Choosing equipment...

[TMaxx6]

I have an Athlon 64 3000+ S939 right now idling at 45C. I'm looking at go watercooling, because fans are getting annoying.

I'm looking to cool my system (CPU + 9800 Pro) down to (hopefully) <40C under load. My ambient temperatures are about 70-80F.

I'm thinking of getting the following:

Danger Den Heatercore + Shroud (pre-modded) - $48
Danger Den Maze4 CPU Waterblock - $35
Danger Den Maze4 GPU Water Block - $45
Tubing + clamps + misc + t-line - $20 at hardware store
Hydor L25 - $35

Total is roughly $180 (without shipping); I could probably find some stuff for cheaper if I hunted around more.

I know that the Maze4 CPU isn't the best, but I really would like to stay on a budget. I plan to use my Kingwin 120mm case fan on the radiator (80CFM).

Distilled water is a must, correct (ie: no tap water)? What is reccomended as a water additive?

My hard-drive bay measures (looking at it from the side like you would look at a motherboard in a case) 6" Wide x 6.5" Tall x 7.25" Deep. Do you think a single heater core with a shround + fan will fit in (obviously the radiator won't be too thick, but will I be able to close my case door)? Or am I better off mounting it outside with hoses running through an expansion slot?

And yes, I realize I could get an XP-120 and a Zalman GPU cooler, but I'm tired of fans. They are noisy, and blowing dust out every few weeks sucks. I'd rather just keep a radiator clean and flush the system occasionally.

 

[Oh4Sh0]

I'm not 100% of what the via pump's performance is compared to the hydor. But if you can stand a slight bit of more noise(you may be able to fix that by applying something like foam feet) you can save yourself a few bux going with the via 1300(i think like $23)

 

[CypHill]

hardware store tubing is terrible - it'll collect lots of crap too

 

[Oh4Sh0]

Also, most people just put a small amount of antifreeze in their distilled water

 

[DFI Daishi]

i would say that using cheap hardware store tubing (as long as it has thick walls, 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD) would be a fine idea, if you use distilled water and a coolant additive like zerex that is known to be pretty non-reactive with various plastics.

as for noise and the via pump, you can silence some of the noise that it makes with some superglue on a specific part of the impeller assembly, and whatever soft material you care to put under it. i think that it is only really worthwhile if it saves you enough to upgrade to a better waterblock, though.

 

[KrakenGuy]

Your definately not going to get that Radeon 9800 Pro below 40*C... Dude, I have a Black Ice Pro, hooked up to a 3.2ghz Northwood core and a 9800 XT (same as pro pretty much), and my idle temps are like 57-58*C... I highly doubt that the 9800 will go below 40...

 

[TMaxx6]

Your definately not going to get that Radeon 9800 Pro below 40*C... Dude, I have a Black Ice Pro, hooked up to a 3.2ghz Northwood core and a 9800 XT (same as pro pretty much), and my idle temps are like 57-58*C... I highly doubt that the 9800 will go below 40...

I meant I wanted my processor to be <40C under load or so.

Yea, there is no way I could get my 9800 Pro to go <40C under load; it's hot as hell.

 

[DFI Daishi]

I meant I wanted my processor to be <40C under load or so.

Yea, there is no way I could get my 9800 Pro to go <40C under load; it's hot as hell.

yeah, you can't with straight watercooling.

however one of the few easy peltier applications out there is that if you have a really big 550 or 600 watt PSU, you can run an 80 watt peltier off of your regular 12Vrail in conjunction with your watercooling and computer.

that size of pelt keeps my OCed radeon 9800 pro down around 15C under load.