Watercooling advice :)

BigDom

BigDom

BigDom

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Back in the day when watercooling was fairly new naturally a lot of rigs where DIY or semi-DIY with stuff like heater matrix's for rads etc.

I'm thinking about my next project when Project Red alert is finished and thinking of making use of the biggest case I have. a full tower case which has TON'S of space inside and doing a watercooling project off it.

However I'd like to keep the budget right down so would like advice on cheap options for the Rad, Res ( if I need one ) and Pump plus which are the best choices for waterblocks (Graphics, CPU (939) and possibly NB).

This project will be a single GPU project.
 
For cheapness? Swiftech wins (thanks to cheap Chinese manufacture / labour process on the newer blocks)

Swiftech Apogee CPU Block, MCW60 GPU Block, MCW30 Chipset block, MCR220QP, MCRES1000 with integrated Laing DDC. Whack it all together with 3/8" ID and job done. I'd say that's the cheapest top quality kit you'll find these days... everyone else is struggling to compete with Swiftech on price these days.

You could skimp further and head for scrapyards and cheap no-name pumps, but when you can get the quality above for the price it can currently be had for, it really isn't WORTH skimping...
 
Thanks guys, guess with a rad being only £25 I'd not get a heater matrix any cheaper so worth getting a purpose built one. Where would be the best place for the Rad? Being a full tower case I have a fair amount of choice.

Is there a chipset block ( assume that's for a NB ) available which would fit over an AN8 NB ( check my photo in the NB cooling thread for the problem :) ).
 
Yeah there is but they do very little and are very restrictive so not worth bothering with.

Can't name competitors for where to buy the rad from :(
 
He meant where to stick it not where to get it... and for that budget, you won't get better performance than the MCR220... in performance terms, only rad that beats MCR220 is PA120.2 (yes, there is testing to show this but not going into that here). Ignore all others on the market.

Easiest place to mount in full towers is in the roof sacrificing 2 maybe 3 CD Bays... alternately, remove HDD uprights and stick in lower front if there's the room... other than that, flat in base of case...
 
Mmm Roof of the case sounds tempting, the top of the case has a 'lid' on it which sits over the floppy drive bay. Don't use a floppy so can cut out the mounting for that and a 3 1/2 HDD bay behind it leaving a 2" high bay for the rad with a pair of 120mm fans mounted below in the main case and a large whole suitably decorated in the top of the case lid.

There is a LOT of space in that area, above the PSU ( which is in a very typical position overlapping the Mobo ) there is more than the space for a second PSU. Occured to me I could mount the fan and res there? So then just two pipes go below to the water blocks?
 
Marci said:
He meant where to stick it not where to get it... and for that budget, you won't get better performance than the MCR220
Click to expand...

My bad. I didn't realise how stupidly cheap the Swiftech rads are. ;)
 
:eek: Me either! Makes me wonder about whether to just buy new stuff to go in my new case rather than trying to shoehorn my Chevette heatercore and Eheim 1250 in.

Swiftech H20-120 Premium Watercooling Kit (Socket 462/478/LGA775/754/939/940) (WC-015-SW) - £120

Components and individual prices
- Apogee waterblock - £30
- MCR120 Radiator - £17.50
- MCRES1000P - £60.50
- MCB120 Radbox radiator mounting adapter (Swiftech say this includes a 120mm fan and 12v/7v/5v adaptors)
- 7/16" ID Tubing

so you're paying £10 for the radbox and tubing which is pretty hard to match separately.
 
Check a breakers yard for rad, I picked up a rad that would fit easily 4 120mm fans for about £8, and the pipes were just the right size to jubilee 1/2" ID to as well :)

Pump, meh, look in local free ads for eheim's being sold from not wanted pond stuff, I have seen em in the past for pennies :)

Watercooling can still be done ghetto style, but it requires patience for the right parts to come up, i have managed to construct a completely passive loop for my server rig (socket A) for about £30, including a heatcore, Eheim, DD maze 4, passive res (t-line is cheaper) and leftover tygon :D
 
Ahhh cool - with a T-Line does the configuration have to be like that or can the pump be quite high up? I'm thinking about the potential configuration I have in mind.

Radiator in the roof of the case with two 120mm fans blowing upwards through the rad and out of a suitable hole in the top of the case.

T-Line say coming down at the rear of the case ( internally ) behind the Rad to a T by the pump mounted above the PSU (I'd fabricate a shelf for it ) about 10" below the Rad.

Then pair of pipes dropping down to feed the cooling blocks.

Incidently is the T-Line open to the air?
 
Usually you just bung something in the top theres no specifically designed top unless you buy a DD Fillport.

An AA battery fits perfectly :)
 
Marvt74 said:
Usually you just bung something in the top theres no specifically designed top unless you buy a DD Fillport.

An AA battery fits perfectly :)
Click to expand...

Just make sure you wrap it in clingfilm. The air in the top of the T gets very humid and will cause corrosion on the battery otherwise.
 
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