Hardcore Watercooling Newbie

[karnick]

Ok guys heres the deal.. I've hit a wall of 250x10 on my 754 3000+ with my abit KV8 pro.. aside from the fact that the fans are so loud, i do want better temps... i do a lot of gaming...i do not plan on cooling my GPU, but do you guys think i can hit better overclocks if i cool my northbridge?? Also, these are the items i know/think i need.. i just would like to know if i left anything out, and if theres any kind of tutorial that can get me started... thanks guys

Radiator w/ Fans
12V Pump
1/2 inch Tubing
CPU Waterblock
Things that hold fans on radiator(lol)..
Resevior?? (is this optional)?

 

[Russ]

First of all, one of the best watercooling sites for the US is dangerden.com. You should probably get everything from there. Remember to pay attention to the options available with each product page. For instance, here, you can select which size barbs you want on this pump.

terminology:
DD = Danger Den
res = reservior
rad = radiator

reservoirs are optional in the sense that you can either get a res or a T-line and a fillport.

Look at the thread in my sig if you want some suggestions on what to get for a watercooling setup. Especially if you aren't cooling your GPU, it should be pretty cheap. I think it's pretty clear in that thread what parts are watercooling. Note: I don't have a pump selected, but you can choose the pump I linked to in the first part of this post if you want. I am planning to either get that one or one in a pet store, I can't decide.

Now, you don't HAVE to get a 12V pump. 12v simply means it plugs into your comp's psu. You can get AC pumps that will be cheaper, but you have to remember to turn it on when you turn your computer on or get a relay (I'm not sure where to get these things, maybe someone else can help you with relays.) or just lease your pump on 24/7. But I suppose that would make it break faster. Someone else know if this is an option?

I would suggest 3/8" tubing because it is as readily available as 1/2", the cooling will be only minorly worse, and it will look much better.

"Things that hold fans on radiator" - that would be screws. I believe they come with DD rads. So don't worry about that. Do worry about getting a shroud (holds the fans a little ways off the rad to increase air flow and cooling) and fans. Both of which are selectable as options with a DD rad (the heatercore rad at least, which is the best value).

You will also need a water additive. MCT -5 and MCT -40 is a good one because DD has a deal where if you spend over $100 you can get a 32oz can for free. That's good because you usually put about 10 or 20 parts distilled water for 1 part water additive in your loop, so it will last a long time.

You'll also need clamps, but DD only has crappy plastic ones (Only thing lacking about their site), so look around on other sites or in a hardware store for some metal clamps (worm clamps if possible).

Get some Arctic Silver 5 from DD too. You'll need thermal paste for when you apply your cpu waterblock. I don't have the DD link to it in my thread (sig), so here it is:
http://dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=72&cat=52&page=1
Also AS Ceramique is just as good at cooling (maybe 1-2 degree difference), but it's non-conductive (I think that's the difference between 'em), so your choice:
http://dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=73&cat=52&page=1

And that should be all you'll need.

Isn't there a watercooling guide around here somewhere? Aha!
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=759705
There. Be sure to read that.

------

O yeah, don't watercool the northbridge. It will just add uneccesary heat to your loop. Just look around for a good passive (heatsink) or active (fan) cooler for it if you plan to be doing heavy overclocking. If that. Stock cooling is fine for most people. Can someone else provide links to a good NB cooler? I don't know any.