going to watercool pc need advice....

[stevenazari1]

ok Im the last upgrades I done was in 2002 (lol unless you count my RAM + sound card ) so Im completely changing the system from:

DFI LanParty mobo
Intel P4 2.8GHZ
2GB corsair ddr2
120mb ide hdd
ati 9600
Thermaltake tsuname dream (way too noisy for my liking)
a cd rom drive I have from 1999 (seriously lol) and a dvd drive.

buying the system in january, at the moment it will be:

1x LG GGW-H20L Blu-Ray Rewriter & HD-DVD ROM Serial ATA Retail Kit £153.99
(£180.94) £153.99

1x Asus P5E3 Premium/Wifi@N Intel X48 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £219.99
(£258.49) £219.99

1x Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £141.99
(£166.84) £141.99

1x OCZ 2GB DDR3 PC3-10666C7 1333MHz Platinum (2x1GB) Dual Channel DDR3 (OCZ3P13332GK) £159.99
(£187.99) £159.99

1x Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775)
(£17.61) £14.99

1x Akasa AK-P085FG-BK 850W PowerMax PSU £86.99
(£102.21) £86.99

1x Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66R-00838) £101.99
(£119.84) £101.99

1x BFG GeForce 8800 GTX OC2 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £259.99
(£305.49) £259.99

2x Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKS) £55.99
(£65.79) £111.98

1x Coolermaster RC-1000 Cosmos Silent Full Tower Case £99.99
(£117.49) £99.99

1x Scythe Card Reader & Floppy Drive - Black £19.99
(£23.49) £19.99

Sub Total : £1,388.88
VAT : £243.05
Total : £1,631.93

and MAYBE 2 GUP Smart Drive silencers (they put the hard drives in the 5.25 bays)

ok so yes its going to be expensive, at the moment I have 1900 saved for it and saving a little more so I can buy it all in bulk (and hoping the price drops on items while I wait on 790i)

I want to be cooling the GPU(and the other when I get it at a later date), the cpu, and what ever else I can to minimise the need of air cooling inside the case, I got some questions though on how to cool it....

1. Can I have a radiator pulling air in from underneath (at front of case, the case handles hold it well above the ground) and a radiator pulling air in from the top of the case and have 1 fan pulling air out of the case from the back?

2. How many radiators and pumps etc would you recommend for that setup?

 

[Marci]

1. Yes
2. Google "how-to: speccing up a waterkit"

 

[stevenazari1]

ok I need to find out how I can calculate my flow rates, I found out my overclocking on my chip (3.4ghz at 1.4 watts)

and totall wattage will be 1032, so Im buying a 1200 watt psu to be sure.

I looked for some flowrate spreadsheets, but they were last updated in august and Im not getting what they have listed.... any advice?

 

[something_totally_different]

ok I need to find out how I can calculate my flow rates, I found out my overclocking on my chip (3.4ghz at 1.4 watts)

and totall wattage will be 1032, so Im buying a 1200 watt psu to be sure.

I looked for some flowrate spreadsheets, but they were last updated in august and Im not getting what they have listed.... any advice?

1KW ? mother of god... i do not want your electricity bill... if you left that thing on 24/7 at current rates per unit it would cost you £786 extra on your electricity bill

thats a lovely case though, whats its model number ?

 

[stevenazari1]

yeah but I've always had a high electricity bill good job I dont live with my brother or it would be 2064

its sold here on ocuk http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-144-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

 

[mrthingyx]

ok I need to find out how I can calculate my flow rates, I found out my overclocking on my chip (3.4ghz at 1.4 watts)

and totall wattage will be 1032, so Im buying a 1200 watt psu to be sure.

I looked for some flowrate spreadsheets, but they were last updated in august and Im not getting what they have listed.... any advice?

Your power consumption is not going to be anywhere near that. Halve it, and you're getting closer.

For even uber-rigs (and your basic spec is getting close), I have never seen power consumption above 500W: that's with SLI'd 8800GTZs and a quad core of some description.

Finally, you don't need to worry about your flow rates if you're using something like a Laing DDC Ultra. Flow rates used to be a problem when watercoolers were stuck with fishtank/garden pond pumps, but the Laing series' (both D6 and DDC) have changed the whole playing field.

Sure, if you're running HDD, memory and MOSFET watercblocks, you might need an additional pump (or separate loop), but if you're only going to cool the CPU and two GPUs (eventually) then you'll only need the one. HDDs and RAM don't really need watercooling at all. The northbridge might but it's generally more faff that I find it's worth unless you're going to overclock the FSB to within an inch of its life... at which you'll need a TEC on it.

 

[stevenazari1]

I used a wattage calculation script that tells you your total wattage

I clocked the cpu to 3.4 ghz with 1.4 watts, 340mhz front side bus and x10 multiplier. (dont know if the fsb and multi will count but those will be the settings on the cpu overclock) all the info I found on getting watts was found here

can someone spec me up a good watercooling system for what I'll be getting because watercooling is totally new to me

I am watercooling the gpu, but the one Im getting has its own watercool block on it so I wont need to buy one :S

 

[mrthingyx]

I used a wattage calculation script that tells you your total wattage [DON'T KNOW, BUT BEING SAFE] I clocked the cpu to 3.4 ghz with 1.4 watts, 340mhz front side bus and x10 multiplier. (dont know if the fsb and multi will count but those will be the settings on the cpu overclock) all the info I found on getting watts was found here [BANANAS]

can someone spec me up a good watercooling system for what I'll be getting because watercooling is totally new to me

I am watercooling the gpu, but the one Im getting has its own watercool block on it so I wont need to buy one :S

First off, DELETE THE LINK TO THE COMPETITOR OR YOU WILL GET BANNED.

Secondly, I know you used a power calculator to estimate the total consumption of your computer. Which is also how I know it is wrong. Look at any single review of GPU/CPUs and fully-loaded systems will never draw more than 500W, unless the system in question is based around 2900XTs in Crossfire or anything to do with AMD's Quad FX platform.

Trust me.

Or, if your'd rather check for yourself, look at this or this..

For ideas as to what the best bits for your buck are:

CPU blocks:

Swiftech Apogee/GTX
Alphacool NexXxos
DTek Fuzion
Or if you think you can convince Cathar, a G5 in silver.

Other blocks for the northbridge/southbridge are no different from one another despite what they may say... unless you're sticking a TEC on the northbridge, it's not going to make a significant difference unless you are really going hell for leather.

Pump:

Laing DDC Ultra/Pro
DangerDen D5/D6

They'll both go by different names, but google those and you'll find exactly what you need. Our hosts sell them both, I think.

Radiator:

Depends on what performance you want out of your system.

At the top end, we have the Thermochill PA series - you might want to go for a 120.2 with what you'r thinking of doing with your system, but a 120.1 will probably work.

Everything else - like the Black Ice Stealth GT/Extreme/Xflow/etc. and the rebranded versions from Alphacool, etc. - won't be quite as good as the Thermochill, but they will also be about half the price. It depends on what matters to you as a computer bod and soon-to-be watercooler.

Tubing? Makes a tiny difference in this age of CPUs with heatspreaders. Between 6mm and 12mm (i.e. very small and 1/2"), with the same pump and radiator, the variance will ba around 1.5oC. It used to make a difference with rubbish pumps and naked CPUs, but not anymore.

Barbs? I'd suggest getting compression fit barbs for your new system for simplicity's sake.

Res? T-line? Up to you, entirely. There's no such thing as a bad reservior - it's just a case of where you want it to live in your... err... case. If you want a T-line, it will make next to no difference, so the choice is yours.

Coolant? Just get something like Purple Ice or whatever, as long as it inhibits corrosion. FluidXP is slightly conductive and everything else is pointlessly expensive when Halfords will sell you deionised water for £1/litre.

Either way, do a lot more reading about the magical world of watercooling and it will work wonders when it comes to setting the system up.

Enjoy.

 

[stevenazari1]

(links removed)

thanks dude that was a lot of info Im one of those people that when they dont have a clue, they really have no idea, but when the basics are learned everything else comes into place.

couple of things I dont know what you just said in that post:

whats a barb?

isnt a t line the same as a reservoir just in a t shape? :S

Im not clued up on how to install the tubing on the pumps, like how does a 6mm tube fit a pump when a 1/2 can fit the same pump? :S

little stupid questions like that do me. and most reviews on watercooling expect you to know those things

I was looking at:

Swiftech MCR320-QP Triple 120mm Radiator
Swiftech Apogee GTX Waterblock (Socket LGA775)
Swiftech MCP655 12 VDC Pump
Alphacool Cape Coolplex Pro 25 Reservoir
Alphacool 8mm UV Reactive Polyurethane Tubing (Transparent/Blue) - 4m

black pearl already has its own waterblock on it so no need for a gfx block....
do I need 2 loops? or is 1 sufficient? I've read about that some people have a dedicated loop for cpu and vga then cool north/south and memory with a 2nd loop? do I need to cool those too or is that just overdoing it?

 

[TheKnat]

whats a barb?

A barb is something you put at each end of a section of tubing to create a good seal between the tube and the component it is connecting to. Without it you at a higher risk that water will leak out of the link and could ultimately come lose (very fun). This goes on the outside of the tube and clamps down on it.

isnt a t line the same as a reservoir just in a t shape? :S

A res will be bigger and has both an inlet and an outlet, but as said before you need to find somewhere to house it in your case (as high as possible if I remember). A T-line is a connector your install in your loop to help fill and bleed your system, which just adds another pipe pointing up that isn't really part of the loop (as in the water doesnt 'flow' through it). This would be easier to hide as it would take up nearly as much room, but doesnt have as much capacity as a res. I think its just down to personal preference now. I chose a res but it can be a pain to fill up; if I had chosen a T-line, I could have had it sticking out of the case, making filling easier.

Im not clued up on how to install the tubing on the pumps, like how does a 6mm tube fit a pump when a 1/2 can fit the same pump? :S

The connectors on the inlet and outlet of the pump are tapered, so it goes from narrow at the end to wider nearer the pump. This helps you get a better seal on the hose as well as give you a few more options for tube sizes. I believe that some pumps may also come with different hose connectors as well to solve this problem.

do I need 2 loops? or is 1 sufficient? I've read about that some people have a dedicated loop for cpu and vga then cool north/south and memory with a 2nd loop? do I need to cool those too or is that just overdoing it?

I think that 2 loops starts to get a necessity once you start water cooling the NB and RAM into the mix. I had a QX6800 and a 8800GTX in a single loop and there wasn't any problems with the temp. Maybe if your really pushing the clock on the CPU then you may have temp issues, but the 8800 series card seem to run hot by default anyway so it shouldn't affect them at all (apart from making it quieter!)

 

[mrthingyx]

As TheKnat posted, really.

Barbs come in different sizes, which is why different tubing works.

The kit you've listed above all looks good. Personally, I'd swap the MCP655 for the DDC Ultra, but both are good pumps at the end of the day... the DDC is just smaller with more head pressure.

 

[stevenazari1]

wow knat thanks for that dude hmm I dont really want a t line hanging out of my case, as the case has sound dampeners on the side, cant have it on the front because the case has a door, is it possible to have it on the back? like say where the pci ports go?

I chose the mcp cos it says its really quiet but that is the only reason if I go with the ddc that would give me more room to put another pump in...

 

[Typhoon]

At the top end, we have the Thermochill PA series - you might want to go for a 120.2 with what you'r thinking of doing with your system, but a 120.1 will probably work.

I'd have thought you'd want at 120.3 wirh 2 x ultras and a CPU, especially if you will overclocking. Also if your not going to buting till Jan/Feb you may want to hold out to see if the new 9 series is around the corner, promises to more powerful and cheaper than 2ultras and without the problems of SLi. If you did want to SLI, then the x48 board will be oout anyway as its Crossfire only.

If your handy with a drill, youcandrill a hole at the top of your case and install a fill port. You really want it to highest point in the loop to prevent overflow when you take the stopper off and for air to bleed to the higest point. Looks like that case has hose openings at the top, so you could just install the fill port there, if you don't mind reaching to back of the case to fill.

 

[TheKnat]

I dont really want a t line hanging out of my case, as the case has sound dampeners on the side, cant have it on the front because the case has a door, is it possible to have it on the back? like say where the pci ports go?

Sorry I didn't mean that you would need to have it dangling out of the side of the case. The PCI slots are probably too low to have it coming out of there, so if you don't want to drill a hole in the top of the case for it to go through, I would leave it inside the case but still easy to get to. Say just behind one of the outer panels.

Something else just to say as well, is that if you do have it going out of the case (through either a self-drilled hole or other means), make sure that there aren't any sharp metal edges that could cut the tube. If there is you can get some rubber washers from most DIY stores to go around the outside of the opening, which will then protect the tube.

 

[mrthingyx]

I'd have thought you'd want at 120.3 wirh 2 x ultras and a CPU, especially if you will overclocking. Also if your not going to buting till Jan/Feb you may want to hold out to see if the new 9 series is around the corner, promises to more powerful and cheaper than 2ultras and without the problems of SLi. If you did want to SLI, then the x48 board will be oout anyway as its Crossfire only.

If your handy with a drill, youcandrill a hole at the top of your case and install a fill port. You really want it to highest point in the loop to prevent overflow when you take the stopper off and for air to bleed to the higest point. Looks like that case has hose openings at the top, so you could just install the fill port there, if you don't mind reaching to back of the case to fill.

Apologies - the OP didn't mention overclocking.

Heatload with watercooling is overblown, however, as at stock, I'd say a PA120.1 would suffice with the heatload from all those components. Personally, I'd go for a 120.2 because they will more than suffice for what stevenazari has planned.

But at the end of the day, it's the OP's choice and he asked for options.

 

[stevenazari1]

woops thought I did mention it - I've made a few posts on this now so I guess I said on most of them >.<

well it will be clocked to 3.4ghz at 1.4v, front side bus at 333(or about that) I'll bump this thread up when I've bought the system and am about to buy the watercooling

thanks guys I've learned a lot just hoping I dont do anything wrong >.< I can just see me spilling water on the mobo or something stupid!

 

[TheKnat]

thanks guys I've learned a lot just hoping I dont do anything wrong >.< I can just see me spilling water on the mobo or something stupid!

Thats fine as long as its not plugged in . Have fun getting everything together, remember to perform a test of just the cooling system once its in situ before you connect power to any other components for around 24 hours. This will let you know if you have any leaks and should stop you destroying components.

And most importantly... take your time.

 

[mrthingyx]

And most importantly... take your time.

Restated for truth. If you set up your system properly and are careful, you won't have to touch it again for a good long while.

BTW: TheKnat - how much snow are you under, at the moment?

 

[TheKnat]

BTW: TheKnat - how much snow are you under, at the moment?

NONE!!!

Had a load last week but the rain melted it all. Meant to be more in the coming days though