I will post a worklog with my first WC build ever and perhaps even a few tests after my recent phone call with Dennis over at Dangerden.
Let me first state; getting into watercooling is nothing shy of a nightmare, everything is always out of stock, there are few reviews on the products, and the reviews can be very candid depending on a user's setup.
To start, this is my watercooling setup so far:
PA 120.3
Dtek Fuzion AND DD TDX
Custom DFI x38(more later)
DD 8800gtx block
Laing D5 fixed pump
Swiftec micro res.
This is where my experience with Dangerden comes in. Upon deciding that I would like the DFI x38 LT T2R motherboard, I ordered a dangerden MPC x38 chipset block as I couldn't find another company making an x38 block.
Guess what? The DFI board uses a completely different chipset mounting hardware than every other x38 motherboard. Needless to say DD was unaware and my x38 block didn't work.
I email Dangerden with a pretty nice email, I didn't demand anything, I just stated that I was unsure if I was sent an old x38 revision(how?) or if they were just unaware of the DFI motherboard.
Within a day I was physically on the phone with Dennis over at Dangerden.(That was on April 2, 2008)
Dennis was probably the nicest owner and representative I have ever talked to. I wasn't even mad about the situation as I knew from a friend that getting your feet wet for the first time is usually a long drawn out process.
Anyways, per our conversation he was extremely apologetic and ready to get to the solution. I was expecting that he would want me to send the mobo, or the heatsink to him along with my old x38 block to create a custom acrylic top, mount it and send it all back to me. Man was I wrong. He asked me if I could draw out how the block was configured for mounting holes and to find the offset. He would then custom make me another x38 block and mail it to me free of charge. MAN I was SOO HAPPY!
Its not over yet though.
After we got that settled, he asked me how he could repay me for my time and effort(wtf I just wanted a working block) and after arguing about it, we got to talking about my loop. I mentioned that I decided to go with a Dtek fuzion as it was proving to be top dog for flow and cooling with nozzles. He immideatly stopped me and told me that when he and his partner started DD they promised not to do negative advertising, but per their testing he assured me that the TDX should outperform the Dtek in my loop. So instead of offering me a discount on the TDX block, hes shipping me one to test out FOR FREE. He said if I liked it more than the fuzion, it would bring joy to him if I could share my findings with my forum of choice as he finds customers to be the best form of advertising.
Then I asked him if I made an order tonight, if they could put it in the same box. He questioned what I needed to order, which was 1/2" tubes. He did mentioned that Tygon is overpriced, but is the best tube, so he added 10 feet, FOR FREE AGAIN!
I feel bad because I shouldn't get this stuff for free as it is pricey, and the custom x38 block would have been enough, but I am EXTREMELY happy with the service I received tonight.
I feel almost like a product tester now as I will test the TDX and the Dtek and report my findings.
I hope you have been treated with the same compassion.
Although I still feel the Fuzion is going to be the better waterblock, I'm pretty excited! Will post pictures as soon as everything comes in!
-Michael
Let me first state; getting into watercooling is nothing shy of a nightmare, everything is always out of stock, there are few reviews on the products, and the reviews can be very candid depending on a user's setup.
To start, this is my watercooling setup so far:
PA 120.3
Dtek Fuzion AND DD TDX
Custom DFI x38(more later)
DD 8800gtx block
Laing D5 fixed pump
Swiftec micro res.
This is where my experience with Dangerden comes in. Upon deciding that I would like the DFI x38 LT T2R motherboard, I ordered a dangerden MPC x38 chipset block as I couldn't find another company making an x38 block.
Guess what? The DFI board uses a completely different chipset mounting hardware than every other x38 motherboard. Needless to say DD was unaware and my x38 block didn't work.
I email Dangerden with a pretty nice email, I didn't demand anything, I just stated that I was unsure if I was sent an old x38 revision(how?) or if they were just unaware of the DFI motherboard.
Within a day I was physically on the phone with Dennis over at Dangerden.(That was on April 2, 2008)
Dennis was probably the nicest owner and representative I have ever talked to. I wasn't even mad about the situation as I knew from a friend that getting your feet wet for the first time is usually a long drawn out process.
Anyways, per our conversation he was extremely apologetic and ready to get to the solution. I was expecting that he would want me to send the mobo, or the heatsink to him along with my old x38 block to create a custom acrylic top, mount it and send it all back to me. Man was I wrong. He asked me if I could draw out how the block was configured for mounting holes and to find the offset. He would then custom make me another x38 block and mail it to me free of charge. MAN I was SOO HAPPY!
Its not over yet though.
After we got that settled, he asked me how he could repay me for my time and effort(wtf I just wanted a working block) and after arguing about it, we got to talking about my loop. I mentioned that I decided to go with a Dtek fuzion as it was proving to be top dog for flow and cooling with nozzles. He immideatly stopped me and told me that when he and his partner started DD they promised not to do negative advertising, but per their testing he assured me that the TDX should outperform the Dtek in my loop. So instead of offering me a discount on the TDX block, hes shipping me one to test out FOR FREE. He said if I liked it more than the fuzion, it would bring joy to him if I could share my findings with my forum of choice as he finds customers to be the best form of advertising.
Then I asked him if I made an order tonight, if they could put it in the same box. He questioned what I needed to order, which was 1/2" tubes. He did mentioned that Tygon is overpriced, but is the best tube, so he added 10 feet, FOR FREE AGAIN!
I feel bad because I shouldn't get this stuff for free as it is pricey, and the custom x38 block would have been enough, but I am EXTREMELY happy with the service I received tonight.
I feel almost like a product tester now as I will test the TDX and the Dtek and report my findings.
I hope you have been treated with the same compassion.
Although I still feel the Fuzion is going to be the better waterblock, I'm pretty excited! Will post pictures as soon as everything comes in!
-Michael