SFF W/C Questions

[Nixeh]

Watercooling which is For better or For Worse?

Heya guys, im going to be starting on watercooling my Lian Li v300 much to the plasure of a few people in the SFF section.

Though i have got a few questions. As its a SFF im still trying to conserve space which will let be able to let me tinker in my case.

1) Is a reservoir really needed within a watercooling cycle. Wondering what the benefits and downfalls are of having on or not having one, and how much of a difference it will really make.

2) Whats best to go for 1/2" or 1/3", high concentration of water with less flow, or faster flow with less concentration, and which would be better if there was no reservoir within the loop.

3) The radiator will be mounted using 2 screws and some adhesive pads, will this be enough to hold it down, it will be placed at the bottom of the case with the fans sucking in from the front.

Cheers for any help, Nixeh

 

[jollygreengiant]

I know they're not as good if you want to Overclock, but what about a Zalman Reserator +1 ?
That way you can get your reservoir. Although I know the hardcore oc'ers will tell me it's not as good - but I think it looks neat (and its quiet )

 

[DaveMac]

Glad to see you're still going for this.

A t-line is an alternative to a res, basically a t-junction in the tubing before the pump with a length of tubing sealed with a plug or a fillport.
Essentially acts like a long thin res, not as easy to bleed but very good when space is tight.
Alternatively there are a couple of micro sized res's on the market now, Swiftech and Alphacool are a couple I've seen.


7/16" tubing on 1/2" barbed kit gives very close to 1/2" performance but is sized nearer to 3/8" when the thinwall stuff is used. It can be prone to kinking so Coolsleeves could be used or the thicker walled Tygon may be better option.

Saying that though 3/8" tubing will fit straight onto an umoddified DDC and would go very well with a Swiftech MCW6000 or a Nexxos XP CPU block.


Rad mounting sounds OK, HD velcro is another option to look into.

 

[Nixeh]

I was also thinking about the long bit of tubing to a fillport, would require less room.

I dont really want to go for something like a reserator, as i want everything internal as it will be for lans.

Which would be better for dampening vibrations and sounds, the velcro or adhesive pads?

I will be going for a DCC pump, i have a MCP655 laying around but its too big.

So its best to go for 3/8" tubing ?

 

[DaveMac]

I have a DDC, MCW6000, maze4 acetal, 120.2, t-line with fillport and 3/8" Tygon lined up for a similar sized HTPC in the future, just need to get the rest of the bits now.

Don't think there would be much difference between velcro and sticky pads, though velcro would allow easier removal and repositioning etc.
Self adhesive draught excluder is good for sealing beween fans and rads and will aborb some vibration, though decent fans won't vibrate much anyways.

Not sure what else you are fitting inside the case but I'd would go for 3/8" if space is going to be tight.
Another plus for 3/8" Tygon is it fits easily over 1/2" DD hi-flow barbs, with next to no restriction.

Also, go for the newer uprated 18w version of the DDC (ultra / plus) if you get the Nexxos block.

 

[***F1ZZY***]

Hey Nixeh, 'bout time dude

I hope the best tings do come to those who wait.

Here's my input for consideration -

Take a look at the apogee -1U block
Low profile and barbs parallel to mobo, not perpendicular. (easier to route)
Tubes can go around GFX card, not over it.

I wouldn't try to mount the pump, rather play around with tubing lengths and just see where it wants to sit. Encase it in foam and let it sit there - use cable ties or velcro for a bit of security. Basically try not to decide where to put the pump, then try bring the tubes to it. Will be tricky unless you plan very carefully.

I would try to use a T-line for similar reasons to above. res will only go in certain spots. T-line smaller and more versatile from a positioning point of view.

Your 120.2 is lying down sideways - try to have the water go in bottom barb and out the top (uppermost)one - will be easier to bleed (particularly if use T-line)

If you go with apogee style blocks, i'd be tempted to stick with 3/8tubing and NOT modify the DDC (2 major w/c sins *ducks*) These blocks are pretty low resistance and the marginal loss in performance wont be worth the headache. Maybe go to 7/16 tubing at a push, but the pump will be so much easier to fit unmodifyed, with inlet and outlet on same plane. (same reason to chose the apogee-1U block.

Sorry for the rambling - I hope it helps and makes sense too.

 

[Nixeh]

Cheers for the help guys.

Tried to buy the stuff last night from another store because sadly ocuk watercooling section is its biggest weakspot, but sadly they dont have the Black Ice GT Stealth 120.2 Radiator which i need as this is the only radiator that i know of that will fit in my case.

So depending on when they get their stuff in stock will restrict me from doing my work.

I am also still wondering about sound insulation, but with sound insulation also comes heat insulation? i dont really want to put it in if its going to raise the ambient temperature of the inside of my case.

What you think?

Also any idea if it would be best to have 2x40mm fans at the back as extraction, or splash out on a Crossflow Fan which will fit in the same spot, but i dont know how quiet these are :s

 

[DaveMac]

What do you reckon is the source of the noise?
Hard drives are best silenced by enclosing or bungee suspension.
Chipset fans replaced with a 3rd party passive block if they have airflow over them.
Resonating panels can be resolved with blue tack, or pieces of dense sheeting such as a self-adhesive roofing flashing.

Bear in mind that you will be watercooling the two main heat sources the case temp is not as important.
I'd try the supplied 80mm side fan first maybe replace it if that is too noisy, 40mm fans I've had in the past are next to useless at low noise levels. Haven't seen any reports on the crossflow fan, but other similar ones aren't too quiet.