Looking into Watercooling but need help.

A

agent00

n00b
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
9
Ok I read the posts but I really dunno what to use based on my current setup...
Computer being kept in a cool area -bedroom- (unless I shut my door so I can enjoy the frag fest/mmorpg with ventrilo) it then gets a little warm in here but never over 80 degrees in the room.

Reason for wanting water cooled:
much more quiter computer so I can sleep while computer is on!
lower temps when in heavily populated area on max detail games that has been noted by other users causing their computers to over-heat
keep from loosing hearing while headset is off... roaring can damage your ear drums over long periods of extended use every day or every other day...(just like a factory)

here is entirely what I have:

Power Supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Processor:
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601920

Memory:
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Video Card:
BFG Tech BFGEGTX260MC896OCXBE GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Operating System:
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Motherboard:
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

Computer Case:
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black

Heatsink:
XIGMATEK Intel Core i7 compatible Dark Knight-S1283V REV.W with ACK-I5361 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler

Fans:
Two(2)
Scythe DFS123812-3000 "ULTRA KAZE" 120 x 38 mm Case Fan

Current Thermal Paste:
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

Current temps under load:
45 degrees celcius(last I checked)

Current temps without load:
38 degrees celcius(last I checked)

Where Did I obtain parts:
Newegg of course!

Note:
I'm a gamer and do a lot of gaming - please keep it in mind.
Also, cheaper the better but please don't sacrifice quality. :)
 
Just replace the Ultra Kazes and your system should be almost inaudible. Your temps are far from being a problem.

But, if you really want water cooling, do you have a max budget in mind? Just want to cool the CPU? GPU? Both? More?
 
both but also reduction in sound.

Don't really have a max budget, if I need to get a part here and part there every month I will if need be. ;P
Just build this thing august last year.
 
try sidewinders, jab-tech, petrashop for WC parts. most their parts are good quality.
 
I'm very very veryyyy new to watercooling lol, what should I read up on to get some knowledge on the setup of watercooling? I'm good with fan cooling but never done a watercool before...
 
Just read some stickies and other posts. Also try other forums. OCN, XS, and RRT are some sites that have a lot of good info.
 
In my opinion those aren't great reasons to watercool. Adding watercooling adds an extra source of noise. You still have fans but you also have a pump now. I really can't imagine your components are overheating even under full load unless you have some big overclocks. If you want quiet, just start eliminating sources of noise and probably the biggest one, as mentioned above, is the 3000rpm Ultra Kaze fans. Replace them with something quieter and then see what it sounds like. Have a look at this list...

http://www.overclock.net/air-cooling/724577-well-dressed-megahalems-65-fans-112-a.html

As a reference, doubling the sound is equivalent to a 6dB SPL increase. So on that list, 2x Ultra Kazes are 3 times louder than 2x 1850RPM Gentle Typhoons. And really at stock speeds you wont even need 2 of them, I'm running a single Noctua P12 which is way down the bottom of that list and my CPU doesn't overheat (i5 750 @ 3.8GHz with Turbo mode off).
 
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I agree with just about everything Tudz mentioned...except pump noise. Pump noise is not a concern if you use vibration isolation. I chose to use .5cm of noise blocker foam between the pump and the case. No problems.

As he said...your reasons are pretty poor, other than desiring silence.

Personally id throw a single 1450 Scythe Gentle Typhoon on your cpu heatsink for starters. Two 3k RPM Kaze? Jebus thats overkill. Your heatsink alone is overkill for stock settings, nevermind a single 3k RPM Kaze...and youve got 2!

WC is nice...but really not ideal for most people. I personally treat it as a hobby, especially because it gets expensive real fast. You can achieve silence or OC on air cooling, but generally not both. WC gets you both. Since your running stock, i suggest sticking with air cooling and not spending a ton of money.
 
nissanztt90 said:
I agree with just about everything Tudz mentioned...except pump noise. Pump noise is not a concern if you use vibration isolation. I chose to use .5cm of noise blocker foam between the pump and the case. No problems.
Click to expand...

Yeah maybe I worded it badly, I meant to say another source you need to make quiet, which means buying a pump that isn't noisy and isolating it. Not that you couldn't make a pump quiet, its just another source of noise you have to think about :)
 
who says im not going to overclock later down the road to try to push my system so i dont have to buy a system past its expiration time?
im wanting to SLI
 
i 100% disagree with tudz. sorry, but those are EXCELLENT reasons to switch to water. i have done this myself for similar reasons and i will never look back. plus wanting to overclock in the future, its just fun times on water:)

before you make the final decision i would decide if you really want to overclock or not here. if you want to push your hardware hard and want silence, then go for it.

having done a more budget minded WC build here is what i recommend: get best quality parts you can but get them used to start. the for sale forum here is really good for getting parts together.

pump: get a good condition used MCP655 *with* the speed control since noise is a concern. these things are very robust but expensive new. my used one came with a dead impeller...got one for $20 shipped here from someone that blew the rest of his pump.

block(s): buy a good used one, these things do not break easily and will last for years on end if properly taken care of.

for both budget reasons and future upgrades i'd recommend using a universal GPU block for the video so you can carry it over to a new card - plus they cost less. use ramsinks for the ram and other parts that have heatsink contact.

rad: for budget i like the black ice series rads. no they are not top end, but they still perform very very well and they are MUCH more cost effecting than the overpriced permachill or whatever it is. a tripple rad will allow you a good deal of future upgradeability.

reservoir: a good used one that fits. thats all you need.

coolant: de-ionized water from a car parts store and some PT nuke. dirty cheap, and it works better than most of the bought chemical ones.

tubing: get something good like tygon. nothing worse than wrecking a cpu because of a kink in cheap hosing. swiftech makes spiral hose wraps that assist with tight bends if you need them, i find them very useful myself.
 
thanks for your very informative post THRESHIN

I will take what you have given me and try to expand my knowledge upon water cooling and when the time comes to add everything in, if any questions... I hope I can look for you to help me with answers or the community itself. :)
 
Go with a Swiftech rad before Black Ice.

A cheap triple rad wont be enough to maintain silence and OCing for an i7 and GTX 260. I personally wouldnt take advice from someone who doesnt even know the names of the radiators hes trying to bash. Hes thinking of Primochill...and the name is actually Thermochill...and there are reasons these types of rads are expensive...they are just not cheap budget solutions.

Also you dont want de-ionized water...you want distilled water.

You dont need to spend that much money for tygon tubing. Primochill is pretty much just as good and comes in colors if thats your thing. You dont need hose wraps if you route your tubing properly.
 
THRESHIN said:
i 100% disagree with tudz. sorry, but those are EXCELLENT reasons to switch to water. i have done this myself for similar reasons and i will never look back. plus wanting to overclock in the future, its just fun times on water:)

before you make the final decision i would decide if you really want to overclock or not here. if you want to push your hardware hard and want silence, then go for it.
Click to expand...

If you want to overclock to the max then ok that's a different matter. But that's not what the original post said to start with. :) He said he wanted quiet, cool and good performance for gaming stating cheaper was better, all of which air will give you at far less price.

Water cooling is if...
1. You want to squeeze a few hundred MHz more out of your components to get the last 5% of performance even if you have to spend hundreds of $$$ to get it.
2. Are pedantic about having temperatures below the manufacturer's specification.
3. For a hobby and you enjoy looking at water tubes inside your case.
4. You want to overclock and live somewhere that is extremely hot for a large portion of the year.

I'm guessing the majority of people fall into category 3, some in category 4 (but the OP said the room was relatively cool), with maybe a handful who actually feel they need the few hundred MHz that watercooling offers over air (and make no mistake, it is only a few hundred MHz, air coolers these days are very good :)).

You can still get a good OC on air, maybe 3.6 to 4GHz if your room is below 80F whilst remaining as quiet as water and perfectly cool for far less $$$ than water.

But if you want to go water then dont let me stop you ;) I was just suggesting the reasons you put in your original post weren't the best reasons to water cool. If nothing else, buy yourself a couple of Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1850 or 1450rpm fans to put on your existing air cooler. If you aren't satisfied, you can put them on your radiator when you get the watercooling system, as Kaze 3000RPM fans will not be quiet regardless of whether you mount them on an air cooler or a WC radiator.
 
thought performance means overclocking? i mean it is in my book
otherwise isnt it easier for me to just include "normal speed" or "normal performance" ?

perhaps I input the wrong word somewhere?


eitherway its in my bedroom and I cannot sleep with the computer causing my room to being this hot.. i turn my air on and its a 10 degree difference when i turn my computer then when it is off in the room itself..

it doesnt bother me but knowing that and also the fact that I can tell when its getting a little hot is when the air in the room goes from 76 degrees to 95 degrees.

I will be moving hopefully soon and the temperatures are indeed going to get hotter since I'm moving more into a hotter climate ...


Anyways, I still want water cooled XD
if I was worried about the price i would set a limit but like I said it is always better to go cheap with good quality material then say 200$ for 5" of tubing... lol :p
 
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