Water Cooling Kit Questions

[Demont]

Water Cooling Cases/Kits!

What are the pros/cons of buying a pre-built water cooling case/kit?
1. As far as I can see Pro's would be:
a. Ease/Speed. It would be less research than buying individual components and learning how to put them together. Also, no hunting in junk yards.
b. Reliability. In theory a factory pre-built system should be better put-together than what an novice could do. This includes performance, as well as no leaks etc etc. (key word=novice)
2. Cons:
a. Price. Initial costs as well as possibly replacing an included component that is sub-par or doesn't meet your needs etc.
b. Performance. If you did your homework I assume you could build a better system than any company.

I am every bit new to watercooling, that was just what I've observed from these forums and various articles and so forth. Do these conclusions seem right, or am I all off? People with experience here help me out with my Pros and Cons!
Ultimatly, assuming what I've said up there is mostly correct, the "better" choice would be to learn and research and get a better water system for cheaper. But what I want to know is if the lowcost+hassle+time solution is going to be worth it compared to the highcost+(possibly)lowperformance system, when pertaining to water cooling.

Advance Thanks

 

[Flamed_Chip]

Some of the water cooling kits priced at around $200 performe fantasticly, the Inovotek kit that was reveiwed at overclockers.com last week performes fantasticly, it reported there lowest c/w rating ever. Althought the good quality kits tend to cost more, they do perform well.

 

[Maximus Nickus]

Ok


First buying a kit still requires assembly, buying individual components is the same as buying a kit except you can choose each part.

All you really need if you're just cooling the CPU is:

Waterblock (make sure its Socket A for AMD)
Silicon Pipng
CPU clamp (hold the Waterblock down)
Resevoir + Pump (holds water and pump)
Radiator + Fan.

Now they are assembled in order thusly: Resevoir + Pump, CPU Block (higher flowrate if its first in series) then Radiator, having the Radiator last means the flowrate is lower which means the Water has longer to cool down.

Now there's also two types of fittings, 3/8th and 1/2. Basically in theory 3/8 has more H20 (water) and 1/2 has more flowrate.
However with a pump of over 200GPH (gallons per hour) having 3/8th is better, as theres more Water for cooling and the flowrate is still above par.

Radiators are important as they are responsible for cooling of the H20, pick one that is suited to your needs (size, power etc).

Heres a few great cheap places for H20 cooling:

www.leufkentechnologies.com
www.aquastealth.com

Leufken has a great pump/Aluminium Resevoir (externally mounted for better cooling) combo for about $65, a good price when the pump is silent and pushes over 400GPH with a lifetime warranty.

If you wish to Watercool other parts of your system it gets more complicated, so PM me! if you need any more info.

One last thing, if you choose 3/8th fittings (I recommend it) make sure everything is 3/8th fittings!!
Lastly Silicon piping holds on the Cooling system very tight so clamps aren't needed, although you can purchase them for peace of mind.


Good Luck,
Nick "Maximus Nickus"

 

[Demont]

Some of the water cooling kits priced at around $200 performe fantasticly, the Inovotek kit that was reveiwed at overclockers.com last week performes fantasticly, it reported there lowest c/w rating ever. Althought the good quality kits tend to cost more, they do perform well.

Yes, I had been looking at this kit. It is the best rated pre-built system on overclockers.com but how does it compare to one you build yourself?