Thoughts on water cooling "kits"?

I'm a casual user and was thinking of install a water kit, which comes bundled with all the gear. Just wondered if these were 'alright'?

some are good, some are bad. Kits from DTek, Dangerden, and Swiftech seem to be fine, but there are many kits out there that don't perform well together. Have any kits in particular that you're looking at?

Well I saw this one recently
http://www.maplin.co.uk/products/module.asp?CartID=0212060104041448473&moduleno=32469&modulecode=

Don't know what other kits cost, but this one doesn't come with a rad, so it prolly works out expensive.

OK.

You will be told "kits blow, part everything yourself, it will be better and you will be <more satisfied / cooler / cheaper/ more geek points / whatever> if you build it yourself".

My take:
1) Heatercores rule. Custom rads don't test so well. So a kit with a good heatercore will be a good kit, a custom kit will perform poorly.

2) You can do things cheaper if you get the parts yourself, AND are comfortable modding an auto heatercore. It really isn't too hard to get the parts seperate, if you know what you're looking for.

3) Here's a decent kit:
Comes standard with:
*blaze copper WB and socket A clip
*Black & Chrome HeaterCore Radiator
*Delta 120mm Ball Bearing Fan with Power connector and fan screws
*Assembled Via Aqua 1/2" pump, 1/2" Fill T
*7 feet of MasterKlear 1/2" Tubing
TOTAL = $100 from
http://www.aquastealth.com/

That's a premoded heatercore, and the via is a decent pump. You still might want to add a shroud (shroud = spacer beteen hcore and fan to get better airflow).


Check out the sticky about where to get watercooling stuff for more good kit sites. Key is to only look at kits that have a true, good sized heatercore, and you will be fine.

Good luck, and have fun!

Thx bud, I'll look into all that.

none1 said:

...1) Heatercores rule. Custom rads don't test so well. So a kit with a good heatercore will be a good kit, a custom kit will perform poorly....

Click to expand...

Have any suggestions? Do you consider the rads that come from cars good heatercores? Just wondering why one from a custom kit would be bad.

Tipycol said:

Have any suggestions? Do you consider the rads that come from cars good heatercores? Just wondering why one from a custom kit would be bad.

Click to expand...

A) Round copper tubing, bent many many times, with fins attached to cool it down, hot water flows through the narrow pipe, bends around many times, comes out other end cool.

B) Wide flat copper, many fins attached, hot water comes from narrow tube, into wide flat copper, cools down, comes out other end.

The "B" design is exactly an automobile heatercore, and is the best design on the market. The "A" design is often sold as "a radiator". Technically, they are both radiators. I wish we had a good name for the difference, but we don't. When I say heatercore, I mean a radiator that is designed like "B".

Dtek
http://dtekcustoms.safeshopper.com/19/cat19.htm?86
sells heatercores.

becooling
http://www.aquastealth.com/
sells heatercores of the "B" design, and radiators of the "A" design.
I have attached a pic of the "A" design, also from becooling. This "A" design does not perform as well as the "B" design.

I think pretty much any "heatercore" of the "B" design above is good. Auto heatercores are good.

*****
NOW, on to the "custom" water cooling kits. I really meant custom radiators. The koolance, etc. type kits HAVE NOT tested as well as any of the true heatercores in the reviews I have seen. The generic "B" design heatercores just outperform the "made for computer" radiators. This is why most of the hardcore watercooling stores basically resell moded auto heatercores, NOT custom radiators made for PC's.

Now, do we want:
B1) straight auto heatercore type "B" heatercore
or
B2) "B" type heatercore modded for PC watercooling? (Dtek, becooling, etc.)

Usually, B2 are the exact same design as an auto heatercore, and so perform just as well. The advantage is that they often have uniform barbs that "work". Often, with auto heatercores (B1) you need to saw off the inlets, and JB weld or some other mod to get the inlets set up.

Also, the B2 heatercores often have screw holes to attach fans / shrouds, heatercores for autos do not, so you need to figure out how to attach a fan to the auto heatercore (e.g. twist tie )

NONE1's CONCLUSIONS
1) Parting everything out with an auto heatercore and modding everything yourself is the cheapest solution.

2) Comercial, manufactured for PC watercooling with custom design radiators are (A) WAY WAY expensive and (B) don't cool as well.

3) Custom kits with easy to use in PC heatercores are great for beginners. They come with all the parts pump, tubing, T line, fans, and a heatercore that does not need to be modded, its all ready to go in a PC. This is my "scared n00b" recomendation.

If you're new to watercooling, worried about getting parts that won't work, go get a set of parts that are allready together, and do not need further modding to go into your computer. I posted ONE such example can be had from becooling, there are others.

Good luck!

Some kits can be good, and there are some good PC radiators. Car radiators are different from heater cores. Heater cores are used to help heat your car using waste heat from the engine. The main radiator gets rid of the engine heat. And they're a heck of a lot bigger sometimes.