New watercooling idea..need some help.

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paintballwizzx

paintballwizzx

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Oct 8, 2007
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Hey guys, Im new here to the forum! I was looking for some help on water cooling my quad q6600 and my 8800 Gts..I have noticed air cooling just isnt doing the job anymore...:/ So i think i am gonna go bigger and better with water! Yes, It is my first time watercooling, but I want to start out with a very good system.. I have been bulding pcs and selling them for about 3 years so I do know what im doing.

I am not sure if a kit is what im looking for, or a custom made. I do want to skip the junk and go straight to one that will last me some good years. 😉

Thanks alot for your help!
~Josh
 
Well, siince you seem to be committed to diving into watercooling I suppose there are a few questions that you need to answer that can influence what equipment you buy and how you may set up your cooling loop.

First, it might help to determine what kind of budget you have for this type of project. The more high-end air cooling methods can do just as well as the cheaper watercooling kits. Of course, you will find out that, ultimately, Do-It-Yourself, is going to be the way to go if you do stick to this type of cooling. Kits are nice for initially getting into this (and some of them are actually very good). But, you'll develop a philosophy all your own and, eventually, a likeness for specific products (most of which will be made by differrent companies).

You need to establish your intentions for o'clocking: Do you plan on o'clocking and if so, what? Alot of people might say that because they plan on o'clocking that means they have to cool every component involved with a waterblock that just isn't so. However, it may necessitate o'clocking more than just, say, the CPU or GPU. I noticed that you have an EVGA 680i motherboard - they are known to run their NB very hot if o'clocked heavily. Also, do you run SLI?

When setting up equipment, such as radiators, do you desire to keep them internal? Do you have an aversion to having them placed externally? The benefit of having externally mounted radiators is that you will be using the ambient air outside of the case to cool the heated coolant in the rad - instead of the heated air inside the case.

 
if your gonna water cooling consider the following
the best WtrCooling solution are those that have no visible (external) compents thus look the neatest, but gennerally always function the best as thought has been put into design.
IF your going to water cool, then yoiu might just as well cool your whole system, ie Chipset, GPU and even HDD.
Buy the parts separately, best if it one manufacturer though and always get copper compents.
get enough tubing
will you make it in one long chain, or split it in two, dont forget splitting it in two reduces the speed/flow of each flow, some ppl use thinner tubing to increase presure thus increasing the speed -(but not actual flow)
is your case big enough, to fit all the extra compents inside make sure you have a big aluminium case like a Coolermaster or something
Do you need TEC (thermal electric cooling), i never advise this as it is a drain on electricity, (esp when you need it) and is in some repects cheating to the OCing art
MAke sure you dont remove your case fans, capacitor are stressed when OC'ed so make sure you keep some air movment

hope some of this helps
 
Hey guys, thanks alot for your replys! The budget really is no option. as long as its under $500, and I doubt it will be over that.

I would like the radiators and stuff outside the case, or whatever is the best functionally.. I do have a full tower case so i have some room! 😉 As of right now i only will need to water cool my cpu and gpu. i may decide to cool my ram off too. (not sure yet)

Yes, I was gonna keep most of my case fans still running...can't get too cool. lol.

i would like to overclock. (I do know how and done it before) but as of right now, my case and components are just to blasted hot to even think about ocing... but with water, yes, i do plan on it 😛

Thanks!
 
paintball, I would advise against WCing your ram, as it really isn't needed as long as you have active case cooling. Maybe a ramsink or two if you are into extreme OCing, but you get diminishing returns out of WCing the ram and it adds more impingement on your cooling loop, putting more stress on your pump, etc.

I also recommend externalizing your radiator (I've used many a radbox to do just this) as you will get better temps. My last build, the radiator was so firmly attached to the case that I often use it as a handle since it is so convenient, just keep your fingers out of the fins.

As far as what components to go with; Danger Den, Swiftech, Liang pumps...heck, you can even go across the pond and use some of the stuff the Dutch and Germans are putting out, so long as you can get around that whole "smaller tubing is better" funk they seem to be in (go with 1/2" fittings and 7/16" tubing and you will be more than happy). Look at getting a Liang D5 pump (Swiftech MCP635) if you are planning a big loop to include any SLI or Crossfire waterblocks. If you really want to cool anything beyond the CPU and GPUs, I would only recommend the Northbridge, as everything else seems to exist happily with the active cooling from the case fans. Also, I know that the tubing will create more clutter inside your case...take a look at better cable management and reroute wiring as much as possible to provide the best airflow possible. You are still reliant on your case fans to take care of anything that isn't watercooled.

Good luck!
 
Houndsteet, Thanks for the reply! I wasnt for sure if water cooling ram was a good idea...so, i wont do it..

I also will use a exterior radiator for higher profarmance. (thanks for the idea!)

Ok so, I now am ready for some parts, I still am alil confused at whats good and what isnt...i really am leaning tward the best parts there is... I will be cooling my q6600 cpu, my northbridge chipset, and one 8800 Gts video card. If you guys will maybe list some really good parts that i can buy, that would be amazing!!! thanks!!
 
While it's nice to have a sizeable budget when getting into something like watercooling - it doesn't mean that you actually have to cool everything to achieve what you want.

To start with, having good airflow in your case will help simplify things considerably. This does mean hiding your airing and cables in places like behind the MB, MB tray or even empty 5 1/4 drivebays. Watercooling things like HDDs, NB, SB and ram is pretty much a luxury and really doesn't justify the cost versus reward when cheaper (and as effective) alternatives are available. A good HSF combo really is all that is needed for the Northbridge (again, provided you have good airflow).

When you watercool the CPU that removes alot of influence that the standard HSF has on the surrounding components (including the NB so that is why it is imperative that you have good intake and exhaust fans in good places. There is no real need to cool the ram (even if you o'clock). The heatspreaders combined with good airflow will be more than adequate. Yes, watercooling will make the various components cooler but it isn't necessary. It is more important to have good waterflow to more critical components. Like I mentioned earlier - good airflow will solve alot of things.

Now, whatever components you do choose I'd suggest placing radiators after the CPU and GPU so that neither component will be made to suffer from the heat of the other. That means an arrangement something along the lines of:

reservoir - pump - cpu - rad - gpu - rad - back to reservoir

I think that having the rads outside the case will prove most effective for you. This way you get to maximize cooling by using the ambient air and the airflow inside your case will have mroe freedom.

I use a similar rad setup in my coolermaster stacker:

rads.gif



Now there are alot of components that perform within a few degrees of each other but for the GPU I would highly recommend the Swiftech Stealth. I don't usually recommend the fullbody waterblocks like thos offerred by EK or DangerDen because they really play havoc with the waterflow due to the numerous tight bends and turns in their channels. However, the Swiftech Stealth is based on the Apogee design and perfomrs most excellent. I was using a DangerDen fullbody waterblock on my 8800 GTX and was getting around 53 idle and 56-57 on load. With the Stealth I was getting 42 idle and around 45-46 load. That's quite a difference.

 
Wow phreejak! that is alot of difference! I will use your recomendations for that! I like your set up alot! If you dont mind i would like to come as close to it as possible!

So the reservoir - pump - cpu - rad - gpu - rad - back to reservoir is the best way to do it? i will do that for sure!

Ok, So i now have a awesome gpu waterblock, any recommendations for the other parts needed? such as pump, cpu block, and 2 rads i guess? thanks guys!
 
I'm with Houndsteeth as far as the pump (although, I think he meant MCP655). I use the MCP655 and it is dead silent. The only way to tell it is running is by the turbulence in the reservoir. It has good flow and excellent head pressure.
 
OK! I got a pump! So now what makes this pump so great? Is it powerfull enough and wont fail on me? I know thats alot of watercoolers complaints is "my pump failed on me".

Only a few more components...I have no idea about a northbridge block..thats is whats mainly confusing me..
 
well, Im actually not so sure if i need to cool my northbridge.. the reservoir - pump - cpu - rad - gpu - rad - back to reservoir seems pretty good...so the pump is like $90 and the Gpu block is about $110. with shipping thats alil over 200...not too bad...need a few more parts though
 
As long as you have good airflow in your case than just get a good HSF (Heatsink Fan) combo.

As far as why the MCP655 (DD Laing 5) is well recieved:

I wanted to explain some terms that you might encounter when dealing with pumps. The first of these is “Head”. For purposes of definition, “Head” refers to the height of a vertical column of water. This is the maximum height that a pump can sustain any semblance of flow rate before it loses its capabilities. For purposes of an example we'll use a pump rated at 317gph with an imaginery "head" of 36 inches. At 0 inches of height you will have maximum flow rate and the pressure will be zero. Pressure is a measure of resistance to flow. Thus, at its initial discharge, at 0 height, the pump experiences its least resistance and generates its fullest flow. As the height in the cooling loop increases, the resistance to flow increases and the flow rate decreases. Earlier I said that the pump had a "head" of 36 inches. The closer the pump gets to its "36 inch" height, the less flow is generated.

So, at 0 height we have 0 pressure and 317gph. At 36 inches we have full pressure and no flow.

The MCP655 has a flowrate of 317gph and a "head" of almost 11 feet - plus it is dead silent - good characteristics. I've been using mine for over 4 years now......
 
wow, that for sure sounds like a good pump. Thanks for clearing all of that up! 4 years is a good amount of time for sure.. any recommendations for the other parts guys?
 
wow, that for sure sounds like a good pump. Thanks for clearing all of that up! 4 years is a good amount of time for sure.. any recommendations for the other parts guys?
 
ok guys. so im putting my list together of what to buy...so here goes:

1. MCP655 pump
2. Swiftech Stealth gpu block
3. Cpu block:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811155986
4. Radiator X2:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835108086
5. Reservoir: http://www.xoxide.com/swiftech-mcres-micro.html
6. Tubing: http://www.xoxide.com/primoflex-12id-34od-uvblue.html
7.Coolant: http://www.xoxide.com/primoice-nonconductive-fluid-uvblue.html

Anything else im missing?? any suggestions would be awesome too! thanks!
 
Hey thanks phreejak for the block. Too bad its out of stock on newegg.. but i found it elseware.

Do you think the rest of the componets are good?
 
I've not used Primoflex before so I can't really say anything about it (and I've not heard yea or nea from anyone). I am quite sure that it will do fine since I do know it is sold online.

I have an MCW30 (which I don't use) and it uses a clip/hook retension holdown for Intel boards and some kind of two-screw retension mechanism for AMD. I found it very scarey as, depending on how the tubing is connected (at what angle, how close a bend was to it, etc) it sat at an angle on my NB no matter how I positioned the tubing because the clip/hook was not very strong so I ended up not using it. Instead, I went for the Danger Den model. For the 680i, they have the DD-680i Chipset Block

Kudos on the coolant. I have been using that very coolant (except mine is "Blood Red") for over 3 years now and I am quite satisfied with it. It is truly non-conductive (I have had a few spills and leaks), is anot-algae and acts as a lubricant for the pump.
 
Hey just one more fast question...is it even possible to put some ice cubes in the Reservoir? because you mix water with the coolant...so cant you put in some ice cubes to make the water cooler?
 
Well, you could but, it really wouldn't last too long and if the cubes melted small enough they could block coolant movement if they ended up getting caught in the flow.
 


And remember, when water temperature gets lower than ambiant (about 5°C are enough), you'll expierience the most damaging phenomenon for your components: condensation


 
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