Watercooling my System.

[CmaN3]

Ok guys, My system is as follows:
Athlon XP 2800
XFX 6600GT(agp)
512megs of ram
Asus A7V mobo(Via KT400)
WD 80 gig HDD

Now, I have decided that I wont be upgrading until late next year. So I decided that I should watercool my system, So I can get all the performance out of it that it can give. I already have a pump. I have a few Pumps that were used in our fish tank, now these were quite large, as the tank 6feet long. Would one of these be powerful enough for my system? As for the res, I plan on putting one together myself, so that I can make one that looks nice with my case.

As for the rest, I was looking at this stuff:
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=47&cat=14&page=1 One of those for a rad, or would I want a dual heater core?

http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=32&cat=59&page=1 That for my cpu. or Something else?

http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=150&cat=48&page=1 For my 6600

http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=57&cat=33&page=1 And four feet of that for tubing.

Any suggestions, help would be very much appreciated. As for budget without a pump, I dont want to spend any more than $150, but with a pump, I am willing to pay up to $200(tentative.)

Any suggestions/help would be appreciated!

CC

 

[DFI Daishi]

just loking at your budget, the parts that you are thinking of getting, and your current system specs........it would probably be a very good idea for you to stick with some nice air cooling for the time being.

 

[CmaN3]

As I said, I plan on upgrading, So I will save everything I can from this setup and move it to my next setup. Besides, which would you rather test your first water cooling setup on, an aging Athlon XP system of a brandy spankin' new a64 system?

But for the winter, I plan on putting my radiator outside(if possible), so that will drop the temps dramatically.

Thanks for the advice though.

 

[Silent Assasin]

Just to let you know. Most waterblocks are not compatible with other sockets. Waterblocks are going to run you the most for the money as well. So when you build yourself a new system, you will be buying another 100 bucks in just blocks..... Although water cooling is an awesome thing to do, I second the idea of sticking with air cooling for now. As you mentioned something about wanted to test it with an older computer first. Most problems with water cooling occur right away, and if you do a good leak test before attaching anything to your motherboard and whatnot, you shouldn't have a problem.....

But if you insist one going with water cooling, those parts do seem like they'd get the job done for you budget. If you wanted a bit more cooling, the TDX would be a better choice, but also another 15 or 20 bucks, the Maze4 CPU block is the older version before the RBX was released. The maze4 GPU is the same thing I use for my x800pro, and I absolutely love it. It dropped my idle temps litterally by 20*C (50*C - 30*C). Although the CPU block won't last on a new system, the GPU block should be able to work on a newer system, but then you will need extra passive heatsinks on the ram as for newer video cards tend to run a bit hotter, hence the reasoning behind the design of the NV68 GPU block(to cool ram along with core).

Also, 4 feet of tubing might be cutting it short for a first time water cooler. I used up nearly 8 ft in my first rig. I bought 10 ft and had about a 1.5ft piece and several scrap peices left over....

 

[DFI Daishi]

to expand a bit on my point, since you don't seem to like what i have already said: unless you have some unusually powerfull aquarium pumps, that maze 4 and single rad are not going to keep things much, if any, cooler than a good CPU heatsink.

i'm not just saying this to be a jerk, i'm honestly trying to help you to save a bit on cooling now, so that you are hopefully able to upgrade sooner.

i'm not going to deny that what you have selected will work, it's just that it's unlikely to work much better than much cheaper air cooling parts.

i guess one piece of info that might be good for you to put up is the make and model of the pumps that you have. aquarium pumps can be fine for watercooling, but only if you have the right pump.

 

[ikellensbro]

If you wanted something simple and easy, that can still be used with your next upgrade:
Swiftech MCW-6002 (the AXP version has a slot in it so it fits over the socket tab, but that won't matter on an A64 with its IHS)
Danger Den Maze4 gpu or Swiftech MCW-55 (your choice really, both can fit 660gts, and future mounting plates can be purchased to be used with any ATI card or 7800GTX/GT
BIP2 or BIX2: BIP2 for the cheaper and quieter (works best with lower cfm, quieter fans, and isn't designed to utilize 80+cfm fans very well) alternative, BIX2 for the potential for better cooling with higher cfm (but louder) fans
Get at least 10 feet of tubing, trust me, it sucks if your loop is all ready to go, but you don't have enough tubing to include the gpu block in the loop. If you want PrimoFlex, get it here.

New mounting kits are only $10-15, so it would be pretty cheap to port over your old blocks into your new rig. Can you check what models/brands your pumps are? The brands of aquarium pumps that most people use(d) are Eheim, Hydor, and Danner.

 

[CmaN3]

Thanks guys.

I will check the pumps tonight, I just have to find them... Our shed is quite full. I think they are quite powerful, although I aint sure.

DFI: I understand, Im just hoping to get a little experiance with water cooling right now.

Ikellensbro: Thanks a buntch man, I will look into those water blocks.

And for a radiator, my dads friend is a mechanic, So He might be able to get me a nice big one, and he can weld to.

Thanks for all the help guys!

EDIT: from voyeur mods, I just configured a kit, and with a hydro L25 and a double 120mm heatercore it came out to 144.50(same as Ikellensbro said).
If my aquarium pumps are strong enough I could almost get it under $100. I dont think that is to bad.