Custom alternative to Swiftech H20-220 Apex Ultra+ kit

[Elmer]

I'm looking at going water cooled for my new build, for good overclocking and trying to make it as quiet as possible.

I'd looked at getting the Swiftech H20-220 Apex Ultra+ kit to cool a q6600 and 8800 gtx but found out the Thermochill radiators are better for slower quieter fans, so thought it might be worth doing a custom build rather than buying the kit plus the Thermochill radiator, and then having an extra rad left over.

Below is what I've come up with so far

Dtek Fuzion CPU block £37.74
Swiftech mcw60 gpu block £29.32
Adapter for 8800gtx £6.00
Swiftech RadBox MCB-120 £14.99
Swiftech MCP655™ 12 VDC Pump (Danger Den D5 Vario) £55.99
Masterkleer 7/16" ID (5/8" OD) PVC Tubing x 8ft £8.00
Thermochill PA 120.2 Radiator (would a .3 make much diff) £49.94
ThermoChill PS120.2 Performance Shroud £8.99
ThermoChill Neoprene gasket - NG120.2 £1.76
MCRES-MICRO reservoir £11.75
2x Scythe S-FLEX 1200RPM Ultra Quiet 120mm Fans £25.82

£224.48

Do I need 1/2 inch barbs? Which ones and how many?



How many hose clips will I need? Do I need PTFE tape? I presume not if the barbs have o rings.

Also most radiators I’ve seen are hung off the back of the case, doesn’t that interfere with the connections on the back of the case?

Thanks



Below is what I've come up with so far for the rest of the build.

Akasa Eclipse 62 Aluminium Case - No PSU (£93.99)

OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK) (£187.99)

Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CMPSU-620HXUK) (£88.11)

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail (£234.99) (Hopefully £175 or less after the 22nd)

Scythe S-FLEX 1200RPM Ultra Quiet 120mm Fan - 3/4 pin (12.91)

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g) (£7.04)

BFG GeForce 8800 GTX OC 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (£370.11)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 5000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (£62.26)

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66I-00788) (£66.96)

Samsung SH-183LBEBN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Serial ATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM (£18.21)

Re-using existing x-fi card

 

[Elmer]

Anyone got any thoughts on this, if not I'll just buy the Swiftech H20-220 Apex Ultra+ kit plus a Thermochill PA 120.2 to make sure I have all the bits and they will all work together.

 

[w3bbo]

First off the ultra kit will struggle with the heat dump of both a quad core and a GTX on the same loop - especially if you are overclocking so as a minimum I would get a PA rad preferably a 120.3 if you can get it to fit the akasa case.

Drop the scythe fans and get Yate loons instead - cheaper, quieter and possibly better performing.

Yes you will need barbs but most of the components come with barbs already so you will only need :

2x 3/8-1/2 BSP for the PA rad

Don't forget about some form of anti-corosion/ anti-algae aswell as some distilled or di-ionised water. You may also want to consider using worm-drive or clips for securing you tubing to the barbs.

 

[Elmer]

Thanks for the reply, yup I'll definitely be getting the at least the 120.2 PA radiator. I was wanting to install it as below in the top though, and not sure whether a 120.3 would be too long to fit and would hit the psu.

I've got clips on the list I just wasn't quite sure with the various connections how many I'll need.

From reading on other forums, some seem to swear by just distilled water with no additives, especially if the whole thing is inside a windowless case.

 

[stinka]

fesser 1 all the way no need to mess about and its cheap enough

 

[Elmer]

Yes you will need barbs but most of the components come with barbs already so you will only need :

2x 3/8-1/2 BSP for the PA rad

Would two of these be ok?

Thanks

G3/8" O-Ring seal to 1/2" HoseBarb

G3/8" O-Ring sealing fittings for use with ThermoChill Radiators and any other hardware utilising G3/8" threads... these DO NOT need PTFE Tape to seal! Height: 32mm (24mm from the thread)