What is the best water cooling setup??

[Overclocker456]

Cost isn't an issue, I just want the best.. I sick and tired of Fan noise and High temps even from the Alpha cooler..

And please give me the site that sells it.. thanks..

 

[Skulemate]

You'll receive more useful help if you define your priorities. Are you mainly interested in a silent system? Do you need a self contained setup? Do you overclock? Etc...

 

[Overclocker456]

I overclock... I wan't excellent cooling with minimal noise.. but not silent.. You can't have a silent system with excellent cooling..

 

[none1]

1) I second skulemate, need more info before we can give "the best" how big is your case, etc.?

2) Check out caffinehogs "where to get watercooling supplies" sticky
http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=126143

3)
http://www.aquastealth.com/ <IMHO good starter kit here >
http://www.dangerden.com/
http://www.dtekcustoms.com/

are just three common places to get stuff.

4) QUICK review, you need
heatercore / radiator <go heatercore, dtek, aquastealth links have prefitted heatecores, or just get a cheap car one>
waterblock <religous arguments over whoose best here>
pump <ehiem, via seem to be most popular>
tubing and fittings
fans
shrouds (can make from cardboard )
waterwetter / anti growing things liquid

5) Get a real heatercore and pump. NOT a koolance type radiator, and get a solid, well recomended pump that others have used.

6) Ya, fans can get annoying (15 cpu fans on my farm, NONE in a case to muffle the sound ......... )

Have fun!

 

[NeoMoses]

If you want the absolute best you'll probably end up with a pelt or some other type of "extreme cooling." If you just want to stick with plain watercooling right now, the best block is probably cathar's "micro channel" block. [foreshadowing music](although I will have a block that beats his out soon.)[/foreshadowing music]

 

[Warlord2]

hmm best cooling eh?

I would dig a 15' deep hole in the ground and stick a scuba tank down there and have that cool your water down to what? 15c or so and thin get a nice strong pump and watercool every chipset.

I was going to do this but mom didnt like the idea of me drilling a hole in the wall

 

[Cathar]

If you just want to stick with plain watercooling right now, the best block is probably cathar's "micro channel" block. [foreshadowing music](although I will have a block that beats his out soon.)[/foreshadowing music]

LOL!

If only I had a dollar for every time I heard that!

Gotta love the competition. It's what keeps us all honest.

 

[JFettig]

cathar, Im on your butt too

 

[Overclocker456]

What do you guys think of the new Swiftech MCW5000?? looks amazing... I like the Danger Den kits, but I want the Swiftech waterblock.. what do you think?? Does the Danger Den kit have EVERYTHING i need?? or are there little odds and ends that I'll have to buy separate?? thanks for all you help...

 

[nikhsub1]

I need to say this! I don't think ANY block will beat Cathar's until people start copying what he has done. Channel/Maze/Swiftech designs all perform within 1-2C of each other. With my own eyes I have witnessed the White Water spank EVERY other block I have used (yeah I know I don't have a lab!) with my on die temp reporting and similar ambient temps. Good blocks are more than just flow rate.

 

[DarkJediSleikas]

Can someone shed some light on what exactly cathar did with his "micro-channel" block?

 

[nikhsub1]

Can someone shed some light on what exactly cathar did with his "micro-channel" block?

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showt...rpage=30&highlight=micro channel&pagenumber=2

 

[Cathar]

cathar, Im on your butt too

C'mon, I'm married.

Don't make me tie a plank to my arse for protection!

(Edit: Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

 

[Cathar]

Can someone shed some light on what exactly cathar did with his "micro-channel" block?

Perhaps the most definitive guide on the whole development of the block can be found at the OCAU forums in this monster thread here:

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?s=&threadid=95955

It tracks from receiving the first prototype and various refinements, right to receiving the first production blocks, although I deliberately left out a few details of the final production block measurements.

 

[masitti]

Best watercooling setup - yea, is to burry a tank about 10-15 feet below ground to cool it - get a high powered pump, one of Cathars blocks, and you are good to go.

 

[Warlord2]

looks like that block would work better thin a maze3, Swiftech etc when the cpu isnt putting out many watts but with the lack of surface area it doesnt look like it would do very well with a pelt or just a high overclock and vcore. 1-2 degrees I dont think will hurt anyones overclock at all really but dont get me wrong the block looks great.

 

[nikhsub1]

looks like that block would work better thin a maze3, Swiftech etc when the cpu isnt putting out many watts but with the lack of surface area it doesnt look like it would do very well with a pelt or just a high overclock and vcore. 1-2 degrees I dont think will hurt anyones overclock at all really but dont get me wrong the block looks great.

You are wrong, this block performs BEST with TONS of watts, the more watts you throw at it with a bare die CPU, the BETTER it outperforms the rest. It is not designed for a pelt, he may be making one. What this block does is takes the heat directly up the micro fins, the nozzle then jets directly onto the hotspot. No need for the block to be massive like a swifty. Swifty's are great performers with pelts.

 

[Cathar]

looks like that block would work better thin a maze3, Swiftech etc when the cpu isnt putting out many watts but with the lack of surface area it doesnt look like it would do very well with a pelt or just a high overclock and vcore. 1-2 degrees I dont think will hurt anyones overclock at all really but dont get me wrong the block looks great.

Water-block "performance" scales near linearly with heat load. Meaning if one block is better than another by 3C at 50W heat load, then it will be better by ~6C at a 100W heat load.

I have a Maze 3 and a Swiftech clone (Silverprop Cyclone 3). Using an AthlonXP at 2024MHz/2.15v, the White Water is better than either of those two blocks by almost 6C on my setup. Now if you think that's not a fairly high volt/overclock, then good for you. I think you'll find it'll get better as it gets higher.

One of the myths that I actively tried to dispel, and it haunted me too for some time when in the initial stages of block design, was that you don't need a big thick block to cool a CPU well. I mean, think about direct die cooling and how good that can be. How much surface area is there?

 

[DarkJediSleikas]

Very nice Cathar! I would have thought that the microchannel would have restricted the flow so much that any extra heat transfer from the increased surface area would have been dwarfed, but you've already proven me wrong.

 

[Warlord2]

sorry my stand corrected. I can see how having 3 barbs would get rid of heat faster thin one with 2 and unlike the maze blocks the water doesnt travel nearly as far. Your cpu is putting about 130watts so I guess it does very well thin. Good job!

btw whats your deltaT?