, can put on 1/2" barbs and makes it ultra easy to bleed the system down, compact. IMO, a much better choice. BTW, I have one, so I'm not talking out my *** on the Res top. ;)

Radiator - Best bang/buck choice out there, bar none. There are better performing rads, but you'll pay twice as much for them too.

Pump top - Already covered that with the linked XSPC Res top.

Barbs versus compression fittings: Personal choice really, but both work well when used correctly. And both can leak if used incorrectly. Since I don't mind the look of hose clamps, I rather barbs. I like the Bitspower/DD Fatboys barbs most because of their large ID.

I agree with every point in the quoted post. As far as the compression fittings versus the barbs with hose clamps, you can't really go wrong either way. As long as both are mounted and used properly, you can easily have a leak free setup. I have compression fittings on my rad and res, and Bitspower True Silver barbs with hose clamps on both of my blocks. The Laing D5/Swiftech MCP655 has 1/2" barbs built into the top, so I am just running those as well. Upon initial assembly, I had no leaks whatsoever, even after leak testing for somewhere between 18 and 21 hours. I know that is a pretty wide window of time, but I was so tired after getting it together, that I don't remember whether it was 10 or 11 PM, and I stopped the pump at 7 PM the next night to get the rig fired back up. I do still need to swap out the fans I have on my rad, since it does decently, but not as well as I had hoped with the Yates that are on it now. I have some nice Delta AFB1212VHE's that I plan to run at either 5 or 7 volts, depending on noise. 48 db each at 12 volts is a little bit much for me, but the 130 CFM rating would be somewhat nice.:p I kind of wonder if I should have just opted for the Panaflo Ultra's. Those are rated at 115 CFM and about 45 db (half as loud as the Delta's), not to mention they use less power, and the one I already have makes almost no noise at 7 volts, and they start up at 4 volts, opposed to the 5 that the Delta fans require to start.
 
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