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Non-DIY Solutions?

T

That's_Corporate

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Sep 30, 2006
Messages
1,738
I'm running an OC'd Q6600 and a 4870x2 and I'm sick of both the noise and the lack of OC headroom from my current air-cooled setup.

Currently looking at some water-based setups, but I really don't want to bother with a bunch of placement issues and case-cutting.

I was searching for some all-in-one setups and the Aquaduct 360/720 units look pretty cool (no pun intended). I don't mind spending the cash, but I need to know if these things actually perform worth a damn.

Would it be comparable to a good DIY setup in terms of removing heat from a GPU and CPU loop?
 
I think he meant to link to these
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/default.php?cPath=28_48
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/default.php?cPath=28_41

They work fine. You can't compare a custom kit to a pre-fab. A custom kit can give you the best parts from all the best manufactures suited to exactly what you need.
Don't get me wrong some of these kits work great. Read the specs to make sure it will cool your hardware. An I7 at 4Ghz and a GTX295's will but out a lot of head. But a C2D at 4Ghz and a GTX260 will put out a lot less. It's like the Corsair H50, cools most C2D's with a mild overclock well, but no better than a good air cooler on an I7
 
DeathFromBelow said:
Get a bigger case. :p

Koolance and others offer external radiator boxes/shrouds, and mounting the pump and reservoir inside the case doesn't have to be difficult. If you have two 5.25" slots free you can put in something like this with the pump:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsacdu5refor.html

No cutting necessary.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, well I have a P180 now, I kinda like it.
Not a whole lot of room though...

What cases do you WC-nuts like?

tom.slick said:
I think he meant to link to these
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/default.php?cPath=28_48
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/default.php?cPath=28_41

They work fine. You can't compare a custom kit to a pre-fab. A custom kit can give you the best parts from all the best manufactures suited to exactly what you need.
Don't get me wrong some of these kits work great. Read the specs to make sure it will cool your hardware. An I7 at 4Ghz and a GTX295's will but out a lot of head. But a C2D at 4Ghz and a GTX260 will put out a lot less. It's like the Corsair H50, cools most C2D's with a mild overclock well, but no better than a good air cooler on an I7
Click to expand...

The corsair H50 looks dinky, not sure I'd compare that with the aquaduct 360/720 I was looking at.

And, why can't you compare a custom kit to a pre-fab?
Will a custom kit REALLY outperform the aquaduct 360/720 by that much? Let's say, 5 degrees C at load.

DeathFromBelow said:
No, the risers and shrouds I was referring to in the first part of my post are here:
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/default.php?cPath=54_85
I'm sure someone else makes similar items, but I don't have any links handy.

I would stay away from the Koolance all-in-ones. They have aluminum radiators.
Click to expand...

...pardon my ignorance, but what's wrong with aluminum rads?
 
it doesn't matter if you have a gold plated waterblock like koolance uses, but if you have anything else corrosion would be lurking in the background. of course there are anti corrosion fluids to put in the water, but it's always better to just avoid those kinds of problems.. also a point is copper being a much better material for heat transfer / rads.

I like the Silverstone Tj09 case for fitting a nice wc loop in personally ; )
with a little research a good single loop or double loop is really easy to obtain especially if you're willing to spend a little more cash ( the same amount as a prefab kit would probably cost ) on it.
 
That's_Corporate said:
What cases do you WC-nuts like?
Click to expand...
I'm using a Silverstone TJ07, tons of space in the bottom for a quad radiator. Your P180 should be fine if you don't mind using an external radiator and can use a 5.25" bay reservoir/pump top like the one I linked to earlier. I'm sure you could mount a reservoir/pump elsewhere in the case, but you might have to get creative with velcro and zipties or something if you don't want to drill any mounting holes.

...pardon my ignorance, but what's wrong with aluminum rads?
Click to expand...

Corrosion. Even with nickel or gold plated blocks like Koolance uses it can be a problem. You have to add corrosion inhibitors (typically antifreeze) in mixed metal loops, all copper loops can run on plain distilled water with a tiny amount of biocide. Performance wise aluminum and copper are about the same when it comes to PC water cooling.

Its best to just avoid the problem and use all copper parts if you can.
 
Last edited:
That's_Corporate said:
And, why can't you compare a custom kit to a pre-fab?

Will a custom kit REALLY outperform the aquaduct 360/720 by that much? Let's say, 5 degrees C at load.
Click to expand...


Yes, mainly because you can buy whatever parts you want as someone else mentioned and you can do your own research and specifically build and design your loop to what specs you need/want. Pre-fab kits generally cater to the less enthusiastic crowd, or entry level kind of WC, that you can really only put a CPU on for the most part.

Taking myself for example, i care alot about fan noise, i like very quiet, so i chose fans with high static pressure, and a thick radiator with very low fin density so i can run the fans very slowly and still get amazing performance. Its things like this that set custom kits far ahead of pre-fabs, but not only that, if you WC as a hobby as i do, its just alot more fun to build your own loop. Will a custom kit outperform a pre-fab by X degrees? Maybe, maybe not...it really all depends what your going for, and how much you want to spend.

That's_Corporate said:
What cases do you WC-nuts like?
Click to expand...

I had a P182, with 3 smaller radiators, all internal. I have since moved to a smaller Lian-Li A05 with an externally rad and pump setup with quick disconnects. Its a bit more money, but it allows for a very wide range of case and radiator selection...almost infinite really. Also, you really dont need to worry a whole lot about case airflow. I am much more content with my current setup.

My advice to you, especially if money isnt an issue, and that your trying to cool a hotter quad core, and a 4870x2....keep the case youve got, do some research, build your own loop, and go with an external 4x120 rad. I got the XSPC RX480 for 90 bucks from jabtech...couldnt be happier. Huge, thick, low fin density = low fan speed and great performance. Im cooling a 4.0ghz Q9650 and a GTX260, with plenty, and i mean plenty, of headroom.
 
Last edited:
DeathFromBelow said:
I'm using a Silverstone TJ07, tons of space in the bottom for a quad radiator. Your P180 should be fine if you don't mind using an external radiator and can use a 5.25" bay reservoir/pump top like the one I linked to earlier. I'm sure you could mount a reservoir/pump elsewhere in the case, but you might have to get creative with velcro and zipties or something if you don't want to drill any mounting holes.



Corrosion. Even with nickel or gold plated blocks like Koolance uses it can be a problem. You have to add corrosion inhibitors (typically antifreeze) in mixed metal loops, all copper loops can run on plain distilled water with a tiny amount of biocide. Performance wise aluminum and copper are about the same when it comes to PC water cooling.

Its best to just avoid the problem and use all copper parts if you can.
Click to expand...

Using an external rad and the drive bay reservoir seems to be the only way I can do this it seems. That's fine, just need to put the pump somewhere. How do we feel about top mounted rads? I suppose I can just cut a big rectangle out of the top of my P180 and fit it up top with some fans.

You guys really know your stuff! I never even thought about corrosion.
All-copper it is.

How often would I have to change out the fluid in the loop to remain safe from buildup?

nissanztt90 said:
Yes, mainly because you can buy whatever parts you want as someone else mentioned and you can do your own research and specifically build and design your loop to what specs you need/want. Pre-fab kits generally cater to the less enthusiastic crowd, or entry level kind of WC, that you can really only put a CPU on for the most part.

Taking myself for example, i care alot about fan noise, i like very quiet, so i chose fans with high static pressure, and a thick radiator with very low fin density so i can run the fans very slowly and still get amazing performance. Its things like this that set custom kits far ahead of pre-fabs, but not only that, if you WC as a hobby as i do, its just alot more fun to build your own loop. Will a custom kit outperform a pre-fab by X degrees? Maybe, maybe not...it really all depends what your going for, and how much you want to spend.



I had a P182, with 3 smaller radiators, all internal. I have since moved to a smaller Lian-Li A05 with an externally rad and pump setup with quick disconnects. Its a bit more money, but it allows for a very wide range of case and radiator selection...almost infinite really. Also, you really dont need to worry a whole lot about case airflow. I am much more content with my current setup.

My advice to you, especially if money isnt an issue, and that your trying to cool a hotter quad core, and a 4870x2....keep the case youve got, do some research, build your own loop, and go with an external 4x120 rad. I got the XSPC RX480 for 90 bucks from jabtech...couldnt be happier. Huge, thick, low fin density = low fan speed and great performance. Im cooling a 4.0ghz Q9650 and a GTX260, with plenty, and i mean plenty, of headroom.
Click to expand...

Hmm... well I don't know much about these parts so here's a small list I made with a bit of research:

Rad: Thermochill P120.3 or 4
Pump: Laing D5 with some kind of funky top
CPU: EK-Supreme HF
GPU: EK-FC 4870 X2 CF
Res: Some funky drive-bay thing, maybe the one posted here

Please feel free to suggest some better alternatives! As long as it's under $1000 we're good.
 
For rad, like i said, i would recommend the XSPC RX 480, while the thermochills are good, for a heck of alot less money you can get almost the same performances with the XSPC.

Check out the skinneelabs.com reviews. I believe he has a radiator shoot out stickied at the top of the WC forum. Basically the XSPC RX series was the best all around radiator, suitable for all fan speeds with low restriction.

Second, grab a D5 variable speed pump, and unless you need to be able to change the outlet/inlet orientation, there is really no need for a funky top. As for the resevoir...thats all personal preference, as they all do the same thing as well as another.

Heres the rad review:

http://hardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1467444

The same guy also has quite a few more reviews of various CPU blocks and such too.
 
nissanztt90 said:
For rad, like i said, i would recommend the XSPC RX 480, while the thermochills are good, for a heck of alot less money you can get almost the same performances with the XSPC.

Check out the skinneelabs.com reviews. I believe he has a radiator shoot out stickied at the top of the WC forum. Basically the XSPC RX series was the best all around radiator, suitable for all fan speeds with low restriction.

Second, grab a D5 variable speed pump, and unless you need to be able to change the outlet/inlet orientation, there is really no need for a funky top. As for the resevoir...thats all personal preference, as they all do the same thing as well as another.

Heres the rad review:

http://hardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1467444

The same guy also has quite a few more reviews of various CPU blocks and such too.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, okay.

So it's looking like I'll have to top-mount my rad. Perhaps get some long screws to get some clearance.

Where are we in terms of rad placement preference. Any big cooling performance benefits depending on where you put the sucker?
 
Doesnt really matter a whole lot as long as it its not in an enclosed space with no fresh airflow. I went with a huge external rad and im pretty happy with it.
 
That's_Corporate said:
Okay, sounds good!

So how often do I have to maintain a WC setup?
Click to expand...

I change my fluid and hoses once a year and i use distilled water with all copper blocks/radiatiors...nothing aluminum. I dont even use any biocide or anything...just straight distilled water.
 
Never hurts to check, though if theres nothing on the inside walls of the hose, there likely isnt anything in the water blocks either.
 
Many thanks!

I'll be back when I have a parts list so I can hopefully get some input on routing.

PS: Do you have any hesitation leaving your PC on 24/7 with WC vs. air cooling?
 
That's_Corporate said:
Many thanks!

I'll be back when I have a parts list so I can hopefully get some input on routing.

PS: Do you have any hesitation leaving your PC on 24/7 with WC vs. air cooling?
Click to expand...

non at all, once the loop is leak checked (about 48 hours) it is every bit if not more reliable than that of a air cooled system...

hell i even had the main system fan die on my rad, the rad dispersed enough heat passively that the system stayed up for nearly 12 hours before i noticed, where as had it been air cooled, the cpu would have over heated to some unknown effect... not that i would recommend doing this on purpose, and this result most likely isnt typical...
 
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