First Watercooling build Complete/Antec 1200

So i finally took the plunge,started off with getting the knowledge ,weeks of scouring the web for info/build logs/tips/hints etc.Put my cart up here and took a few pointers and sent the order.Got my parts,checked everything for missing parts/damaged parts.Cleaned everything with distilled water and started ripping the aircooled I5 750 apart,first days i focused on cable management,ventured into cable sleeving etc.Then i sketched up the loop on paper trying to find the most efficient loop order(thanks guys for the help ),then slowly assembled the pump,the res,the rad and finally the cpu block always checking for tubing length along the way and wiring/hardware clearance/length.Everything hooked up except the pump power i took an old psu and shorted the green/black pin and hooked the pump power to the old psu.Papper tissues around every fitting and a lot of extras around the case(safe than sorry right...)One hand on the psu switch and the other one pouring coolant in the res i filled the loop and started the leak testing,luckily i had NO leaks after 9 hours so i removed the papers,installed the system for final start.Started up and everything went smooth,just love it....more quiet around 15 degrees cooler under load vs my air cooling,idle just about 3-4 degrees better.

So to sum it up:Its been an learning experience and, i recommend all who want to start WC:ing to REALLY study and prep properly(weeks....yes weeks).

SUPER BIG THANKS TO ALL OF YOU GUYS,THE MOST HELPFUL PEOPLE ON THE WEB ARE FOUND RIGHT HERE ON THIS FORUM!

FINALLY MY PARTS:
CPU BLOCK:XSPC RASA
WATER RES:MICRO RES REV 2
PUMP:LAING DDC PLUS1T 18W/EK X_TOP V2
RADIATOR:PHOBYA G-CHANGER 360 v1.2/3*XILENCE FANS/68cfm/21db in PULL
TUBING:NALGENE 19/13 mm
COMPRESSION FITTINGS ALL AROUND

WOW! Let me rephrase that.

WOW!


Great, great job. You mean, you came to OCF and other places, did most of all your research before asking questions, posted a parts list, got a bit of input and BAM! You did it!

I'm friggin proud of your self help ability and non-reliance with inane uninformed questions. Your one of the few, and should be proud.

You Sir, are a welcome, free-thinking, intelligent member of this forum. Please ohh please hang out, become one of the helpers if you get time.

Your a gem.

Final temps please
Prime 95 small ffts
Ambient temps
Air cooling idle and load
WC idle and load

Remember with WC it takes 20-30 min for temps to stabilize.

BTW, think I'll bookmark this for the folks that are new. What we like to see................

Nice! Is that tubing by the same nalgene who makes water bottles? How do you like it?

Great build, <3 the writeup...if I had to nit pick something maybe your res level is a bit low but I'm just looking for things that are wrong. Keep an eye on things, as the bubbles drain from the loop you'll need to top the res off a couple times (remember operating level for that res is the swiftech logo...but you really wanna be a bit above there so you have breathing room

other than that NICEEEE! NICE NICE NICE!!!!

Thank very much,i saw fit to learn the most of it for myself by trial and error and checking the web again and again....and again

Would be nice to help out other newbies,most people seem to rush into WC and then regretting it and/or ripping their follicles when they went and did something too soon or too forceful and ended up breaking their newly bought expensive WC...

well,anyways...on my temps:
Air setup: Zalman Flex cooler with 2 ultra kaze 3000 P/P
Ambient temps were from 23-28 Celsius and TIM used was Coollaboratory Liquid pro
IDLE TEMP:35-37
LOAD TEMP:65-70
Water setup:See first post!
Ambient temps pretty much the same 23-28 Celsius,TIM:Coollaboratory Liquid pro
IDLE TEMP:30-34
LOAD TEMP:50-54


So its safe to say its a success!!Not to mention the forty billion Db difference in noise,the kazes can power a small nuclear uboat....no really...
P.S.....on a side note i decided to use the Liquid pro again although it was A ROYAL PAIN IN THE A** to remove,i considered the temp drop to be worth the hassle of removing this god forgiven thermal goo....

Looks like time for a sig update

more pics...

m0r7if3r said:

Nice! Is that tubing by the same nalgene who makes water bottles? How do you like it?

Great build, <3 the writeup...if I had to nit pick something maybe your res level is a bit low but I'm just looking for things that are wrong. Keep an eye on things, as the bubbles drain from the loop you'll need to top the res off a couple times (remember operating level for that res is the swiftech logo...but you really wanna be a bit above there so you have breathing room

other than that NICEEEE! NICE NICE NICE!!!!

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot!You sir have a sharp eye,the very same manufacturer as the bottles! I mostly chose Nalgene because everybody praised Tygon to the gods,against the flow(in a right way)Priced the same as Tygon also,bend&kink is really good on Nalgene and its smooth&easy to fit on the fittings.The writing on the tubing doesnt bother me,kinda adds a "clinical" feel to it..hehe
Oh btw,the water level was a tad low yes,been running it for a couple of days now,bled the radiator (has a bleed screw on top) and topped of the water in the res= no more air in system&more quiet

Yea, it always amazes me how much noise the pump makes when it's bleeding air...I might check out that nalgene tubing for a friend's build I'm gonna do in a bit here.