~$250 Watercooling Setup

Q

quadnad

Supreme [H]ardness
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Oct 24, 2005
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Alright, I was originally considering going with either the Nautilus 500 or H20-120 Premium from Swiftech, but now I believe that the best choice would be to build a custom setup from the ground up. Here are the parts I've selected so far, all gathered from my research:
Watercooling%20setup.JPG


This totals approximately $250 (things like the worm clamps I will inevitably buy at the local hardware store). The kit will be used exclusively to cool a dual/quad core CPU, though it's possible I will want to upgrade it in a year's time to include my GPU. Are there any parts you would pick over the ones I have listed (at a similar price point)?
 
Get Yate loon fans instead of those Scythes. and save yourself a buncha cash. You'll need at least a triple radiator if you go GPU cooling too.

Also, as much as I love petras, *all* that stuff can be had for cheaper at jab-tech.com. They have the speed controlled pump for 79$, that extra 5$ is really worth it as these pumps are semi-loud.
 
Arcygenical said:
Also, as much as I love petras, *all* that stuff can be had for cheaper at jab-tech.com. They have the speed controlled pump for 79$, that extra 5$ is really worth it as these pumps are semi-loud.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! I've reconfigured it in Jab-Tech and it is indeed $5 to $10 cheaper per part.

As for the Yate Loon fans, which one should I select? I'm looking for one that is reasonably quiet (I'm not a quiet freak, but I don't want something like my old Vantec Tornado either...) that pushes a decent amount of air.

Also, do you agree with my component selection?

Finally, what should my loop look like (in terms of order)?
 
its a good build.. ide recommend getting mcr320 though. (tri) they are only $50 (can) and would do much better then the dual rad
 
michaLcoughliN said:
its a good build.. ide recommend getting mcr320 though. (tri) they are only $50 (can) and would do much better then the dual rad
Click to expand...

I think I will go with the 320, although I'll have to see how much space that will take.

troisanh said:
http://www.jab-tech.com/YATE-LOON-120mm-Case-Fan-D12SL-12-pr-3009.html
specify 'open' corners and if you case has room, get the mcr-320 rad.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link!

I'll be strapping this to the back of a P180b, so I'm guessing the 320 will fit just fine.
 
I'd recommend an Eheim pump, mostly because I love mine and cannot hear the thing no matter how close I get to it (within reason, obviously -- I'm not putting my ear to it). Lower flow, though, so take that in to account.
 
silent-circuit said:
I'd recommend an Eheim pump, mostly because I love mine and cannot hear the thing no matter how close I get to it (within reason, obviously -- I'm not putting my ear to it). Lower flow, though, so take that in to account.
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Most eheims are AC, though, and that's just another point of failure, and more complication.


Decent setup, OP, but as others have said, MCR320QP is the way to go, if you can fit it.
 
mwarps said:
Most eheims are AC, though, and that's just another point of failure, and more complication.
Click to expand...

I'm running a 1048, and yes, it's AC. That said, a $12 PCI pump relay solves that pretty easily. No issues thus far.

OP, you're planning to run the rad on the back of the case, or the top? If on the back you're going to need a radbox.
 
mwarps said:
Decent setup, OP, but as others have said, MCR320QP is the way to go, if you can fit it.
Click to expand...

Hell, it's less than $10 extra to get that much more capacity. I've changed my cart (and the image) to reflect this.

By the way, I do have enough of everything, don't I? The last thing I want to do (in Nov, when this entire build happens) is get all the stuff and find that I don't have enough x, y, or z.
 
silent-circuit said:
I'm running a 1048, and yes, it's AC. That said, a $12 PCI pump relay solves that pretty easily. No issues thus far.
Click to expand...

Like I said, it's another point of failure, and added complication. And more money, on top of an already expensive pump. Good that it's working for you, though. Hopefully it will stay that way. My 1250 still runs, 7 years later. Though it needs a new ceramic bushing. Noiser than a dogfight.
 
The MCP655 is very silent on the "3" setting. Just build it up on a bit of foam or tubing (yes, cut 2 1/4" lengths of tubing and stick them between the neoprene pad and the case (around the screws) so when you screw down, it compresses them.

Helps alot, 18dba from 1ft (case closed).

Also, OP, get an extra fan... Some of them are really loud.
 
Arcygenical said:
The MCP655 is very silent on the "3" setting. Just build it up on a bit of foam or tubing (yes, cut 2 1/4" lengths of tubing and stick them between the neoprene pad and the case (around the screws) so when you screw down, it compresses them.
Click to expand...

About that: is it required that I screw the pump into the case? This is all meant to fit into a P180, and if possible I don't want to drill holes into anything. Would it per chance be possible to safely mount it without drilling my case? Otherwise, could I mount it in a 5 1/4 bay?
 
You could do what I did at one point, Get 2 sticky cable ties and stick them right next to one another.

Loop a long zip tie through the first pump screw hole, through the first cable tie, through the 2nd cable tie, and back up the 2nd pump hole. Zip and tie it ;).

Wedge a small section of tubing between the pump and the case (wherever you can) to apply pressure to the pump. This prevents rattling.
 
Arcygenical said:
You could do what I did at one point, Get 2 sticky cable ties and stick them right next to one another.

Loop a long zip tie through the first pump screw hole, through the first cable tie, through the 2nd cable tie, and back up the 2nd pump hole. Zip and tie it ;).

Wedge a small section of tubing between the pump and the case (wherever you can) to apply pressure to the pump. This prevents rattling.
Click to expand...

As a point of interest, does it matter if the pump is mounted sideways?
 
This seems very similar to my setup, only I'm currently on a 120x2 rad and 1/2" tubing. It keeps my Q6600 OC'ed to 3.6 and my x1950 XTX at reasonable temps, though by no means the best. The rad should help.
 
quadnad said:
As a point of interest, does it matter if the pump is mounted sideways?
Click to expand...
Many people have run their D5s upside down even, and I haven't heard of any failures.

As others have said, your parts list looks fine, good luck and enjoy just about the highest performance you can get with straight water.
 
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