New wcing rig CHEAP heatercore question

[jaibot18]

hi guys,
i am thinking of water cooling I am running a q6600, g0 stepping on a p35-ds3l, in an antec 900. I would like to water cool the cpu only, but i do not have that much money so this will be a budget rig.
I have done a good amount of research and this is what i would like to do
CPU: new ocz water block, looks great and a really good price at 40 dollars. Only problem is i can't seem to find when it will be available for sale.
RADIATOR: Here i would definitely like to use a heater core. There is a local junkyard where i presume that i could find one. Here i would like to know what car would have a good heater core to use, so when i go to look i can find what i am looking for. I am thinking of using 2 heater cores, but that is just a thought
PUMP: Ok, this is where i need some help. I am completely stuck here. I have been trying to find some kind of alternative to a water cooling pump and this is the only thing i have found, http://www.rvwholesalers.com/catalog...productid=1254 Keep in mind i would not like to spend much money here, so i would not like to spend 80 dollars on a mcp655 if i can avoid it.
TUBING: http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=783 - i found that stuff for 40c a foot at local hardware store, seems like it will work fine for this application
COOLANT: ok so here i am kind of confused. I would like to use distilled water and antifreeze. The ratio of water to antifreeze is 10:1 right? Help here is appreciated
RES: here i am kind of confused also. Again i am looking for the cheapest solution possible. I have loads of plexi and a table saw and i heard of people making their own out of plexi, but i am not 100% sure on how to do it
well that is about it, remember i would like to keep this as cheap as possible so please keep that in mind. Thank you in advance for your help

 

[Silverion77]

Well the thing is that cheap H2O cooling will not give u that more of an advantage over a good Air cooler, u might be better off just on air. I mean the best ive seen w/ a Q6600 on water is about 3.8. And Air can do 3.6 so is .2 worth it to u

If u want to do water:
Res: T Line and Fill port more of a pain but cheaper

Rad: Just make sure its NOT ALUMINUM and that its copper

Pump....keep in mind the heat dump by other pumps, non DC pumps will have a lot of heat dump especially if its not meant for water.

Edit*******: Rubix has the idea

 

[rubix_1011]

Here is where your heatercore idea is flawed:

You can get a heatercore, but know you are going to have to do the following...flush, THOROUGHLY several times. Make sure it doesn't have leaks, cut off tubing/mount barbs (see soldering or JB Weld), figure out how to mount it...they don't have nice mount holes like PC rads. It is feasable to use, and they offer decent performance, but you will be doing a lot of modding just to get it ready for the loop. Do you realize where heatercores are in cars? 4 ft inside the dashboard...good luck...couple hours of time just to see if its worthwhile to use or not.

If you are looking at the heatercore option as your ONLY option, might as well get new ones...many are in the $25-$35 range. '78 Bonneville seems to be a popular 2x120ish size. One of these cores would be fine for your CPU-only loop, but why go this route just to WC when you can get a really good air cooler for that Q6600? Save your $$ until you can do it right...its worth it, trust me.

 

[jaibot18]

thanks alot for the help rubix, but i think i would like to go the heatercore route for sevral reasons. One i would never want to save up that much money for a cpu loop and a new rad so i am left with cheap water cooling or air cooling. Secondly i want something to do and honestly finding a heatercore would be fun .
well on to the other stuff what can you recommend to me for a pump, block, coolant, tubing and res (or t line for that matter)
oh btw i want to make a little external box for the radiators, pump and res.

 

[Silverion77]

U planning to mod this case?!?!

Anyways i mean the usual pumps (D5 and DDC 3.2) are the popular ones but expensive, i mean keep in mind that u get a good pump it never changes (or rarely). There are Danger Den ones that are cheaper ~$50 but do not perform as well
Block: The best atm are Fusion V2 or Swiftech GTZ but are also expensive. Ek Supreme is good but requires a good pump for high flow so i dont recommend it for u
Tubing, Tygon is the best but expensive but there are other alternatives like Masterclear.
Coolant, biocide and distilled water is the best from what ive read (avoid UV if possible)
Res: just a good t-line (Danger Den delrin with a fillport)

Truthfully u might be better off on a great air cooler...seriously. I only recommend water if u get a Good rad, pump(s) and good blocks.

 

[jaibot18]

Ok thanks alot well for the pump hows this
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=24272
looks nice and is in my price range
for the block i was thinking the new ocz for 40 dollars, dont know when it is coming out though
oh and for coolant that seems like a good idea ill look at biocide, but isn't distilled water and antifreeze good too for lubrication purposes?
for the tubing i would hate to spend that much, would that stuff in my op work fine?
this adds up to about 120 plus shipping and tax, thats not bad at all
thanks alot for your help by the way

 

[Silverion77]

And yes thats the pump i meant

OCZ one looks fine....imo it wont beat the best ones but it is $40

Tubing...hmmm idk generally id say that there has to be SOMETHING wrong with that, but i just dont kno

 

[rubix_1011]

I tried the heatercore route once. It worked OK, but in all honesty, it was far more work than needed. Plus, they are rather ugly, even when painted. Then, you have to figure out how to mount the suckers...you pretty much have to get creative and mod some things.

You can use typical hardware store vinyl tubing...its just prone to collapsing from your coolant heat/cool cycles and kinks something terrible for bends. It is also prone to staining (coolant dyes) and coolant evaporation.

 

[jaibot18]

just noticed... 1/4 inch barbs on that pump, this looks like a better solution
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=201&products_id=3894
for the block i think i would definitely go with the ocz, just because 40 including all mounting accessories is amazing, ill have to see about the performance. I think if it is 4-5c off the ek supreme i would still get it.
So all in all i guess everything depends on whether or not i can find a hearer core or not, ill try to look soon.
lets say i do find a heatercore that an fit 2 120 fans what should the temps be compared to air?

 

[Granite3]

Heatercore will do fine.....

Clean it thoroughly, and make sure your barbs are securely waterproofed.

PUMP- it and the cpu block will be your big money. The Swifty 335 and up are fine, just make sure it is a reputable brand. A lot of the for sale/trade forums have them in the $25 range for used ones.

Block- With a quadcore, you need to make sure the block will handle the extra flow requirements. The Swiftech Apogee GT is the minimum for a quad. My transition from a dual core to quadcore jumped my cpu temps 12 c at idle and 18c load higher. Changed my old generic block for the Apogee GT, and back to 39 idle and 43 load temps.

Res- Only reason to have one in my opinion is for thermal mass. More water in the system, with the proper cooling helps keep temps down and stable. Use a fillport for filling and bleeding air.

Hoses- I use home depot flex tubing, $3 for 10', works great, no kinking, with worm screw clamps for positive leak control. And do not use antifreeze, bacteria is the killer here.

As noted above, different metals touching water in the loop will create junk in the lines, especially aluminum.
Try to stay with copper/plastic/etc.

Be aware, if you use an AC pump vs a DC pump, you have to find a way to turn it on prior to the cpu coming on, else you cook that fella. DC pump can tie into your psu to turn on every time the power is turned on.

Finally, take it out and apart every 6-9 months and clean the blocks, replace the hoses, and refill with fresh distilled water and bactricide.

 

[rubix_1011]

Temps will be directly related to your airflow from your fans you choose, the surface area of your radiator and your flowrate. Obviously, the better flow and higher CFM fans you have, the more fluid surface contacts the radiator+the higher amount of air available to expel it into the environment.

Agreed on the 355/655, but I know the Hydor's do well also.

 

[jaibot18]

ok, wow that helps alot, thanks so much. Ill get that hose and i think i already have some clamps. For the coolant, where can i get the biocide, i only saw some at petras. For the pump where is a good forum to look on for a bst thread? Thanks again

 

[rubix_1011]

Please post some pics...maybe you can inspire some others with a lower budget. Also, some temps and other info would be good as well...nice to see some comparison for your home made kit vs. other retail components. Good luck, hope it works well for you.

Hydor 30/35/40/45 would be a good, cheap pump for you...they push a pretty good amount of water and are cheaper than the Liang 655 versions.

 

[jaibot18]

ok ill be sure to do so, i am thinking a can get this thing built for under 100 dollars, hopefully that is
here is the pump i am looking at
http://jbktrading.stores.yahoo.net/vi13fopu.html
and im either going with the fuzion v1 or the new ocz or apogee gt
everything revolves around the heartercore and i will hopefully be going to the junk yard this weekend
wish me luck

 

[lunchb0x]

Don't listen to all this hub-bub about not using antifreeze. It works great and prevents corrosion. And from first hand experience, heater cores are positively worth the small amount of prep work. Prefab water cooling components are ridiculously over priced. Why stop with the homebrew rad? Make your cpu block too. It'll take time, people in here will mock you for it, tell you not to do it, "buy this, buy that", but in the end you'll really take pride in your handy work and have some great numbers to shove in their faces. Do a good job and you might even beat their high end wastes of money they recommended. And that's my 2 cents. Peace.

 

[Silverion77]

yay its the new THF thing
Amazing useless bumps that are totally helpful!!! (/sarcasm)
Thx dude, like its totally normal for someone to have a CNC mill on hand. Its totally normal.

And great numbers?? U mean that ur gonna beat a lazer cut GTZ or Supreme?? Plz...

 

[rubix_1011]

I have to agree with Silverion on this one...you can put together most components including rad, res and even different pumps such as aquarium models, etc., but...where exactly are you going to mill a chunk of copper for a block? Most people don't have a mill in their basement and you really need to offer me a good argument that a block of copper with holes drilled with your black and decker drill will offer better performance than ones that have spent hundreds of hours in R&D. Even if you DO have your own mill, you are going to really need to spend a lot of time on the design...every great block uses impingement and channelling which would require some very advanced design...and many trial and failures...which would run you over the budget of $70 for a purchased block.