tubing, connector sizes and HF blocks..whats needed ?

loady

loady

loady

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Thanks for all the comments to my other thread about the reserator, i have moved away from that now and am going to get a large rad.

1. Im a bit confused about tubing sizes..is it the bigger the better ? and should the same dimension be adopted throughout ?

2. Possibly going to upgrade graphics card to a 550 (see other thread on that ;)), should i get a full block for that ?

3. connectors, is straight and right angled just a preference, do the block connectors need to be quick release or is it benificial ?

4. What alloy is on the inside of the radiator ? should i be looking to buy all copper blocks therefore also looking for the rad to be copper inside ?

5. I have a spare 5.25 drive bay..is it effecient to have the resevoir installed in that ? with pump to ?

6. If i had 2 fans, does only one need to be connected to the cpu fan header or does it need to be split ? ultimately i want to set them to spin as slow as possible

A few questions there, i am aiming to have the rads and fans away from the case (possibly about a metre of tubings length), so the resevoir if possible inside the case and the pump to.

Any recommendations for the following parts....

RAD to affix at least 2 12/14 cm slow fans.
slow 12/14cm fans
revevoir
pump (QUIET)
resevoir/pump combo (QUIET)
Connectors, i will be cooling a SB i7 2600k and 550 grapics card to start
water blocks for above CPU and graphics card.

Any other things i am missing...
 
Ok..got the new grapics card coming.

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **OcUK Exclusive** [11162-15-20G]

Still stuck on this water cooling though..going around in circles...

I want to mount the pump and resevoir inside the case, i want to use a good strong one like the 12V Alphacool Laing D5 Fixed Pump, im confused as to whether i need a resevoir and some pumps i read are submegred in the resevoir, is this better ?..my resevoir ideally has to go into the 5.25 drive bay, i am going for an SR1 tripple but i am only going to install 1 fans on it i think...what are the make of QUIETEST fans available that spin the slowest? maybe ill get two. What fittings are best to use, compression, barbed ? the pump im looking at has barbed so i obviously start with thos..the i want to be ably to diconnect the rad without having to drain the system.

I wish there was a chat box here..is there an irc channell ??
 
Firstly I think you may need to read some more on watercooling before you go any further, the more information you have the easier it is. Best place is to check out martins lab or skinnee labs as they compare lots of raditors, blocks, pumps etc. However to answer your questions

1. Im a bit confused about tubing sizes..is it the bigger the better ? and should the same dimension be adopted throughout ?

Size doesn't matter greatly (stop laughing in the back) as most tubing is similar inner diameters (ID) so go with a good brand and just which you prefer or does the colour you prefer. Yes it is better to use the same tubing through the whole loop.

2. Possibly going to upgrade graphics card to a 550 (see other thread on that ;)), should i get a full block for that ?
There is a split thought on how to cool graphics cards. People either use full blocks or a mix of a small block and vrm to help cool the card. There is for and against for both and it really comes down to a person choice.

3. connectors, is straight and right angled just a preference, do the block connectors need to be quick release or is it benificial ?

Straight are easier for flow obviously but the 30, 45 or 90 degree fittings are all just to make the tubing easier. Quick release can be beneficial if you want to remove parts etc but they aren't essential - again personal preference.

4. What alloy is on the inside of the radiator ? should i be looking to buy all copper blocks therefore also looking for the rad to be copper inside ?

Depends what radiator you are looking at getting. It should tell you where you are buying the rad from or the manufacturers website. As far as I understand the copper blocks perform very slightly better unless you are going to be benchmarking or similar where temperatures are the most critical then could make a difference.

5. I have a spare 5.25 drive bay..is it effecient to have the resevoir installed in that ? with pump to ?
You can put the reservoir where ever you want really as long as it is before the pump. If you are using a single 5.25" bay then you wont be able to fit the D5 you mention below. If you stick with your plan then may be best to run the pump seperately with a pump top on.

6. If i had 2 fans, does only one need to be connected to the cpu fan header or does it need to be split ? ultimately i want to set them to spin as slow as possible
If you want them to spin as slow as they can may be worth looking at a fan controller. Though to answer you directly, if you want the auto controlled by pwm then you will need to connect them both together, best option for this is the akasa pwm fan splitter.


I want to mount the pump and resevoir inside the case, i want to use a good strong one like the 12V Alphacool Laing D5 Fixed Pump, im confused as to whether i need a resevoir and some pumps i read are submegred in the resevoir, is this better ?..my resevoir ideally has to go into the 5.25 drive bay, i am going for an SR1 tripple but i am only going to install 1 fans on it i think...what are the make of QUIETEST fans available that spin the slowest? maybe ill get two. What fittings are best to use, compression, barbed ? the pump im looking at has barbed so i obviously start with thos..the i want to be ably to diconnect the rad without having to drain the system.

There shouldn't be any problem with mounting your res and pump inside your case. Though you wont be able to get a pump/res combo with using the Laing D5 as it is too big. No reason though you couldn't run your res with some tubing down to your pump. I would recommend the D5 though, it is a good quiet pump but I have no experience with using it in a drive bay res so will leave that to someone who does. I am not sure you will be able to get away with just one fan but you could try it and see. It depends on what other air flow you will have round the rad. I still like the akasa venoms / apaches good fans and quiet especially if slowly. Some people like yate loons or scythe gentle typhoons too. Fittings - as long as they are the right size for the tubing you pick doesn't really matter. Personally I prefer the look of compressions but other people prefer barbs. a lot of people on here swear by 7/16" tubing over 1/2" bards for a really tight fit. The D5 is barbed but you can buy tops for them, again check skinnee labs as there is a review of pump tops. If you change to a pump top you can choose what fittings you have as they just screw into it.


I think that answers everything but for further reading:
http://skinneelabs.com/
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=202394
 
For a quiet pump have a look at my testing here.
If you have the money get a D5 and EK X-top.

1. Bigger ID (inner diameter) is slightly better - but tight curves are not so easy.
7/16 is the current favourate in tower case and 3/8 in smaller loops.

2. I use univeral gpu blocks as I'm always tweeking my system - some cards have very hot vrm's and full cover block really help with these.

3. The aim of a loop is to make the tubing as short as possable.
45's and 90's can help with this but they do reduce your flow rate.
A well planned two block loop in a decent case shouldn't need any.

QC's (quickconnectors) are fantastic if you change your kit or have an external rad.
Only get the high flow or extreme flow koolance ones imho the rest have very small ID's

4. most rads are copper and brass.

5. Drive bay resevoirs either need a fill line - or extra tubing so you can slide it forwards for easy mainatance.

6. Personally with a quiet system I keep my fan (singular) at a constant rmp.
it's the ramping up and down that more annoying that a constant white noise hum.

You need to read more - most of your questions have either been answered in the stickys / guides. or by other here - use the search menu
 
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Thanks guys, the fogs cleared a bit now, some times you can do a little bit to much reading and need direct answers, i read a few guides that were supposed to be relevant but they were quite old, some even talked of buying pond pumps lol but the general idea was universal.

Pump tops is another things, are these solely to alter the connection or size, or do i have to have one with the D5 ?

My plan is now to have the res in 5.25, pump inside case and rad/fans outside, i will get fan splitter/control and extend it to inside the case, i have ample room in my case.
 
The D5 does need a aftermarket pump top - the stock one is actually very good (unlike the DDC)
But if you want to use your own barbs/compressions it needs a top
If you want a 10% flow rate increase it needs a top
If you want it to be quiet it needs a top
 
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