Nagging fear/cost

[Oldwolf]

For a while now a friend and I have been looking at watercooling our systems, but the one thing we share is that nagging fear in the back of our heads that if it should ever spring a leak, then there goes our entire systems.

Just how safe are they really for my system? Is there a time limit on how long a WC should be used? If a WC system should leak, what sort of guarantee that the company will replace my shorted-out system? What's the condensation inside the tower like? What's the wear & tear on the hosing like? for a WC system.

Also there's the price. Is it cheaper to maintain/replace parts once a system is up & running? Although I'd love an Asetek tower, $600 is way, way too much for one. And what's the power consumption like? Will I need a 500watt P/S?

If I could find a WC system that is cheap, cools greatly, that I don't have to worry about leaking all over my board, or worry about condensation in my system, it'd be great!

Any sugestions???

 

[weapon--]

If you test your cooling system for 24hrs before you install it to make sure everything is leak-free, the odds you will run into leak problems is fairly slim. That being said, even if you did have a leak, odds are that it won't fry the entire system - you can have a leak and if you catch it in time, even if some components get wet, they are often fine after being dried out.

How safe is a watercooling system? They can be extremely safe. If you are downright paranoid about leaks, there are some non-conductive coolants on the market now like Fluid XP - if you have a leak, nothing fries. You lose a small bit of performance with most of the non-conductive liquids and they can be fairly expensive, but if you are really worried about leaks with your 1st system, then it might be worth it just so you can sleep better at night.

guarantee from a watercooling in the event that something leaks and your parts are toasted? Most of the time, they will not replace anything other than a defective watercooling part - if something else gets ruined, that is on you.

condensation in the tower? I've never had any condensation issues with a watercooling system unless I was using peltiers with it.

Where and tear on tubing? If you use good tubing (clearflex or tygon) you shouldn't have to replace it for years

Cheaper to maintain/parts? Once everything is up and running, you should get years of use out of it without having to replace anything. Most people using watercooling replace parts out of a desire to get the most performance with the latest and greatest parts.

a 500w PSU? nope - there won't be any drain on your PSU at all unless you go with a 12v pump like the Swiftech MCP600 - even then, I doubt that you would need 500w unless you are running a ton of other gear.

If I could find a WC system that is cheap, cools greatly, that I don't have to worry about leaking all over my board, or worry about condensation in my system, it'd be great!

Watercooling loops can be put together for a good deal less money than the kits or the prebuilt systems. You will need a good waterblock, a radiator or heatercore (usually with one or two 120mm fans), tubing (usually five to six feet of 1/2" ID clearflex or tygon), a good waterpump and a reservior or T-line.

waterblocks - a 2 fitting block would be easier to setup on your 1st run at this so the Swiftech MCW6002 would be a good one and it has excellent performance. About $45 for the Intel or an AMD system.
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/waterblocks.html
a dangerden tdx would also be an option:
http://www.dangerden.com/mall/Blocks/tdx_main.htm

pump:
The Swiftech MCP 600 is good but a little expensive - still, it can run off of your PSU so you don't have to worry about wiring up a relay.
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swmcinpu.html

Reservior:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/waterplant.html

clearflex or tygon tubing:
http://www.dangerden.com/mall/Misc_Hardware/tubing_clamp.asp

rad or heatercore:
if you want a rad that is extremely easy to fit in most cases that still has respectable performance:
http://www.dangerden.com/mall2/more_1pics.asp?fmmore=220
a little larger heatercore with a little better performance:
http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=18
a do-it-yourself heatercore that has heavy duty performance but is also a bit massive:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=304440&page=1&pp=30

Fluid XP:
http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=139

If you go with distilled water instead of the non-conductive stuff, you will want to add a little Water Wetter or Zerex to your water:
Water Wetter:
http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=42
or
http://www.dangerden.com/mall/Misc_Hardware/additives.asp

if you have a pepboyz or an advance auto parts nearby, they likely have WaterWetter in stock.

In addition to the above, go to autozone and get metal hose clamps like those used on the hoses in a car. They are about the best way to lock down tubing onto component so that you don't have any leaks.

 

[CompMage]

First, weapon- thanks I was looking for that non-conductive liquid but could not remember what it was called.

 

[RickyJ]

The MCP600 draws 9W, so it's not very taxing on your PS.

You must clamp your hoses. Some people use the metal automotive clamps, some people use zip ties, some people use plastic clamps, etc. Being an automotive person, I trust the metal clamps. Either way, check your WC system for leaks before you install it in the computer. The best way I can see doing that is dry-fitting everything (no cpu in the socket) loosely to get the tubing lengths correct. Connect all components on a white sheet (if you have most anything in your water, it'll change the colour), and if it leaks, you'll see it.

Waterblocks these days should last you through at least the next cpu generation, since the attachment hardware is all that changes really. If you plan on running a TEC down the road and don't want to change waterblocks, make sure that the block is big enough to cover the TEC.

I've been planning a WC system since I built my computer last fall. Finally got a job that will pay for it, but then looked at my budget for this term and decided to wait a bit (living out of province kinda does that). My budget is pretty conservative, so I should have enough spare $$ at the end of the summer to pay for the rest of my gear. When all is said and done, my WC rig will have cost me just over $500 Canadian with very nice components (I don't cheap out on anything). Already have $150 of that.

I'll be using my 350W Super Flower PS for now (5V line sits at 4.8V, everything else good). The only things I have hooked up now are some fans, 9800Pro, HD, floppy, burner, and my mobo. That leaves me enough headroom to run the MCP600 pump. Running 2 120mm Evercool aluminum fans and the pump is only ~12W more than my Aeroflow, so it's no big deal.

It pains me to wait like this... I'm getting tired of one of my friends buying exactly what I do (mobo, chip, video card, case, etc, etc). Mostly, I'm getting tired of my noisy Aeroflow and want better cooling (63C load at ~2300MHz doesn't make me happy).

Argh, just checked the place I was going to get my GPU cooler from, and they sold out of the one I wanted...

 

[Deadlierchair]

One important thing to remember: use distilled or de-ionized water in your system. A stupid friend didn't leak test, but was using distilled water: we're talking puddles on his graphics card and a waterfall down his motherboard over every component that shouldn't get wet. He dried his stuff off, corrected things, and nothing was hurt.

 

[stumpy]

Thanks people, I was having similar concerns about my system... seeing i spilled a bunch of water on my floor while i was hooking it up for the first time (still waiting on waterblocks though, and I spilled the water cause im stupid) but this seems to have allayed my fears...

 

[mustang_steve]

As long as you pick your stuff wisely, and pressure test EVERY lexan component, you should be fine. The test oesnt have to be high, 2 or 3 PSi for an hour or so will suffice....just enough to be sure the assembly is solid...if it blows under that kind of load, it was an accident waiting to happen...no WC component should fail under that low of a pressure...heck a bay-res should be good for far more thn that...but I wouldnt go so far...2-3 is more than what would be seen in most loops anyways so it's a good safe point of reference.

Leak test everything, and reemeber to pay close attention top your rig for teh first week...if it seems to have lost any liquid past the bleed stage...immediately try to find where. After that it should be smooth sailing.

My rig never shuts down unless i have to do a maintenance fill...and even my last fill (10 mis ago), was done live...and only reason I did was i started to hear teh occaisional splash sound from low fliud level inside my res. It only takes an ounce or so to get it back to where it should be, so no biggie

 

[kronchev]

get your tubing from www.mcmaster.com

pumpwise, i like the 120v ones (obviously dont plug into the PSU) but thats just me it seems

if youre absolutly paranoid about leaks, then get fluidxp. otherwise its really a waste. ive had stuff get wet before and fuck up when powered on, but turned it off for a day, cleaned them with rubbing alcohol, let the completly dry, and theyre fine.

 

[Oldwolf]

The first time I ever heard about WC a rig was the infamous "Beer can" mod about 7yrs ago. Cut the dome outta the bottom of a beer can, cut up the side of the can and use the side for the contact plate, weld dome & side/plate together, drill 2 holes in the dome for the hoses and whalla! You now have a beer can waterjacket for your cpu.