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Best pre-built water-rig...

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mcortz_2000

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Location
Wisconsin
Hi All,

I am thinking that due to cost etc.. I have decided to go for a water-cooled setup but I want one that is pre-built into a case. I am looking for something a bit special preferably Aluminium based rigs.
So to sum things up.
Your opinions on where I can purchase online the best water cooled rig built into a case that I can buy and just stick all my parts into.
I don't have time to sit down and do it myself.

any comments are welcome....
 
erm.. aluminium... but copper is so much better!!
and its shiny too!!! (when buffered :)
http://www.xoxide.com has a special on the front page for a modded case.
the X-aqua water block rock!!!
i have one and its like 8-12c lower then my old cpufx aluminum water block (bah!!)

If u want something more professional, and ur willing to pay a lot, u could go with swiftech hydrocase.. or whatever its called.

Koolance is okey... but connectors and stuff are kinda weak. I like my marine grade clamps and brass barbs :D
 
IMHO: As a personal rule of thumb, I would not buy any watercooling kit that costs under $150, and if I wanted a good kit I would look to spend over $200. So, if I were looking to buy a WC kit that is already basically assembled within a case, I would look to spend atleast $250 to get something of decent quality and performance.

Things get expensive and performance is not maximized if you buy prebuilt, but as you said, it can save time.
 
yep, i.m.o.g is right.
this is how my water cooling has been in the last year and a half..
first started with a $100 wc system (block, rad, pump, ect) with all the upgrades i had to make to better cool all 100+watt generated from my pc i'ved had to pay $150+ and waste hours of time. I wish i had just brought that damn koolance case...
but since the swiftech one came out, i'd go with that :)
$400 bucks for the FS020-H20-C? hell, i'd rather pay that then spend the afternoon drill/dremeling my case for a radiator.

Heres the link dude, http://www.swiftnets.com/
just click on online store, then liquid barebones
 
ya i would have to agree with I.M.O.G. and Korndog, if you where gonna make you you could do it for just over 100 but buying one for 150 or less= usualy bad setup:D
 
Here is the link to the product corndog referenced:http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/cas-50.html?id=apTkKziK

Personally once again, I think it is a crime for anyone to pay that much for a WC system, but if you want watercooled and very little time invested with decent performance this might be for you... but it's design problems are fairly noticeable also.

Anyways. if that price range looks acceptable to you at all, then I would reccomend getting a prometia or vapochill for that much plus what's under the couch cushions.
 
Hiya Guys,

Thanks for the tips so far. The Aluminium part I was referring to is the case it is built in needs to be Aluminium for weight purposes. The block for the water kit would be copper of course just the case needs to be Aluminium.

My Ball park is between $300 - $500 for the case and kit built-in.
The swiftech sounds right except that it is not Aluminium.
 
For that kind of money you can get a prometia that gets cpu temps of -10C or more... but the compressor makes things fairly heavy. For temps like that though I would take heavy and just put some rollers on the case.

Are you going to be carrying this pc around to lan parties or something?

BTW: You can click edit on your post, then check the delete box, and then click the delete button to remove an accidental double post. :)
 
Her you go... But it will need some upgrades from standard.

Standard: $315

1: TC4 aluminum top $10
2: Black Ice Extreme $15
3: Hydor L30 pump $15
4: Arctic Silver 3 $5 (if you don't have any)

Total: $360.00

Here is the link to Cooltechnica

It will need assembled, but everything should just bolt together.

EDIT: also consider the top blowhole mod for comatability. You will lose some drive bays though. Email them and ask some questions.
 
Just wanted to add that I understand that buying pre-built saves time, but that you could do so much better by doing it yourself.

I have the Coolermaster ATC201 alu case, and I picked the watercooling parts myself (WW, E1250, HC, 1/2"). With a little labor, it will all fit inside the case. Besides having the looks and much better performance over a kit it also gives a sense of pride somehow. :)
 
That case at Xoxide seems like a good deal at first glance. But if you look at it closely for $99 you are getting a generic case, a $20 pump and a $30 lower end rad. By the time you add waterblock(s) and psu you will be in the $200 range. Those blocks they list are actually Gemini blocks. Hoot did a review of them Here. From what I've seen, kits always have at least one weak link and sometimes many. You will always be better off hand picking each component. If you don't know enough to hand pick your parts, its too early for you to be ordering them. Some reading/research at this point would be well worth it. People new to watercooling also seem to think a kit will be easier to install, but there really is no "out of the box" or "plug and play" solution. Some assembly will always be required and then you'll have filling/bleeding and leak testing. The only real advantage a kit offers a newbie, is knowing all the fittings/tubing will match. Thats not much considering the disadvantage of kits always having some weak parts thrown in the mix along with a premium price tag. If you do your homework, then ask questions, you will have a much better experience out of the gate.

peace.
unloaded
 
Ok if I was to choose my parts individually which website has the best reviews of current water cooling goodies.

eg...

Waterblocks, Pumps, tubing, Taps etc...

I dont want to order from different paces. I would prefer to order parts from a single online reseller.
Is this a good idea?
 
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