Water cooling questions

[mrand01]

I just built a system, and was thinking about WC, but opted for air...i still want water. First off, here's what I have:

Silverstone TJ-07
PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750 Quad
DFI LP LT X48 T2RS
E8400 w/ TRUE120 @ 4.0ghz
2x2gb G.Skill DDR2 1066 @ 1069mhz
EVGA 8800gt

Now...I like how this has turned out so far, but I'm thinking of water cooling to lower temps a bit, maybe push it a bit further, and quiet the system down a tad. I want to watercool the NB and CPU initially, not doing video yet as I don't plan on keeping the 8800gt. So, next, here's what I want to get (I think...you tell me lol)

D-TEK FuZion v2 Universal CPU Waterblock - 1/2" - $65
Swiftech MCW30 Chipset Waterblock - $28
Thermochill PA120.3 Radiator - $135
Laing D5 Vario/Swiftech MCP655 Inline 12V DC Pump - $85
1/2" ID (3/4" OD) Tygon R-3603 - 10ft. - $32.50

Now for the questions:

1. Is that CPU waterblock good?
2. What about the chipset block (this is going on X48 board)?
3. Is the 120.3 overkill?
4. Should I cool my southbridge?
5. What the hell are MOSFET coolers? Actually...what the hell is a MOSFET.
6. What more would I need (other than a video block) to cool a single video card (9900 series whenever it's out probably)
7. How should I set all this up? What order is best for this type of config?
8. How do I fill the system?
9. How do I empty it (in case I move out of my place or wanna bring my machine somewhere...)
10. What to use for water (distilled?)
11. Are additives safe? I want this shit to glow
12. Is a reservoir necessary? Is there a big advantage to having one?
13. Had a pipe-dream of going TEC w/ one of those nice swiftech water blocks...good for daily use? (sometimes 24/7)
14. Last...what would you change, if this were your setup...

I know thats a ton of questions, and I appreciate any answer I get. Thanks ;-)

 

[sd11]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. For just CPU and chipset yes, but it will give you wiggle room to add things to the loop.
4. intel chipset SB's do not require liquid cooling, it's pointless.
5. Mosfet coolers are generally not required, the stock cooling is usually enough. LC on them for an intel chipset is generally just for show. Mosfet = power regulation google it.
6. If it's a GPU only video block you need heatsinks for other items, the cost is minimal, if it's a full cover block that's all you need.
7. Not overly important as the water temp will reach equilibrium.
8. Depends on if you use a res or t-line. But just put the water in and bleed it (run the pump).
9. Either run the pump to drain it while connected, or remove it all and drain it. Also depends on if you have a t-line vs res.
10. Yes, I'd also toss in hydrax/pentosion.
11. Varies, some (hydrax/pentosion) are just fine and recommended. Dye bombs and the like are known to clog things up and get nasty over time.
12. It's not needed. Res = faster bleeding, t-line = easier to drain.
13. It can be used 24/7, but if you're not going to need it for your OC it's not worth the hassle.
14. I'd change the pump to DDC + top, but it's of questionable gain. Just IMHO.

 

[mrand01]

What is a T-Line? I've seen T-Fittings...you mean one of them? What do you do, just hang a tube off that to drain, otherwise, keep it capped off?

 

[Headpunter]

those swifty tec blocks have a tendancy to corrode and fail, i have seen them look like swisscheese in less then 12 months.

buy an EK x48 block not just the generic swifty one

and lastly thing i would change is buy a swifty 120x3 instead of the Thermochil and use the money you saved to buy the ek x48 block

 

[sd11]

those swifty tec blocks have a tendancy to corrode and fail, i have seen them look like swisscheese in less then 12 months.

buy an EK x48 block not just the generic swifty one

and lastly thing i would change is buy a swifty 120x3 instead of the Thermochil and use the money you saved to buy the ek x48 block

MCW is 30, if it's having corrosion problems it's probably due to something else in the loop.

What is a T-Line? I've seen T-Fittings...you mean one of them? What do you do, just hang a tube off that to drain, otherwise, keep it capped off?

A t-fitting with a bit of tubing and a fill port on top. Fill and drain through there. It's cheaper, drains easier, and takes up less room then a res. However a res bleeds much faster. It's up to you.

 

[Arcygenical]

those swifty tec blocks have a tendancy to corrode and fail, i have seen them look like swisscheese in less then 12 months.

buy an EK x48 block not just the generic swifty one

and lastly thing i would change is buy a swifty 120x3 instead of the Thermochil and use the money you saved to buy the ek x48 block

The MCW30 is a NB block, and all copper... You must be thinking of their 6000 series aluminum blocks?

 

[devilchrist]

how critical is it for your pump to run before your computer starts?

if you have your thermal limit set in bios to shut down, could you just have the computer start same time as pump?

 

[Headpunter]

13. Had a pipe-dream of going TEC w/ one of those nice swiftech water blocks...good for daily use? (sometimes 24/7)

The Swiftech blocks with tecs built in have aluminum parts and look like swiss cheese after a while lemme find a pic, i wasnt refering to the Chipset block

 

[Headpunter]

how critical is it for your pump to run before your computer starts?

if you have your thermal limit set in bios to shut down, could you just have the computer start same time as pump?

not at all important, when you turn your computer on the PSU will turn the pump on

 

[plot]

8. How do I fill the system?
9. How do I empty it (in case I move out of my place or wanna bring my machine somewhere...)
10. What to use for water (distilled?)
11. Are additives safe? I want this shit to glow
12. Is a reservoir necessary? Is there a big advantage to having one?

A reservoir or a T-Line is used for filling the system, emptying it, bleeding it, etc.

The advantage to a reservoir is it keeps water in your pump (normally running a pump dry = bad bad news. NEVER do it), and it bleeds faster (by bleeding, we mean it gets all the air bubbles out of the water cooling loop so it's just liquid flowing... bubbles cause problems). The disadvantage is space, although I have a reservoir that fits in one of my 5.5" bays so I can see the water and it works very well. Even though loop order doesn't really matter, if you use a reservoir, put it directly before the pump and have it raised higher than the pump.

A T-Line is a tube that comes off a T-Fitting that goes nowhere, it gets capped off. This tube is where you fill the system, bleed it, empty it, etc. The advantage of course, is space and ease of use. You can just bend it down to empty out the system, and bend it out of the case for some easy filling... whereas a reservoir is usually mounted somewhere inside of your case and can be a pain to fill up and empty.

To fill the system, you simply put as much water into the loop as you can (get it going through the pump), then turn the computer on for a few seconds. Before you turn the system on, disconnect everything from the PSU except for the pump, then to turn the PSU on, jumper two wires on the big connector that normally sticks into your mobo... that way the PSU and the pump are the only things powered and running, so if you end up with a watery mess or something, just let it dry out. Plus stuff isn't getting cooked in the meantime. Just keep starting and stopping and filling up more as neccessary to keep the water going through the pump... eventually the whole loop will have water and then you just have to bleed it.

Bleeding simply means you let it run awhile, the air bubbles will collect in the reservoir or the T-Line so you just have to turn off the pump, open up the res/tline and add water as neccessary... also rock the computer around, tilt it, shake it, whatever to get the bubbles to dislodge from wherever they are and make it to the t-line/res.

The key points are, don't let your pump run dry, and find out which pins you need to jump with a paper clip or small peice of wire to turn your PSU on without having your mobo hooked up... then you can't really harm anything in the fill/bleed process.