Can WC be cheap?

[UN0]

Alright i'm planning a big mod soon and I am seriously on a budget (18 and heading to art school) I need advice on cheap watercooling. I am not an insane overclocker though I will dabble in it. I am not worried about noise (of course it has to be reasonable) . I am also sort of a minimalist so I don't need all the crazy bells and whistles
Please let me tap your brains on a cheap and efficient watercooling setup my budget would be within $150 bucks I saw this thermaltake bigwater but then I saw flames on it so I don't know if just building from scratch is what I should go with?!
I am willing to scavange around for parts if need be (I heard something about car radiators one of my buddies is an airforce mechanic so if I had to I could get one
)

please help!!!!
-UNO

oh yah and my specs are in the sig

 

[autobot]

Watercooling can definatly be done on the cheap. Here is a list of quality products that can be used for an inexpensive watercooling system:

Swiftech Apogee: $35
http://www.svc.com/apogee.html

Swiftech MCR120: $28
http://www.crazypc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=9316BK

DangerDen CSP-MAG: $50
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=178&cat=23&page=1

T-line: $1.75
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=65&cat=35&page=1

Fillport: $11.95
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=56&cat=35&page=1

Tubing (MasterKleer 7/16"ID 5/8"OD): $0.38/ft.
http://www.mcmaster.com part number: 5233K44

Parts minus tubing and shipping is $127. You'd probubly want to order at least 10 feet of tubing that way you have some spare tubing left over for any mishaps or future upgrades.

 

[Erasmus354]

You could probably get a really nice used setup for that price. If you want to go with something new here are some good options.

Radiator:
Heatercore (Bonneville 77' with AC is the most common dual, Chevette 86' is a good single)
BIP II (The price on these has come down a lot, 36$)

CPU Block:
Swiftech MCW6000
Swiftech Apogee

These two can be had for as low as 35$ and work well in lower flow situations. I would prefer the 6000.

Pump:
Aquarium Pump (Eheim, Hydor, Danner Mag 3, VIA Aqua 1300 are common choices)
CSP-Mag pump - This is DC, a bit more expensive than some of the aquarium pumps 50$

Tubing:
Depending on the barb size, I think MasterKleer 7/16" tubing is a great choice at 0.59 - 0.49 a foot + shipping.

Then you just need some hose clamps from the hardware store and some fans, which you might already have lying around.

 

[BellaCroix]

For the time and effort put into WC "on the cheap" I'd rahter spend the money on a really good HSU and a Stealth fan.

Yeah, it can be had "on the cheap"... so can a power supply, motherboard, graphics card, etc. Not that I'm digging on any of the recommendations made, and I'm not implying that you have to use low-flow, expensive German kit, but in many instances, you get what you pay for.

I'll give you that the German (Innovatek / AC) may not perform as good as some 1/2" kit. But if you're looking to save money, your best bet is to buy really good HSUs and fans and spend the extra money on parts that will actually affect your performance.

Save the couple extra bucks and get SATA HDDs instead of PATA, a marginally better GPU, the next step up CPU, a better PSU, a soundcard instead of on-board sound, etc.

 

[Erasmus354]

For the time and effort put into WC "on the cheap" I'd rahter spend the money on a really good HSU and a Stealth fan.

Yeah, it can be had "on the cheap"... so can a power supply, motherboard, graphics card, etc. Not that I'm digging on any of the recommendations made, and I'm not implying that you have to use low-flow, expensive German kit, but in many instances, you get what you pay for.

I'll give you that the German (Innovatek / AC) may not perform as good as some 1/2" kit. But if you're looking to save money, your best bet is to buy really good HSUs and fans and spend the extra money on parts that will actually affect your performance.

Save the couple extra bucks and get SATA HDDs instead of PATA, a marginally better GPU, the next step up CPU, a better PSU, a soundcard instead of on-board sound, etc.

I beg to differ, watercooling for just the CPU for 150$ can be a VERY good performing kit. If you want watercooling it is definitely worth the difference. Considering the MCW6000 is a very good performing block even at low flows provided by weaker pumps, and a dual 120mm radiator can dissipate a lot of heat you wont be too far off a high end Storm/D5 watercooling loop.

 

[BellaCroix]

I beg to differ, watercooling for just the CPU for 150$ can be a VERY good performing kit. If you want watercooling it is definitely worth the difference. Considering the MCW6000 is a very good performing block even at low flows provided by weaker pumps, and a dual 120mm radiator can dissipate a lot of heat you wont be too far off a high end Storm/D5 watercooling loop.

Okay, $150 investment to only cool the CPU is very do-able. Hell, if you throw out all the extras you can even do it with German gear. But if he's not worried about noise and only plans to "dabble" in overclocking I still say he'd be better off with active-HSUs and better parts. $150 is a decent amount of money to toss at hardware.

...i.e.
AMD Athlon 64 x2 3800+ Manchester (Newegg): $301
AMD Athlon 64 x2 4400+ Toledo (Newegg): $464
Difference: $163

Will air-cooling be louder? Probably, yes.
Will air-cooling limit your overclock? Definitely, yes.
Will air-cooling be louder than water? It's a safe bet, it will.
Will air-cooling be cheaper, allowing more beer money? Oh yeah!
Will the chicks you invite to your dorm be affected? Almost certainly, no... and if they are they're either geeks or just faking.

Sorry... with all due respect... sometimes I think WC is like LED fans, (depending on the application) if you have the money to blow it can be really sweet... otherwise, all you're doing is blowing money.

 

[Down8]

If you're willing to look around for 2nd hand stuff (and OK with the possible risk), you can get a lot of stuff here, in the FS forums. I did:

$70 - DD Maze4, Ehiem 1048, Black Ice Pro
$25 - Tanok-O-Matic resevoir
-----
$95 total
<$20 MasterKleer tubing
-----
$115 shipped for a complete system (aside from 120mm fan, but that's a preferential piece).

I'm going to be adding/changing some things, but that setup will work fine with minor OCs. In the FS forum, there is even a couple ppl selling complete kits (CoolerMaster, etc.) for less than $100. It all depends on how far you need to go, and what you're willing to risk (financially, since there is obvious risk in putting water into your PC).

-bZj

 

[UN0]

well reguardless of my intentions I just wanted suggestions thanks for the help guys! any more recommendations are welcome

 

[UN0]

Watercooling can definatly be done on the cheap. Here is a list of quality products that can be used for an inexpensive watercooling system:

Swiftech Apogee: $35
http://www.svc.com/apogee.html

Swiftech MCR120: $28
http://www.crazypc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=9316BK

DangerDen CSP-MAG: $50
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=178&cat=23&page=1

T-line: $1.75
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=65&cat=35&page=1

Fillport: $11.95
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=56&cat=35&page=1

Tubing (MasterKleer 7/16"ID 5/8"OD): $0.38/ft.
http://www.mcmaster.com part number: 5233K44

Parts minus tubing and shipping is $127. You'd probubly want to order at least 10 feet of tubing that way you have some spare tubing left over for any mishaps or future upgrades.

ty so much man

 

[jman1]

These collections of parts (kits) are complete everything you would need with a variety of choices for blocks can be seen HERE .

 

[dragonorta]

Yes, Watercooling can be relatively cheap. After spending about two weeks browsing the For Sale forums, I got a BIP2 for $25, AquaExtreme 50z for $50, and an MCW6000 for $25. $8 for tubing, a few bucks for a T-line, and then whatever fans you want. I'll be getting(hopefully, when I have the money) 3 Yate-Loons from J-Mag for $19.