Water cooling setup questions (lots!)

[artemis0007]

Hey guys, I was hoping that some people could help me design a water cooling system. I'll list my questions so it would be easier to answer (sorta like a test).

The case I plan on using is the YY-0221B mini-cube server (it looks spiffy). I'll be putting my Tyan K7 Thunder with 2 1.2 GHz procs into it, as well as 4 IDE HDs, 1 SCSI HD in a bay cooler, 5 SCSI HDs in an ICY Dock, 1 DVD, 1 CD-RW, 1 floppy, 1 zip, 1 vid card, 1 snd card, 1 modem, and 1 IDE RAID card.

Lots of stuff ain't it? You can image the amount of heat dumped. Okay on with the questions.

1) Since I have two procs (no pelts or oc'ing because I want 110% stability) should I use 2 water circuits, one for each proc?

2) Should I use BeCooling's AquaCoil radiator or Overclock-Watercool's Black Ice low pressure drop radiator?

3) What kind of water pump should I use (brand/model)?

4) I know I want a reservoir tank (because filling and bleeding is a pain), but should the pump be in the tank or outside the tank?

5) Should I try to use air ducting for the radiators? And if I should, is it alright if I pump in the air from the bottom of the case (assuming that it's on wheels)?

6) If I used the Black Ice radiators, would there be ANY adverse effects if I mounted them to the top of the case (because of space constraints)?

6a) assuming it's okay, should I mount it with the fins protruding into the case or protruding out?

7) Shoud I get 12V pumps that connect to the PSU or 110V pumps that use the AC?

7a) If I use the 110V pumps, is there a way to turn them on from a switch on the outside of the case (assuming there is a switch)?

8) What is the difference between Purple Ice (BeCooling) and Water wetter?

9) Should I use 1/2" OD tubing or 3/8" OD tubing?

10) What kind of tubing should I use (silicon...)?

11) Would it be worthwhile to have a copper HSF (like the SK6) attached to the water block (assuming it fits, or I get it custom from OCWC) as a redundancy measure?

I think that's all of the questions that I have for now. I just wanted to clear these questions up before I bought anything because water cooling can take a big bite outta my bank account :|

I appreciate any advice you guys can give!

 

[Turbokeu]

I will try to give you some answers on your questions.

1) Two water circuits are better of course but more expensive (2 pumps, 2 rads...) but if you go for a single circuit put the two waterblocks in parallel with a "Y". With a series connection your second CPU will always be hotter (10°C or more...)

2) Personally I prefer the new AquaCoil II with 1/2" connections, it cools better than the Black Ice (3/8" connections) and is less expensive (see Radiator Roundup at http://www.procooling.com/reviews/html/radiator_roundup_edition_1_-_8.shtml, although the tested AquaCoil was the old 3/8" version). Heater cores like the Big Mama work better and are less expensive but they are less compact and do not have fan or mounting holes.
It's also a matter of space constraints in your case.

3) Any waterpump is OK as long as it fits in your setup (hose connections, size...) Take a pump with at least a couple of hundreds of gallons/minute (mag drive pumps don't like back pressure, so the real flow is less than half or a quarter of the specified flow). The best are Eheim (but expensive and big) like the 1048 or the 1250. Danner pumps are fine but they tend to "rattle" (although there is a fix on internet on how to glue the impeller to the axle).

4) Inline is better for the temps (pump dissapates less heat to the water - even my inline Sicce Idra (25Watts) adds 5°C to the water with the radiatorfan not running!) and you don't need a real reservoir if you have a "fill & bleed" system with valves and/or an "airtrap" (see my threads http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31896 and http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37166)

5) Definately Yes! (see my thread http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32264).

6) Not at all.

6a) As far as the airflow of the radiatorfan is well ducted through the rad and then outside the case everything is just fine. I f you use one fan on the radiator make it "suck" air through the rad through a shroud. Axial fans have a dead spot in the middle and by using a shroud (about 1") the fan will be less noisy (less air turbulency). (see also my thread http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31896).

7) 12V pumps are more expensive and more noisy.
Just use regular 110V AC pumps with a relay connected to the PSU. That way your pump is powered on together with the PSU and you can't forget to power on the pump. If you need help for the schematic just tell me.

7a) See 7.

8) AFAIK none, I use Purple Ice because it was easier to obtain in Belgium. Both are anti-algae, anti-corrosion additives and tend to drop the water temps by a few degrees due to the decreased surface tension of the cooling water. Use a mix of 2oz in 1 gallon of demineralized or distilled water.

9) Definately go for 1/2" tubing. Like I said before, mag drive pumps do not like back pressure, so use the biggest possible ID.
Try to not have an ID less than 9 to 10mm in the hole circuit (including waterblocks).

10) I like silicon hoses. They are very soft, do not kink that easy as PVC hoses and do not tend to become hard in time as the PVC one. Is more expensive and less transparent than PVC hose.

11) Aircooling on waterblocks is not efficient. Just use an automatic shutdown utility in case of pump failure (like Shutdown Now) when the CPU temp exceeds a predefined treshold.
A well build watercooling setup is as reliable as standard aircooling.

Of course, this is just my humble opinion.


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