Want a project build

[StellaTerra]

Hello,
Recently I was fired from my job, and now I've got way too much time on my hands and not enough money. So I want to build a cheap, DIY water cooling rig. I want to build it so that it's very quiet, and I don't mind doing a lot of maintenance, it only has to be cool enough to keep the computer from failing at stock clocks. I've priced it all out and I figure I could buy all of the parts premade for about $300, so I was wondering what kind of luck any of you have had with building water blocks, heater core radiators with shrouds, and using fish tank pumps? I'd like to do this for $100, hard limit $150. I'd like to cool a Q9550 and a GTX 280, so that's about 300W TDP. I figure initially I'll just stick with cooling the proc. So where do y'all think it's safe to cut corners, and is this even possible? I've heard that heater cores aren't even really effective until you get up in to high fan speeds, and that would be bad for the noise.
So, is it possible for a first time water cooler to build a system for cooling ~300 watts at >30dBA for > $150?
Thanks

 

[rsantos97]

CPU Block- D-tek Fuzion v.1 - $45
Rad MCR330 for $50 or MCR220 for $40
Pump D5 non vario for about $65
Hose- Masterkleer for $0.59 a foot by 7ft = $4.13

About $154 + shipping with the MCR220

$165 + shipping for the MCR330

Add a few other stuff like a T and maybe a fan if don't have one already.

Check out jab-tech.com or sidewindercomputers.com both great places to buy with excellent prices.
Other good shops to check out: petrastechshop.com and dangerden.com

Use dsitilled water for less than $1 a gallon.

 

[StellaTerra]

CPU Block- D-tek Fuzion v.1 - $45
Rad MCR330 for $50 or MCR220 for $40
Pump D5 non vario for about $65
Hose- Masterkleer for $0.59 a foot by 7ft = $4.13

About $154 + shipping with the MCR220

$165 + shipping for the MCR330

Add a few other stuff like a T and maybe a fan if don't have one already.

Check out jab-tech.com or sidewindercomputers.com both great places to buy with excellent prices.
Other good shops to check out: petrastechshop.com and dangerden.com

Use dsitilled water for less than $1 a gallon.

So you say it's a bad idea to build my own water block or use a heater core?

 

[StellaTerra]

CPU Block- D-tek Fuzion v.1 - $45
Rad MCR330 for $50 or MCR220 for $40
Pump D5 non vario for about $65
Hose- Masterkleer for $0.59 a foot by 7ft = $4.13

About $154 + shipping with the MCR220

$165 + shipping for the MCR330

Add a few other stuff like a T and maybe a fan if don't have one already.

Check out jab-tech.com or sidewindercomputers.com both great places to buy with excellent prices.
Other good shops to check out: petrastechshop.com and dangerden.com

Use dsitilled water for less than $1 a gallon.

Ok, now I'm looking at this stuff more closely, I'm a bit confused. I can't exactly tell what the D5 non vario is. Are you talking about this:
http://www.petrastechshop.com/lad5badend5i.html
Also, no, I don't have fans. That'll be ~$50 more! I was looking at 3 of these:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/scsf49cfms12.html

I guess my questions were more along the lines of, "Is it cheaper/doable to make my own CPU water block?" and "Is there some good reason I shouldn't use a fish-bowl pump from a local pet shot?" and "Do heater cores work?"
Thanks for your help in finding that awesome looking hardware. If only I could afford it! ~_~

 

[Arcygenical]

How cheaply can you make a CPU waterblock, and are you willing to have temperatures around 5-10c higher than those generated with a commercial block?

The D5 non-vario is the pump you linked, so you're correct there...

And, if you buy everything from Jab-Tech and buy these fans you'll save quite a few dollars.

Really, save up so you have around 200$ to spend, and buy some stuff used from the forums here... Pumps and water blocks typically go for around 30% less than the store prices...

 

[StellaTerra]

Alright. I wanted a real project build, but if you say it's such a disastrous idea, I guess I'll just skip it. Thanks so much for your input.

 

[atomic ferret]

I don't think its a disastrous idea at all. I watercooled by cpu for around 150. The issue with using a heater core is that they need high cfm fans to be effective, which goes against the quiet thing you want. An MCR320 is 50$, an apogee gt is 40$, an MCP-655 is 65$, tubing and clamps is another 10$ and 3 yate loons from petras is about 12$. So that's about 175$, but look in the classifieds for some used parts. I picked up an mcp-655 for 55$, an apogee gt for 30$, and I used a heater core. You could definitely hunt for some used parts and keep it around $150.

 

[rsantos97]

Sorry for not posting again, got tied up with school.

About creating your own block, well I have no experience in that department. Personally, I wouldn't even bother. There are too many good blocks already on the market which are pretty inexpensive. I would imagine that creating your own block would take lots of time for designing and testing and would have some cost for materials and if you don't have your own cnc machine then you'll have to pay a shop to do the work for you.

Why not make a project out of using a challenging case to use for water cooling, like using a smallish case or a case that many people would not think to use for watercooling.