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Sub 150 watercooling system?

D

DarkStar02

2[H]4U
Joined
Mar 1, 2006
Messages
2,160
I know pretty much nothing about watercooling and I will probably have somebody hook up all the components for me. What is the best cooling system (quietest and overclockable) that I can get for under *150* dollars total?

EDIT: Let's make that 150 dollars total.
 
I see threads like this more and more often, and give basically the same responce every time. Budget watercooling just doesnt work well. You end up spending alot more money, and putting alot more effort into a system thats going to be no better than some really good air cooling.

If you want to get in water, I strongly advise a few things. Stay away from the cheap pre-built kits. They are cheap fora reason you know. For starters, start reading, and getting inforation on how watercooling works, and how to design and set up a loop propely. Being able to build and maintain your own loop is important. If you don't feel confident enough to do it, its better to learn than just have someone else do it for you. There was once a time where all of us watercoolers were probably intimidated by the idea, and now it comes 2nd nature. Also, as far as cost goes, you really should start saving pennies and getting a loop worthy of your time, effort, and money. You should be able to pull off a really great performing system for $250 or so, and I bet you would be happier in the long run. If you absoluslty cannot spend over $150, then I would really just suggest sticking with some good air cooling.
 
Viper87227 said:
I see threads like this more and more often, and give basically the same responce every time. Budget watercooling just doesnt work well. You end up spending alot more money, and putting alot more effort into a system thats going to be no better than some really good air cooling.

If you want to get in water, I strongly advise a few things. Stay away from the cheap pre-built kits. They are cheap fora reason you know. For starters, start reading, and getting inforation on how watercooling works, and how to design and set up a loop propely. Being able to build and maintain your own loop is important. If you don't feel confident enough to do it, its better to learn than just have someone else do it for you. There was once a time where all of us watercoolers were probably intimidated by the idea, and now it comes 2nd nature. Also, as far as cost goes, you really should start saving pennies and getting a loop worthy of your time, effort, and money. You should be able to pull off a really great performing system for $250 or so, and I bet you would be happier in the long run. If you absoluslty cannot spend over $150, then I would really just suggest sticking with some good air cooling.
Click to expand...
Are there any guides or tutorials on loops? What exactly IS a loop? Also, I set the 150 dollar price because it seemed like it was reasonable for a beginners water cooling kit, but apparently it isn't. Do you have any suggestions on what I should buy for the pricerange of about 200?
 
for that 200 bucks, might as well pick up a swiftech apex.
 
ok well this giga-bytes --yes i DID say giga-byte-- liquid cooling system is kickin ass right now, it is loud, but its really pretty awsome.

but then it only has one radiator, and it is only meant to cool a cpu, if your looking to liquid cool your VGA or NB, look somewhere else.

edit: take a look at this review by xbit labs. it shows 16 kits. but if you wanna get really involved, iv been told you should go cutom, but i dont know, im a noob to liquid cooling too.
 
Viper87227 said:
I see threads like this more and more often, and give basically the same responce every time. Budget watercooling just doesnt work well. You end up spending alot more money, and putting alot more effort into a system thats going to be no better than some really good air cooling.

If you want to get in water, I strongly advise a few things. Stay away from the cheap pre-built kits. They are cheap fora reason you know. For starters, start reading, and getting inforation on how watercooling works, and how to design and set up a loop propely. Being able to build and maintain your own loop is important. If you don't feel confident enough to do it, its better to learn than just have someone else do it for you. There was once a time where all of us watercoolers were probably intimidated by the idea, and now it comes 2nd nature. Also, as far as cost goes, you really should start saving pennies and getting a loop worthy of your time, effort, and money. You should be able to pull off a really great performing system for $250 or so, and I bet you would be happier in the long run. If you absoluslty cannot spend over $150, then I would really just suggest sticking with some good air cooling.
Click to expand...

Great advice, however I will have to disagree on one point. I got started with a Koolance Exos and do my own thing now, however the Exos gave me first hand ideas and "guidance" of getting some basics out of the way. Well worth it. I have a Nautilus 500 on my "budget" system, the P805D in my sig, and my own custom on the FX55. I would recommend the Nautilus 500 as a "starter kit" to almost everyone. Easy to use and install and very easy to get used to H2O that way :)
 
Weazmeister said:
Great advice, however I will have to disagree on one point. I got started with a Koolance Exos and do my own thing now, however the Exos gave me first hand ideas and "guidance" of getting some basics out of the way. Well worth it. I have a Nautilus 500 on my "budget" system, the P805D in my sig, and my own custom on the FX55. I would recommend the Nautilus 500 as a "starter kit" to almost everyone. Easy to use and install and very easy to get used to H2O that way :)
Click to expand...


I actually had the exos in mind when I posted that, but given the price, I just left that out. Exos is the one exception to the rule... sort of. I do not think the performance justifies the cost, but they are by far the best kits available, aside from the Apex, but thats not really a kit, atleast not like the prebuilt ones.

Dark, I am not sure there are actually guides on watercooling. Instead, your best source of information would be this here forum. Try to dig up other threads from first time WCers asking for help. There is also the WCing self help thread, which is stickied in this forum: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=759705. The first post is a little outdated, but as you read trhough it it will be more current, and I bet it can answer alot of questions you may have.

Bottem line is, the information is definatly out there, but it is not necessarly as plainly infront of you as a guide. With a bit of digging, and asking where your unsure, you should be able to figure it out. I will say this though, setting up your own loop isn't that difficult. There are alot of things you have to make sure you do, but if your careful, and dont cut corners (which I see new WCers try to do alot), I bet you would be able to get your own loop going no problem.

I'd give some more help than that, but its late, and im tired :D. Tomorrow, I can dig up some links to parts, as well as leave you with some pointers for WCing. Just remember how good a tool the forums can be. Use the search, and if you can't find something, don't hesitate to ask. There are pleanty of us vets that can provide information and insite to help make sure you do things correctly.
 
Well, my dad is a contractor and can build just about anything. I think I'll show him some diagrams and he can help me work on a custom WC kit. Thanks for the help everybody!
 
Selected options:
CPU Style: AMD64 754/939/940
CPU Water Block: Danger Den TDX
Top Style: Brass Top TDX or RBX
Video Card Water Block: None
Chipset Water Block: None
Fitting Size: 1/2 OD Fitting for 1/2 ID Tubing
Radiator: Heater Core
Fans: Papst 120mm Fan
Pumps: !NEW! Danger Den 12V CSP-MAG Pump with 1/2 OD Fittings
Tubing: 10 Feet of Clearflex
Reservoir: None
Thermal Paste: None
Water Additives: None
Hold Down Style: Standard Stainless Steel Hold Down
Danger Den Fillport: Clear Anodized Fillport
Misc: 12 Hose Clamps Y & T
$188.94

That would get you started nicely, and the performance would be hard to beat for that price.
 
NewBlackDak said:
Selected options:
CPU Style: AMD64 754/939/940
CPU Water Block: Danger Den TDX
Top Style: Brass Top TDX or RBX
Video Card Water Block: None
Chipset Water Block: None
Fitting Size: 1/2 OD Fitting for 1/2 ID Tubing
Radiator: Heater Core
Fans: Papst 120mm Fan
Pumps: !NEW! Danger Den 12V CSP-MAG Pump with 1/2 OD Fittings
Tubing: 10 Feet of Clearflex
Reservoir: None
Thermal Paste: None
Water Additives: None
Hold Down Style: Standard Stainless Steel Hold Down
Danger Den Fillport: Clear Anodized Fillport
Misc: 12 Hose Clamps Y & T
$188.94

That would get you started nicely, and the performance would be hard to beat for that price.
Click to expand...

thanks, that setup does look solid, and i am planning to go with a w/c setup for a 3800 Venice..
 
sorry removed my post and didn't notice there were replies.. i asked what was a shroud on a radiator.. thanks for the answers..
 
a shroud eliminates the deadspot on the fan. The fan has a circular hub, and without a shroud, that is where no air goes, not as efficient. A snroud lifts the fan out, so it eliminates that. It's totally worth it, if you have the room.

check out http://www.overclockers.com/tips1022/ for details. 40%, apparently.
 
Viper87227 said:
QFT, either that or even an Eheim pump would work fine. The CSP-MAG isnt that good of a pump.
Click to expand...
It's not great, but I was trying to get close to his target budget, and the pump is one of the biggest cost factors in a WC setup.
 
If you really wanna take down the price some, drop the heatercore and shroud and swap it with a black ice pro 2x120 (on sale), ditch the papst' and go with some other fans (yate loons' go for way cheaper, are quieter), drop the fillport and sub in a dead AA battery (perfect fit), and ditch the clearflex and buy the Masterkleer 7/16 from mcmaster for 39 cents a foot. That should be more than enough to upgrade it to a DD D5, or an AquaXtreme 50Z (my prefered choice).
 
Bbq said:
If you really wanna take down the price some, drop the heatercore and shroud and swap it with a black ice pro 2x120 (on sale), ditch the papst' and go with some other fans (yate loons' go for way cheaper, are quieter), drop the fillport and sub in a dead AA battery (perfect fit), and ditch the clearflex and buy the Masterkleer 7/16 from mcmaster for 39 cents a foot. That should be more than enough to upgrade it to a DD D5, or an AquaXtreme 50Z (my prefered choice).
Click to expand...

cool tips.. would you say the aquaxtreme 50z is quieter then dd d5? why is it your prefered choice, i am looking at it now and seems like a nice pump.

also how are pumps rated? is it GPH or is that dependable on other things.. because the 50Z is 185GPH and the DD Mag II is 150GPH, a $35 difference for an 35 more gph.. but ignoer my ignorance on it all, i am excited to learn more and setup a humble w/c sys for myself.
 
BrainC0DE said:
cool tips.. would you say the aquaxtreme 50z is quieter then dd d5? why is it your prefered choice, i am looking at it now and seems like a nice pump.

also how are pumps rated? is it GPH or is that dependable on other things.. because the 50Z is 185GPH and the DD Mag II is 150GPH
Click to expand...

I'd say the D5 is a bit quieter (also because it has an adjustable speed control)..

A.X 50Z- 185gph, 10.5 FT, 9w

D5: 317gph, 10 FT, 24w

So, the AquaXtreme 50Z has .5 feet more head pressure, 15w less heat dump, and 132gph less flow.

If you have a really good radiator, i'd go with the D5. Again, personal preference.
 
Bbq said:
I'd say the D5 is a bit quieter (also because it has an adjustable speed control)..

A.X 50Z- 185gph, 10.5 FT, 9w

D5: 317gph, 10 FT, 24w

So, the AquaXtreme 50Z has .5 feet more head pressure, 15w less heat dump, and 132gph less flow.

If you have a really good radiator, i'd go with the D5. Again, personal preference.
Click to expand...

cool thanks for explaining that.. thanks again for the tips, those
Yate Loon fans are a much better choice in value over the 19.99 papst ones on DD..

and the masterkleer tubing from mcmaster is another sweet save..
 
didn't mean to hijack the thread, but i was also looking for a budget w/c setup, this is what looks like best value,

CPU Style: AMD64 754/939/940
CPU Water Block: Danger Den TDX
Top Style: Brass Top TDX or RBX
Video Card Water Block: None
Chipset Water Block: None
Fitting Size: 1/2 OD Fitting for 1/2 ID Tubing
Radiator: Heater Core II
Fans: None
Pumps: !NEW! Danger Den 12V D5 1/2 OD Fittings
Tubing: None
Reservoir: None
Thermal Paste: None
Water Additives: None
Hold Down Style: Standard Stainless Steel Hold Down
Danger Den Fillport: Blue Anodized Fillport *or AA battery lol
Misc: 12 Hose Clamps Y & T

$187.90

with a Shroud for the double heater core

$15.95

a couple 120mm yate loon fans and masterkleer tubing..
 
Anybody else think I should stick to air considering I have no idea what any of that is?

EDIT: I'll change my budget to 250 shipped, how's that?
 
DarkStar02 said:
Anybody else think I should stick to air considering I have no idea what any of that is?

EDIT: I'll change my budget to 250 shipped, how's that?
Click to expand...


A $250 budget woudl be MUCH easier to work with.

As far as sticking to air, I dont see why you should. As as said before, at one point, none of us knew what all that was. Your going to have to reshearch it a little bit, but its not terrably difficult to learn.
 
agreed.. i came into the watercooling thread a couple weeks ago asking about some cheap prebuilt w/c systems.. last night after considering everyones posts here and figuring out all the workings i am super excited and will probably go with the system i posted above which is under $250..
 
Viper87227 said:
Allright Dark... You should check out this... http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-Apex-Ultra-H20-220-pr-3198.html. Its got everything you need for a top of the line CPU loop. Its enough to get you started... you can add a GPU block later if you wish.
Click to expand...
Where/how do I buy that? :confused:

Also, I want to watercool my GPU too but I don't want to void my warranty. Is that impossible?

EDIT: Nevermind, I see it now. Is the GPU cooler worth the $55.00 asking price?
 
DarkStar02 said:
Where/how do I buy that? :confused:

Also, I want to watercool my GPU too but I don't want to void my warranty. Is that impossible?

EDIT: Nevermind, I see it now. Is the GPU cooler worth the $55.00 asking price?
Click to expand...


Yes. Watercooling a GPU is definatly worth it. Removes alot of noise and heat from your case. It will also give you much more OCing headroom. Stock video card cooling always sucks very bad. Some may argue that GPU WCIng is more benificial than CPU WCing.

And yes, it will void your warrenty to remove the stock cooling. Only Evga allows you to replace the stock cooling under warrenty.
 
Viper87227 said:
Yes. Watercooling a GPU is definatly worth it. Removes alot of noise and heat from your case. It will also give you much more OCing headroom. Stock video card cooling always sucks very bad. Some may argue that GPU WCIng is more benificial than CPU WCing.

And yes, it will void your warrenty to remove the stock cooling. Only Evga allows you to replace the stock cooling under warrenty.
Click to expand...
Is there anything a little cheaper than that? That comes out to 330 or so with the chipset fan cooler and GPU cooler. I'm not looking for SUPER performance, just regular. Also, if I have my dad build something could I save some money?
 
DarkStar02 said:
Is there anything a little cheaper than that? That comes out to 330 or so with the chipset fan cooler and GPU cooler. I'm not looking for SUPER performance, just regular. Also, if I have my dad build something could I save some money?
Click to expand...

well it sounds like you are looking for super performance, gpu/cpu/chipset blocks is about everything you can do with w/c .. why not get a setup with just cpu block, get the rest for chirstmas/bday.. i think if there were any better deals (value wise) then that DD setup and the swifttech that someone would of posted it by now.
 
Drop the manufactured heatercore for one in your local auto parts trader or check For Sale threads.

I bought a great single pass core with 2 1/2" OD barbs for $20 with shipping and I got the Danger Den single 120mm core for $13 shipped on this forum.
 
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