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water cooling, first try

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Gandi

New Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2001
hi, I am going to be doing my first watercooling job. it'll be on an AMD athlon AMS3C. and I am wondering what all is needed to be my best at this. like special parts. should I or should I not use a TEC? if I do what do I need to do that what do I need. any suggestions on water clocks? radiators? any input is appreciated.
 
Well I have no idea what an AMS3C is, but yer basic water cooling setup requires several pieces:

-A decent water pump
-reservoir for pump, i.e bucket (unless it is an inline model)
-a waterblock
- a way to remove heat from the water
-lots of hoses and hose clamps.

That is the basic system right there. There are 1 Zillion ways to remove the heat from the water, most common is a small radiator- usually a car oil cooler. But you can get very creative on this point.

Not very complex is it? I advise you read everything in the "Water Cooling" section on the front page. That will give you the general idea.

Like most people here, I also advise you build your own rig- everything but the waterblock can be assembled with nearly zero effort, and even that isn't too hard if you are patient.

If you aren't patient you can buy a kit with the whole setup in 1 box, but they cost quite a bit more than if you build it yourself. Like $100 or more for kit; my homemade cost me $25 total. I've never bought a kit.

Peltiers are scary little toys that can ruin your day fast unless you REALLY read up on them. At least they were for me!! Get the basic H20 system down first then think about peltiers.

As for brands, the Danger Den and be-cooling water blocks worked well for me. Your mileage may vary. The rest of my stuff came from the All-for-a-Dollar store.

Hey that was a big post, hope I put something useful to you in there : )

-the monster
 
Well said, Monster. Welcome to both of you. I will second the recommendation on reading the watercooling articles on the front page. They really helped me when I built mine.
 
Newbie_Doo (Aug 03, 2001 06:12 a.m.):
Well said, Monster. Welcome to both of you. I will second the recommendation on reading the watercooling articles on the front page. They really helped me when I built mine.

As well as me...I credit Overclockers.com on getting me started in watercooling. I remember when I first came to this site and saw my first w/c'd computer..my eyes bugged out...I said to my buddy.., "these guys are &*^%&% crazy!! I knew then I had to build one. I suggest you read all the articles on the main page and put aside the peltier till you gain some more experience. Its a great thrill firing up your first watercooled rig with success..get that down first.
 
I remember my first visit here with my brand spanking new Duron 650 and Kt7-Raid motherboard. I had just upgraded my computer from a dual celeron that died and wanted to know some more info about what I had purchased. Now I'm on my 3rd cpu and watercooled the sucker. My case cannot have any more holes in it or it will probably fall apart, and I have a digital thermometer right on the cpu die to monitor temps. Nuts I tell you, nuts.
 
All the great inventors have been called nuts, but time proved them right. This will happen to us if every DeLL or compaq comes with standard water cooling ???
 
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