Water Cooling n00b

Yea, you should either go with a kit or read the sticky on top.

Once you read the sticky you will know what you basically need. Then you can start researching products.
 
the othe thing to think about is your budget, and the tradeoffs that you are willing to make between looks and performance.

think about noise too.
 
It all depends on what you're looking for. Do you want something cheap, silent, max cooling for [H] OC'ing, ease of use, just something to introduce you to WC'ing, looks, etc? For a beginner a quality kit will give you everything you need to get going....just add water. Obviously some kits are better than others, and there's a kit out there for each of the above mentioned aspects.

The Swiftech Apex kit is probably the best one out right now. The D-tek Flowmaster is another good option, as is the Danger Den Maze4. If a cheap, quiet hsf replacement is what you're after, the TT Big Water kit is worth a look. Just don't expect anything amazing out of it. If you just want something to plop on top of your case, check out the Koolance
units. And if Euro styling floats your boat, bust out the credit cards for some shiny new AquaComputer Gear.

Be sure to look at places like FrozenCpu, DangerDen, D-tekCustoms, and Jab-Tech to get an idea of whats out there.


Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bookmark this post so I don't end up typing it again :D
 
Thanks a lot for the advice I really don't have a budget so to say, but I'm not going to spend over $300 for this... Also I just want a kit so I can learn in the future how to build my own.
 
well, it's on the outer limit of your budget, however the swiftech apex kit, with a MCW 55 VGA block is about the best that you can do, in terms of performance at reasonable noise levels.

it is really a kit that you will most likely not need to upgrade until something signifant changes in terms of computer hardware.

if you want to get things a bit cheaper, this beauty might do the trick: http://www.swiftnets.com/products/h20-120-R3-0.asp, once again, adding a VGA block like the MCW 55.

kits like the bigwater.....they just don't deliver performance levels that i consider to be worthwhile.
 
If you're going to recommend the Bigwater kit, you might as well mention the Kingwin AWC-1 kit. About the same performance, neither good, but the Kingwin kit will save you a bit of $ and comes with a VGA block.

But you could easily configure a great kit for ~$200. And SpoogeMonkey mentioned the places to look into...
 
DFI Daishi said:
kits like the bigwater.....they just don't deliver performance levels that i consider to be worthwhile.
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Not that I was recommending the Big Water, but just pointing out that simple, quiet solutions are there if someone just wants to "try out water cooling". So far, about the only self contained wc solution that is decent is the Exos kits. At least they put everything in a good sized box, instead of cramming everything into a 5 1/4" drive bay.

Hopefully by now the TT Aquarius is all but extinct, and I didn't feel that the Gigabyte Galaxy was worth linking to either.....a little bit better than the big water..but still not a performance kit.
 
The Koolance Aquian (?) looks like it has the potential to be a middle road between the kits like the Bigwater and the Kingwin. There aren't any real good reviews on it yet though.
 
It looks as though it might perform better than the Bigwater or Kingwin, but it also looks as though it might be far more obtrusive as well.
 
SpoogeMonkey said:
Not that I was recommending the Big Water, but just pointing out that simple, quiet solutions are there if someone just wants to "try out water cooling".
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well, i'm not going to say that it is anything stronger than an opinion, however when running an XP-90, XP-120 or a 7700AlCu will deliver similar results, i would say that it is just better to stick with air, as opposed to complicating life with a low-end watercooling kit.

i fully understand that the watercooling that i am putting up is expensive. the pelt cooling that i do myself is even more so.

i simplly feel that if you are going to go for watercooling, then the performace level should justify the added complications. most reasonably price kits don't fit that particulat bill, in my mind.
 
SpoogeMonkey said:
It all depends on what you're looking for. Do you want something cheap, silent, max cooling for [H] OC'ing, ease of use, just something to introduce you to WC'ing, looks, etc? For a beginner a quality kit will give you everything you need to get going....just add water. Obviously some kits are better than others, and there's a kit out there for each of the above mentioned aspects.

The Swiftech Apex kit is probably the best one out right now. The D-tek Flowmaster is another good option, as is the Danger Den Maze4. If a cheap, quiet hsf replacement is what you're after, the TT Big Water kit is worth a look. Just don't expect anything amazing out of it. If you just want something to plop on top of your case, check out the Koolance
units. And if Euro styling floats your boat, bust out the credit cards for some shiny new AquaComputer Gear.

Be sure to look at places like FrozenCpu, DangerDen, D-tekCustoms, and Jab-Tech to get an idea of whats out there.


Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bookmark this post so I don't end up typing it again :D
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Question on the Swiftech H20-APEX Extreme Liquid Cooling Kit. I saw the pic and the radiator is installed on the back of the computer chassis. It's blocking the PCI and AGP slots. Is that just an example of where to install it?
 
its probably not a problem since its a full inch or more from the case? who says you cant rotate it 90 degs and have it point to the side
 
The Radbox is used if you want to have as easy of an installation as possible, but you can of course cut 2x120mm holes in your case if you want to mount it internally (and have the space).
 
I have air cooling for my pc now a thermaltake big typhoon for the cpu and the zalman vf700cu for the gpu. How much money (estimated) would I have to spend if I wanted to build a water cooling system that is better than that?

I went to DangerDen.com and picked out these items:
12V DD-D5 Pump.................................74.95
Black Ice XtremeII Radiator...................57.99
Danger Den Dual 5 1/4" Bay Reservoir....31.95
Acetal Version MAZE4GPU...................65.44
Tygon 3603 Tubing 1/2" ID 3/4" OD..........2.80
Arctic Silver 5........................................7.29
Subtotal.............................................240.42
Total w/ Shipping.................................261.31

Would that be better than the setup I have now?
 
Get a BIP and not a BIX, you dont get very much added cooling with the BIX, and it is a noisier radiator (you need noisier fans to get good cooling because it is thicker). Also you dont have a CPU block in that loop, only a GPU block...
 
Erasmus354 said:
Also you dont have a CPU block in that loop, only a GPU block...
Click to expand...

Yeah i did this fast so I could post it asap, but i did pick out a cpu block. Copper TDX Block
 
the rbx gets slightly better performance over the tdx fyi but the tdx cools my 1.55v prescott just fine ;) i got the same setup just about except i got the double heater core, and i lapped both blocks and my cpu to 2000 grit, it cost me $275

my prescott loads at 57C at 1.55~1.575v and the 6800 loads at 46C on my maze4
 
If you're going for max performance, I'd go with the Swiftech APEX kit and the GPU block of choice, you're not going to get better than that. .................. :D

dsc000998qr.jpg

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dsc001120hm.jpg
 
Bio-Hazard said:
If you're going for max performance, I'd go with the Swiftech APEX kit and the GPU block of choice, you're not going to get better than that. .................. :D

dsc000998qr.jpg

dsc000989tl.jpg

dsc001120hm.jpg
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hmm, looking from that pic, the right side of the slots are disabled due to blocking. My speaker wires connect to the soundblaster and its on the right side.
 
jhego said:
hmm, looking from that pic, the right side of the slots are disabled due to blocking. My speaker wires connect to the soundblaster and its on the right side.
Click to expand...

The radbox provides ample space for most any connector to connect and have the wire bend out of the way. The only reason why that monitor cable wouldn't make it is because he is using an adaptor which doubles the length of the connector....remember now wires can bend they dont have to go in a straight line! (What a novel idea!)
 
Erasmus354 said:
The radbox provides ample space for most any connector to connect and have the wire bend out of the way. The only reason why that monitor cable wouldn't make it is because he is using an adaptor which doubles the length of the connector....remember now wires can bend they dont have to go in a straight line! (What a novel idea!)
Click to expand...
what a royal pita to plug things in...
 
ryuji said:
what a royal pita to plug things in...
Click to expand...
hey, the radbox is there for people who don't want to cut into their case. no denying that there are tradeoffs in going that way with it, however as far as these things go, i think that it's not TOO bad of a deal.

of course, i used right angle brackets to mount my rad edge-on back there, to keep my slots clear.
 
I have no problem plugging anything in, but I also doubbled the distance between the radiator and the case by installing the fans on the back side of the radiator and using a gutted fan for a spacer.

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Plenty of room for everything.............. :D
This system will be stripped this week for another cooler and this will go into my Monster rig..................... :eek: At least the water block and pump anyway.
 
:) Very nice Bio, is that fan next to the radbox operational or just the housing to provide you with some more space?

*ugh* I still cant stand the look of coolsleeves....
 
It's just a housing to give me a little extra room......... :cool: I wanted the radiator as far away from the case as I could get it and the mount to still be stable because I have a VGA Silencer cooler on my video card right now and didn't want all the hot exhaust in the radiator.
 
GFreeman9 said:
I have air cooling for my pc now a thermaltake big typhoon for the cpu and the zalman vf700cu for the gpu. How much money (estimated) would I have to spend if I wanted to build a water cooling system that is better than that?

I went to DangerDen.com and picked out these items:
12V DD-D5 Pump.................................74.95
Black Ice XtremeII Radiator...................57.99
Danger Den Dual 5 1/4" Bay Reservoir....31.95
Acetal Version MAZE4GPU...................65.44
Tygon 3603 Tubing 1/2" ID 3/4" OD..........2.80
Arctic Silver 5........................................7.29
Subtotal.............................................240.42
Total w/ Shipping.................................261.31

Would that be better than the setup I have now?
Click to expand...

Just for comparison, add $53 for the tdx block, $20-$30 for 2 good fans, another $17 for tubing ($2.80/ft), $7.50 for clamps dd's clamps are $0.75/ea x 10, $5-$10 for water additive of choice, and another ~$7 for shipping.....your up to $400 for a setup that will probably cool just a bit less than the Apex kit $250
+ $65 for acetal maze4 or wait a week or 2 for the new Swiftech mcw55 gpu block to hit shelves.
Also, I think Alphakry is about to get the [H]er's a group deal on the apex kit....might be able to save a few more $'s.

BTW either setup will cool better than what you have now. And ideally will let you oc a bit more.
 
SpoogeMonkey said:
Also, I think Alphakry is about to get the [H]er's a group deal on the apex kit....might be able to save a few more $'s.
Click to expand...

:eek: A group deal?! Could be pretty sweet, I might have to jump on that if it is any good...lemme know if anything ever comes of it....and who is Alphakry?
 
if you guys were to pick, would you get the Apex Kit or the Koolance Exos-2?
 
APEX kit handsdown, not to mention the fact that the Exos 2 does not come with waterblocks and still costs more than that APEX. The only thing the Exos 2 has going for it over the APEX kit is that it is external, and has that little temperature doodad. The Apex kit matches the Exos2 or exceeds it in everyother area...radiator size (matches), pump (exceeds), waterblock(definitely exceeds)....etc..
 
jhego said:
if you guys were to pick, would you get the Apex Kit or the Koolance Exos-2?
Click to expand...
apex definntely beats it so far as performance goes. as for ease of installation, the exos wins, though not by much. as for cost, the apex wins. as for looks, the exos probably wins, although that depends on personal taste, to some degree at least. noise? that depends on what you set the fans no the apex to. the apex can probably perform better, sound level per sound level, however i have not seen/read enough to make that anything more that a liklyhood.
 
The Exos system is not silent with the fans turnned up to performance just as the APEX is noisy. But so far the APEX has produced the same performance on 2 different A64 systems that I tested it on. The fans provided the same temps at a very quiet 7v that I got at a loud 12v. I haven't tried the APEX on a Intel system because they are not allowed in my house.
 
jhego said:
if you guys were to pick, would you get the Apex Kit or the Koolance Exos-2?
Click to expand...

Depends on what you are looking for as they have different design and performance goals. If you want ease of installability, good looks, and good cooling then take the Exos II. If looks isn't important and you are handy with tools and want good performance then go with the Apex kit. The main advantage to the Exos II is portability between cases. If you install the Apex kit then when you change cases you have a slight dilemma. Do you toss the case and remove the watercooling components or do you sell the whole case with the watercooling components? With the Exos II there is no problems in this regard as there are no modifications to the case whatsoever.
 
Top Nurse said:
Depends on what you are looking for as they have different design and performance goals. If you want ease of installability, good looks, and good cooling then take the Exos II. If looks isn't important and you are handy with tools and want good performance then go with the Apex kit. The main advantage to the Exos II is portability between cases. If you install the Apex kit then when you change cases you have a slight dilemma. Do you toss the case and remove the watercooling components or do you sell the whole case with the watercooling components? With the Exos II there is no problems in this regard as there are no modifications to the case whatsoever.
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You seem to be ignoring the fact that someone could do the same thing with the Apex that the Exos II does, by using the radbox and modifying a double PCI bracket you can put the APEX kit into a case without cutting it up at all.
:rolleyes: but of course that would have ruined one of your arguments against the Apex so why even consider that. This is exactly the kind of convenient "white lie" that makes you and others (on the low and high flow side) look biased towards one device or another.
 
Top Nurse said:
Depends on what you are looking for as they have different design and performance goals. If you want ease of installability, good looks, and good cooling then take the Exos II. If looks isn't important and you are handy with tools and want good performance then go with the Apex kit. The main advantage to the Exos II is portability between cases. If you install the Apex kit then when you change cases you have a slight dilemma. Do you toss the case and remove the watercooling components or do you sell the whole case with the watercooling components? With the Exos II there is no problems in this regard as there are no modifications to the case whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Could you please explain just how handy you have to be to beable to drill 2 holes i the back of your case to install the APEX. I don't know how hand you are, but my 10 year old daughter could install the APEX kit, but then again, she knows what she's doing.
As for tossing the case after you remove the kit, I suppose you would if you are that type of person, but I know a ton of people that wouldn't mind buying a slightly used case at a fair price that had 2 holes drilled in the back that didn't hurt anything. And if you haven't noticed, there are a lot of new cases that are coming on the market with holes pre-punched in the rear of the case for water cooling.............. :eek:
 
I have to chime in here and say this (which can be generalized to a lot of things)

If you are looking to learn, have fun, tweak, or tune than a DIY system is the way to go. You will have to go through the process of picking the components, the fittings, the additives and then you get to assemble it, turn it on, leak test, and finally install. Then you will be dissapointed by the results and you will rearrange the order, shorten tubing, move the pump or the rad, change the nozzles on the WB etc. This can be a load of fun, but it's also a lot of work.

If however, you are looking to adaquately cool your system while lowering the noise...than a kit is the way to go. You will get great performance and the ease of having all the right parts. This of couse is the way it seems you decided to go so now the issue is what kit to get. Well....I am a fan of screw on fittings, I simply do not trust the clamp on fittings in high flow systems. Some people here know this...but I am an outspoken fan of Koolance simply because you can have it installed in 20 mins without any problem. The idle or load temps will not be as good as a custom DD setup but it will largely take Temps out of the OC equation.
 
SpoogeMonkey said:
Just for comparison, add $53 for the tdx block, $20-$30 for 2 good fans, another $17 for tubing ($2.80/ft), $7.50 for clamps dd's clamps are $0.75/ea x 10, $5-$10 for water additive of choice, and another ~$7 for shipping.....your up to $400 for a setup that will probably cool just a bit less than the Apex kit $250
+ $65 for acetal maze4 or wait a week or 2 for the new Swiftech mcw55 gpu block to hit shelves.
Also, I think Alphakry is about to get the [H]er's a group deal on the apex kit....might be able to save a few more $'s.

BTW either setup will cool better than what you have now. And ideally will let you oc a bit more.
Click to expand...


I dont think so.

You can get teh D5 and TDX for <$110, it's a special deal. Then 45 for the Maze4, not 65. He's already got the tubing, and tygon too.
 
Erasmus354 said:
You seem to be ignoring the fact that someone could do the same thing with the Apex that the Exos II does, by using the radbox and modifying a double PCI bracket you can put the APEX kit into a case without cutting it up at all.
:rolleyes: but of course that would have ruined one of your arguments against the Apex so why even consider that. This is exactly the kind of convenient "white lie" that makes you and others (on the low and high flow side) look biased towards one device or another.
Click to expand...

You are touchy! No arguments here just plain facts. :p But as you mentioned elsewhere you would have to mod it because it doesn't fit. The Exos fits and it doesn't need any modding. It also looks a hell of a lot better, has fan speed controls, and temperature sensing as well as readouts.
 
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