best pump for my setup?

[dewhite]

Hi guys. I built a waterchill kit into my main rig about a year ago, and have really enjoyed the cooling capacity and silence that came with it.

Recently I've built up an HTPC for my livingroom and have undertaken to watercool that PC for the same benefits. I've gotten started by buying a case and some of the parts I'll need, and I've began some of the modding, but I need help picking out the last few pieces to make everything jive well. This project is really just something to keep me busy and to have fun with; so I am trying to do everything with a mind for budget, but I'd like to make smart choices instead of just getting the cheapest stuff available.

What I have:
77' bonneville HC with 3/8" barbs sweated on, will be mounted in the top of the drivecage.
skyhawk aluminium server chassis
4x coolermaster 120mm quiet fans ~43CFM each. (2 push, 2 pull - top exhaust)
10ft braided 3/8ID tubing from home depot.
swiftech 5.25" bay resevoir.

What I need advice on:
pump (don't really want to spend much more than $50)
cpu block (cheap but effective?)
relay methods if nessesary for pump

I was looking at maybe the swiftech MCP6000 block from frozencpu for about 40 bucks, and the danner mag 3 from petsmart for like $45

First question is, will the danner mag 3 be enough pump for this system? Also, if I run those CM fans at full speed will that be enough air flow to effectively dissipate the heat from the rad?

If ya'll have any suggestions on where to pickup cheap stuff, or anything I'm forgetting, I'd really appreciate any input. I'm not really a n00b with this stuff, but I never shy away from good advice. All the current specs on my HTPC should be listed below in my sig, but if there are any specific quetions, just fire away.

Thanks.

 

[DFI Daishi]

$45 for the mag 3?

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/category.xml?pcid1=2181;category_id=3855

from what i understand, that is not a very restrictive block compared to some of the other commonly used ones, so maybe you can get away with the mag 3. mag 5 puts up performance closer to the mcp 650 pump. that block also seems to do pretty well in tests against other modern blocks.

for a relay, home-brew is pretty easy with a relay from an industrial electronics shop. just need to find one with: a 12V coil, at least 60 ohm coil resistance, SPST, and able to handle around 1.5-2.0 amps @ 120 VAC. wire the coil to the 12V rail, and the pump in series with the load terminals.

easiest pre-fab that i know of: http://www.criticool.com/Powerplant.html

 

[dewhite]

I figured I could stop at a pets-mart on the way home and grab a mag3 for ~$45 including taxes. How prevalent is this leaking problem I hear about with mag 3's? How about connections, is there going to be a big hassle connecting the mag3 up with my 5/8OD 3/8ID tubing?

Thanks much for the quick reply BTW.

$45 for the mag 3?

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/category.xml?pcid1=2181;category_id=3855

from what i understand, that is not a very restrictive block compared to some of the other commonly used ones, so maybe you can get away with the mag 3. mag 5 puts up performance closer to the mcp 650 pump. that block also seems to do pretty well in tests against other modern blocks.

for a relay, home-brew is pretty easy with a relay from an industrial electronics shop. just need to find one with: a 12V coil, at least 60 ohm coil resistance, SPST, and able to handle around 1.5-2.0 amps @ 120 VAC. wire the coil to the 12V rail, and the pump in series with the load terminals.

easiest pre-fab that i know of: http://www.criticool.com/Powerplant.html

 

[DFI Daishi]

i use a bigger mag for my own loop, but the mag 3 is supposed to be very nearly the same, but smaller.

use plastic 3/8" male barbs, one with 1/2" male and and one with 1/2" female thread (i think) that you can pick up at the hardware store, put teflon tape on the the threads, and tighten the barbs in with a small wrench. don't overtighten the barbs, or they will crack the impeller housing, and the thing WILL leak. metal fittings expand more than the surrounding plastic when they heat up, and stress the plastic somewhat. it probably wouldn't be enough to break the plastic, but avoiding metal fittings is easy.

i think that the tubing you have choosen to use will be a royal pain to get onto the barbs, though.

i usually link big al's because there is a retail store nearby, and it is one of the few places that i get stuff that also exists south of the border.

 

[dewhite]

Our stupid pet store turned out to be a petco, not a petsmart...

So, they had basically nothing I could use, but I remembered there was a little shop down the street from my house. Ran over there just to see if they had anything, and they had a Via Aqua 1300 on the shelf for 21 dollars, pretty good deal I think right? I grabbed it, and some waterproof hightemp bonding agent from the autoparts place next door to do the impeller mod I read about...

Before I crack open the housing and pour glue all up in it, do you think this pump will meet my needs? I can still take it back and order something online if the 1300 won't do. They had bigger models from Via but they were physically speaking - huge, I don't think I could find a place in my case for them.

As to the tubing I'm using, I test fitted it to the barbs I tapped and sweated into my HC and it slid on pretty easily, but held onto the barb firmly even without the ringclamps I have...

 

[DFI Daishi]

i would think that pump will be adequate with the modest overclock that you are listing in your sig. probably not the best, but adequate.........

the plastic fittings that they carry at my local hardware store are slightly oversized. the half inch is closer to 5/8" and are intended mainly for use with well pumps. that is why i was saying that i thought that the tubing would be hard to get on there.

it would be very nice if one of the people who has a lot of experience with striaght watercooling would offer input as well.

 

[dewhite]

I didn't realize you were using peltiers, thanks much for the advise in any case. I hooked up the pump today and tested my work so far on the sweat joints and the NPT fittings on the pump. A little leakage, but nothing I can't correct.

I'll get some pics up when things start getting interesting, for now I'm waiting on the fans and other little bits to show up in the mail later this week. All I need to do now is decide on a block. I know the mcw-5000 is alright, but in that price range, what else do you recommend, given my other choices thus far? Maybe something with a little less restriction?

 

[Russ]

I suggest the Swiftech 6002 $45.00 for your CPU block.

 

[thewhiteguy]

I suggest the Swiftech 6002 $45.00 for your CPU block.

Yeah, if they ever ship it to you.

 

[dewhite]

I should have updated this thread, I bought a via aqua 1300 and did the impeller mod. I also picked up a DD TDX.

I have built up the loop in the case it'll live in and am leak testing it while I wait for some parts for the actual pc to show up.

SIDE NOTE: Anyone know the best place to pickup a replacment lucite top for my block? I've decided since I ordered it to go with a s754 setup instead of a s462 setup. I know these tops are available, but from where - and for how much?

 

[Oh4Sh0]

I dunno, I just wanted to chime in that I was impressed with the VIA's performance considering the price (although its a noisy son of a bitch) you can see some serious flow goin on

 

[dewhite]

Have you done the impeller mod? It is _SO_ much quieter once you do it. As far as I can tell it doesn't reduce flow at all. In fact, thinking about it logically it should actually increase flow ever so slightly...

I dunno, I just wanted to chime in that I was impressed with the VIA's performance considering the price (although its a noisy son of a bitch) you can see some serious flow goin on

 

[Oh4Sh0]

No, I stopped using the setup due to the amount of space everything was takin up