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new H20 setup

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jokers_greg

Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Location
Mississauga, Ontario
im looking for a budget way to build a water cooling setup. Im wondering if it is possible (without too many modifications) to buy parts that are not really meant for PC's. I heard (garden ponds) water pumps hold their own nicely, and are generally cheaper, automotive heater cores, and so on. The only thing i plan to get i guess "authentic" would be the vga and cpu block, aswell as the radiator fan and resevoir. Can anyone help me find out what parts to buy, which fittings and converters that I'll need. Remember the focus is budget, cooling strength is second. o and btw, if anyone has tips on how to modify the parts that im going to buy dont hesitate to post it!

thanks
 
Start by checking out all the stickies, especiallly http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=356038
Do you have any max bugdet? Heatercores run around 20 bucks, if you can find a MCP6002 that's around 40 shipped, tubing from McMaster is around 10-15 shipped. and a GPU cooler would be around 40 as well. You can get a Mag3 for 45-50 shipped, and add about 10 bucks for barbs/other random stuff, that comes out to be 170ish, you could cut it down to around 120 if you bought used.
 
If you're on a tight budget, then consider a T-line instead of a reservoir. Do a search, there is lots of info about how to do a T-line.

The garden pond pumps you are probably talking about are like the Eheim 1048 or it's bigger brother Eheim 1250. There are others, but those are known to be excellent pumps. I have an Eheim 1048 and love it. But, it's 110/120v AC, so you need a relay and outlet which adds expense and more modding, not to mention they are fairly large pumps. For your purposes, you'll probably want a 12v DC pump. I'm out of the loop in regard to pumps, so maybe others can help.

I would think a Swiftech MCP350 would work good for you paired up with a Swiftech MCW6000 water block for socket 775 (if this is for your main siggy rig). If you shop around, that will probably cost about $110 for the two.

Next is the radiator. I prefer 2X120mm rads for good cooling, but if you have a small case and/or want to save a little, then a dual pass single 120mm rad will probably be ok, like the Swiftech MCR120 for about $30 or maybe better yet the Black Ice Xtreme for $40. If you go with a car heater core, you can probably save a little. Do a search for what people are using. Generally a new one at Autozone will run $20 to $25.

Now you need tubing, fittings, and clamps. Your pump and rad will probably be 3/8" ID (1/2" OD) and that's probably the cheaper route. Don't forget a little anti-freeze and distilled water. That should be well under $175 with shipping or less if you find some good bargains (and go with the car rad).
 
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The heatercore cost $18 at auto zone. The pump was ~70 swiftech(mcp655). The cpu block is a Zalman(~$30). The video block is my own design. Tubing is tygon 1/2"(2.5ft), and the clamps are 1/2"wormhose. You could get an Eheim pump pretty cheap at a pet store, as an alternative.

With this setup, the 3.0E (C0) is coasting at a steady 3.9Ghz with temperatures in the 40's for the cooling system. The video card is a 6800u, clocked at 450/1200 and it also stays within the 40's. The system is relatively quiet also.

rig03.jpg
 
yea silence is a big thing. I was looking at those heater cores, and as bulky as they look im sure Id be able to have the whole thing external to save space in my pc. I would prefer to attach 2 nice big 120mm fans, to improve performance. I'd only need 2 lines of tubing running in and out of the PC (unless i go another heater core for the GPU, but that will be later.) yea that eihem pump looks good. Im basically looking for a pump that is quiet. The problem with a t-line is that the pump is completely exposed, which creates noise. I can construct a fiberglass box with an inlet and outlet and have the pump submerger in water, i think this would help lower the noise. But before i do all that ill see just how loud these pumps are, maybe a T-line is better for me. Lastly the water blocks. I'd need something to keep my 506 around 40 degrees under load, when OCd to 3.5ghz. (my stock cooling solution is 41 degrees when idling, so i dont think this goal is unachievable).
 
The Eheim 1048 is very quiet as long as you isolate it with rubber or foam to stop vibrations.
 
o alrite then, that will only leave 3 12 cm fans that will be creating noise in my system, and thats certainly not loud at all. Sounds good. im gonna go look at a few prices and get back to you guys with my list of items that i will be purchasing. thx alot
 
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