Old Antec 900 PC - Considering watercooling

Hello all!

I have recently been looking into watercooling, and think that it would be fun to try out, mainly for the sake of doing it, not so much that I care about the temperature / performance benefits from it.

However, I was figuring that it might be best to start with my old PC, rather then buying an expensive brand new machine and then immediately frying it when I mess up and water leaks everywhere. However, I would like it if as many parts as possible could be re-used in a full system upgrade/replacement in the not too distant future.

My current PC is 4.5 years old in an Antec nine hundred, running an i7 960 and reference HD5870. I would like to cool both the graphics card and the processor if that is feasible, but probably I should just start with one!

I will very likely not start ordering parts for at least a month, so there is no time crush.. I just want to confirm what things are possible or what I can expect. The goal I have is for my system not to blow up, and for the temps to be no worse then air cooling.

On to the questions!

1) If I do decide to water cool only either the GPU or CPU, does it make sense to start with the GPU? My CPU has a decent aftermarket heat sink and works well, but my GPUs current cooling setup is somewhat poor/abysmal. Some time ago the fan on my reference HD5870 failed and I currently have it cooled by a 120mm case fan tied to the card's stock heatsink (with the shroud and defunct fan removed).

For watercooling the GPU, I was thinking that a universal waterblock might be my best option. Full waterblocks are expensive and I am hoping that with a universal waterblock I could transfer it over to my new card when I eventually upgrade.

2) So, question: Are universal waterblocks really that universal? Could I expect a 'universal' heatblock that fits a radeon 5870 to also fit a Nvidia 800 series GPU or a radeon 300 series? I was thinking of something like this:
http://www.ncix.com/detail/swiftech-mcw82-universal-gpu-waterblock-34-72233-1443.htm

3) VRAM heatsinks: I assume that these are 100% necessary when using a universal waterblock rather then a fullcover? Is there anything particular I should look at for VRAM heatsinks, or is something like this sufficient? http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...m_x_5mm_-_4_Pack_RS00-0602-AKS.html?tl=g40c21

4) Do I need to worry about providing extra air flow specifically for these heatsinks, or will having good general air flow in the case be sufficient?
Is there anything else I would need to heatsink when using a universal waterblock?

5) CPU waterblock: Do these tend to be compatible with many processor/socket generations? Could I expect a waterblock for my i7 960(LGA1366) to be compatible with an eventual upgrade to a broadwell processor? I see some waterblocks (e.g. http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop...-CPU-Waterblock--Copper-Acetal-pid-16895.html) listing compatibility with both LGA1366 and 1150; is this the only compatibility I need to worry about?

6) Metals: I understand that mixing aluminum with anything else is bad news, but you can get away with mixing other metals (but all copper is best). Other then that, I have seen conflicting reports about nickel. Some indicate that I should avoid EK Nickel like the plague, but other nickel is fine. Others say that EK nickel is also fine. Can anybody provide insight on this?

Radiators: The Antec nine hundred is going to require some modding to fit any radiators as it wasn't designed with that in mind. I would like to keep things internal, and I can probably fit one 2x120mm radiator up front without too much trouble, based on videos of people doing the same. However adding additional ones may not be easy.

7) I understand that it is recommended to have 120mm of radiator per component, and perhaps 2x120mm for an i7. Is this recommendation for getting significant temperature improvements over air? If I am satisfied with having the fun of getting water cooling working without seeing a performance increase, would it be possible to run a single loop through one 2x120mm radiator cooling both my HD5870 and my i7 960?

8) I assume everything else (Pumps, fittings, reservoir, radiators) could easily be re-used in a new build?

Finally.. does this sound like a sensible idea at all to do, or is it just dumb to try to convert an old air PC to water cooling?

Looking forward to your guys insight, and thanks for reading through!

Watercooling in that Antec is going to be a pain, as it isn't designed to have radiators put in it.

For a 5870 and i7 960 I would want 120.3 worth of radiator, maybe 120.4 for high OCs and low fan speed.

1. I wouldn't watercool such an old card...upgrade then watercool
2. In most cases, yes... see compatibility
3. Those are fine.
4. General should be fine, especially in the Antec 900
5. Yes... assuming it comes with the mounting hardware... see compatibilty
6. EK Nickel has been fine for me...
7. 120mm will put you around air cooling. 2x120mm will improve things, yes. For that setup, I would have 3x120mm worth of radiator.
8. Of course...

I think its dumb for the GPU...but since you are going to a universal block, that is saving you. That antec may not be rad friendly though... make sure the holes line up for the rads (dimensions of holes at rad websites).

EarthDog said:

1. I wouldn't watercool such an old card...upgrade then watercool
I think its dumb for the GPU...but since you are going to a universal block, that is saving you.

Click to expand...

As I said, the main point of watercooling this card was so that if I make mistakes my first time, I am only destroying old hardware, not brand-new stuff. If everything is re-usable on the new rig, is there any real harm in setting it up on the old card first?

No real harm, no...but that is why one should ALWAYS leak test first regardless of old or new. If you are that nervous that you need to practice go for it, but leak testing would take care of it anyway.

Sounds reasonable. Thanks for the input!

Well, I don't have much to say since my advice/recommendations would have been similar to ED's answers. You do seem to have done some research by some of your wording which I applaud. You're just over thinking it but once you're in you'll do fine, imo.

To ease your nerves, as I recall being very nervous before taking the plunge into H20 but spent 9 months (unplanned because of backed up orders) researching and watching videos. The more images and videos I watched the less nervous I became and my confidence grew.

Here's a video to a very simple beginners guide to water cooling to ease your nerves.

#1 a universal block is a good investment. That includes the ram sinks too. Initially it will be expensive. I bought some swiftech, enzotech, and some off eBay which very very cheap $$.

#2 I have 3x Swiftech MCW82`s. I have used them on gtx 480s, gtx 580s, gtx 680's, and 7970's. They make a specific block for the 7970's but I put a piece of copper sheet between the block and core and the temps were nothing different from a pull block or that specific swiftech 7970 universal block.

On my 7970' I only had the 1 AMD bracket. What I did was got that mount and lined them up with my 2 other nvidia bracket and drilled holes. And all 3 ran like a champ.

Full blocks are awesome but sucks you have to upgrade blocks every time you get a new GPU. As I said, I have used my blocks on 4 GPUs nvidia and AMD.

#3 I used those but got them on eBay for cheaper. I will send you a link later. I used those on the ram and used other sinks on the other components.

#4 always put a fan on the opposite side of the video inputs. My case has a place to put a fan there. You can get creative and put one there too. Or run it without a fan and see if you are happy or not. If not I van show you how I put mine.

#6. I think that case can fit a triple rad if modded right I think. You can always use an external rad or put one of those mounts you can put in you exhaust 120 holes and easily put a double or triple rad.

#7 I would recommend 120.4 minimum. Whatever you can fit. 360 + 120, single 480, or 240 + 240.

#8 yes especially with the GPU universal blocks