Best liquid cooling for DFI nF4 SLI-DR

Cannibal Corpse

Cannibal Corpse

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
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Hi all,
Would you please recommend the BEST liquid based cooling kit for my upcoming AMD gaming rig?

System:
DFI nF4 SLI-DR
2GB Crucial DDR
BFG 7800 GT
WD Raptor 74GB
Gaming Bomb II

Many thanks in advance.
 
if you can find a way to fit a BIP3 into a case, then go for it. It would be easier (and the performance would be very similar) to get a 2x120mm rad.

so, 2x120mm rad, Storm, D5/MCP655 (same pump), and MCW55.
 
HiJon89 said:
If you have your heart set on getting a kit, this is the best one:
http://swiftnets.com/products/H20-APEX.asp
But no kit can match the performance of a well-matched custom water cooling setup. My recommendation for that would be:
DangerDen D5
Swiftech Storm
DangerDen Maze 4 Acetal
BIP3
Click to expand...

You do realize the only thing you changed was the size of the radiator and added a maze4 block for the GPU. The APEX kit comes with a D5 and Storm. Most people cant fit a BIP3 anyways.
 
Erasmus354 said:
You do realize the only thing you changed was the size of the radiator and added a maze4 block for the GPU. The APEX kit comes with a D5 and Storm. Most people cant fit a BIP3 anyways.
Click to expand...

The apex has very good performance, but (and I think we both think this) DIY is cheaper.
 
Erasmus354 said:
You do realize the only thing you changed was the size of the radiator and added a maze4 block for the GPU. The APEX kit comes with a D5 and Storm. Most people cant fit a BIP3 anyways.
Click to expand...
I may not have changed much, but buying the parts individually can save you a good amount of money :)
 
Does buying the parts seperatly really save you any money? The Swiftech Apex kit is $250, plus $45 for a Maze4, your looking at about $300.

a D5 is about $75, Maze4 about $45, BlackIce II extreme Rad $55, Storm $75. Thats $250 right there. Can you get everything else for $45? Tubing, clamps, fans for Rad, possibly a res. I think it ends up being pretty close.

Not bashing the DIY approach by any means, as it certainly allows you more options, but for me (this was my first go at water cooling), i found that the combination of an Apex kit and a Maze4 was perfect for my needs.

edit: Of course finding an Apex kit in stock may be a chore.
 
seniorpaul said:
Does buying the parts seperatly really save you any money? The Swiftech Apex kit is $250, plus $45 for a Maze4, your looking at about $300.

a D5 is about $75, Maze4 about $45, BlackIce II extreme Rad $55, Storm $75. Thats $250 right there. Can you get everything else for $45? Tubing, clamps, fans for Rad, possibly a res. I think it ends up being pretty close.

Not bashing the DIY approach by any means, as it certainly allows you more options, but for me (this was my first go at water cooling), i found that the combination of an Apex kit and a Maze4 was perfect for my needs.

edit: Of course finding an Apex kit in stock may be a chore.
Click to expand...

I was just going to say the same thing. But a bip II is $36, so subtract $19. But your still out the res (if wanted...but I think it's easier to bleed w/one) 2 fans, 10 clamps, 6-10ft tubing, coolant of choice, and step by step instructions if your a noob to water. Also if you want to mount the rad externally, then it's another $26 for the rad box, or cutting holes in your case to accomodate the rad internally.

The kit just makes it easier as you know you're not forgetting anything. Just add water.
 
I tell you this... If the Apex kit was out when I decided to go to Water Cooling, I would have purchased it in an instant. It is an extremely well put together kit, Swiftechs best and possibly most profitable movement yet.
 
All I know is that when I get my APEX kit for 209$ that there will be no DIY that will be able to beat it in price. The pump and waterblock run 150$ alone.
 
seniorpaul said:
Does buying the parts seperatly really save you any money? The Swiftech Apex kit is $250, plus $45 for a Maze4, your looking at about $300.

a D5 is about $75, Maze4 about $45, BlackIce II extreme Rad $55, Storm $75. Thats $250 right there. Can you get everything else for $45? Tubing, clamps, fans for Rad, possibly a res. I think it ends up being pretty close.

Not bashing the DIY approach by any means, as it certainly allows you more options, but for me (this was my first go at water cooling), i found that the combination of an Apex kit and a Maze4 was perfect for my needs.

edit: Of course finding an Apex kit in stock may be a chore.
Click to expand...
If you get the parts on a forum you save a lot:
D5: $65 Shipped
BIP2: $30 Shipped
Maze 4 Acetal: $40 Shipped
MCW6002-64: $35 Shipped
---------------------------------------
Total: $170 Shipped
 
You're being little bit wishful on those prices, and those are not the same components as included in the Apex.

You'd have to look for an original G4 for the equivalent of a used Storm, as most people buying Storms aren't selling them, they're using them. You listed a 6002, which peforms worse than the Storm at the flow rates you'd be seeing with a D5.

The radiator in the Apex is a cross between a BIP and BIX in terms of restrictiveness for fans, but a BIP2 would be about $35-40 used, and a couple more new (depending on retailer shipping).

Used D5s are hard to find, but they are around $70 shipped.

The Apex kit also includes tubing (you'd likely need to buy more though with a gpu block, but 10' of 7/16" tubing is only $8 shipped from MCMaster), the Radbox (great for people who don't want to mod their case more than drilling two holes for tubing), a resrvoir (you could instead use a $2 T-line, but if you want a reservoir, that's $20), hose clamps (extra safety at no cost to performance never hurts), Hydrx (combo green dye that lots will buy anyway and algicide, needed if you don't want your Storm's jets clogging), and of course time and complexity saved (buy just 3 items [extra tubing], so no waiting for 7 different compinents to be shipped from 7 different sources).

This isn't saying buying used can't save you some $ (I got a 6002-64 and Maze4 gpu for $30 each), but it does usually take some time to get good deals (I searched for a month before I got these deals) and many people like brand new stuff instead of lightly used components. To each their own.
 
Well I just got a used BIP2 for $30 shipped from here, a brand new MCW6002-64 for $35 shipped, a used Maze 4 Acetal for $25 shipped, and the $65 for a new D5 was taken from a current FS thread with the pump still available, or a used D4 could be had for $40 in another thread. So the prices I posted aren't outrageous, they just require some patience and a little bit of browsing FS sections.
 
Cannibal Corpse said:
Hi all,
Would you please recommend the BEST liquid based cooling kit for my upcoming AMD gaming rig?

System:
DFI nF4 SLI-DR
2GB Crucial DDR
BFG 7800 GT
WD Raptor 74GB
Gaming Bomb II

Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

So what do you mean by the "BEST" as it means a lot of different things to different people?
 
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