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How mobile is a water cooled pc?
- Thread starter WeeManFoo
- Start date
i think its pretty risky, but depends on what kind of water cooled system you have... you wouldn't want to if it has an open resevoir for sure.
How often will it be moved around? if its like weekly then yea its a hassle. 6months then it might be worth it to just drain it out before you move it, but any less I probably wouldn't go water.
How often will it be moved around? if its like weekly then yea its a hassle. 6months then it might be worth it to just drain it out before you move it, but any less I probably wouldn't go water.
Arcygenical
Fully [H]
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Actually... It's safer to move a waterblock system around than a system with one of those huge heatsinks!!!
WC gear adds around 10lbs filled.
WC gear adds around 10lbs filled.
lol yea there is a lot to consider.. it'll be easier if you have a HSF and WC system your comparing so we can tell you which is safer.
You dont want to move a comp with a very heavy HSF or a WC system that isn't completely leak free. Both will damage your comp a lot if an accident occurs. heavy HSF falling on top of motherboard or vid card. water splashing around your comp will also do a lot of damage.
I moved mine fine, a 6 hour drive from home to the dorm, fired it up with no problems.
As long as you keep your case as upright as possible (i.e. the position it sits in when it's on), and it isn't jerked around much, you should be fine. Though I agree with some of the above posters, it DOES make the computer heavier (I found that out the hard way lugging it up 5 flights of stairs
)
As long as you keep your case as upright as possible (i.e. the position it sits in when it's on), and it isn't jerked around much, you should be fine. Though I agree with some of the above posters, it DOES make the computer heavier (I found that out the hard way lugging it up 5 flights of stairs
)silent-circuit
[H]F Junkie
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I managed to move mine without issue. No leaks, no problems. I was a bit worried because the fittings I'm using -- Aqua Computer Plug & Cool -- don't use clamps, so I was afraid the tubing would slip out. That, and they'd leaked a bit initially. Since getting the leaks to stop I've had no problems at all. With a barb and clamp system with everything properly mounted and a closed top radiator I see no issues moving a watercooled system.
I moved my SFF pc 3 times a week to the lan center for about 3 months.
It has a cpu, gpu block, sealed res, and a 3x120mm radiator.
Never had a problem. Also I only use compression fittings on every single transition except the pump which has worm drive clamps.
It has a cpu, gpu block, sealed res, and a 3x120mm radiator.
Never had a problem. Also I only use compression fittings on every single transition except the pump which has worm drive clamps.
Ok, i think I am going to do a mix of both WC and air. I will watercool my cpu with something like a Swiftech H20-120. I'll cool my 8800gts with two 120mm yate loons blowing in from the top of my case. By doing this, I avoid having a heavy hsf that can snap off. I also will only have water circulate through two tubes so there is less chance of a malfunction (less parts, less problems). Do you think this will work well? Here is a pic from somebody else (FlimFlam) doing the same thing. He has a video here
looks like something I would do... let us know how much better it cools your CPU compared to your air setup (with 7v and 12v) and if you could oc the cpu a bit more with water. Should keep your vid card cooler since you dont have hot air inside the case anymore from the CPU (if you setup the fan to exhaust from radiator).
silent-circuit
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Temps are going to be pretty 'blah' with a single 120mm radiator on a modern CPU. Idle is lower than good air, but load tends to be the same or a little higher, at least in my experience. Granted the Swiftech blocks are doubtlessly better than the POS I have from Thermaltake, but I think the size and thusly, ability to dissipate heat of the radiator is the bigger problem with this sort of setup.
It would be just as mobile as an aircooled system given that you have everything mounted internally.
ikellensbro
[H]ard|Gawd
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The 10lbs. number sounds a little high to me; how much more it weighs than some good (ie heavy) aftermarket air is debatable. Most loops use ~1 liter/quart of fluid, so 2 pounds, plus tubing, barbs, res possibly - say another pound. The radiator might not actually add too much - Swiftech says their MCR-220 (2x120) is under 2 pounds. At the high end, a PA120.3 weighs 3.5 pounds, so overall you might be looking at 5-6 pounds more than air.
When bringing my tower to lans, I'm more concerned with anything coming loose (not tubing connections: 7/16 + blow dryer + hose clamps = not coming off). A year ago, I thought I had somehow fried my 6800 (with a Maze4 on it), but the card had only barely wiggled itself out of the slot, so it wasn't making a full connection. A flashlight would have solved the problem, but take care to make sure everything in your tower is properly secured before transporting it. A Card Keeper or equivalent would be very handy for GPUs, but otherwise you shouldn't need to worry too much.
When bringing my tower to lans, I'm more concerned with anything coming loose (not tubing connections: 7/16 + blow dryer + hose clamps = not coming off). A year ago, I thought I had somehow fried my 6800 (with a Maze4 on it), but the card had only barely wiggled itself out of the slot, so it wasn't making a full connection. A flashlight would have solved the problem, but take care to make sure everything in your tower is properly secured before transporting it. A Card Keeper or equivalent would be very handy for GPUs, but otherwise you shouldn't need to worry too much.
I think I might do a custom setup similar to the kit. If I used a Apogee GTX block with a Black Ice GT Stealth radiator and a Yate Loon fan, I should be able to cool a quad at least.
silent-circuit
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A quad at stock sure. A quad OC'd considerably, probably not. Without a very high flow and thusly, loud, fan (Delta, Panaflow) you're not going to get enough cooling performance from a single 120mm radiator.
Well, I don't plan on getting a quad until they are 45nm so I think I should be fine. If it is too hot, I could always add a 2x120 rad on top of my case like alot of people have. Though, that would bring back the mobility problem...
I think the kit can cool pretty well as shown here
I think the kit can cool pretty well as shown here
you make it seem like this is worse then air coolers, because a lot of the high end air can cool quad OCed.
These review show it performs better then any of the air. (including the one OP posted above me)
http://www.overclock.net/water-cooling/226975-swiftech-h20-120-compact-vs-ultra.html
http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/9781/103/
wish kyle could get his hands on one and test it against ultra 120.
performed better then infinity. I'm not sure where your getting your info... have you tested this product on a quad?
If you put some fan grills over the top you should be fine. As long as you're not smacking the fins, at the top they tend not to be in the way. Mine's on the back though and it IS a pain to move.
I think the OP would be happy just getting the CPU cooled near or better then ultra 120. There is a sacrifice you have to make in not having a super overclockable computer with 3X120mm radiators to have more mobility instead. Also its just the CPU and not chipset, GPU, etc included. I'm just wondering why there are claims it can't cool CPU only with 120 mm radiator while many reviews show it does that job well. I mean people have 2X120 mm rads cooling a GPU, chipset, and CPU. Having the 120 mm fit inside the case and pump attached to CPU block should make it fairly mobile and possibly less risky then having an ultra 120 extreme.
The thing about swiftech compact WC that may be a concern is leaking, malfunctions, etc. I saw one case where the pump failed, but seems like he just had a bad apple.
Well, I don't really know why you quoted me
But I agree. I have an overclocked Q6600 (see sig) and an x1950XTX on a 2x120mm rad. And my temps are perfect.BillParrish
Supreme [H]ardness
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go closed loop (no res) and its not a concern, and actually compared to an tuniq or Ultra 120 which are extreamly heavy and exceed Intels spec on heatsink weight, probally safer. I transport mine back and forth all the time. Just normal care as in dont pile a bunch of crap on top of it. Sure it a bit heaver, get one of those collasping dolly like things for luggage and bungie that baby and give it a ride.
Erasmus354
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I move my system all the time for 4 hour car rides. I even lie the computer on its side, any side. Before I move it I take out my harddrives (they are in a removable cage). If a leak occurs, you can clean it up and dry everything off and you will be fine. No damage can occur if there is no power running through it.
I would probably have to replace the PSU and maybe disc drives, but everything else would be fine if there was a leak. I remove the harddrives because I don't want to risk my data, that is the hardest thing to replace.
On that note, I have moved my computer dozens of times without a leak. I use good solid worm drive hose clamps, check everything before I leave and run a leak test when I arrive. Nothing to worry about.
I would probably have to replace the PSU and maybe disc drives, but everything else would be fine if there was a leak. I remove the harddrives because I don't want to risk my data, that is the hardest thing to replace.
On that note, I have moved my computer dozens of times without a leak. I use good solid worm drive hose clamps, check everything before I leave and run a leak test when I arrive. Nothing to worry about.
Drudenhaus
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I take my beast to LANs once in a while. The drive is never more than an hour and I haven't ever had a problem occur from the travel. If you have an external setup, you'll probably be more prone to problems though.
Bio-Hazard
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Never a leak moving my systems, even when I built my external system. I used self sealing QD so it was only a simple matter of 2 quick disconnects and both sections were 100% sealed.
DFI Daishi
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my sig needs a massive update, but........
last weekend i LANed with a friend of mine at his place using my watercooled system without any issues transporting it. i disconnected things as per usual with a PC, carried it to the car under my arm, buckled it into a passenger seat to keep it upright and made the drive over.
one loop with a T-line fill system and a rad in the top of the case.
last weekend i LANed with a friend of mine at his place using my watercooled system without any issues transporting it. i disconnected things as per usual with a PC, carried it to the car under my arm, buckled it into a passenger seat to keep it upright and made the drive over.
one loop with a T-line fill system and a rad in the top of the case.