Another "New guy to watercooling thread". But I have done my homework..... I think

[SnowRider]

I just got response back from PolarFLO (man they're fast) about the barb orientation.

It depends on the orientation of the socket on the MB. Some are 90degrees off, which would give it that vertical vs. horizontal difference. Thanks

Steve

So I think that the way my mobo is setup that the barbs would be the vertical way. I guess that when I get my tubing I'll have to see how flexible it is and which direction I'll go with it to the GPU.

 

[GV2NIX]

Most of the places that sell Tygon 3603 don't have the 1/2" ID in stock. Pretty much the only place that has it is stock is Danger Den. There's also McMaster, but they're site isn't working properly right now, so I can't get you the figures at the moment. Below is a list of places that sell 1/2" ID Tygon. I'll show unit prices and prices for, say, 20ft of 1/2" ID Tygon 3603. I'll also show the theoretical shipping cost to ship to where I am (Pittsburgh). It'll probably be cheaper to ship to Cali since most of these places are in the West.


Danger Den - 20ft Tygon 1/2" ID 3603 @ $2.90/ft

$58.00
$06.39 FedEx Ground
-------
$64.39

FedEx 3 Day Select $8.20
FedEx 2 Day $9.27
FedEX Next Day $21.46


Frozen CPU - 20ft Tygon 1/2" ID 3603 @ $30.00/10ft

$60.00
$07.57 UPS Ground
-------
$67.57

UPS Ground $7.57
UPS 3 Day Select $8.05
UPS 2nd Day Air $10.65
UPS Next Day Air $21.50
USPS Priority Mail (2-3 days) $6.45
USPS Express Mail (1-2 days) $20.35


D-Tek Customs - 20ft Tygon 1/2" ID 3603 @ $2.39/ft
1-19ft $2.65/ft
20-49ft $2.39/ft
50-100ft $2.25/ft

$47.80
$13.35 USPS Priority
-------
$61.15

USPS Express $28.20
USPS Priority $13.35
Local Pickup $01.50


So, although you would theoretically get the lowest price with D-Tek, they've been out of stock for a while, and who knows when they'll have any in stock again. All of these places have the 3/4" ID Tygon 3603 in stock, but neither you nor I are using that. So, unless you want to wait for a while, I suggest you go with Danger Den. As you can see, I ordered most of my stuff from Danger Den anyway so it was the most logical choice for me to buy tubing from them as well. Their service is quick and consistent.

About the PolarFLO, so yours is vertical huh? I guess you'll have to fiddle around with it to get the tubing right. If you have spare tubing scraps lying around, you might want to see what works or what doesn't. If you don't, maybe you could buy some really cheap tubing to use as test tubing since figuring out the way your plumbing is going to work is going to take some trial and error even if you have it all planned out on paper. I have tons of junk tubing scraps left over from trying different lenghts to go between the CPU and GPU. I guess all that cutting was kind of unnecessary, but I'm neurotic and I wanted to get it just right!


P.S. Hey, I have 4 stars now, woo hoo!!

 

[SnowRider]

Jeez man, you went all out with all those prices!! I really appreciate the work but with Tygon costing that much everywhere it looks like I'll most likely be sticking with ClearFlex 60 I guess. I don't want to spend $40 on tubing so I think I'll just go with 15ft (is this enough? Or would 20ft be better since I've never setup a WC rig before) of Clearflex 60 for $9.75 @$0.65 a ft at mcmaster. Yeah, I'm gonna be vertical. We'll have to see how it works out. I have to decide which way I want to go with the tubing before I buy the GPU block so I can have the barbs oriented the right way(if I go with that block). I'll keep you all posted.

 

[crazythunder]

i know what GV2NIX means about the y adapter right on the cpu. i have a polar flo setup and i tried it like that--too restrictive\kinks. my gpu block has the 3 o'clock outputs like snowriders, and the curve isn't so bad if using tygon. seemed like even more of a curve with 12 o'clock barbs.

 

[GV2NIX]

Well you would know better than I crazythunder. Actually, because fo the tight bend, my tubing pulls up my video card slightly. Although it looks like the GPU block is set properly against the die, do you think that maybe it's not? Is there anyway to check for this? I don't want to crank down too much on the springs because it's already starting to bend teh PCB very slightly. Do you think this is dangerous?

 

[crazythunder]

if you're bending the pcd, i'd say--STOP!! just use your judgement. if the springs are compressed all the way or you can't twist the block with a slight pressure, it's probably tight enough. you should be able to see if the block is covering the gpu correctly. my polarflo cpu block has nylon threaded nuts and bolts. no instructions, so basically they are telling you-" you should have a slight clue as to what you're doing before you attempt this and a little common sense". although, even a genius might compress the springs too much to the point where it causes damage. i did mine thumb tight equally on all 4 nuts. then i gave each one a little extra twist, just enough to where i felt it would take a pair of pliers to get a few more turns- that's when i stopped. and the block has no movement to it if i try to turn it.

 

[GV2NIX]

Well that's the thing, if I compress the springs even the slightest, the PCB still bends if I look down the edge. I mean, it's not a lot, but it still bends noticeably. If I hardly compress the springs, then the block moves all over the place. I have the springs 50% compressed (less than recommended) and the block is somewhat stable but the PCB is, of course, bent even more. I tried to determine a good middle point between bend and block stability, but there really isn't a logical acceptable level of PCB bend, haha! Like you said, I don't want to bend the board at all, but it bends nontheless even with hardly any pressure. Maybe I got some defective JELLO PCB or something...

 

[crazythunder]

what water block are you using? and, are you using the original mounting hardware? maybe you can eliminate the springs?

 

[GV2NIX]

Using the DD Maze-4 with the original all-threads, standoffs, and washers. Mount the block w/o springs? Isn't that kinda dangerous?

SnowRider, sorry for digressing!

 

[crazythunder]

are you using the right mounting holes? http://www.dangerden.com/Instructions/MAZE4 GPU.pdf maybe there's a known issue\fix for your particular vid card? don't know.

 

[GV2NIX]

Yeah, I'm using the right holes. It just seems that this PCB has very low tensile resistance. I guess it's nothing serious. But, in my experience, PCB usually doesn't bend this easily. If it bends this easily and nothing has gone wrong yet, then I guess it'll be ok. Thanks for your input though!

 

[SnowRider]

SnowRider, sorry for digressing!

Digress away

 

[NO LIFE]

Well if you want the top performance snowrider.....get a cascade CPU block. Best performance hands down when it comes to cpu cooling. They are a bit pricey....but why hold back when your doing water-cooling? You can also get them in 2 barb versions which are about 50x easier to route through the computer. My 3 barb block inside a wavemaster was near impossible to manage and with the adapter it adds about 5 more spots where a leak can (and most likely will due to tight turns) appear.

Also, have you considered a mcw-50 (or the pelt mcw-50t version) gpu block?

http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/ex-blc-11.html
http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/ex-blc-12.html

They are one of the best gpu block performers (especially the pelt verion) and the special fittings allow for lots of flexability in terms of how you want to route the tubing. The polarFLO chipset blocks look a little cheesy IMO and even more they dont have a special block for the NB....it is just a GPU block with barbs fit different. The swiftech has never let me down and I could not be happier with the GPU/NB block I got from them.

As for addatives. This is where you DONT want to mess around. Get water wetter and use a dilute 3% solution of it with distilled water (thats about 4oz to a gallon). Yes your water will look a little pink. BUT, this stuff will perform better than any other addative. You will be sorry if you add dyes. For one, they stain tubing badly.....and two, they will decrease performance. How you treat your water is one of the most important aspects of ensuring the system will run long and reliably. Throw the looks aside here.

Hope I helped!

 

[GV2NIX]

Hmm, interesting, I was going to use the 10/90 recommended ratio of Zerex Super Coolant and distilled water. Do you feel that a more dilute solution would be better? Also, I think SnowRider really wants to go for his cool "blue ice" look, so he may not want the smelly, pink Water Wetter.

 

[crazythunder]

i used clear blue uv dye and notice no staining to my tubing. and the basic polarflo (black) looks cheesy, but the chrome and gold are sweet.

 

[SnowRider]

..... Also, I think SnowRider really wants to go for his cool "blue ice" look, so he may not want the smelly, pink Water Wetter.

I don't mean to blow you off NO LIFE but GV2NIX is right..... I really wanted to go for the "blue ice" look . I'm willing to sacrifice a degree or two for that I guess. My initial reasoning for considering watercooling was noise/heat. My rig right now with the stock CPU fan, the stock GPU fan, and 4 case fans isn't exactly quiet. So I guess noise was my number one priority with cooling performance coming in a very very close 2nd(well maybe 1 1/2 ). Being able to overclock all this stuff when it's all setup is more like a bonus for me. I guess you could say I'm more of a "form over function" kind of guy. But by no means am I saying that I'll buy a piece of junk that looks cool, if it doesn't perform well. Everyone has their own preferences on things. I have things that I'm willing to sacrifice for performance and things that I'm willing to sacrifice for looks. I'm very close to settling on the PolarFLO CPU block because for one: it has performed very well in most of the reviews I've seen, 2: it looks frickin awesome, 3: I really like the quality of service I have experienced so far from PolarFLO, 4: they're alot easier to get than a cascade and cheaper too, and 5......... I like to be different .
I've been meaning to e-mail swiftech and ask them if that block (MCW-50) will work with All-In-Wonder cards, mainly a AIW 9800 pro. It doesn't say so on their website so I'll have to see about that before I start to consider that one. But if it does I will definitely consider it because that block has performed excellently in the reviews I've seen it in.
I know it might sound like I just flushed all your suggestions down the toilet but I honestly didn't. I'm just telling you my thoughts on everything and didn't mean to come across like I disagreed with everything you just said.
I really appreciate all the help so far guys. It has helped me alot.

 

[JDizzle]

Your computer looks very nice. I'm also just starting my first watercooling set-up and also it's going to be on my first build. Your fan master looks exactly like mine but made by Super-Flower check this link . I'm thinking of the following....

Swiftech MCW6000 CPU block/ DD TDX
DD Chipset-Z block (already purchased)
Swiftech MCW50 GPU block (already purchased)


As for the pump I'm still undecided. I realllllly don't want to pay for a MCP600 because it's too expensive. I want a decently priced alternative. Unlike most of you guys I'm still in high school working a part time job. My mom also gets half of my paychecks also so I am very limited on funds.

 

[GV2NIX]

Your computer looks very nice. I'm also just starting my first watercooling set-up and also it's going to be on my first build. Your fan master looks exactly like mine but made by Super-Flower check this link . I'm thinking of the following....

Swiftech MCW6000 CPU block/ DD TDX
DD Chipset-Z block (already purchased)
Swiftech MCW50 GPU block (already purchased)


As for the pump I'm still undecided. I realllllly don't want to pay for a MCP600 because it's too expensive. I want a decently priced alternative. Unlike most of you guys I'm still in high school working a part time job. My mom also gets half of my paychecks also so I am very limited on funds.

I know you already purchased it, but I would recommend against the DD z-block. It is highly restrictive and doesn't dissipate heat that well. You might want to read this thread for some better options.

 

[JDizzle]

Yea I read that but by that time it was too late. I may put it up for sale and get the MCW20. I don't really feel like it though. It's too much of a hassle to find a buyer then ship then spend more money on the MCW20. It can't be that bad can it?

 

[pauldenton]

Yea I read that but by that time it was too late. I may put it up for sale and get the MCW20. I don't really feel like it though. It's too much of a hassle to find a buyer then ship then spend more money on the MCW20. It can't be that bad can it?

actually based on todays review the chipset block to get is the maze4........
http://www.overclockers.com/articles1013/