Please Suggestions/Tips for water cooling setup

W

William

n00b
Joined
Jun 10, 2004
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11
When I get the money I'm looking into building a WC Setup. I'm quite a noob in this area and would appreciate any and all suggestions on the following setup.
1. Cooler Master Stacker Case - Is it possible to easily fit a dual 120mm radiator in this case? If so where and how?
2. Dual Danger Den 120mm heater core w/ shroud - See above
3. Hydor L35 Pump - Do you guys use relay kits? If so which one? all the relay kit does is turn on/off the pump with the comp. right?
4. Swiftech Fill & Bleed Kit w/ 1/2 " adapter - being a noob I figured this would make things alot easier
5. 10' Tygon Tubing 1/2" ID
6. PolarFLO 1/2" ID Cpu block - for my Athlon64 3200+
7. Any suggestions for NB/GPU blocks? Gpu block for an 9800se would also like it to fit an x800 xt, NB is nforce3 250gb
8. What additive do you suggest? I have heard good things about Water Wetter and Xerex. Also what ratio do you use for water:additive?
9. Would you suggest fittings or clamps?
10. Anything I left out?
Thank you all very much in advance..any other general WC tips would be greatly appreciated :D
 
I know first hand bad things about the fill and bleed kit... Sure, it's real easy to fill it the first time, but it's an absolute bitch to drain and refill (You have to drain the entire system to refill, even just a little, because the pump can't clear the air from the system). I've got an Angel Eye bay res, Rev 2 in the mail right now (This is the one DD so shamelessly copied, the original). If you get one of those, make sure it's the Rev 2 and not the first revision. The bay res is real easy to fill, just unscrew it from your bay and pull it out a little, and the open the cap and pour till it's full.

Also I would say pass on the chipset cooler, all it does is take away flow, and the NB can be easily cooled with a quiet air solution. For the GPU block, either the Silverprop Fusion, DD Maze 4, or Swifty MCW50 should do you fine, but it would be a good idea to email them all or just ask around to make sure it's compatible with your card.... I just learned that the hard way with the pelt-ed version of that Swifty and my 9600 Pro :( . I agree with Lord of Shadows on the Hydrx, I've heard good things about Zerex too, either should do you fine, and for both they say the proportions. The Hydrx is one bottle to a liter of water, I don't remember for the Zerex, but it's on DD's site.
 
William said:
1. Cooler Master Stacker Case - Is it possible to easily fit a dual 120mm radiator in this case? If so where and how?
2. Dual Danger Den 120mm heater core w/ shroud - See above
Click to expand...

No experience with this case. Suggest you ask the case modification forum.

3. Hydor L35 Pump - Do you guys use relay kits? If so which one? all the relay kit does is turn on/off the pump with the comp. right?
Click to expand...

I do not use a relay. I wired my own power input with switch, so I can independently power my cooling system using the same type of power cord used by a computer. Works well.

4. Swiftech Fill & Bleed Kit w/ 1/2 " adapter - being a noob I figured this would make things alot easier
Click to expand...

As a noob, I would suggest using a home-built reservoir. They may be a little bulky, but filling and bleeding is made much easier. My external reservoir is constructed of 2" PVC pipe, and cost around $10.00. Painted, it blends in well with the rest of my enclosure.

5. 10" Tygon Tubing 1/2" ID
Click to expand...

I hope you meant 10 feet of Tygon.

Tygon is some high-quality stuff, no doubt about it, but it's expensive. Clearflex works too, and isn't as expensive.

6. PolarFLO 1/2" ID Cpu block - for my Athlon64 3200+
Click to expand...

Can't say, as I've never used the PolarFLO. I tend to favor the Danger Den series of blocks.

7. Any suggestions for NB/GPU blocks? Gpu block for an 9800se would also like it to fit an x800 xt, NB is nforce3 250gb
Click to expand...

You really want to WC everything in this rig? CPU I can certainly understand, as well as GPU...but NB?

8. What additive do you suggest? I have heard good things about Water Wetter and Xerex. Also what ratio do you use for water:additive?
Click to expand...

I use a combination of Water Wetter and betadine. Google "Water Wetter" and look for the instructions. For betadine, I used a little over a teaspoon of it.

9. Would you suggest fittings or clamps?
Click to expand...

Yes. Yes, I would. Metal ones.

You've spent all this money on your computer hardware, and you're about to spend more on a nice WC rig. Do you want to save maybe $5.00 worth of clamps, and run the risk of a leak and a loss of some very expensive components?

10. Anything I left out?
Click to expand...

Patience and attention to detail are two of the most important tools you're going to need.

Make sure to leak test.
 
AggieMEEN said:
Yes. Yes, I would. Metal ones.

You've spent all this money on your computer hardware, and you're about to spend more on a nice WC rig. Do you want to save maybe $5.00 worth of clamps, and run the risk of a leak and a loss of some very expensive components?
Click to expand...


So are you suggesting fittings or clamps...it sounds like clamps just want to be sure though
 
William said:
So are you suggesting fittings or clamps...it sounds like clamps just want to be sure though
Click to expand...

Maybe it's just me, but when I think of the word "fittings" I think of barbed hose fittings, like the ones on this page. In any case, barbed fittings are something you'll be needing.

I try to use all metal fittings when possible. Brass ones. You can get them at your local hardware store, most likely. I got mine from Lowe's. Keep in mind, when you use threaded hose barbs, you're going to have to seal the threads. Teflon tape works here, but I prefer a liquid goop called "Rector Seal." It's done a great job on my rig for the entire time I've had it operational.

So, short answer. Metal hose clamps. Metal hose fittings (if possible) but nylon/polymer-based ones are fine, too.
 
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