The most expensive learning session...

Hello everyone, this is only my second post here, but I've just learned a great deal tonight assembling my first watercooling "kit".

I bought the Aquastealth II Extreme with the upgrade pump/resevoir and the upgrade to the BlackIce Extreme radiator.
I've had so many frustrating problems with it already I can't begin to tell you how much I want to rip out my hair whenever I see the damn thing sitting there.

First - The "kit" did NOT come with all the parts I needed. I did not come with screws to put the fan on the radiator, and the tubing it came with was a cheap tubing that was so thick it could barely bend and it was only 5ft long. The screws I needed to buy to connect the fan to the radiator were not even carried by Home Depot or any hardware store around. Due to this, I had to buy long screws and ALOT of washers.

Second - The pump/resevoir for the kit just plain sucks. The hole to put the water in is just about the size of my power led light on my computer case - its just too damn small to fill while filling the system. Also, the entire thing is black and no openings, so you have no idea where in the hell the water level is.

Third - The radiator stores all the air in the system. It is only partially full most of the time and so, it is very ineffective at cooling the water, I have no idea why this is, it could be my own stupid self, or something else i do not know. The radiator output/input holes were also different sizes than the waterblocks and pump so I had to get totally different tubes and a reducer for the tubes. This was VERY frustrating.

Forth - It came with NO instructions. The so-called "instructions" on their website is a half *** job that explains barely anything about installing it except how to mount it using their OLD mount. It tells none of the important stuff on like filling the system, where to put things, which hole is input and output, etc. Basically, a circus monkey could write better directions for it than the company did.

Sorry for all the ranting, but I had to get it out. This has been one of the most expensive learning sessions I've had with my computer, in the beginning I was deciding between putting one together on my own or buying a kit and thought that the kit would be easier. I couldn't be any more wrong, especially with the resevoir/pump. My advice to EVERYONE - just get a normal bucket, cup, container, etc and put water in it and a submersible pump its MUCH easier in filling it and getting the air out of the system - a thing that a noobie has the most trouble with.

So advice to all you new ones out there - either buy a entire case already set up with a cooling system and coolant in it, or more preferably, build your own. Its much cheaper, effective, and actually less frustrating.

I am not bashing water cooling kits all together, but with my experience I'd rather build my own. I also hope to get more into the community here and learn alot more than the little knowledge I have compared to Hoot or many of the people here on water cooling systems.

Thanks for reading!
-Ryan Williams
Aka Nikolan

Sorry to hear about that mate... At least we will know what might happen if we did the same...

For the tubing is actually better to have stiff tubes cause when the water heat up the tubing get soft and kink up. Which may slow your flow down. So if you need to make a bend, go get some 90degree elbows from Home Depot. Secondly it does take time to get all the air out of the system. So just keep filling it with water. Did you get it from becooling? If so you might want to get a new pump. The Maxi-jet is a good pump but the model they give you is very weak. I am using the Maxi-jet 1200. I hope you are not discourage from water cooling. I just setup my first rig myself and I am getting great temp on my Northwood. 27c idle 29-30 load depending on ambient temp.

No, I'm not discouraged from water cooling, but just from the kits really, I've found how a normal submersible fish pump in a rubbermaid resevoir is a hell of a lot better and easier than a kit pump/resevoir.