Need some help

[contaminant]

I've read the stickies, now I just need some help deciding on what I should buy. I am going to try out a dual card solution for the first time (CrossFire) and figured it would be a fine time to experiment with water cooling aswell. I don't want to spend too much money, but my budget is pretty open. Here's what I need to cool in my new setup:
Opteron 148 (my spare )
X850 CrossFire
X850XT PE (my current card which I will be taking from this rig)

I would like the water cooling to all be inside my case if possible. Obviously, with my Opteron I am looking for low temps for some major OCing headroom so I need this to be a pretty good kit to get my temps far below what I could with air to make it worth while. I have plenty of money, that doesn't mean I want to spend it. What can I get to meet my criteria at the lowest cost?

 

[Top Nurse]

How important is quietness and looks to you?

 

[BellaCroix]

It really depends on what you're looking for. Look around the forums at pictures and results and at least first decide what parts you plan to WC, what kind of OC (if any) are you looking to reach, do you prefer the large bore rigs or the small bore ones, how much money are you really looking to spend, etc.

There's really too many variables to just recommend one to you... you'll soon learn if you hang out here often enough that asking people to recommend what they like will almost certainly start some kind of "my hose is bigger than your hose" war.

Personally, I like Innovatek and AquaComputer parts. They are both imported from Germany and natively use "small bore" hoses (meaning the hoses are thinner, usually between 6mm and 8mm ID). I get acceptable cooling results with a moderate overclock and I think it looks slick as hell. The drawback is that the parts tend to be rather expensive.

My first build used Danger Den parts, it's a US company and natively uses 1/2" hoses usually. That is what is refered to as "large bore"... it's less expensive (usually) and (arguably) performs marginally better. The real advantage to using DD gear is the availability usually tends to be better.

There's a lot of manufacturers each with it's own advantage and disadvantage... look around, ask some questions, read the forums, then (after you've settled on a particular build) let me know what you're looking for and I'll do my best to steer you in the right direction.

 

[contaminant]

How important is quietness and looks to you?

Function is at the top of my priority list.

It really depends on what you're looking for. Look around the forums at pictures and results and at least first decide what parts you plan to WC, what kind of OC (if any) are you looking to reach, do you prefer the large bore rigs or the small bore ones, how much money are you really looking to spend, etc.

There's really too many variables to just recommend one to you... you'll soon learn if you hang out here often enough that asking people to recommend what they like will almost certainly start some kind of "my hose is bigger than your hose" war.

Personally, I like Innovatek and AquaComputer parts. They are both imported from Germany and natively use "small bore" hoses (meaning the hoses are thinner, usually between 6mm and 8mm ID). I get acceptable cooling results with a moderate overclock and I think it looks slick as hell. The drawback is that the parts tend to be rather expensive.

My first build used Danger Den parts, it's a US company and natively uses 1/2" hoses usually. That is what is refered to as "large bore"... it's less expensive (usually) and (arguably) performs marginally better. The real advantage to using DD gear is the availability usually tends to be better.

There's a lot of manufacturers each with it's own advantage and disadvantage... look around, ask some questions, read the forums, then (after you've settled on a particular build) let me know what you're looking for and I'll do my best to steer you in the right direction.

Thanks for the advice. I already stated what I seek to WC, and I am hoping to reach an OC above what I have now (sig).

 

[BellaCroix]

Large bore or small bore will both get you better results than air cooling.

The general consensus is that a properly configured large bore set-up has the potential to deliver marginally better results than a small-bore one. Certainly, dollar for dollar, most large bore set-ups will out-perform a small bore rig since the small bores (especially imported ones like Innovatek and AC) tend to be more expensive.

That having been said... my first build used a completely DangerDen loop and maintaned a stable, moderate overclock. When I started upgrading I bought the new case and small bore gear first, then moved the old PC into the new home temporarily. I was still able to maintain the same overclock with the same stability and only (very) marginally higher temps which could easily be attributed to how quickly I put everything together - I may have not seated the blocks as well as if I took my time.

Personally, I'll sacrifice 1°C at the core for what I consider to be a MUCH better looking build that tends to run quieter than some of the larger bore set-ups. I'm not looking to build a liquid nitrogen cooled 7Ghz screamer.

Much of it comes down to personal preference: I'll recommend Innovatek gear because I've always been very happy with the results and love the look of the 8x1 hoses and blocks... my last two builds have been bastards since I've used AquaComputer pumps and controllers. Several people here swear by AquaComputer rigs top to bottom, in my opinion, they're great kit but the hoses are too small for my taste. Others will tell you going with anything less than a 3/8" or 1/2" hose is just stupid and that watercooling is all about pushing as much water as you can through a garden hose.

Both are perfectly valid arguments, and (well conducted) test after test that I've read usually put both approaches within 1-2°C temperatures at the core. If you're just looking for the most bang for your buck go with a high flow, large bore set-up... use a Storm block with a high-flow pump and you should be okay.

 

[contaminant]

Thank you for your help. I think I will go for a large bore setup. One of my concerns though, is the dual card setup. I guess all just browse these forums and see what kind of loops people are using with their dual card setups.