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It's about time I WC....

crtecha

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Okay soo I want to water cool pretty bad. Soo I think I want to start out just cooling my CPU now I saw two kits on Microcenter and tell me what you think? If you dont like them it would be awesome if you guys could suggest other options for parts or set up. I'm really new to WC'n so give me all you got :).

Swiftech
H20-220-APEX ULTIMA
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302445

or

Danger Den
4101 Water Cooling Kit
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0249735
 
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Welcome to the exciting world of water, cr :toast:

As much likely as everybody now will say "omg don't buy kits", I must admit that Swiftech kit does not look too bad.

But for an optimal cooling solution, you want a setup that is tailored to your needs and your rig.
I leave the choosing of parts to more experienced members now. Just wanted to state this.
 
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by kits he means pre-made ones like the Thermaltake Bigwater or Zalman Reserator lol. Kits arn't as bad now in days check out here the Petra'sTech CoolKit Elite - Rev.3 nice upgrade over the Swiftech H20 220 for $7 more?
 
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You should buy some custom parts. This way you can save money and get better parts.
 

crtecha

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.
MRCL- Thanks buddy I'm pretty excited I may order this all on friday :). Once I figure out what to get.

BumbleBee I really like that Rev.3 kit its in my price range and looks like it could suit my needs. Do you think the fittings and clamps are quality peices?
 
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yes, remember these are petra custom kits. not company kits. all you really need is distilled water and your set once you start understanding liquid cooling you will be able to switch out components or add to your loop.
 
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Yes the Petra kits are pre made custom kits. Are also very nice. But i would not buy anything else then good branded kits.
Which brings you to the Petra kits.:p
But if you could find those parts separate i think you can get better ones and get them for the same price or less.
 
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crtecha

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Yes the Petra kits are pre made custom kits. Are also very nice. But i would not buy anything else then good branded kits.
Which brings you to the Petra kits.
But if you could find those parts separate i think you can get better ones and get them for the same price or less.


Okay im going to start looking for the parts and then price them out. :) If you guys wanna make your own kits for my rig and post then that would be awesome too.
 
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I must say that the Swiftech kit you showed is a good price to and has some quality parts with them.

It has a great pump, it's 1/2'' i believe, the res is great, and has a nice cpu block. Great deal.
Just try to find those components separate and compare prices.
 
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Okay im going to start looking for the parts and then price them out. :) If you guys wanna make your own kits for my rig and post then that would be awesome too.

Will do.:toast:
 
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I just calc the components at Petras in the Petra'sTech CoolKit Elite - Rev.3 separately and it comes out to $234.29 minus the Fat Boy Fittings and Swiftech Fillport Cap (sold out) so the markup isn't that bad.. I would really just buy this kit and a jug of distilled water. saves you a lot of research. it's only $7 more than the Swiftech H20-220 Ultima and you get a Triple Rad with Yate Loons and a XSPC Top.
 

crtecha

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Im really digging that kit. That one will sit at the top of my list until someone shows me something better :)
 
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I just calc the components at Petras in the Petra'sTech CoolKit Elite - Rev.3 separately and it comes out to $234.29 minus the Fat Boy Fittings and Swiftech Fillport Cap (sold out) so the markup isn't that bad.. I would really just buy this kit and a jug of distilled water. saves you a lot of research. it's only $7 more than the Swiftech H20-220 Ultima and you get a Triple Rad with Yate Loons and a XSPC Top.

That kit is a great deal and Petra's really good w/ sending out hardware. Whereas swiftech kits is everything crammed into one box, you can't tell if something is messed up (though I'm sure microcenter would exchange). Petra will check everything before sending it out so unless it's a shipping issue, you should be a-ok :toast:
 
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Yeah that rev 3 kit is bitchin. But more expensive then the ones you listed.
If you want to spend it. Go for the rev 3 and buy it separately like Bumblebee said.
 
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That swiftech kit is a great start on the H2o wagon.
 

crtecha

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Thank you all keep it coming :D
 

crtecha

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What do you think guys. I still need to find blocks for my 4850's but this is what im thinking soo far. Do I have enough tubing?

 
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What do you think guys. I still need to find blocks for my 4850's but this is what im thinking soo far. Do I have enough tubing?

http://i40.tinypic.com/2r29es0.jpg

If money isn't *too* big of a problem I rather get a MCP355 and get the XSPC top, you'll get much better flow/pressure w/ that pump over the DD one.

I actually do not recommend the TDX block, though as good as it was in its day, there are much better performers now, I would get something like the Dtek FusionV2, Swiftech GTZ, EK Supreme, Koolance 340, even the Enzotech sapphire rev A/luna rev A and the best performer of them all the Heatkiller 3.0.

If you're worried that some blocks are only made for LGA775/LGA1366, there's a mount from enzotech that should work (it pretty much converts a am2 to LGA775 mount.)

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=22795

Normally I get about 8-10ft of tubing just in case, and also if you quickly have a nag to move around a loop there'll be spare tubing.

For the 4850 there isn't a full cover block I know of, so your best best is the MCW60 Rev2.0 or the Dtek GPU Rev 2 (make sure if you go dtek you get rev2... rev1 is super restrictive and not good at all)

If you're looking for good performance I'll try to get the 3x120 MCR320 from swiftech if you can fit it, else I guess you can add another radiator down the line (I'm just thinking future proofing right now)

:toast:
 

crtecha

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Thanks icewind I have little knowledge on water cooling and this will be my first attempt. I really appreciate all the help. I've heard a lot of good stuff about the hearkiller 3.0. Ill be reading more through out the day to get my self up to pace on WC'n. Any and all suggestion welcome :)
 
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in regards to the heatkiller, it's pretty much out of stock almost every where, though performance pc has the LC version in stock (it has a less dense fin array compared to the LT and CU) however it's only 50 bucks (get the lga775 version then get that am2 bracket I mentioned earlier) , and still outperforms pretty much any other block (cept the LT/CU). However if you want to use compression fittings, I would say get the EK Supreme LT.

if you want more info regarding blocks etc, xtremesystem forums has a bunch of stickies.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=202394
 
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I just looked at your system specs as well, it's funny cause I'm actually planning a new WC project on the 900-2 myself. So in a way we're in the same boat. Let me find my list and plans when I get home, in some ways it can be a parallel project =)
 

crtecha

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That would be superb. What are some good E-stores for parts? I only know of the usual zipzoom, newegg, tiger and petra.
 
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wc parts i usually try to go in the following order:
sidewindercomputers.com
petras
performance-pcs.com

though newegg comes into play if I need swiftech stuff (for some reason they always have the best prices but never have stock)

currently I'm looking at stuff from both petras + performance-pcs (I love sidewinder but they're out of stock of everything I want, and the stuff they do have I can get at the other places for same price, so I can save on shipping), usually sidewinder has the best prices, fastest/fair priced shipping.

another key point is... if you're near the Microcenter, they do pricematch newegg (as long as it's still above their own invoice price) :)
 
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I've had good experiences with petra and sidewindercomputers.com
 

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