Water cooling.. Who does it?

phill9800

phill9800

phill9800

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And is it hard to setup for someone thats not had any experience with one in the past?

I currently have a Zalman 9700 heatsink/fan combo, which does well, but I'm wanting to go that bit further.

I have a big case (Cooler Master Stacker 810 - I think its the better model after owning a 830 model) and with the panel at the bottom of the case that can be taken out, I was thinking of building something to sit underneath the case to hold all the rad's, pumps etc thats needed for a water setup..

I'm thinking of changing the graphics card in my system also, so thinking about a 8800GTX card with water cooling already put on it (like the BFG or EVGA models for example - not sure how or if this will increase their overclockablity mind or if they are there for just cooling it more efficently) but definitely want more performance and if I can have less noise, that would be great :)

I've seen this Swiftech kit but was wondering whether or not it would be better to put things together piece by piece rather than buy in a kit form?

I'm the type of person that would prefer to do it right or to buy the right things, first time, so in a way, money isnt to much of a problem. I just want to know what to get, whats best for price/performance and what the benifits are.. Cos I'm pretty sure that 1.7vcore going through my E6600 CPU isnt ideal with air cooling!! :lol: Although it seems stable (ish) at 3.9Ghz mind..... :eek: :D
 
Many thanks for the replies guys :) Really appreaited :)

I dont use orthos cos I used it for over 10 hours before, 30 seconds into folding and it was crashing, so gave that up straight away!! :lol:

Right now I'm at 3.52Ghz with 1.5Vcore (bios setting - I think its that high) and I think the fan is turned up to about half way.. I'm getting reports of 52/51C under the 100% load...

As I said before I'd prefer to buy something thats OTT if its better and will be worth the cash, so the 120.3 rad it is ;) Also been considering would it be in my best interests to have a rad (120.3) for GPU and CPU separately?? I'm looking to maximise the performance I have through any means and I aint worried with cost!! :lol: Oh and I'm guessing that would mean a pump, res etc for the both of them then, wouldnt it?

With regards to a GPU block, would one of the pre-installed 8800GTX blocks be a good bet or would it be best to buy a good GTX and then the GPU block??

I would love to have a hand to build this together, is there anyone out there that might consider helping?? :o
 
Well in reply to the 120.3 is huge and make sure it fits, I'm gonna try and get it built to take these rad's as whats the point in having them otherwise!!

I believe in trying to do things properly and this means that if I have to spend out a fair bit of money, then so be it.. It really doesnt bother me to pay it out, but I do what it to work most importantly of all!! :D Also for the performance to be darn good as well, which would be a great help too. More performance and speed is always nice and welcome.

Yes at current my 3.51Ghz on my E6600 with 1.525vcore is sitting around the 50C mark under a full load which is good. Shame that when I do turn it up, the cooler just cant handle it very well and the temps go a bit hot for my liking..

When the money is there and the graphics card I want is avaiable and isnt too expensive (I hear the new 9800 series are out around christmas??) I might just be able to do it and by then have all the water cooling solution sorted (and built into) the case I'm looking to have built to house it.

Stinka - thanks for chatting with me last night, was good to hear from you :) Gonna try and get some sizes or something off to you regarding that build if thats ok? If your on MSN later, I'll chat to you about it then :)

Thanks for the replies guys and please dont hesitate to bring up pics of your installs etc, if you could mention speed/temp before and after the water install, that would just be a bonus to me :)
 
Do you have any screen shots of before and after the setup?

I'm trying to understand more about the differences in cooling at the moment, spending loads of time reading and talking to people about it...
 
stinka said:
id be looking at a d-teck fuzion or apogee gtx cpu block
swiftech micro res, laing ddc pump with plexi top or similar (18w)
EKfc-8800 block for an 8800 gtx gpu
quality fans like skythe sflex 1600rpm and a fan controler
then the obligatory masterkleer 7/16 tubing and a litre of fesser 1
a dozen or so jubilee hose clips

and your sorted

not much change from £280-300 with a single 120.3

stinka
Click to expand...

Right, prices I've found from Overclockers so far:

Swiftech res - £12
Danger Den DDC-12V Pump - £52 - couldnt find the laing pump :( still 18W mind
tubing (1m lenghts/size) £2
Fluid XP+ EXTreme - £26 - couldnt find the fesser stuff
thermochill 120.3 rad - £58
Swiftech Storm Extreme Performance Universal Waterblock + AM2 adaptor kit £60

Total £220 (give or take) included was 5m of tubing

The reason for the AM2 bit is cos I have a AM2 system as well and figured as its cheaper to break that than the Conroe system I have, figured it was the lesser of two evils :D Plus then I'd have everything for the Conroe when I go to put it into that :)
Shame I want a 8800GTX/Ultra with a water block on as well... Cos that's pushing the price, right up!! :lol:

Would that be a good place to start??
 
Many thanks for the replies guys, going to definitely build this up, but need my AM2 system back and a new case and CPU ;)

Gonna give this a go for damn sure :D
 
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