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[H]ard|DCer of the Month - October 2011
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2006
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Introduction
For the last couple months on IRC I've been asked for 4P loop recommendations on nearly a weekly basis and I'm sure interest will only increase with the release of the TearTurbo BIOS mod. Below are my recommendations and links to the components one would need to setup a 4P watercooling loop, keep in mind I haven't actually put one of these together on a 4P but am confident this setup will work.
Also, if someone can provide measurements for the mounting pattern of the southbridge heatsink on your 4P we should be able to find a waterblock for that as well.
Retailers
I use these shops pretty exclusively due to their price, availability, and customer service.
http://www.jab-tech.com
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com
http://www.aquatuning.us/index.php
Note that Jab-tech typically has a 5% off coupon active and Aquatuning 2 day shipping (from Germany) drops to $6 once your order goes over $75
The Loop
Components
Coolant
Distilled Water- Seriously. Buy it by the gallon at your local grocery store, you don't need the fancy coolants and the dye that is typically in them will gunk up your parts. If you want color, buy colored tubing.
Silver Kill Coil - Wrap this strip around a pen and toss it in your reservoir (the strip, not the pen), the small amount of silver ions that will leech into the water are highly toxic to Algae and will prevent life from growing in your loop.
Pump
Swiftech MCP-655 - This is a rebadged Lang D5 and one of the best pumps out there, this has more than enough power for the loop we are building.
Reservoir
There are lots of options here and only really differentiate with whether you want the reservoir separate or mounted in 5.25'' bays.
Separate - Just one option, they're all pretty much the same. You typically want the reservoir up near the top of your loop.
5.25'' bay - The pump is mounted inside of here and the whole thing then installed in the 5.25'' bay.
CPU Blocks
Aquacomputer Kryos - One of the best companies in the watercooling world makes a block specifically for G34, performance is very good and outperforms the EK Supreme HF.
Koolance CPU-370SA - $10 more than the Kryos, this block delivers similar thermal performance while maintaining a higher flow rate. Note that you need to purchase separate mounting screws. Probably the best option if you can swing the cash.
DangerDen Maze 4 - An alternative block that will save you about $20 per cpu. The design is quite old and cooling performance will be significantly less than the Aquacomputer or Koolance options, however at least one folder is using these successfully on his 4P.
Radiators
XSPC RX360 - If you are using a case, you will need to ensure your radiator selection will fit. To get your chips as cool as possible and allow better stock voltage overclocks, I recommend 6x120 worth of radspace (two of these)
XSPC EX360 - If you are putting this in a case and need a thinner radiator, these will perform close to the level of the RX but won't scale with slower fans as well.
Phobya NOVA 1080 - If you are doing a caseless system, this could be a cheaper option to get a ton of rad space. I've not used this before but the pricing and reviews are certainly compelling, I would probably still get two of them because I'm insane.
Also, Phobya makes a freestanding mount for this that will hold the radiator, your pump and reservoir for you naked folders.
MO-RA3 - A better performing (and more expensive) alternative to the Phobya above. I would suggest buying two phobya's versus one of these, but if you want absolutely the lowest temps a couple of these would do the trick.
Tubing
Primochill PrimoFlex - I run 7/16'' ID tubing and stretch it over the 1/2'' barbs, this gives you an extremely tight fit so you don't even need clamps. Primochill is the easiest tubing to bend without kinking and is available in many colors. I would expect you to want somewhere between 10-15' of tubing for one of these loops.
Anti-Kink Coil - This prevents the tubing from kinking while making tight bends, it also looks pretty slick.
Fittings
1/2'' Barbs - These are how your hose connects to every element in the loop, you will need 2 for each radiator and cpu block and 3 for the reservoir (to provide connection to the fill port.
T-Line - Allows you to add a drainage tail to the lowest point of the loop. This will make your life much much easier if you need to change the loop up.
Fillport - You need one of these for the reservoir inlet and one for your drainage tail.
Fans
Scythe GentleTyphoon AP-15 - These are the best 25mm thick radiator fan you can get and the noise signature on them is very pleasant, you will barely know they are running.
YateLoon 38mm - These are slower 1350rpm, 38mm thick Yates. They won't last 10 years like the GentleTyphoons will but if you are on a budget these are about half the price while maintaining very good static pressure.
Setup
I can add some more detail here later as needed, however setup will be the same as any other watercooling loop. Be sure to get your fittings installed tightly and flush your radiators thoroughly before assembly and you should be fine. You will want to prime the loop and let the pump run by itself (system is off) for 24 hours to leak test and ensure any air pockets have worked themselves out before firing the system up.
Post any questions you may have and I'll keep this post updated with the answers.
For the last couple months on IRC I've been asked for 4P loop recommendations on nearly a weekly basis and I'm sure interest will only increase with the release of the TearTurbo BIOS mod. Below are my recommendations and links to the components one would need to setup a 4P watercooling loop, keep in mind I haven't actually put one of these together on a 4P but am confident this setup will work.
Also, if someone can provide measurements for the mounting pattern of the southbridge heatsink on your 4P we should be able to find a waterblock for that as well.
Retailers
I use these shops pretty exclusively due to their price, availability, and customer service.
http://www.jab-tech.com
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com
http://www.aquatuning.us/index.php
Note that Jab-tech typically has a 5% off coupon active and Aquatuning 2 day shipping (from Germany) drops to $6 once your order goes over $75
The Loop
Components
Coolant
Distilled Water- Seriously. Buy it by the gallon at your local grocery store, you don't need the fancy coolants and the dye that is typically in them will gunk up your parts. If you want color, buy colored tubing.
Silver Kill Coil - Wrap this strip around a pen and toss it in your reservoir (the strip, not the pen), the small amount of silver ions that will leech into the water are highly toxic to Algae and will prevent life from growing in your loop.
Pump
Swiftech MCP-655 - This is a rebadged Lang D5 and one of the best pumps out there, this has more than enough power for the loop we are building.
Reservoir
There are lots of options here and only really differentiate with whether you want the reservoir separate or mounted in 5.25'' bays.
Separate - Just one option, they're all pretty much the same. You typically want the reservoir up near the top of your loop.
5.25'' bay - The pump is mounted inside of here and the whole thing then installed in the 5.25'' bay.
CPU Blocks
Aquacomputer Kryos - One of the best companies in the watercooling world makes a block specifically for G34, performance is very good and outperforms the EK Supreme HF.
Koolance CPU-370SA - $10 more than the Kryos, this block delivers similar thermal performance while maintaining a higher flow rate. Note that you need to purchase separate mounting screws. Probably the best option if you can swing the cash.
DangerDen Maze 4 - An alternative block that will save you about $20 per cpu. The design is quite old and cooling performance will be significantly less than the Aquacomputer or Koolance options, however at least one folder is using these successfully on his 4P.
Radiators
XSPC RX360 - If you are using a case, you will need to ensure your radiator selection will fit. To get your chips as cool as possible and allow better stock voltage overclocks, I recommend 6x120 worth of radspace (two of these)
XSPC EX360 - If you are putting this in a case and need a thinner radiator, these will perform close to the level of the RX but won't scale with slower fans as well.
Phobya NOVA 1080 - If you are doing a caseless system, this could be a cheaper option to get a ton of rad space. I've not used this before but the pricing and reviews are certainly compelling, I would probably still get two of them because I'm insane.
Also, Phobya makes a freestanding mount for this that will hold the radiator, your pump and reservoir for you naked folders.MO-RA3 - A better performing (and more expensive) alternative to the Phobya above. I would suggest buying two phobya's versus one of these, but if you want absolutely the lowest temps a couple of these would do the trick.
Tubing
Primochill PrimoFlex - I run 7/16'' ID tubing and stretch it over the 1/2'' barbs, this gives you an extremely tight fit so you don't even need clamps. Primochill is the easiest tubing to bend without kinking and is available in many colors. I would expect you to want somewhere between 10-15' of tubing for one of these loops.
Anti-Kink Coil - This prevents the tubing from kinking while making tight bends, it also looks pretty slick.
Fittings
1/2'' Barbs - These are how your hose connects to every element in the loop, you will need 2 for each radiator and cpu block and 3 for the reservoir (to provide connection to the fill port.
T-Line - Allows you to add a drainage tail to the lowest point of the loop. This will make your life much much easier if you need to change the loop up.
Fillport - You need one of these for the reservoir inlet and one for your drainage tail.
Fans
Scythe GentleTyphoon AP-15 - These are the best 25mm thick radiator fan you can get and the noise signature on them is very pleasant, you will barely know they are running.
YateLoon 38mm - These are slower 1350rpm, 38mm thick Yates. They won't last 10 years like the GentleTyphoons will but if you are on a budget these are about half the price while maintaining very good static pressure.
Setup
I can add some more detail here later as needed, however setup will be the same as any other watercooling loop. Be sure to get your fittings installed tightly and flush your radiators thoroughly before assembly and you should be fine. You will want to prime the loop and let the pump run by itself (system is off) for 24 hours to leak test and ensure any air pockets have worked themselves out before firing the system up.
Post any questions you may have and I'll keep this post updated with the answers.
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