New to water cooling

[Grss429]

Well was looking at the BST threads and came acrossed a decent priced water cooling kit for a first timer... was wondering if its worth the buy(and is there anything else i need to buy, besides water/fans) and how I'd set it up as I'm new. if its not worth then then I was going to go with something like a h80 or something, or a bigwater. I wouldnt want to spend more then 100-150 on a water cooling kit, I've always liked the idea of water cooling

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1726987


I'm actually buying brand new computer parts this week doing a complete upgrade.

i'm thinking of going with a 600t case or a 500r if it will fit everything

going with a 3570k processor

 

[Tsumi]

To be blunt:

You do not seem like the type of person that would spend the time properly maintaining your loop. You're much better off getting a H80 or any other closed-loop system.

As for whether that kit is worth it... the pump in that kit is known for premature failures. That kit appears to be the Raystorm RS360 750 kit, which retails for $160 + shipping brand new.

The 600t and 500r will not natively fit a 360 radiator.

 

[Grss429]

To be blunt:

You do not seem like the type of person that would spend the time properly maintaining your loop. You're much better off getting a H80 or any other closed-loop system.

As for whether that kit is worth it... the pump in that kit is known for premature failures. That kit appears to be the Raystorm RS360 750 kit, which retails for $160 + shipping brand new.

The 600t and 500r will not natively fit a 360 radiator.

I'd definitely be cleaning the loop, lol I wouldnt spend 900 bucks on a new rig just to let it get dusty, I'm OCD about stuff like that... is there any cheap start kits that are like the RS360? and what size case would i need a 800t?

 

[MaadDaawg]

Too many links to go through, so I'll just add some 2 cents on top of what came previously

You will not get the performance from any prefilled closed system (such as the Corsair H80) that you would out of a well conceived custom built loop. Ain't gonna happen. I've reviewed both the H80 and the Thermaltake Water2.0 Extreme, and they are better than air coolers, but, again, they aren't close to full blown custom built water cooling system.

IMO, the best water block on the market is the Swiftech HD, primarily because it is a high flow block with Swiftech's awesome pin matrix. I'd be tempted to try it with their parallel cooling rad/pump system (the HD has 1 inlet and 3 outlets) but I've never been a big fan of Swifty rads.

XSPC makes some nice reservoirs that can fit a good water pump inside the dual bay unit. Makes it nice and simple to add both resv and pump. Koolance also makes a resv/pump holder combo but it's not as easy to bleed. THE hot setup IMO is the DangerDen dual bay reservoir paired with a Laing D5 pump (even though that is somewhat old school).

DangerDen tubing is the best I've ever used too, and I've always paid for I thought was best (1/2in ID, 3/4in OD of course)

On rads, I always bought Feser, but they are not available anymore so I'd probably go with the new Aquacomputer airplex modularity rads (you can get them with D5 pumps attached too ) http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_457_667_1076&products_id=33508

Size of the rad would be dependent upon what all you're looking to cool and whether or not you're willing to go with an external mount. I usually mounted externally cause I like big rads Keeps the heat out of the system too

Of course, all this is going to cost you closer somewhere between $700 and $1,000 once you're all through with getting all the parts, but it will keep you're cpu 20 to 30 degrees C cooler under full load than the pre-assembled $120 unit will.

Like everything else in life, this is a trade off - money or performance. If you need the performance, spend the money, otherwise, get a unit that is adequate.

I've had problems with the Corsair units with the fan controller failing. The Thermaltake are the better units IMO because 1) the Water2.0 Pro runs the fans directly off the mobos 4 pin PWM headers and is quiet until it needs to get louder 2) the Water 2.0 Extreme connects to a USB2 header on the mobo and is software controlled with three different performance settings.. The Tt Water2.0 Pro is comparable in size to the Corsair H80 while the Tt Water2.0 Extreme is comparable in size to the Corsair H100.

Ok, that's my 2 cents

 

[tamngoman]

Adding to mad dawgs post the swiftech apogee hd is by far the best bang for buck in my case, look at strens CPU block comparison and you'll see it's amazing. I own one and it has high flow.
Unfortunately you won't find much danger den tubing anymore, but my favorite has always been tygon or primochill.
Xspc has really gained a lot of attraction with their dual bay res line. The d5 dual bay res is great for an all in one, easy to install and easy to bleed( I own one).

I'd rather go with a custom loop, just because you can mix and match and swap parts later. The all in one such as the h100 or antics are CPU only, bummer huh.

 

[Wingless92]

WC does take some skill to put together and work efficiently. The pre-made kits that are sold are pretty darn good. I'm thinking of picking one up myself for the next build. I would read the sticky on WC, it really helped me out. Also, ask lots of questions, I did and it broadened my look on WC. Sure, you're not going to do the same exact thing that everyone else does. But, people have been doing WC for a long time on [H] and there are many people with some great insight on what should and shoudn't be done.

I am not blaming you or anyone else, well, probably the manufactures and the marketing teams of these closed loop systems. The work well, but they are not full blown WC loops. I have an H60 and it works great. But it will never in a million years replace my built WC loop.

 

[K1tty]

If you're looking for a good starter kit the XSPC Raystorm RX240/RX360 (Extreme) is a good deal. It comes with the D5 pump, RX240 or RX360 radiator, Dual Bay res, Raystorm CPU block, compression fittings, and tubing (and usually free biocide or killcoil).

You can cool a CPU and single graphics card easily with the RX240. If you want SLi/Xfire graphics cards then go with the RX360 and a case that can accommodate it. TBH, that will be your biggest challenge. Off hand, the NZXT Switch case is about the only case that can handle these thick radiators without modification. I've modified the hell out of my Corsair 500R to fit it internally.

All you will need in addition to the kit is a block and fittings for your graphics card.

Any of these with the D5 variant pump are good. The pump used in the cheaper kits was very unreliable and the last thing you want is a pump to go out while you're not home

 

[Igg]

If funds are limited, i'd recommend you stick with the H100 and call it done.

One caution though, I had a H100 and H80, both had the issue of trapped air bubble nearthe impeller which would make a constant gurgling noise. Extremely annoying.

 

[Archmage]

I'm a bit out of the loop, heh, but some good budget components would be:

- XSPC Raystorm; Koolance 380 at the high-end. [Edit: scratch the Apogee HD, corrected below by Skripa/Jorona - fact-checking needed on my part - I like Swiftech, but I should have known little would have changed WRT flow-restriction from the XT to the HD (which my friend is successfully using anyway - so I figured he had researched it - guess not)]

- Swiftech MCR 220 or 320, depending on size of radiator you can fit. A bonus is that these radiators are thin. - Is there a better bang-for-the-buck radiator yet? I'm unsure.
- Laing D5 style pump = reliable.
- 7/16" or 1/2" ID tubing, regular barbed fittings (I think I was using the DD fatboys), regular worm-style steel clamps (or, there are some sleeker-looking metal ones I use, but I use them for aesthetic reasons)
- Swiftech mcres v2 is a good budget reservoir - not the best, but it's compact, has plenty of ports for fill/drain, and gets the job done better than some others.
- Silver kill coil inside reservoir
- Distilled water, no coloring or aesthetic additives.

That would be a pretty good budget loop. Add fans... maybe the Arctic F12's...those are pretty good for the price.


If you'd rather stick with high-end air-cooling: Venomous-X (or Archon) is a good single-tower option that isn't too huge. If you're willing to go with a bigger dual-tower heatsink, then the Silver arrow or even the Silver Arrow SB-E or Phanteks 5x8mm heatpipe sink are top tier. Fans aren't quite as good WRT performance/noise metric on the Phanteks unit. My opinion is that the Noctua units are a notch beneath these options.

I have been unable to extract better performance for the noise out of the compact all-in-one cooling units like the H80 or Antec equivalents. Thus my recommendation is to use those if you want something compact around the socket. I don't think I like those units...

 

[Skripka]

IMO, the best water block on the market is the Swiftech HD, primarily because it is a high flow block with Swiftech's awesome pin matrix.

HD is not a highflow block...by any current standard it it is in fact the most restrictive block in the last few years.

 

[Jorona]

HD is not a highflow block...by any current standard it it is in fact the most restrictive block in the last few years.

I was sitting here reading this thread going, "What the fuck are these guys talking about?!"

The Apogee HD is nearly the MOST restrictive block available right now. It has good performance for a CPU only loop, but its restriction makes it a tough pill to swallow in a loop that includes your GPUs.

Grab a Raystorm. You won't be disappointed.