My chosen CPU water-cooling loop parts list. Updated for 2013.

[iAmCodeMonkey]

Here is my water cooling parts list that I updated to include the newest parts that are on the market right now. I figured I should wait until newer components come out for water-cooling before taking the plunge, haha.

Water-Cooling Loop:
CPU Waterblock: Koolance CPU-380I (Acetal/Nickel) x1 - $93.65 CAN
VRM Waterblock: Watercool HEATKILLER MB-SET ASUS-X99 A/S/DELUXE LT (Acetal/Nickel) x1 - $87.42 CAN
Radiator (Intake): Koolance HX-CU720V (30-FPI) x1 - $60.63 CAN (12 and 3/8" max height, 69.5MM max depth of rad+fans)
Radiator (Exhaust): Koolance HX-CU420V (30-FPI) x1 - $47.29 CAN (6.1" max height, 82MM max depth of rad+fans)
Straight Fittings (Barbed): Koolance G1/4" Fitting (3/8" ID x 1/2" OD, NZL-V10B, Chrome) x4 - $19.36 CAN
Straight Fittings (Compression): Koolance G1/4" Fitting (3/8" ID x 1/2" OD, NZL-V10, Chrome) x9 - $49.01 CAN
Male Quick-Disconnects (Threaded): Koolance G1/4" No-Spill Coupling (QD3-MSG4, Chrome) x1 - $13.33 CAN
Female Quick-Disconnects (Compression): Koolance G1/4" No-Spill Coupling (QD3-FS10X13, Chrome) x1 - $15.75 CAN
90-Degree Adapters: Koolance G1/4" Single-Rotary Adapter (NZL-LXG1, Chrome) x1 - $12.12 CAN
Male-Male Fixed Adapters (Straight): Koolance G1/4" 4MM Adapter (ADT-XMM, Chrome) x1 - $3.02 CAN
Male-Female Rotary Adapters (Straight): Koolance G1/4" 14MM Adapter (ADT-SMF, Chrome) x2 - $8.47 CAN
Male-Female Fixed Adapters (Straight): Koolance G1/4" 7MM Adapter (ADT-XMF, Chrome) x3 - $9.06 CAN
Drain Port: Koolance G1/4" 4-Way Fitting With Drain Valve (VLV-XUTX4B, Chrome) x1 - $13.33 CAN
Drain Valve: Koolance G1/4" Manual Ball-Valve (VLV-BL1X2, Chrome) x1 - $18.72 CAN
Temperature Sensor: Koolance G1/4" Temp Sensor Plug (SEN-AP008G, Chrome) x1 - $12.12 CAN
Coolant Flow Meter: Koolance G1/4" Flow Meter (INS-FM14, Chrome) x1 - $24.24 CAN
Pump: Koolance PMP-400/Laing Thermotech DDC 3.25 x1 - $84.88 CAN
Reservoir: Koolance RP401-X2 x1 - $124.87 CAN

Case & Radiator Fans:
Koolance CTR-CD1224 Fan Controller x1 - $206.16 CAN
Koolance FAN-12038HBK (2600RPM, 120x120x38MM) x2 - $24.84 CAN
Koolance FAN-12025HBK (2600RPM, 120x120x25MM) x3 - $35.44 CAN
Koolance Radiator Mounting Screws & Nuts (BLT-HX038, M4 Threads, 38MM) x2 - $7.25 CAN
Koolance Radiator Mounting Screws & Nuts (BLT-HX025, M4 Threads, 25MM) x3 - $10.88 CAN
Koolance 4-Fan Wiring Harness (CBL-NX006P, 3-Pin) x1 - $6.66 CAN

Tubing & Coolant:
PrimoChill Advanced LRT Flexible Tubing (1 Foot, 3/8" ID x 1/2" OD, Bloodshed Red) x10 - $19.50 US
Koolance High Performance Coolant (700ML, LIQ-702CL-B) x2 - $??? CAN

Misc. Items:
Silverstone FF123B 120MM Fan Filter x2 - $??? CAN
mod/smart 120MM Fan Pad (Black) x2 - $5.98 US

Let me know what you think and any suggestions would be welcome!

I am hoping to have enough money saved up for me to put this together sometime within the next year-or-so, so wish me luck on this.

Also, since having graduated from college, I have been on the job hunt, so wish me luck on that as well! A completely unrelated point, I know.

Cheers!

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Congrats on your graduation and good luck on your job hunting.

As for the list, I see a few things that were top once but a lot has been improved since then.

For pump and reservoir I'd look at the Monsoon Series Two with the MCP-35x attachment to it.

For CPU that's a good block but not sure if they are in stock as a lot of places have them out of stock for some time. That could be a sign of a new block coming out or a big stock order will be in soon. Not sure but I would try calling Swiftech and seeing what they're up too just in case you buy that block and a newer comes out months later or by the time you have your funds.

Tubing is good. Barbs and worm drives with worm clamps are ideal and you won't need that primochill. Save yourself the money and get some distrilled with a coil and or some additives.

Just make sure whatever radiator you get you balance it with the right fans for it. It all depends if you want quiet or loud. A 120.2 radiator is enough for a CPU with a nice overclock.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

For pump and reservoir I'd look at the Monsoon Series Two with the MCP-35x attachment to it.

For CPU that's a good block but not sure if they are in stock as a lot of places have them out of stock for some time.

Save yourself the money and get some distilled with a coil and or some additives.

Just make sure whatever radiator you get you balance it with the right fans for it.

1) The reason that I want the single-bay reservoir is to allow space for two optical drive bays. I already have a DVD drive in one of them and plan to add a blu-ray drive to the other one.

I could put that reservoir and pump combo either in the third bay below both optical drives, or in the hidden one up in the fourth drive bay above the other three.

Here is a picture if you need clarification:

How difficult would filling and bleeding the loop be if I put the reservoir in that location? That is how Voodoo used to it in their systems. Since the pump is upside down in the Koolance reservoir, I would have to tilt it upwards a little bit to get water into the pump for priming, yes?

More pictures if you need an idea on my case layout: http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Voodoo-PC-OMEN-a121x-CrossFire-Extreme-Gamer-PC/?page=3

2) I will wait until I have the funds to purchase everything, so I will definitely check what new CPU blocks are on the market at that time for AMD sockets. I do like how the mounting works on the Swiftech block, though.

3) How much money would I be saving over a pre-mixed coolant like PrimoChill ICE? I figure that I am already spending over $400.00 for parts anyways so its not a problem for me to spend extra on coolant. It is not a big deal in my mind.

4) I have replaced my Ultra fans for Silenx Ixtrema Pro 120mm fans for my case. They are rated for 1300rpm. They seem to do pretty good.

Although, I have another question about rad placement in my case: Does it matter for temps at all if you have your fans pulling air from the radiator through the case, or pulling in cold air into the radiator?

 

[GTXJackBauer]

You'll see that the importance of radiator fans is to help dissipate heat, obviously but not to just buy any fan without the designated area of pressure it can supply. There are case fans and there are radiator fans. You'll need to differentiate the both and not mix them up. I would steer away from those fans you posted for your radiator(s).

From the link you posted of your case, that is one old case. That's watercooling 10+ years ago. The tech has changed alot since than. Not even sure if the guy has the right amount of heat dissipation. I only see a 120.2 cooling it all. Don't get me wrong, it has the bling factor but I bet you that guy had high air temps with a horrible Delta-Temp. You'll need to mod it and or hang radiators outside of it or skip the headache and modding and just grab a newer H20 ready case.

So you're going for a quiet build? Yes those low FPI radiators will do justice. Just match it up with the right fans.

Take your time on this and read up some yellow stickies as it will answer a whole lot of your questions.

 

[Ironsmack]

Forget the mixed coolant. Just keep it simple and cheap. Distilled water + silver coil (and or biocide for some) is sufficient enough.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

You'll see that the importance of radiator fans is to help dissipate heat, obviously but not to just buy any fan without the designated area of pressure it can supply. There are case fans and there are radiator fans. You'll need to differentiate the both and not mix them up. I would steer away from those fans you posted for your radiator(s).

From the link you posted of your case, that is one old case. That's watercooling 10+ years ago. The tech has changed alot since than. Not even sure if the guy has the right amount of heat dissipation. I only see a 120.2 cooling it all. Don't get me wrong, it has the bling factor but I bet you that guy had high air temps with a horrible Delta-Temp. You'll need to mod it and or hang radiators outside of it or skip the headache and modding and just grab a newer H20 ready case.

1) I am eyeballing the Corsair SP120 Quiet Edition fans for my case. They look good and are optimized for radiator use. Since no one has answered this for me, here it is again: Does it matter for temps at all if you have your fans pulling air from the radiator through the case, or pulling in cold air into the radiator?

2) Yeah, that configuration looks horrible for temperatures. Pumping all that heat back over everything is not ideal, I know. I am leaving my GTX680 air-cooled for that reason. As much as I would LOVE to buy a Corsair 900D, I only really need one desktop, and it is not practical for me to build a whole new system right now and leave my Voodoo case empty. Like a museum piece lol

I want to try and attempt this with my current case to learn and see how it goes. I will read as much as I can on this before I buy my parts. Wish me luck. Being visually impaired should make this an interesting challenge, for sure.

 

[Conumdrum]

Are you Tom's son? I know a guy who has a son that has vision issues. And is into PC's, from many years back.

If it's you have my forever support. It's personal now.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

Are you Tom's son? I know a guy who has a son that has vision issues. And is into PC's, from many years back.

If it's you have my forever support. It's personal now.

Who's Tom???

I never knew my father. And his name was not Tom. You got the wrong guy. lol

 

[jesh462]

1) I am eyeballing the Corsair SP120 Quiet Edition fans for my case. They look good and are optimized for radiator use. Since no one has answered this for me, here it is again: Does it matter for temps at all if you have your fans pulling air from the radiator through the case, or pulling in cold air into the radiator?

Yes. I can't cite a source but in general push is more effective than pull.
Since you worded that strangely, I'll clarify.
You can mount your radiator with the fan under the radiator and fan's airflow pointed out of the case. This is push. You can also mount your fans between the radiator and the outside ambient air and have the direction of airflow pointed inwards towards the case. This is still push. You can push air inwards or push air outwards. Temperature wise it's the same thing. Reversing the direction of airflow in either situation is pull.
Push and pull works better than either alone; in other words, fans on both side of the radiator flowing in the same direction. However, the effectiveness is based on the radiator design. (thickness, fpi, materials, etc etc)

Therefore, the answer to your question is actually no, they are the same. Both situations you described are a pull setup and both could be made more effective by changing them to a push setup.
If you actually meant, "How bad is it to reverse airflow against convection in my case?" (heat rises, I want air to flow down for whatever reason), the answer is 2-3c. Not a big deal.

Now for your particular computer case, if you have too many fans exhausting air or too many intaking air, then you can drop your temps by fixing this problem, which may be with a pull setup. It's all situational.
In general, if you can fit a push setup, this will be more effective than a pull. If you can fit a push/pull setup, it will be more effective than a push alone.

If this is all confusing, there are write ups out there that explain airflow in a computer case in more detail than I can remember off the top of my head.


p.s. Before you go buy the Corsair fans, go through this page.
That way you can actually hear the fans in question and decide for yourself. I wouldn't personally spend money on the SP120.

 

[Conumdrum]

Who's Tom???

I never knew my father. And his name was not Tom. You got the wrong guy. lol

Guy I know, his son is been watercooling before, the poor kid (24 now) can't drive. Possibly him. No worries. But he's a great coder.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

Guy I know, his son is been watercooling before, the poor kid (24 now) can't drive. Possibly him. No worries. But he's a great coder.

His son sounds like my clone. lol

As for the thread topic, I have decided on three 1450RPM Scythe Gentle Typhoon fans for my case. I have read that those are the best for watercooling.

Here is the product number: D1225C12B4AP-14.

 

[Conumdrum]

The 1450's are great fans. As long as the lower RPM is enough fannage speed then you're looking good. Myself? I used the 1850's and got a fan controller.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

The 1450's are great fans. As long as the lower RPM is enough fannage speed then you're looking good. Myself? I used the 1850's and got a fan controller.

I would run the fans at 12 Volts. How much louder would the 1850RPM versions be at 12 Volts? I do not want to use a fan controller at the moment.

 

[Ajay57]

Depending on your Motherboard you could use the Bios to choose the way your Fans work. Or with Asus there is Fan expert 2 software that runs with the Bios and can be downloaded separately. But to be honest it can be glitchy at times, other than that a good fan controller like Con said.

 

[Conumdrum]

The ap 14/15 are voltage controlled. Not all mobos have 3 pin voltage control.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

Thank you all for the helpful replies. Once I have saved up enough to finish off my rig, including a blu-ray drive, cable management extensions, and my watercooling gear, I will keep you all posted on my build.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Thank you all for the helpful replies. Once I have saved up enough to finish off my rig, including a blu-ray drive, cable management extensions, and my watercooling gear, I will keep you all posted on my build.

Good luck and keeps up posted.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

I have decided on the 1850RPM Gentle Typhoons and this fan controller:

Lian Li PT-FN02B Three Fan Speed Controller:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=36313

Is this a good choice for a fan controller? I would get a bay controller but I want to install a Matrix Orbital USB Character LCD (Red text color) to the drive bay below my optical drives to play around with. Plus the majority of fan controllers I have seen use a Blue text color which will not go with the red LED'S on my case.

Yeah, I am a stickler for good looks.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I have decided on the 1850RPM Gentle Typhoons and this fan controller:

Lian Li PT-FN02B Three Fan Speed Controller:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=36313

Is this a good choice for a fan controller? I would get a bay controller but I want to install a Matrix Orbital USB Character LCD (Red text color) to the drive bay below my optical drives to play around with. Plus the majority of fan controllers I have seen use a Blue text color which will not go with the red LED'S on my case.

Yeah, I am a stickler for good looks.

I wouldn't go cheap on a fan controller especially when you're using some premium or known as the best rad fans out in the market.

I would look for a nice fan controller. Take a look at this Lamptron. I know its pricey but worth it for premium fans. You can add a lot of fans, temp sensors etc. And you can change the colors on it to fit your themed build. If you want to spend less than take a look at the Lamptron FC5v2. I use that one.

 

[iAmCodeMonkey]

I wouldn't go cheap on a fan controller especially when you're using some premium or known as the best rad fans out in the market.

I would look for a nice fan controller. Take a look at this Lamptron. I know its pricey but worth it for premium fans. You can add a lot of fans, temp sensors etc. And you can change the colors on it to fit your themed build. If you want to spend less than take a look at the Lamptron FC5v2. I use that one.

I have found some of those on NCIX. I will purchase one from there, seeing as Performance PCs is selling some sort of cheaper knock-off under the G-VANS brand.