Help building a cooling system

I always hated these kind of posts on system building forums. Now, I think
I can feel some of the pain that those newbies go thru.

I'm defiantly a liquid cooling newbie. At first, I almost got roped into
the Koolance lasso. Nice looking system and prelim reviews I read were
good. I've read of the corrosion issue, although I'm not sure how this is
an issue or how you can get electrolysis with dissimilar metals without
near boiling temps and little pressure.

That being said, I'll try my best to explain what I think I need.

I'm running a Q6600 currently not OC'ed. I'm not sure how high I will OC
but I'm sure the board will be the restriction before any cooling. My main
reason for water cooling is just to do it. I've always wanted to give it a
try. Here's my thoughts on each item.

CPU block: don't really care as long as it does the job.

NB block: I'm thinking I want to go with a NB block since temps already
seem a bit high. Once I start OC'ing, I think they'll get uncomfortably
high. Not picky here either as long as it does the job.

Radiator: Here's where I get a bit picky. For the most part, I like
everything about the Koolance Exos-2. Having an integrated pump is not a
requirement for me so that can be left out. I like that the Exos sits on
your desktop. I'd like the ability to have the rad a far distance from the
case if need be. I don't want a rad mounted to the back of the case or
inside the case. I also like the temp feedback the Exos gives. Additional
fan control is also nice, but I can live without that.

Pump: Again, don't care as long as it's not super loud and does the job.

So there's where I stand. If you guys can give me some good choices with
these items, it will at least give me a start. I can tweak from there I
think.

Thanks.

If you wanna save urself a few bux and really sink your teeth into WC'n i'd go ur own setup.. if ur uncomfortable with the heater core thing.. use the $ to spend on a quality rad with 1/2 barbs and piece the baby together. (good used block and such can lower overhead )

And if u dont want a res in ur case i'd just go T style.. less mess/fuss and IMO better/quicker at removing air (just from my experience)
/edit/
Im just get'n "Back" into the Wc'n world myself.. was out of the "loop" for a while, but from what i've seen anything from Danger Den on ur blocks is still a good choice
/edit 1.2/
Just notice when u said rad.. i thought u were talking about res in ur case.. :/ i'm tired
but.. got me there?

Same kinda questions at danger Den recently, but at least you got more of a clue. Here is the URL, it will give ya plenty to read and consider. The Koolance reserator, the new good one is pretty nice for a CPU only loop. But you can cool the CPU/GPU/NB cheaper with a quality custom setup..

Ohh my parts list is top notch, you don't have to spend that much.

http://www.dangerden.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10529
\

Do you guys have any opinions on the Innovatek line of products?

Speciffically, http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...versal_Watercooling_Kit_500741.html?tl=g30c83

Thats a lot of money for a basic 120x2 CPU only cooling loop.

Get MCR320
3 Yate Loon med fans
D5 vario or DDC pump
Fuzion V2
T line
Hose
Distilled water
Petras PT nuke
One T connector
hose clamps your choice
Some 1/2" barbs

Less than $250 and MUCH better cooling.

Conumdrum said:

Thats a lot of money for a basic 120x2 CPU only cooling loop.

Get MCR320
3 Yate Loon med fans
D5 vario or DDC pump
Fuzion V2
T line
Hose
Distilled water
Petras PT nuke
One T connector
hose clamps your choice
Some 1/2" barbs

Less than $250 and MUCH better cooling.

Click to expand...

/slowclap couldn't agree more

Danaf said:

Do you guys have any opinions on the Innovatek line of products?

Speciffically, http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...versal_Watercooling_Kit_500741.html?tl=g30c83

Click to expand...

Meh.. bout all i can say.. for that price :/

I have a couple of questions on the items you list here.

How would the radiator be mounted to the case?

Is you're listing 1/2" fittings for this. Id rather go with fittings of some kind instead of barbs and clamps if possible. Is that something you would recommend?

I'd also like to go with a NB cooler. Which do you recommend? Also, should the lines be split for each item or should the CPU and NB cooler be run in series? Is what the T line you have listed is for?

Is there a particular slot cover you would use with this setup? Such as: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...Socket_Fittings_BKT-PCI-G.html?tl=g30c101s762

I can't help but think it would be wise to have a flow and water temp indicator on this system. Is there anything you recommend?

What about a reservoir? Is this not required?

Run the blocks in series. It doesn't matter what order, the water coming off the CPU will only be about 1 degree warmer than before.

You can get compression fittings instead of clamps http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...Thread_38_ID_x_12_OD_Compression_Fitting.html. Compression fittings look nice, but they are expensive and might not work on all products because of size.

The T fitting was for your T line. If you get a reservoir, this isn't needed. T or Res? Your choice. T line is cheaper and easier to mount. A reservoir bleeds easier.

I would stay away from flow monitors and anything that impedes flow. Restriction is your enemy. It is hard enough for these small pumps to keep the water flowing. Temperature sensors are pretty useless. Again they cause a slight amount of restriction. Some people like them just because they are curious. I suggest you stick thermometer in your reservoir if the curiosity gets to be too much.

I'm not sure about that slot cover. I can't imagine being able to fit 1/2 tubing through a PCI opening. I'm a bit confused with all the sizes. (the compression fitting say 1/4 threads, 1/2 ID and 5/8 OD . . . 1/4 threads?)

Well, another reason I'm asking about fittings is that I want shut-off diconnect. Like these:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...pression_13mm_12_VL3-F13S.html?tl=g30c101s178
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...pression_13mm_12_VL3-M13S.html?tl=g30c101s178

The rad and res will be mounted to the side of the cabinet next to the computer.

Here's what I have in mind using 1/2" hose. Tell me if this is right.

Rad--->disconnect--->enter case--->pump--->cpu--->NB--->exit case--->disconnect--->res--->rad.....

In fact, I'm wondering if mounting the pump outside the case would be a good idea as well. I'm trying to minimize what's in the case if at all possible.

Tell me what you think.

Pump in the case would be best on a 12v pump.


You sound like you might be a candidate for a nice 120 pump with a little more head pressure.

Oh, and your order looks fine, but you'll want a fill line or res right before the pump inlet.

Ok, edit:

Rad--->res--->disconnect--->enter case--->pump--->cpu--->NB--->exit case--->disconnect--->rad.....

OR

Rad--->res--->pump--->disconnect--->enter case--->cpu--->NB--->exit case--->disconnect--->rad.....

The only thing that matters about order is that you want your reservoir/T-line before the pump so that gravity feeds water to the pump. Make sure that your reservoir is directly above the pump without anything to impede the flow. Other than that, order it so that you use the least amount of tubing and everything is circular as possible. It doesn't matter whether your CPU comes directly after the rad or not or whether your NB is before your CPU or whatever.

I just looked at the prices on those fittings. That's $40 for two disconnectable (made up word?) junctions !!! They look nice though. I wish all my connections were like that, but that would cost over $200.

You can house all of your water cooling in a separate case and have the disconnect between the two cases for when you need to move them. You need to use a strong pump though with all of that tubing. I'm not sure how restrictive quick disconnects are, but they will definitely add some restriction.

Having everything housed separately creates some problems with how you power the pump. You can get an inexpensive PSU (if you don't have one lying around) if the pump is DC powered. If you get a 120v as hinted above ^ you can just plug it into the wall. The problem is how do you turn them on with the computer. If you do it manually, you better remember to do it or your system will slowly overheat without a pump running (it will take a couple of minutes for the water to really heat up). You can set up a relay that automatically turns on everything, but this is over my head.

Usually, you want to keep everything as simple as possible. There are a lot of advantages though for having a separate case. You'll just have to deal with the disadvantages.

for the relay you would get a relay that can be used with 12 volts on the coil side and something that can handle 120 volts across the contactors.

you would basically plug in the 12v coil into the molex plug so that when you turn your computer on it allows the 120v go to the pump and turn it on.

Actually, I would probably do this to kill two brids with one stone:
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=703

As for the pump, if I use a 120v pump, all of this is plugged into an APC and is switched on and off together. The computer running without the pump wouldn't be an issue.

As for a 120v pump, what do you guys recommend?

Also, what NB block do you guys recommend?

the 120v pumps can get expensive. The Eheims and Iwakis are top notch. Iwakis are more powerful and more expensive. The size of which will depend on the rest of your components.

I've never used an AC powered pump, so you might want to wait to hear from someone more experienced for first hand knowledge.

Those disconnects look sweet.

Danner also makes a nice pump, But I don't know how well they will work for this application.

remember to take a look at fish stores for pump as well they sell eheim pumps and may have it cheaper.

to OCF!!!


The MCP-355 pump is what I'd use to push water through all that. It's a small, powerful, quality pump that will serve you well. The Petra's top is a nice addition but is not desired for this application. While the Petra's top adds flow it also reduces pressure, which you'll need to overcome the added restrictions of your loop. External plumbing and quick-connects are notorious for being restrictive. I'd say, stay with the stock configuration.

For cooling just the CPU and NB the Swiftech "MCR220-QP Res" is a good choice. A rad and res in one unit with no extra restriction from a res or T-line. It's what I'd be using if I bought off-the-shelf rads. (I use heater cores exclusively)

CPU block: Best is the Fuzion w/the quad nozzle. Very, very good is the Apogee GT. Take your pick.

NB block: There's only one option here as far as I'm concerned, the Swiftech MCW-30. An old design but very efficient and I've seen nothing better for a chipset block. All NB blocks I've seen have both upper and lower limits on screw separation. Make sure the size limits for the block will fit with your NB screws!

I really liked that combination slot/quick-connect unit you linked earlier! If you're going that route it's a very good choice.

You'll be making a tight turn from the CPU to the NB and you'll also have to do some creative routing to go in and out through the slot. Instead of trying to get 1/2" tubing to do that (and making several tight, restrictive turns with it) you may as well drop down to 3/8" tubing, which will be much easier to route inside the case and allow for those tight turns. Just add a couple of copper pipe reducers (1/2" to 3/8") on the case side of your quick connects. The MCP-355 pump can easily handle the slight restriction increase the 3/8" tubing will add over those short, internal runs. (In actuality there may be no increase in restriction when you take into account the tight turns 1/2" tubing would have to make.) That's a tough little pump for it's size and it's already got a 3/8" inlet and outlet.

I'd stick with 1/2" tubing for your external runs to the rad and back. Not only is the 1/2" tubing tougher to handle the external environment better it will also be much less restrictive over those longer runs.

If you want a water temp sensor it's easy with the set-up above. Just take a normal thermal sensor/probe (the kind used for measuring case temps, chipset temps, etc.) and attach it to one of the copper reducers with thermal tape and a dab of TIM. Then wrap the reducer and sensor in foam or something to insulate it from the environment. If it's isolated and insulated the copper will be the same temp as the water. Allow 1/4" or more between the copper and the quick-connect.


Good luck with the loop but keep in mind - water cooling is a one-way trip!
I've seen very few people go back to air once they go water ...