First foray into watercooling...

[InternationalHat]

I'm building a watercooling rig for my next box and I've started buying up components. Noise is somewhat important to me as my current machine whirrs along like a cropduster. After researching, I feel like the following parts will be best for me. I've never done this so any help/advice is appreciated. I'll be purchasing a lot of the parts this week and in 2 weeks when I get done with a project at work.

The system will flow in the following order with 1/2" tubing
1 - Danger Den cylindrical Reservoir
1 - Swiftech MCP655 Pump
1 - Quad Voyeurmods HeaterCore with 4 El Cheapo Yate Loon 120mm fans I'll eventually replace
1 - Swiftech Storm CPU block
1 - Dangerden brass Maze4 GPU cooler
using HydrX coolant as recommended by the pump

The reason for the extra-large heatercore is that it'll be mounted outside of the case. I'm running fairly low CFM fans on it, and the ambient temp is rather low(around 65F). I like the look of it and it'll fit fine on the side of the giant full tower this is all going in.

I'll likely be cooling a system(being built somewhat later, within a month or a month and a half by the end) that consists of:
AMD 3800 x2 Oc/d
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D with a Zalman passive heatsink
2 gb pc4000 OCZ ddr
7800 GTX(whatever brand is cheapest when I'm ready to buy)
Antec TPII-550watt PS
Emu 1820M(uses a molex)
Intel PCI Ethernet adapter
2 optical drives
and 2 200-250gb WD IDE drives until I have the extra money laying around to buy SATA2 drives

The case will have a 120mm in, a 120mm exhaust and possibly another 120 mm in and exhaust which could put the total up to 8 120's running off this PS. I'm getting a fan controller to drop them down to around 5-7v.

Is the W/Cing setup reasonable? Should I be looking at different blocks/pumps? Will the power supply be ok for this or should I be looking at 600 watts? Thanks for any and all help.

 

[Ghent915]

Well...it looks decent.
I'd go with 7/16" tubing. It works better with negligible efficency losses. Tygon (item 54047 @ USPlastics) works great. Masterklear, in the same dimensions is also good stuff, just far cheaper.

Your call there. I've used both, and both work well thus far.

As for your giganto-rad: That bugger is bloody well expensive. For the same price, you could get two 120X2 rads with low cfm fans on them, and do a comparable amount of cooling. That would also allow for more creative mounting options.

Just my $0.02
-Ghent

 

[DFI Daishi]

you might want to go with an acetyl top GPU block, simply for weight reasons. no one needs their VGA card to pop out of the slot because of excessive weight, when they move their machine.

i think that my chief problem with the thought of using a massive heatercore like the one that you are looking at is that, in your case, you seem to be targeting really, really low noise opperation. great stuff, that core will let you reduce fan noise to a bare minimum. problem being, at that point you will hear your pump over the fans.

i know that it's a really expensive proposition, however you might want to go with two MCP655/DDC-12V pumps in series, to get quieter opperation. at that point, you would have closer noise levels between the fans and the pumps.

definately get the thicker shroud for that rad, if you spring for it. with weak and quiet little fans, they need every bit of help they can get.

regarding the yate loon fans: why replace them? they are some of the better low noise 120mm fans out there.

 

[InternationalHat]

Will that add much to the performance, a 2nd pump with both on a lower setting? I don't think pump noise is going to be a major problem. The case I bought is literally 2 feet high, an Inwin Q600 and it will be deadened somewhat. The pump's going in the bottom on a pad of neoprene and dynamat.. I was thinking of walling up the pump with the 2 sq ft. of dynamat I got with some car speakers. I want to make sure it's not putting out too much heat or I'll have to think of some tricky diagonal insulation walling to allow airflow but reduce reflection of the noise. The case alone is a good 35 lbs and with deadening and w/cing I expect it to be over 55.. It doesn't get moved unless something's going in it.

Along with some high density foam, I think that'd knock down the pump noise to near inaudible. There's so much room in this thing and the rad's going on the outside to warm my feet with the fan exhaust I should be able to play with sound deadening and stuff.

 

[DFI Daishi]

oop.....what i really meant to suggest is using two MCP350 or DDC-12V pumps, not using two MCP655s. that should offer marginally better performance, with a reasonable reduction in noise.

i suppose that you could effectively deaden sound as you have proposed, i've simply gotten used to thinking in terms of reducing noise production.

if you DO decided to go with deadening, be sure to stick some deadening material on the wall behind the case and maybe some underneath and some standing up beside it as well, in order to take care of ALL reflective surfaces.

 

[el rolio]

yea man, i think you could do either with the single 655 or dual 355's (do they even make 1/2" barbs on the 35x series?) but i definately think you should consider dual 120x2 rads if the price difference really is there. see if you can get rads that have shrouds as an accessory and if so, get em.

i love your thoughts about using the neoprene and dynamat. i gotta get me some dynamat. jsut make sure you put it all in before the parts so you can get as much of the deadenin applied as possible.

yes the pump noise can be an issue as right now, after replacing my psu fan... the only things makin noise at idle is the coils in the psu and what i can only assume is the pump. but thats cuz im so tuned into listenin for the noise ya kno.. it may or may not be an issue for you.

yay storm block!

and yea take out advice, unless you want the LOOK of 1/2" tubing, go for the 7/16" as it pretty much the same hi flo performance (difference really is negligable) and much easier tubing to work with, once you get it on the barbs (boiling the tubes in water helps)