Help me find a Water cooling solution!

Hey guys,

I'm having a little trouble specking a water cooling system for my rig.. the problem is I'm really picky. I guess that's why I'm here So here is what I need, in order of importance:

1) I want my computer to be as quiet as possible. As it is it sounds like a jet engine and that's annoying.

2) I want my case to stay pretty!
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/wickedfast/1.jpg
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/wickedfast/2.jpg
I want to avoid the really thick tubes that go everywhere and UV colored stuff etc.... I'm trying to go for something minimalist, like on the Voodoo Omen computers. The cooling liquid can be blue or red, but i really really really don't like green stuff. Also I'd like to put the pump/reservoir somewhere out of sight, such as in one of the drive bays.

3) As for performance. I'd like my CPU to stay at a reasonable temperature when I play games or run 3Dmark. I don't need it to be pushing ambient temp, but I want it replacing my heater in the winter.

Here is a link to my case specs. I've got two emtpy 5" bays, 1 empty floppy bay, and 1 empty hdd bay:
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=228&code=031

How many radiators do you think I will need to cool just the CPU? I've looked at the Thermaltake TMG1 "racing inspired" radiator and I like it because I can attach my existing case fan to it. Also looked at the Zalman ZM-WB5 which looks like a good performer, but cant seem to find it in stores. Obviously Apogee GTX is good, but I don't like the looks of it as much as the Zalmans!

I know I'm picky but i'm counting on you expert modders to help me out. THanks!

Well That case is pretty long and then pretty short.

I don't know if you want to watercool your grapics too. Cause If you add a radiator your gonna lose some airflow and them cards will get toasty.


No-one really has the zalman so We don't really know if it's any good or not The apogee GTX/Fuzion Dtek are the best blocks for your quad.

For one q6600 a 2.120 will be good, But it seems you want quietness so a Pa120.2/MCR220 will do good with low CFM fans.

Take fuzion it looks better than apogee gt and is better preformer aswell. I thought about zalman block too but i chickened out and decided to go with proven quality.

I don't know about quality, but your options for a bay mounted pump/res combo are these:

Koolance Reservoir & Pump, 1kW Series - Black
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=367&products_id=21424

Koolance Bay Mount Reservoir & Pump - RP-950
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=367&products_id=21400




Otherwise, theres a handful of non bay mounted pump/res combos
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=367



btw, love your case. If they had a full tower version, I would be all over it!

I was actually thinking about getting that Koolance reservoir/pump.. Now in terms of tubes.. what size tubes should I get and accordingly which fittings should i get for the ends? Will the same ends work on all the different parts of a setup if it includes switech, thermaltake, and koolance parts??

And finally... which is the best cooling liquid?

Distilled water + biocides

And your performance isn't going to be great with koolance parts.

NoodleGTS said:

I was actually thinking about getting that Koolance reservoir/pump.. Now in terms of tubes.. what size tubes should I get and accordingly which fittings should i get for the ends? Will the same ends work on all the different parts of a setup if it includes switech, thermaltake, and koolance parts??

And finally... which is the best cooling liquid?

Click to expand...

Im gonna leave the answer to your fittings question to the masters, but I'll throw out a little bit of information that I know:

Watch your tube size. If you're running 1/2" ID tubing, make sure if the specific fitting in question has either no OD restrictions (barbed style mixed with a clamp of some sort), or the OD restrictions fit the OD of your tubing (@1/2" ID, your tubing is probably 3/4" OD, so make sure they indicate that the fitting with fit 3/4" OD - this is usually an issue with quick connect styles, such as thermaltake's fittings).



As for coolant, you're going to find a lot of mixed opinions around here. Bottom line is that the best and cheapest coolent is going to be purified water mixed with a couple other ingrediants to keep the water clean.

There are a lot of products out on the market and opinions will differ. Personally, Im going to go with a non-conductive liquid with my build:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...=21199&zenid=637a366f86aac277b5eb97c64509c875

Hope that helps out some!

JamesXP said:

Distilled water + biocides

And your performance isn't going to be great with koolance parts.

Click to expand...

But it should keep a non overclocked system cooler than air, right?

I'll second the recommendation for the MCR220 or PA120.2. If your primary goal is silence and you can find room for a triple or a second rad, do it. More frontal area and more fans mean less noise.

I'd stay away from Thermaltake's WC parts. The TMG rads are aluminum, which means less performance and a much higher risk of galvanic corrosion. The dimpled tubes aren't necessary unless you're using an ultra low flow pump (like Thermaltake's).

The DDC3.2/MCP355 will fit in a bay, and somewhere I've seen a res to go with it, but many people have problems with bay reservoirs due to their shallowness. You might want to consider going with a T instead of trying to hide a res.

The DDC3.1, of course, is the king of silent 12V pumps. But without the modified top (which will keep it from fitting in a single bay), you might see a slight drop in performance. However, the modified pump will fit in two full height bays. Just be sure there are no tight bends just before the inlet.

Edit: Koolance is even less trustworthy than Thermaltake, and that's saying something. Since Koolance started their "copper radiator myth" disinformation campaign, I've been recommending people stay away from them too.

NoodleGTS said:

And finally... which is the best cooling liquid?

Click to expand...

For an all copper/brass/plastic rig:
distilled water with
5-10% antifreeze OR 2-5% racing coolant
10 drops per liter iodine
aquarium algaecide (not copper sulfate)

If you have any aluminum:
distilled water with
10-15% antifreeze OR 5-10% racing coolant
10 drops per liter iodine
aquarium algaecide (definitely not copper sulfate!)

First off, no Thermaltake or Koolance please.

Secondly, if you don't want to see the reservoir, why not just not get one? Get a small pump such as the MCP350 with a top and put in a T-line into the loop in place of the reservoir. Apogee or Fuzion blocks are much better than any Zalman solutions. A dual fan radiator would be the minimum for your quad, MCR220 is great.

Guys, there is just no room for a 2x12 anywhere in my case. Can i put a radiator on my exhaust 120mm and stuff another 120 in my empty drive bays, or should I just scrap the water cooling idea? I can get the Swiftech micro res and one of their small pumps. and put them in the drive bays next to the rad/pump. My set up would be as follows:

Apogee GTX => MCR120 => MCR120 => Micro Res => Pump => Apogee etc..

What do you guys think? And any recommendations for the pump if it's going in a drive bay?

Get a PA160 comparable to a 2x120 rad and just stick it on top.

Yes, you can run two single 120s. But if you have one in front and one in back, you must have the both on exhuast and have intakes of equal area. If you have one rad on intake and one on exhaust, you'll get almost no cooling out of the second rad because the air will already have been heated by the first rad.

If you can fit the PA160 in front (most cases will allow this), consider that and a 120 in the rear. If you can only fit two single rads, the larger frontal area of the 160 may well be worth the high price.

Any particular reason why you can't cut the case to fit a double or triple rad in the top?

Otter said:

Yes, you can run two single 120s. But if you have one in front and one in back, you must have the both on exhuast and have intakes of equal area. If you have one rad on intake and one on exhaust, you'll get almost no cooling out of the second rad because the air will already have been heated by the first rad.

Click to expand...

Would it work if I put one on the intake before the CPU, then one on the exhaust after? That way, I can send cool water to the CPU, and the rear fan will still be blowing air cooler than the water temp.

I know you would like an internal solution but what about a rear mounted "rad box" for the radiator to mount on the back of the case where it is hard to see? External rad mounts can be very elegant if well thought out. Of course this isn't rear mounted but... I think it was a pretty clean setup . Good luck!



That's my old setup. Pm if you want some help with external or internal work. My all internal rig is in my sig: Clean Overkill

NoodleGTS said:

Would it work if I put one on the intake before the CPU, then one on the exhaust after? That way, I can send cool water to the CPU, and the rear fan will still be blowing air cooler than the water temp.

Click to expand...

I see what you're thinking, but the temperature difference across the CPU block will be very small. For 100 watt CPU and 1gpm flow rate, the coolant will be only .38 C warmer at the outlet. Hence even if you've got the CPU block between the rads on the water side, both rads need fresh air to be effective.

If quiet is your goal, you want a DDC (aka DDC3.1 or MCP350) pump. Get a Petrastechshop top for it and you have a very good performing nearly silent pump. 7/16" tubing would be what you want to avoid the more bulky 1/2"ID 3/4"OD. 7/16" will fit over 1/2" barbs with some effort.

Since you are running sli with a quad, and noise is your issue (along with performance of course), then watercooling the cpu and gpus only makes sense. But a triple rad is really going to be your best route to make sure you have plenty of cooling capacity. Given that you are going to have to do some modding anyway to fit a dual rad, you may as well go for a triple Swiftech MCR320.

You have to realize that at some point you can't have your cake and eat it to. Your best option is going to be top mounting a rad in some way/shape, and it can look as good as you make it. If you have room you can cut holes in the top of the case and internally mount the rad with the fans either in the case pushing air through the rad, or on top pulling air out through the rad. Or you can completely top mount the rad as is pictured above by eightballrj. How it looks is really up to you.

Since your fans are red, I would recommend some red pentosin G11 antifreeze. You can find it online for about $11 a liter plus shipping, or you can do like me and just go to any toyota dealer and get an entire gallon for <$20. Their red antifreeze is red pentosin. You don't have to have antifreeze in your loop if you have all copper parts, but 10% won't hurt anything and will give your distilled water a light red tint. You also want to use a few drops of povidone iodine and some aquarium algaecide (walmart) to prevent growth. I'm with you in that I personally can't stand green fluid.

The Apogee GT or GTX are good blocks for your CPU, and the Swiftech Microres mounts about anywhere and it easy to hide. I would recommend the Swiftech MCW60 blocks for the GPUs with some ramsinks.

Hey I just found what I think is a great solution for mounting a 2x120mm radiator on my tiny *** case...
http://www.xoxide.com/swiftech-radbox-external-radiator-mount.html
So, would a 2x120 setup be enough to cool my Q6600 and 2 8800GTs if I'm using an Apogeee GTX and a reservoir? (I can put a fan on the reservoir lol...)

Uh..

Putting a fan on the resovoir won't do anything. But 2 8800GTS'+Q6600 even stock produces a hefty amount of watts. anyone care to confirm this