Baptise me with your water cooling knowledge.

[gumpty]

Okay guys, I'm toying up with the idea of a scratch-build, and I'd ideally like to set a design that will be flexible enough in the future (or present) to accommodate enough water cooling kit to keep my pc dead quiet.

Ideally what I would like is for my CPU and GPU to be under water, with a 4GHz OC and nice enough temps, but for whatever fans I have running on the rads to be spinning inaudibly, at say <1100rpm. Also I don't want to hear the pump chugging away.

To achieve this I am thinking that single 360 rad might do the job, or perhaps 2 x 240 rads (or if I manage it with the design - 2 x 280 rads). What do you think? If possible, I'd like a bit of overhead, in case I end up upgrading the GPU to a hotter model at some point.

So the build I have in mind is pretty space-limited, so I can't just throw in enough space for bunch of 360 rads in push-pull etc. And I'd rather not have to end up with those stupidly thick radiators ( I imagine that they wouldn't work too well with low-rpm fans anyway ).

At the moment the 25mm thick radiator on my H-50 can keep my i5-760 @ 4GHz & 60degC (load), so I'm thinking a 360 rad should cope. But I'm keen for some input from people in the know.

Thanks guys.

 

[kyle2020]

(Im assuming this is what its about?) Your whole issue with temperatures could be down to your case - have you considered upgrading to a higher airflow case, rather than spending a considerable ammount on a H20 loop?

If you do want to go water cooling, for both the 6 series and your CPU, heres my suggestion:

Obviously this is a quick, rough spec up. The stealth rads from black ice are fantastic, I had the 240mm version some time back and it performed like a champ. The barbs - always go compression, for looks and safety. The CPU block is universal, and I am using one myself and love it, along with the pump, tubing and reservoir.

Again, Id consider the case first.

*edit*

Oops. Your a UK'er, thought you were American haha.

But you get the idea. Best sites are WatercoolingUK, ChilledPC, KustomPC, QuietPC's and of course, ebay.

 

[gumpty]

Thanks for that Kyle. The temps in my current case are okay enough. It's the noise that is bugging me.

Coincide that with shifting rooms in my flat, so that in my new one I wont be able to fit my current desk (which the PC sits on top of). So I have been toying up with building my PC into my desk, a la MoonPig.
Due to the space limitations in the room I need to make it as small as possible, while being as quiet as possible, and I'd like to at least make it possible to just drop in watercooling in the future.

It's good to know that those Black Ice Stealth rads are decent, I read a comment on a forum somewhere that claimed they were rubbish, but their low-profile would be perfect for me.

 

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

A single 360 wont cut for good temps on 1100 rpms. It wont saturate it that much, but you would start to feel the rad become warmer (I had a TC PA120.3, and cpu temps was going up about 5 degrees more on a single loop with a GTX260 with fans running @ 1500rpm. Had to spin it at 2500rpm for good temps on my 4ghz quad)

A fat dual 280 or a 480 would suit you if you want 4ghz cpu, GPU on the loop and good temps while quiet.

 

[gumpty]

Oh okay, thanks for that.

As a matter of interest, what difference does tubing size have? I've seen people advocating 1/2" ID tubing but I can't really see why, other than less likely to kink.

 

[Kreij]

1/2" ID tubing will potentially allow more water flow (volume) through your loop.
I say, potentially, because with all things plumbing, the loop needs to be balanced for optimum pressure and flow.
If your other componenets (blocks, rad, etc.) restrict flow more than the tubing, then you will see no gain from using 1/2" vs. 3/8ths or whatever.
There is no harm going with 1/2" tubing, but unless all of the components are fitted with 1/2" ports, you're just going to have more water in the tubes then you really are using.

Make sense?

 

[de.das.dude]

congrats this has been posted in the crazy picture thread at General Nonsense.

 

[gumpty]

congrats this has been posted in the crazy picture thread at General Nonsense.

Probably my proudest moment on these forums.


Okay, right ... I think I'm getting there. So 1/2" ID tubing will not do any harm to a loop, and may be better for it, so I might as well use that when the time comes. Also, the more radiators the better.

Now what about pumps. Are there any that are quieter than the others or any to avoid because of the noise. I like the idea of the variable speed one, but will that effect the cooling ability of the system? I could just surround the thing in foam to kill the noise but would that be a good idea?

 

[Loosenut]

For pumps and res, see Feizy's [FS] thread

 

[Sadasius]

Well steady and quiet with good temps....Let's see...

- one MCP 655 (get the variable speed and adjust to you liking) These are really good pumps and I use them in my builds.

- Shop at EK Waterblocks for the Supreme HF and the full cover for the GPU. I use the HF myself and I am pretty impressed. Went from a D-Tek Fusion to that and it was a 6 degree drop in temps. Pretty impressive and with more flow as well. I use the plate with the 2 slits in it. It comes with a few and a blank.

1/2" X 3/4" tubing is pretty good stuff to keep the heat down. The more water to carry the better. Fittings are another item. Expensive= compression fittings....cheaper=regular metal fittings and clamps.....downright welfare= plastic barbs.

Use a good bay res if you do not have room. Heck use the new Koolance one that holds the MCP 655 pump (or two) and save mucho space. Click HERE!!

Also do what most forget....Put in a drain and make it the lowest part of your loop. Save the headaches and do it right the first time. Pulling a tube real quick and hoping for the best is not the way to go.

Now finally for the rad....The Black Ice GT is not a silent rad at 30 fins per inch. This rad needs fan power to utilize. The quiet one's are the one's with a lower fin per inch ratio such as 15 or lower. The GTX has 20 fins per inch and has much better flow. The GT's flow is horrible and is very constrictive. If you want awesome quiet performance then look no further then Thermochill rads. They have low fins per inch count and is meant for low rpm fans. If you want silence they are extremely hard to beat and heck even Fesser uses them for marketing gimmicks saying they have 'Thermochill killers'.

 

[gumpty]

Thanks for that Sadasius.

If I can only fit one set of fans to a rad, is it better to have it in push or pull? I imagine push would be better but if I had to set it up pull the air through, would there be a significant performance drop?

 

[Solaris17]

these guys have you covered enough with more hints and pro tips to come im sure. but for the love of god please take the time to go out and buy a gram of silver to drop in your rez to prevent bacteria instead of those crappy money sapping add every 6 months anti fungal potions the market is pushing. and please dont add alcohol to an acrylic resivour.

need a more indepth reason I could go into chemical makeup and reactions but lets make it simple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU9Ty0L0g7E

it causes it to crack in a heartbeat farewell swiftech microrez I will forever miss you.

 

[gumpty]

I had no intention of putting anything other than distilled water in, and was wondering whether those silver spiral thingies work?

 

[Solaris17]

I had no intention of putting anything other than distilled water in, and was wondering whether those silver spiral thingies work?

they sure do. keeps the green out of your tubes bro.

 

[HammerON]

Solaris - would you suggest something like this:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...Silver_Tubing_Reservoir_Strip.html?tl=g30c103

 

[Solaris17]

Solaris - would you suggest something like this:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...Silver_Tubing_Reservoir_Strip.html?tl=g30c103

yes sir. thats the stuff they may be a buck cheaper at petras as well just an FYI

 

[(FIH) The Don]

dunno if this helps, but best WC guide imo!

 

[HammerON]

yes sir. thats the stuff they may be a buck cheaper at petras as well just an FYI

Yeah I saw that after I bought the one at Sidewinders -

 

[Sadasius]

yes sir. thats the stuff they may be a buck cheaper at petras as well just an FYI

Yeah I saw that after I bought the one at Sidewinders -

Sidewinders bought out Petras or partnered with them. The Kill coils work very well (IandH also makes killer tube res's if you look it up) but I don't even use them because I am always fiddling around with stuff and algae does not have time to grow in my loops. That and I use the Primochill LRT tubing which seems to have anti microb something or other built in. Since using their tubing I had nothing grow inside a loop.

Thanks for that Sadasius.

If I can only fit one set of fans to a rad, is it better to have it in push or pull? I imagine push would be better but if I had to set it up pull the air through, would there be a significant performance drop?

Oh yes and it really does not matter for push or pull as long as it is drawing the cool air from outside the case. That is the most important aspect..."ambient temps". Your temps will be a direct result of the performance of your loop and the ambient temps you keep the rig in. If you have really high performance for your loop, the water temperature will be within 3 degrees of your ambient temps. If it just a regular performance loop it will be within 6 degrees and so on. Happy watercooling. It gets addictive and is a lot of fun designing and making new loops all the time. Not to mention you can game for hours and not have to worry about the temps of your rig because now you have replaced the heat fear with a leak fear...LOL

 

[overclocking101]

those "stupidly thick" radiators you speak of are MADE FOR low RPM fans. the thin ones are not and will not cool worth a crap unless you have fans on both sides of the radiator. making it louder. my advice: do it right the first time. get a pa 120.3 or a black ice SR1 they are thicker but are made this way to work with low rpm fans, also you may want to think about 140mm fan rads. the fans are quieter and move about as much air through the rads

 

[gumpty]

those "stupidly thick" radiators you speak of are MADE FOR low RPM fans. the thin ones are not and will not cool worth a crap unless you have fans on both sides of the radiator. making it louder. my advice: do it right the first time. get a pa 120.3 or a black ice SR1 they are thicker but are made this way to work with low rpm fans, also you may want to think about 140mm fan rads. the fans are quieter and move about as much air through the rads

Yeah, I've resigned myself to integrating thicker rads into the design. I'm looking at designing it with 2 2x140mm rads; I think hopefully will give me plenty of overhead to keep the fans silent.

 

[Johnny87au]

Whats ur budget mate?? If your on a budget i'd go with the Mcr220 and the mcr320 using some Gentyle typhoon 1500rpm fans... If your not on a budget then hell go with the RX XSPC series..! And for tubing 3/8 5/8 is the best..

 

[MT Alex]

Best avatar ever.

 

[Johnny87au]

have a look here , and hows my new avatar
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=257991

 

[(FIH) The Don]

you better remove it, mods are one a crusade for getting rid of our lovely asses