Alright. Once again, I see too many people asking the same questions over and over, and it seems like many folks don't like to read the stickies. (which I can understand). So while I will STRONGLY recommend the stickies be read. (and as Xander put it, you should read the stickies as if they are specifically written for YOU.) to give some general guidance, I thought I can list out some -general- recommendations if you are new to water cooling. Hence writing this short FAQ:
Q1, WHAT COOLANT SHOULD I USE?
- WE recommend Distill water over all coolants. Other coolants are really more cosmetic than anything, and scientifically, if you add any additives to water, you WILL lower its specific heat capacity, lowering cooling properties. So in general, you best choice is Distill water, you can buy in Groceries stores. That's right, you can drink it.
quick additional info: : http://www.overclockers.com/beginners-guide-water-cooling/#fluid
Q2, What Biocide should I consider? How about Color Dyes?
BIOCIDE:
- Silver Kill Coil (1 string), or CuSO4 (1 drop per L) will do. DON"T OD on CuSO4, some research shows that can accelerate tube aging, and CAN add deposits in waterblocks (especially when you have mixed metals.) Silver Kill Coil is in general easier to use, and also very reuseable. For that reason, I will suggest Silver before CuS04, just drop it in your res, and end of story.
DYES:
As for Dyes, in general is it believed that dyes can eventually 'evolve' into a gooish material/deposit in your waterblock, and unless you are really unhappy about water being transparent, we recommend against it. Yes it is cool, but you will need to prepare to scrub every now and then. On the bright side, there aren't any serious reports about the dye-goo causing -serious- performance issues, so some dyes are safe to use. However, if you want color, why not color tubing instead.
Q3, How Much Radiator Space I need to use?
- General rule is 120 x 2 (120.2 = 240 rads) for CPU cooling only, then 120 x 1 for each additional component. The LONG ANSWER is much more detailed, and we need to talk about wattage, fan choice, and your overclocking target, but if you are not exceeding 1.45V Vcore for your CPU, 120.2 will generally be enough. AGAIN, the long answer requires lots of consideration, and this is general guidance only.
quick additional info:
Quick guide on picking radiators: http://www.overclockers.com/guide-deltat-water-cooling/
How to pick the right fan: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=709786&highlight=fans+101
Q4, Which pump should I use? 655 or 35X?
BOTH PUMP WILL WORK FINE.
655 - quieter, less powerful, more suitable for loops with less components/restrictions.
35X - stronger, smaller, more suitable for tight space, and loops with more components. When in doubt, get the stronger pump, the 'so called' noise won't be heard much if you have fans running anywhere near your chassis. Many folks prefer the 35X series cause it also comes with PWM control, which makes it ultra easy to tune.
Q5, Is larger ID tubings better?
Short answer: YES.
Long answer: Not enough to matter. As flowrate's impact on heat dissipation is not very important when you use Water as coolant. Water's heat capacity is so large that even very low flow rate will almost never bottleneck the heat absorption, (unless near grinding halt) Most water cooling veteran using 1/4 - 1/2" ID, with 3/8 and 1/2 being more dominant of a choice. Larger tubings with thick walls is harder to bend around, but also harder to collapse, while smaller tubing might be more manueverable. The rest, is personaly taste, which means, you can really pick whichever.
quick additional info: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515368
Q6, Where to place my reservoir?
BEFORE PUMP.
and as long as you place before Pump, anywhere is fine in the chassis.
Reservoirs can be bought or self-made, they all function similar despite how they can look very different.
Q7, Are compression fitting better than Barbs?
Not really. In fact many people will tell you otherwise. Function wise, they are both tried and true, compression fitting might take less 'skill' to use, as with barbs you need to add a clamp most of the time, and over tightening the clamp can at some point cause a leak. (depending on the barb brand you use). If you use Barbs, a common trick is to use a slightly larger barb then tube, if you use 3/8 ID, then use 1/2 IB barbs, it will be a TIGHT fit. Let me list out the pro's and con's:
Barbs Pro's:
- less bulky.
- cheaper
- you can use them for thin wall or thick wall tubes.
Barbs Con's:
- Over tightening can cause leaks.
- easier to be 'pulled' off.
Compression Pro's:
- Easier to have peace of mind.
- very difficult to be pulled off.
Compression Con's:
- Expensive.
- Need to match both ID and OD of tubes, can't be cross used.
- Bulky, hard for tight spaces at times.
Q8, Are my components OK?
If you decide to ask this question, please remember to list out the following:
- Your CPU/GPU model
- Your OC goal
- Your environment room temp
- Your computer chassis
- Detail component list, including fans you pick.
Cause otherwise, it is near impossible to give you a good answer.
We welcome such questions, but do give us the right info to help you.
Q9, MUST I bleed out the air bubbles?
YES. YES YOU MUST. Air bubbles can cause a series of things to a close loops, and none of them are good. When you are priming your pump (filling with water.) definitely include the following easy steps to bleed out the major air pockets:
1, Fill Water in res, let it flow to pump.
2, turn on pump, let water go 3/4 way down in res, add more water.
3, when the above has been repeated enough without the res level lowering. turn off pump. close the lid. Tilt your chassis 90' to the sides.
4, turn on pump again, you will likely hear lots of bubbling noises, let it run for a moment, make sure there's water in pump.
5, tilt chassis back up, you should see the res level dropped as air bubbles are freed. add more water.
6, turn off pump. tilt another direction. repeat steps 4-6, til you no longer see bubbles escaping.
7, Now you probably have bleed out 95% of the bubbles! the system is good to go.
*** don't be alarm if the water level drop slightly after first week, some bubbles takes forever to escape to the res, and that can happen.
*** the tilt test is a good way to test potential leaking points too... beware of leaks while doing test.
...
I am sure our Forum brothers will think of more to add here.
and I will edit the list as we go along... hopefully everyone looking for answer will have a more effective time doing so.
Q1, WHAT COOLANT SHOULD I USE?
- WE recommend Distill water over all coolants. Other coolants are really more cosmetic than anything, and scientifically, if you add any additives to water, you WILL lower its specific heat capacity, lowering cooling properties. So in general, you best choice is Distill water, you can buy in Groceries stores. That's right, you can drink it.
quick additional info: : http://www.overclockers.com/beginners-guide-water-cooling/#fluid
Q2, What Biocide should I consider? How about Color Dyes?
BIOCIDE:
- Silver Kill Coil (1 string), or CuSO4 (1 drop per L) will do. DON"T OD on CuSO4, some research shows that can accelerate tube aging, and CAN add deposits in waterblocks (especially when you have mixed metals.) Silver Kill Coil is in general easier to use, and also very reuseable. For that reason, I will suggest Silver before CuS04, just drop it in your res, and end of story.
DYES:
As for Dyes, in general is it believed that dyes can eventually 'evolve' into a gooish material/deposit in your waterblock, and unless you are really unhappy about water being transparent, we recommend against it. Yes it is cool, but you will need to prepare to scrub every now and then. On the bright side, there aren't any serious reports about the dye-goo causing -serious- performance issues, so some dyes are safe to use. However, if you want color, why not color tubing instead.
Q3, How Much Radiator Space I need to use?
- General rule is 120 x 2 (120.2 = 240 rads) for CPU cooling only, then 120 x 1 for each additional component. The LONG ANSWER is much more detailed, and we need to talk about wattage, fan choice, and your overclocking target, but if you are not exceeding 1.45V Vcore for your CPU, 120.2 will generally be enough. AGAIN, the long answer requires lots of consideration, and this is general guidance only.
quick additional info:
Quick guide on picking radiators: http://www.overclockers.com/guide-deltat-water-cooling/
How to pick the right fan: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=709786&highlight=fans+101
Q4, Which pump should I use? 655 or 35X?
BOTH PUMP WILL WORK FINE.
655 - quieter, less powerful, more suitable for loops with less components/restrictions.
35X - stronger, smaller, more suitable for tight space, and loops with more components. When in doubt, get the stronger pump, the 'so called' noise won't be heard much if you have fans running anywhere near your chassis. Many folks prefer the 35X series cause it also comes with PWM control, which makes it ultra easy to tune.
Q5, Is larger ID tubings better?
Short answer: YES.
Long answer: Not enough to matter. As flowrate's impact on heat dissipation is not very important when you use Water as coolant. Water's heat capacity is so large that even very low flow rate will almost never bottleneck the heat absorption, (unless near grinding halt) Most water cooling veteran using 1/4 - 1/2" ID, with 3/8 and 1/2 being more dominant of a choice. Larger tubings with thick walls is harder to bend around, but also harder to collapse, while smaller tubing might be more manueverable. The rest, is personaly taste, which means, you can really pick whichever.
quick additional info: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515368
Q6, Where to place my reservoir?
BEFORE PUMP.
and as long as you place before Pump, anywhere is fine in the chassis.
Reservoirs can be bought or self-made, they all function similar despite how they can look very different.
Q7, Are compression fitting better than Barbs?
Not really. In fact many people will tell you otherwise. Function wise, they are both tried and true, compression fitting might take less 'skill' to use, as with barbs you need to add a clamp most of the time, and over tightening the clamp can at some point cause a leak. (depending on the barb brand you use). If you use Barbs, a common trick is to use a slightly larger barb then tube, if you use 3/8 ID, then use 1/2 IB barbs, it will be a TIGHT fit. Let me list out the pro's and con's:
Barbs Pro's:
- less bulky.
- cheaper
- you can use them for thin wall or thick wall tubes.
Barbs Con's:
- Over tightening can cause leaks.
- easier to be 'pulled' off.
Compression Pro's:
- Easier to have peace of mind.
- very difficult to be pulled off.
Compression Con's:
- Expensive.
- Need to match both ID and OD of tubes, can't be cross used.
- Bulky, hard for tight spaces at times.
Q8, Are my components OK?
If you decide to ask this question, please remember to list out the following:
- Your CPU/GPU model
- Your OC goal
- Your environment room temp
- Your computer chassis
- Detail component list, including fans you pick.
Cause otherwise, it is near impossible to give you a good answer.
We welcome such questions, but do give us the right info to help you.
Q9, MUST I bleed out the air bubbles?
YES. YES YOU MUST. Air bubbles can cause a series of things to a close loops, and none of them are good. When you are priming your pump (filling with water.) definitely include the following easy steps to bleed out the major air pockets:
1, Fill Water in res, let it flow to pump.
2, turn on pump, let water go 3/4 way down in res, add more water.
3, when the above has been repeated enough without the res level lowering. turn off pump. close the lid. Tilt your chassis 90' to the sides.
4, turn on pump again, you will likely hear lots of bubbling noises, let it run for a moment, make sure there's water in pump.
5, tilt chassis back up, you should see the res level dropped as air bubbles are freed. add more water.
6, turn off pump. tilt another direction. repeat steps 4-6, til you no longer see bubbles escaping.
7, Now you probably have bleed out 95% of the bubbles! the system is good to go.
*** don't be alarm if the water level drop slightly after first week, some bubbles takes forever to escape to the res, and that can happen.
*** the tilt test is a good way to test potential leaking points too... beware of leaks while doing test.
...
I am sure our Forum brothers will think of more to add here.
and I will edit the list as we go along... hopefully everyone looking for answer will have a more effective time doing so.
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