first time watercooling setup

[DvineLord]

Im just trying to figure out what i should get for my setup. I am going to have an enclosed setup.
I was looking at these things:

WaterBlocks: (cpu-dangerden maze2-2,vid/chipset-aquastealth)
TEC/Peltier: (156w 48x48 potted w/ neoprene)
RADIATOR: (aquastealth aquacoil or blackice xtreme)
PUMP: (12 volt, 1250 gph-rated Reservoir-Pump combo on overclockwatercool.com)

How does that waterblock compare to the swiftech, spir@l,v-tuned,f-3d,becooling?

Other good vid and chipset blocks?

Where would be the best places to mount the compounts in my antec sx1040b?

[Player0]

I wouldnt buy anything from overclockwatercool if I were you. Check out resellerratings. I had a hideous experience with them.

The Maze2, MCW462, and the Spir@l are all the best waterblocks you can buy right now. Id stay away from anything else. Of those three, the Spir@l has worked the best for me, but needed alot of lapping. Maze2 might be the easiest deal.

Pumps? Eheim 1250, or other models. Eheim is probably the best made hobby pump you can get. Also expensive. Danner Mag pumps are much cheaper, but a little noisier. Keep them away from your hard drives too ;) Try petwarehouse.com.

Dont use a pump inside the water resevoir if you can help it. Use an inline pump, will help keep your water temperatures down. Resevoirs can be made for under $7 using waterproof plastic electrical boxes and a couple fittings, all from home depot.

Your radiator choices are fine. Forget the peltier. The little chipset blocks from DangerDen work well. The AquaStealth are good as well.

Dont know about the case. I suggest looking at other water cooled systems for ideas about placement.

[DvineLord]

Thanks for the reply! I think i am gonna go with the maze2-2 and the blackice xtreme depending on price.

I am looking for a conformation on which vid and chipset block is the best between aquastealth and dangerden.

My cpu and/or ram is crapping out a little below 1.6ghz. I dont think cooling is the problem though cause its at around 40c loaded clocked at 1.4@1.53(11.5x133) at 12x133 it freezes going into windows and with fsb increases it crashes. My memory is corsair 256mb pc2400. My bios is on turbo settings, vdimm 2.7v, and vcore 1.85v. It might be vcore i donno. Anything on voltages mods for my 8kha+.

[RChicken]

DvineLord, check out www.3dcool.com (http://www.3dcool.com) my friend bought a watercooler from their, and he was able to overclock his amd 1.0ghz to 1.3 ghz.

[Silversaver]

Hi,

I will probably buy from Be COOL (http://becooling.safeshopper.com/)

I have recommand couple ppl from this forum and they love it. The Acquial system is good. Personally, I wont do anything with peltier, becasue it just not enough to cool the CPU when running at high Vcore and high speed. Unless you are buying couple of them and make them as water chiller as Player or OPPAINTER did. Peltier is a "NO NO" for me.... just waste of time and money.

[AMD Man]

I agree with Silver here, I dont much like the pelter thing as well, and I would also recommend becooling as the place to buy your water setup from if not there then dangerden:)

[Silversaver]

Hi,

DangerDen's kit is good, but too expensive. Be Cooling is kind of cheap and good:)

[AMD Man]

I agree:)

[timiCom]

sorry Becooling fans - but becooling sucks!

From my terrible experiences with their top of the line kit - aquastealth II etc... I'd agree with player 0 and suggest you don't go near kits...

I'm now buying an Eheim because the Rio becooling supplies can't take the strain - (v. loud) - and designed only for a few feet of pipe.... (about 350 lph)....

[Silversaver]

Hi,

I don't know why you don't like them, but at least the product is worth of its price... Sorry man, we all use mixed brand water cooling parts... I am only suggest a single cooling kit that you don't have to buy every parts from different places. So, tell me which kits you think is best?? He is asking for kits....

I will only suggest anyone who just start water cooling...if you are not using cheaper parts, then go with Vapochill.... It is only around $200 more if you buy all the good parts separately....at least I would...

[Wrath]

Hmmmm interesting.... I was considering a watercooling setup myself, i thought about either the Aquastealth kit or building up parts based around Swiftechs stuff.

My problem is though everything comes from the US nearly :( does anyone know of any good UK watercooling kit retailers?

[timiCom]

wrath,

I'm UK based, and I face the same desert of no good water cooling suppliers...

That's why i ended up buying from water cooling - mainly cos their Rad looked good!

Be warned though - you will pay approx $40 shipping from becooling and then £30 VAT on arrival for their aquastealth II kit...

I suggest an old second-hand motorcycle RAD and an Eheim pump and pipes from a decent aquarium shop...

Get a reputable water block from somone like www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk - they seem to be ok for chips and RAM - and I think they stock swiftech blocks...

Make your own container out of plastic boxes and you avoid all that kit hassle + extortionate shipping + tax from going across the pond! :)

I've been told that 1000 lph is the minimum from pumps... and I have just ordered an Eheim 1250 hobby pump - with 1200 lph rating - but it will cost £67!....

good luck

[Wrath]

Cool thanx for the info, i've been doing some research of me own tonight also.

Gonna get one of them Eheim pumps not sure which model yet (can't decide what size tube system to make yet 3/8 or 1/2) found a cheap place you may be interested in http://www.reefkeeper.co.uk (only 49.99 for the 1250 pump ;)

Decided on a Danger Dan water block from Tekheads.co.uk (http://www.tekheads.co.uk/products.php?view=list&catId=20) they seem to get good reviews and have 2 sizes of connectors. This Tekheads (http://www.tekheads.co.uk/) place also seems to have a lot of other watercooling accessories and their forum is pretty helpful (also only £5 delivery!!)

The radiator and res i think i'll have a go at building myself (probably will source a motorbike one) as the ones i see ready made do seem a tad small (and pricey!!)

Thanx for the info anyhow.
:)

[jozzer]

Ciao tImI............long time no hear.....I'm home till friday....turn msm on sometime!!:D
TiMi is right ....you don't need all the fancy kit.......even a basic put together kit will hold the cpu at a lower temp than reasonable air cooling.....Put mine together for just a few quid, and it will hold a tbird at highish voltage/overclock fine!

[Silversaver]

Hi,

I am sorry, becasue I am from US.... Actually water cooling is simple, the only thing harder to buy is the water block. The rest you can use anything to match up. All you need is a strong pump that can use 3/8 of 1/2" fitting and a hugh radiator or heater core.

[Silversaver]

Hi again,

BTW, The only reason I mean of BE COOLING is because of its radiator. I am sure their waterblock wasn't that good, but radiator is good. Actuially I am thinking to get a second for my water rig, but uncessary, becasue my water temp wasn't high at all. I use total of 3 radators and capabile to use up to 2.20v Vcore, but the water is cool, but still not enough to cool down the XP 1800+ @1880+....... extreme cooling is required.... that is why I mention about Vapochill.. Anyone start new and you had the money... Vapochill is the solution...... for extreme cooling...

[timiCom]

UK water coolers:-

tried buying from www.reefkeeper.co.uk - .. their online credit card clearing form gave me an option whether to send my credit card details by email (non-encrypted) - or to phone them up!.... I wonder what the point of having an order form is on their site...

They did not get back to me anyway, so was forced over the odds for the eheim 1250...

[dicki]

nuts... if i had seen this earlier i would have recommended http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/ cheap eheim pumps (£42 for the 1250) and free delivery and proper online ordering :) cracking place.. highly recommended

dicki

[Wrath]

You Eheim 1250 owners just out of interest how loud is this baby in action?

Ive bought all my watercooling components bar the Pump now and its down to either the 1250 or 1060 Eheim uns.

[dicki]

well mine is silent and i run the 1250, the loudest thing in my computer is the harddrive :)

[Silversaver]

Hi dicki,

perhaps you should use Seagate HDs...they are so damn slient. The loudest thing in my computer is FANS!!! Tons fo FANS:)

[timiCom]

Eheim 1250 is very very quiet.... slight mains hum (only audible with HD's off) can be eliminated with some foam....

I always thought my twin 75GXp's were quiet until I went to an open loop with an Eheim 1250 and switched the stupidly large fan off my aqualstealth rad....

You will not hear your Ehiem 1250 when the power supply and HD are on. My last pump made a hell of a noise the Rio 160 supplied by Becooling for the Aquastealth II kit.... There was nothing stealthy about this setup. It sounded like a jet engine, but with an annoying gurgly sound from the totally underpowered pump - designed for 1 metre of pipe max it seems.

So go for at least a 1000 lph or your pump may be running beyond its capacity and make a lot of extra noise.

Only trouble is water temps go up and with it core temp (45 degrees @1400 mHz post 3d gaming) with the rad fan off... I am thinking of putting a variable resistor on the rad fan power lead to keep the fan going but a lot slower RPM and therefore less noise....

Dicki, if I'd known about http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/ cheap I would have gone there, so it cost me £67. Aquazoo shop, S.London. So don't go there unless you want some rather healthy looking aquarium fish! but thanks for the tip !

[jozzer]

Without a rad fan the rad will do almost nothing.......especially these small semi enclosed rads (mine is almost a metre long, and 30cm deep, and has a very large exposed surface, but still does little without the fan......without the water temps stabilise at 26C at 1200/1.75v and with the fan the stabilise at 20C (room temp almost) at 1550/2.1volts!!)
If you can get a thermostat rigged in TiMi, and set it for a few degrees above room temp then it will maybe only come on under load (and you wont hear it above the screams of the people you are murdering in Unreal:D:D)

[timiCom]

aha.. good idea!

any idea where I can get a thermostat? should I just use a brewer's thermometer or something for water temp?

[timiCom]

have ordered aquarium digital thermometer + potentiometers from the rather excellent www.maplin.co.uk . Can't find a suitable thermostat for under £39.99 though - seems the auto-switchable rad fan will have to wait... Will go with manual (variable speed) for now :)

[DvineLord]

i didnt know anyone replied to my thread. Im glad!!! Sorry this is a month late, to get back on it.

I order my eheim 1250 pump and the dangerden vid,chipset and maze2-2 block.

I am waiting for the blackice extreme rad to come out. If its to much i will get the becooling aquacoil.

[valkerie]

Been looking around myself for water cooling, its amazing how uk suppliers can charge the same price as usa except in pounds, everything works out so expensive.

Found a good source for pumps:
http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/

eheim 1048 - £34 1250 - £42 and free postage!!

hoping to have something together in the new year

happy cooling!!:cool:

[DvineLord]

hey i got my waterblocks in and my eheim pump. These dangerden blocks are heavy i never knew they were this big. They came with really crappy mounting. What should i buy to mount them and from where. I also need the tubing and clamps and stuff. Is there any place i can buy all them at once. Also what is the best way that i should protect the cpu and mobo from condensation? I should be ordering the radiator soon when i get a little bit more money. I think im gonna go with the blackice extreme for sure.

[billg2911]

Hi all, I too am going to set up a water cool system, I look high
and low for the best setup. I came across this site http://dtekcustoms.safeshopper.com/2/cat2.htm?559


This is the set up I will probely get http://dtekcustoms.safeshopper.com/2/33.htm?559

MY reasones

Looks like a good water block
1/2 hose and fittings
good pump 250 GPH in line pump
good radiator
good price

What do you guys think???
Any and all coments welcome

[DvineLord]

i ordered my radiator last night. the hwlabs blackice extreme expensive thing but i had some money to blow. it was 109.90 shipping and all. i hope i get it all setup in a week or two.