Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC * READ THIS FIRST *

Overclockers.com · 04-13-11, 11:05 PM

Quote:

A guide to water cooling your computer from the ground up.

... Return to article to continue reading.

deadlysyn · 04-14-11, 12:32 AM

Great write up, hokie.

You forgot the LED stop fitting in the res trick to make them glow all nice and pretty too.

QuietIce · 04-14-11, 04:36 AM

Excellent article!

m0r7if3r · 04-14-11, 07:30 AM

long read, but a good one. Nice writeup.

hokiealumnus · 04-14-11, 07:32 AM

Thanks a lot guys!

To anyone that reads - I was serious about feedback too. If there are items of concern I'm happy to reexamine sections / add if necessary.

If you're a new builder an have questions, we're here for you too! You can post quick questions here or start your own thread in the water cooling section. Just always remember - you never stop learning about this hobby. This covers most of the basics, but each build is unique to the builder and you need to research what works best for what you want out of water cooling.

m0r7if3r · 04-14-11, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hokiealumnus

To anyone that reads - I was serious about feedback too. If there are items of concern I'm happy to reexamine sections / add if necessary.

Only thing that really stuck out in my mind was that you mentioned swiftech a lot when referencing products an had one dead link (the apogee XT testing). You also didn't mention the jingway pump series or talk about the benefits of single vs dual loops (though it was already a PRETTY long guide, so I'm not sure how much you could add)...but that's just me being overly critical.

hokiealumnus · 04-14-11, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m0r7if3r

Only thing that really stuck out in my mind was that you mentioned swiftech a lot when referencing products an had one dead link (the apogee XT testing). You also didn't mention the jingway pump series or talk about the benefits of single vs dual loops (though it was already a PRETTY long guide, so I'm not sure how much you could add)...but that's just me being overly critical.

Thank you kindly for the feedback. Fixed the broken link.

Re: Swiftech - It just happened to be the easiest place to grab product links when getting examples. That's about it.

Re: Jingway - You're right, it didn't make the list. They seemed to be low cost alternatives to the superior DDC/D5 options (just looked at skinnee's testing from last year). There was mention of one of them as just that (low cost alternative) though - the D-Tek DB-1 is a Jingway rebrand AFAIK.

Re: Single vs. dual - you're right, it's already pretty long. Heh, hopefully it's not a combination of long and boring.

Being a basic guide, in most cases people will that go by it will want to start out on one loop. I did mention it, but only in passing because it seems that's more advanced than should be addressed in a beginner guide.

Thank you again for the feedback!

saint19 · 04-14-11, 08:11 AM

Excellent article dude with, all basic things that people need know for switch to WC.

1- Can I suggest add some recommended fans that works in all radiators?, that can help a lot too.
2- What about the maintenance period?

As personal question, can you suggest me a good reservoir? MCP-655D, MCR-480, EK Supreme HF Full Nickel, Compression fittings 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD. Thanks

p.d. Now is official, my MCR-480 for only CPU is "overkill"

hokiealumnus · 04-14-11, 08:55 AM

Thanks!!

1) I considered it, but there are SO many options out there it would have made an already lengthy guide even longer. Fans are almost the most personal choice and should be chosen to fit a particular person's noise tastes, performance needs and radiator choice. As those are variables that change so much from person to person, I couldn't do the topic justice without going into a lengthy treatise on fans.

2) Excellent point, I'll work on a mention of that when I have time. Quick answer for you - If you have and use dye, no less than every six months. Without it you could go up to a year. IMHO, of course.

What style of res are you looking for? Do you prefer the tube-style (if so, vertical or horizontal)? Square? Bay res? Bling? There are quite a few options. A res is a res; as long as it serves its purpose, pick whichever one fits your style, budget and space.

saint19 · 04-14-11, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hokiealumnus

Thanks!!

1) I considered it, but there are SO many options out there it would have made an already lengthy guide even longer. Fans are almost the most personal choice and should be chosen to fit a particular person's noise tastes, performance needs and radiator choice. As those are variables that change so much from person to person, I couldn't do the topic justice without going into a lengthy treatise on fans.

2) Excellent point, I'll work on a mention of that when I have time. Quick answer for you - If you have and use dye, no less than every six months. Without it you could go up to a year. IMHO, of course.

What style of res are you looking for? Do you prefer the tube-style (if so, vertical or horizontal)? Square? Bay res? Bling? There are quite a few options. A res is a res; as long as it serves its purpose, pick whichever one fits your style, budget and space.

I only use distiller water with Silver KillCoil in "reservoir", so, I think that one year is fine right?

Regarding the reservoir, a good one, not very big, not very expensive and that fit in a HAF X LoL. I think that tube-style vertical is the best option for me.

MattNo5ss · 04-14-11, 09:48 AM

Is there something like the XSPC Res Top for a MCP655, a res that improves your pump?

The only reason I got a res was b/c the XSPC Res Top improves my MCP355.

hokiealumnus · 04-14-11, 09:50 AM

Yes, I think you'd be ok for a teardown/rebuild at the one year mark.

As far as a reservoir, check out the res page at Sidewinder. Pretty much take your pick out of the stealth res or ek multioption reservoirs. I'm not familiar enough with them to know which has a better anti-cyclone insert though; sorry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattNo5ss

Is there something like the XSPC Res Top for a MCP655, a res that improves your pump?

The only reason I got a res was b/c the XSPC Res Top improves my MCP355.

That improves the pump? I have no data. But there does exist one at this point for the 655. Found it at Sidewinder last night.

m0r7if3r · 04-14-11, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattNo5ss

Is there something like the XSPC Res Top for a MCP655, a res that improves your pump?

The only reason I got a res was b/c the XSPC Res Top improves my MCP355.

the stock top for the d5 is already really good, there are some improvements to be seen with aftermarket tops, but not like with a ddc.

@saint - koolance has some nice new tube reses you might wanna check out, EK's are pretty standard, though some have had leaking issues.

Owenator · 04-14-11, 10:14 AM

Awesome write up Hokie!

saint19 · 04-14-11, 10:27 AM

Thanks guys, I will created a thread for not do this a "personal" thread.

deeppow · 04-14-11, 12:38 PM

Very nice job hokiealumnus! Some great pictures too, I'm jealous of such clean setups.

I got started water cooling back in the days Bill Adams was around and he got me interested. After various stepping stones, I've ended up with an alternate water cooling setup that works very well but really isn't economical so I wouldn't seriously suggest it to others.

I progressed from radiators to a chiller. The chiller of course isn't an economical approach but hanging around eBay for weeks finally yielded one at a "reasonable" price. I can run a higher overclock and still keep the CPU very cool. At this point, I've ended up with an external enclosure for the pump etc. Makes work in the computer easier but gota admit my setup is Rube-goldberg.

hokiealumnus · 04-14-11, 12:47 PM

Thanks! I'm jealous too. Only the messy example photos were mine (they were older systems before I got 'clean' with the single Lian Li photo at the end), so I'm just as jealous! Shazza and Ace. excel at making beautiful, clean loops. They have great company, mind you; they were just the two that sprang to mind to ask permission for including them at the time.

Me? Well, I succumbed to the benching gods and my loop has since devolved into this for ease of transfer/portability. The Lian Li now houses an air cooled system.

deeppow · 04-14-11, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hokiealumnus

.... I succumbed to the benching gods and my loop has since devolved into this for ease of transfer/portability.

Ahhh, a setup only a mother could love.

Conumdrum · 04-14-11, 06:48 PM

I was really hoping this link Hokie just wrote would stay at the TOP of the current posts, in BIG BIG red BLING letters, and not buried in the sticky link. We know how little peeps start there. They spend 20 min typing the first question that are so easily answered by spending 20 minutes reading. Saves ALL of us time and effort..

So, can it become the first post forever in the posts? And not lost somewhere?

Ace. · 04-15-11, 02:27 AM

Good Work Buddy

04-14-11, 12:32 AM	#2
deadlysyn Folding Team Content Editor Who Dolk'd my stars Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stealing your megahurtz at night	Great write up, hokie. You forgot the LED stop fitting in the res trick to make them glow all nice and pretty too. __________________ Water and Air Cooling Lead Senior Folding for Team 32 as 8thDeadlySyn Folding in the memory of pscout I'm a Team 32 Folding Mentor. Ask me about Folding. Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR, Q9550@3.5, 4 GB Corsair Dominator DDR2-1066, Corsair Force F60, 300 GB Maxtor SATAII, EVGA GTX460 v2 Laing D5 Vario, D-Tek Fuzion V1, Swiftech MCW60, Swiftech MCRES V2, HWLabs BIX3, 3 Panaflo FBA12G12U's on Rheobus, Primochill LRT black, Antec 900 Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P, Athlon II X3 445, TRU120, 4 GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600, 8800GTS 320MB, 320 GB Maxtor Sata, SB Audigy SE HEAT - My Folding Stats Would you like to see your writing on the front page? Ask me how! Last edited by m0r7if3r on 1-23-2011 at 12:45 PM. Reason: I haz uber 1337 h4x0rz 5k1llz
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04-14-11, 04:36 AM	#3
QuietIce Disabled Join Date: May 2006 Location: Anywhere but there	Excellent article!
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 07:30 AM	#4
m0r7if3r Member Water Cooling Sticky Reading Enforcement Official Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Marietta, GA	long read, but a good one. Nice writeup. __________________ If years were seasons, this December would be the December of our December. -Abed #sixseasonsandamovie Heat
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 07:32 AM	#5
hokiealumnus Water Cooled Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Raleigh, NC	Thanks a lot guys! To anyone that reads - I was serious about feedback too. If there are items of concern I'm happy to reexamine sections / add if necessary. If you're a new builder an have questions, we're here for you too! You can post quick questions here or start your own thread in the water cooling section. Just always remember - you never stop learning about this hobby. This covers most of the basics, but each build is unique to the builder and you need to research what works best for what you want out of water cooling. __________________ Enjoy benchmarks? Join the benching team! \| New to water cooling? Read the Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC. xsuperbgx - "As a wise man once said: "Less talky. More clocky."" \| cyberfish - "When overclocked, it's undefined behavior." I.M.O.G. - "Vaseline on Ivy Bridge is a bad idea. But not so bad of an idea that it can't be fixed with a torpedo heater, a dishwasher, an oven, and a few hours. " \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ - Join Now! - My mITX Build
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 08:11 AM	#8
saint19 Member Join Date: Mar 2011	Excellent article dude with, all basic things that people need know for switch to WC. 1- Can I suggest add some recommended fans that works in all radiators?, that can help a lot too. 2- What about the maintenance period? As personal question, can you suggest me a good reservoir? MCP-655D, MCR-480, EK Supreme HF Full Nickel, Compression fittings 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD. Thanks p.d. Now is official, my MCR-480 for only CPU is "overkill" __________________ CPU: Phenom II X6 1090T @ 3.8GHz with NB @ 3000MHz both using 1.325V Cooling: EK Supreme HF Full Nickel + MCP655-D5 + MCR320-QP Mobo: Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5 Rev. 2.0 with F4 BIOS GPU: MSI GTX 680 Lightning 2GB RAM: 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer 1600MHz 8-8-8-21-1T 1.65V SSD: Corsair Force GT 120GB HDD: 2x500GB Itachi 3Gb/s Case: Cooler Master HAF X PSU: Corsair AX1200 Windows 7 Pro x64 Cooler Master CPU Cooler fight : Hyper TX3 Evo vs 212 Evo
	QUOTE Thanks

Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC * READ THIS FIRST *

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04-14-11, 08:55 AM	#9
hokiealumnus Water Cooled Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Raleigh, NC	Thanks!! 1) I considered it, but there are SO many options out there it would have made an already lengthy guide even longer. Fans are almost the most personal choice and should be chosen to fit a particular person's noise tastes, performance needs and radiator choice. As those are variables that change so much from person to person, I couldn't do the topic justice without going into a lengthy treatise on fans. 2) Excellent point, I'll work on a mention of that when I have time. Quick answer for you - If you have and use dye, no less than every six months. Without it you could go up to a year. IMHO, of course. What style of res are you looking for? Do you prefer the tube-style (if so, vertical or horizontal)? Square? Bay res? Bling? There are quite a few options. A res is a res; as long as it serves its purpose, pick whichever one fits your style, budget and space. __________________ Enjoy benchmarks? Join the benching team! \| New to water cooling? Read the Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC. xsuperbgx - "As a wise man once said: "Less talky. More clocky."" \| cyberfish - "When overclocked, it's undefined behavior." I.M.O.G. - "Vaseline on Ivy Bridge is a bad idea. But not so bad of an idea that it can't be fixed with a torpedo heater, a dishwasher, an oven, and a few hours. " \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ - Join Now! - My mITX Build
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 09:48 AM	#11
MattNo5ss b4n4n4 dr4g0n d00m3d m0d3r4t0r Overclockers.com Editor Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: AL	Is there something like the XSPC Res Top for a MCP655, a res that improves your pump? The only reason I got a res was b/c the XSPC Res Top improves my MCP355. __________________ i7 3770K \| Asus Maximus V Gene \| 4x2GB Dominator GT DDR3-1600 6-6-6-20 \| eVGA GTX670 SC \| 50GB OCZ Vertex 2 \| SeaSonic SS-1000XP i7 2700K \| Gigabyte G1.Sniper M3 \| 4x2GB G.Skill Eco DDR3-1600 7-8-7-24 \| eVGA GTX680 \| 256GB OCZ Vertex 4 \| SeaSonic X750 E8700/E6750/P4 631 \| Rampage Extreme & EP45T-Extreme & Commando\| Whatever I Can Find Laying Around... O/C Author Profile \| HWBot Profile \| Heatware (89-0-0) \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ Projects: Copper-Framed, MDF Station \| PVC-Framed, MDF Station \| Custom Cascade Cart/Case \| Untitled TJ07 Build
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 10:14 AM	#14
Owenator Active Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Bear, Delaware	Awesome write up Hokie! __________________ System: ASRock P67 Extreme6, i7-2600k @ 4.6 GHz, 16GiB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600, Galaxy GTX 570 & EVGA GTX570 in SLI @ stock, 120GB Corsair F120 SSD for Win 7 Pro x64, WD Caviar Black 1 TB for everything else, Lite-On Dual layer DVDRW, Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1200W PSU, CM690 II advanced case. Accessories: ACER 23" WS LCD + ACER 21" WS for web/TS/etc. DIY 4-way monitor stand. Logitech G35 headset, Idelazon Fang keypad, Logitech G9 mouse, Zalman FPS Gun mouse, Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick, momo racing wheel w/ pedals. Water Cooling : Replumbed to one single loop. Apogee GTZ CPU block, MCR220 w/ 2x Panaflo 120x38 'M's, MCR220 w/ 2x Panaflo 120x38 'H's, MCP350 w/ bored over Alphacoool top. MCP220 drive with second MCP350 in series w/first. 2x MCW60 GPU blocks Temps: TBD Blackbelt Ubercloxx0r My Current Rig My First WC Rig DIY Nvidia Surround Setup
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 10:27 AM	#15
saint19 Member Join Date: Mar 2011	Thanks guys, I will created a thread for not do this a "personal" thread. __________________ CPU: Phenom II X6 1090T @ 3.8GHz with NB @ 3000MHz both using 1.325V Cooling: EK Supreme HF Full Nickel + MCP655-D5 + MCR320-QP Mobo: Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5 Rev. 2.0 with F4 BIOS GPU: MSI GTX 680 Lightning 2GB RAM: 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer 1600MHz 8-8-8-21-1T 1.65V SSD: Corsair Force GT 120GB HDD: 2x500GB Itachi 3Gb/s Case: Cooler Master HAF X PSU: Corsair AX1200 Windows 7 Pro x64 Cooler Master CPU Cooler fight : Hyper TX3 Evo vs 212 Evo
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 12:38 PM	#16
deeppow Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Alamos, NM	Very nice job hokiealumnus! Some great pictures too, I'm jealous of such clean setups. I got started water cooling back in the days Bill Adams was around and he got me interested. After various stepping stones, I've ended up with an alternate water cooling setup that works very well but really isn't economical so I wouldn't seriously suggest it to others. I progressed from radiators to a chiller. The chiller of course isn't an economical approach but hanging around eBay for weeks finally yielded one at a "reasonable" price. I can run a higher overclock and still keep the CPU very cool. At this point, I've ended up with an external enclosure for the pump etc. Makes work in the computer easier but gota admit my setup is Rube-goldberg. __________________ ASUS P8Z77-V Pro , Intel i7 2600K @4.6Ghz using 1.3V -- Corsair DDR3 1600 (42Gb) 9-9-9-24 -- Iwaki MD-20RLZT -> EK Sup. Univ. -> Chiller -> Resev -- EVGA GTX680,Klipsch Promedia 4.1 -- Intel 510 120G, Crucial M4 120G, Areca RAID 5, 4 80G SATAII HDDs -- Corsair 1050 in Lian-Li PC-V1200 -- Win7 64-bit, Ubuntu 64-bit ASUS Rampage II Extreme @180Mhz , Intel i7 920 D0 @3.6Ghz using 1.3V, Thermalright 120 -- G.Skill DDR3 1600 (32Gb) 8-8-8-21, Win7 64-bit -- Lian-Li PC-V1200
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 12:47 PM	#17
hokiealumnus Water Cooled Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Raleigh, NC	Thanks! I'm jealous too. Only the messy example photos were mine (they were older systems before I got 'clean' with the single Lian Li photo at the end), so I'm just as jealous! Shazza and Ace. excel at making beautiful, clean loops. They have great company, mind you; they were just the two that sprang to mind to ask permission for including them at the time. Me? Well, I succumbed to the benching gods and my loop has since devolved into this for ease of transfer/portability. The Lian Li now houses an air cooled system. __________________ Enjoy benchmarks? Join the benching team! \| New to water cooling? Read the Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC. xsuperbgx - "As a wise man once said: "Less talky. More clocky."" \| cyberfish - "When overclocked, it's undefined behavior." I.M.O.G. - "Vaseline on Ivy Bridge is a bad idea. But not so bad of an idea that it can't be fixed with a torpedo heater, a dishwasher, an oven, and a few hours. " \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ - Join Now! - My mITX Build
	QUOTE Thanks

04-14-11, 06:48 PM	#19
Conumdrum Mutant Forrespondent Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Las Vegas	I was really hoping this link Hokie just wrote would stay at the TOP of the current posts, in BIG BIG red BLING letters, and not buried in the sticky link. We know how little peeps start there. They spend 20 min typing the first question that are so easily answered by spending 20 minutes reading. Saves ALL of us time and effort.. So, can it become the first post forever in the posts? And not lost somewhere? __________________ All stock for now, no need for more, but it's gonna be soon methinks. Giga Xtreme 58 mobo i7 965 ES D0 step Corsair 1600 6 gig SLI GTX470 OC when I need it to 870 GPU/1725 mem EK HF nickle blue top CPU block (free from Eddie) Koolance 470 waterblocks One big loop, two 120x3 rads. Pa 120.3 and XSPC RX 120x3. Swiftech 35x pump with V2 restop. GT AP15 fans. Banchetto Tech Station 120 GB SSD, and a few other drives. 1000W UltraX3 PSU, 900 watt (1500VA UPS 27" ASUS VG 3D/Nvidia V2 3D glasses and 24" Acer H243H UPS is 1500 PFCLCD
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04-15-11, 02:27 AM	#20
Ace. Registered Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Germany	Good Work Buddy
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Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC *** READ THIS FIRST ***

Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC * READ THIS FIRST *