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First time WaterCooling Questions

R

ratman69

n00b
Joined
Mar 19, 2004
Messages
15
I’m going to build my first water cooling system for my pc, and I have a couple questions. My goal is to get a little better cooling than air, but mostly to get the noise level down.

Here’s the parts list so far

DD Maze4SHD Waterblock (My MB doesn’t have mounting holes)
DD Maze4GPU Waterblock
DD Z-Chip Block
All 1/2in tubing and fittings
Black Ice Extreme Radiator
120MM Fan (Haven’t decided yet)
Eheim 1048 or 1046

The system will be cooling a AMD Barton 2500 pumped up to 200 or 210 FSB and a Nvidia 5900 GPU.

Now for my questions. I’m worried about achieving the proper flow rates through the system. Should I use a Y fitting and split the flow from the radiator, having one go to the CPU block and then the NB block, and the other system going to the GPU? Or should I run the system in series? Or, should I get a RBX block and have one output go to the NB, one to the GPU and then a Y to collect them?

Now, about the pump. Should I try and get the 12v pump, or stick with the 110v and get a relay? Will the Eheim 1048 flow enough for three waterblocks? Should I get a res? I was thinking of getting the one that connects directly to the pump, for ease of use, less tubing; therefore less restriction.

I’ll be putting this all in a ThermalTake XaserIII (Don’t give me any shit cause I like the case) so I should have plenty of room. I was going to take out the blowhole/usb assembly on top and widen the hole to 120mm and mount the rad and fan there. Should I have the fan sucking through the rad, or blowing through?

Any other tips would be great too, I want to do this right the first time.

Thanks a lot!
 
im getting a 12v fan only cause i dont want to hassle with the relay switch and cutting holes in my case
 
As far as flowrates are concerned, you need a better pump. The Eheim 1250 or the Danner Magdrive3 will be great for you. Higer flowrates with greater head and pressure is just what you need.

For the BEST flow, you put all your components in series. I would recommend the RBX because of its performance increces over the Maze4 in a higher flow system. To get the highest flow from the RBX, use the Y after the CPU and go the the GPU and NB in series.

I actually have a very similar setup to what you are looking at (check my sig). I go pump->RBX, then split the flow to the GPU and NB -> 2 inlets on my bayres -> BIX -> pump. This isnt the best system as far as flow, but I had to fit it into my Lianli PC60 somehow...

If you have the space, by all means go in series with all your components. You can also use a res if you want, but it really doenst make much of a difference cooling wise. Getting a res and putting it right before your pump would be the best option if you decide to get one.

For the rad, I would really look at the BIX II if you can afford it. Your temps will thank you later if you do. All that would take is 2x 120mm fan holes in the top of the case. No big deal. I would have the fans whatever way the radiator lets you mount it to both the top of the case and the radiator itslef. Whether this is suck or blow I don't know, but it doesnt make much of a difference.

Let me know if you hava any other questions. Good Luck!

-OMP
 
Thanks OneMadPoptart, excellent reply. That should help a lot, but it has given me a couple more questions.

I've read that the RBX doesn't work as well on AMD chips because it doesn't hit the support pads so it comes off the core more easily. I was thinking this problem would be compounded by the fact that I would have to use a socket hold down. What do you think?

I can get the BIXII, money isn't really a problem here, I was just worried that it might be difficult to get that big radiator in the top of my box. I'll do some measuring before I order.

Now about the flow path, I was under the impression that the best was was pump-> radiator - > CPU because that way you get the coolest water to the cpu, rather that the water coming off the pump that is slightly heated from the pumps friction. Or does the higher pressure off the pump outweigh the tiny bit of extra heat?

Oh, and do you know of any good sites to get a Danner Magdrive3? The cheapest I found was www.reefgeek.com for $40. I was going to run down to the LFS and see if they have any Danner's, but I doubt they do.

Thanks Again!
 
The AMD version of the RBX comes with extra crush pads for the processor that you can install. No biggie. Just install them correctly according to dangerden. Also check out the Dtek Whitewater. Same basic design (but no nozzle changes). I don't know if they sell socket hold down mounts though...
I would still go with the RBX with the #5 nozzle if you can get it.

I'm pretty sure you can fit a BIX II in the top of the Xaser (my brother has that case and he is looking for rads too...). You will have to keep the top one or two 5.25 bays open depending on where you put the fans though... To get really great cooling out of all 3 blocks I would really look for a dual radiator of price really isnt much restriction.

As far as flow path is concerned, there are a lot of common misconceptions when it comes to thermodynamics and watercooling loops. The water doesn't "cool" down in the radiator like you think it does. The radiator dissapates heat and lowers the EQULIBRIUM temperature of the water. What I'm really saying is this:

The water in your watercooling loop is the same temperature no matter where it is.

Therefore, no benifits in water temperature come from sticking the radiator before or after the waterblocks. Sticking the radiator before the waterblocks does help the pump push water through it (radiators are high resistance) which helps flowrates a bit, but not much. Do whatever looks best in your system, and helps you save tubing.

I know you can get the Mag3 (and the Mag5 for 500GPH:eek: ) at petsmart and other petsstores that have pond/aquarium supplies. Check around with your local aquariuum/pond/pet stores before you order online if thats the pump you want to get. The Mag5 might be ok for you too, especially if your going with the #5 nozzle and 2 other blocks and the dual radiator. Thats quite a bit of restriction, but I don't know if the added heat it puts into the loop will nullify any performance gains you see.

Good luck!

-OMP
 
Well, I went ahead and ordered everything. I can't believe I spent that much on watercooling! :eek:

I'll post again when I get it done, let you know how well it came out. Thanks again for the help! :)
 
skip it... get a sp97 thermalright adn a 80mm smart fan 2... i went from water to this( my water setup was pretty darn good too... dual rad's eheim 1250 pump maze 3, mcw-50T and bay res) and my temps are LOWER and the thermal past hasnt set it....AND i saved a TON of money!
 
How did you save a bunch of money if you had already bought all that crap and then bought something else? :) j/k

I currentlu have a Thermalright SLK-800 with a Thermaltake SmartFan II. My temps are fine, but its kinda loud. I'm going water to try and get the sound level down some. Currently the two loudest fans in my system are the CPU fan, and the fan on my powersupply. I think the powersupply fan is loud because its picking up a lot of heat off the processor. So if I get all that heat venting out thru the top with a radiator and some low speed 120mm fans, and take out a couple of the other fans in the system (the xaser case has wayyy too many) then my overall sound level should come down, and it'll probably be cooler too.

Otherwise I just wasted a whole lotta money! :)
 
What did you end up ordering? There are some other things you need that we didn't mention here like distilled water, water additives to prevent bacteria and corrosion, hose clamps, tubing etc...

Just curious:D

Good luck with your system. I'm eagerly awaiting the results.

-OMP
 
yeah, you will get lower temps at higher oc's and less noise, but in my case( 2350 is cpu's max) i dont nee dthat kinda cooling, and now that it's all setup, i am very happy wiht my air, over water! :)
 
OK, here's what I bought.

DD RBXSHD Waterblock
DD Maze4GPU Waterblock
DD Z-Chip Block
10ft 1/2 ID 5/8 OD tubing
Black Ice Extreme II Radiator
2 Thermaltake BlueLed SmartCase Fan 120MM Fan + grills
Danner Magdrive 3
18 hose clamps + Y + T fittings from DD
2 1/2 screw-in fittings (I'm going to build a resevoir out of PVC and hang it off the back.)

I can get Reverse Osmosis water pretty easy, or distilled, whichever is better. I was going to put some water wetter in, and some Blue UV die. Water wetter prevents bacteria and corrosion, right?

I can't wait to get it all, hopefully I get it early enough next week so I can through it together and leak test it for a few days before I install it in the case. I think I have next weekend free, which is a rare thing, so hopefully I'll be able to install it then. I figure it will take a while, because I'll need to take everything out of the case to cut it up. I'm also going to sleeve my power wires too, so its probably going to take a whole day or two to get it all done.
 
Distilled water is what you want. Looks like a great system there. I'm looking forward to hearing how it turns out. Be sure to post pics when your done.

Good luck and have fun!

-OMP
 
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