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Watercooling under $100

Not sure if that's supposed to be a WTB ad, or a request for suggestions. ;]

I picked up a scratch and dent 120mm radiator (~$18) and a TC-4 rev2 CPU block ($25) from DTek, a Via Aqua 1300 pump (~$20) from some online petstore, 10' of 1/2" ID vinyl tubing from Home Depot (~$7), and a cheapo 120mm fan ($4) from allelectronics.com. Throw in some hose clamps, some Water Wetter, and i spent just under $100, including shipping. I would suggest not skimping on the fan like i did though, hehe. For a few bucks more, you can get one that flows more air and/or runs quieter.

Overall though, i'm pretty happy so far, my old idle temps were 47C-50C, 52C-55C under load (gaming). The current ones are 38C-42C idle, 45C-47C under load. Note that i live in AZ, and the ambient temp in the room is 25C-30C, depending on the time of day. The CPU is around 12C-13C over ambient at idle normally. Oh, this is an AMD XP 2000+, not OC'd.

The pump can get noisy, especially if it or the tubing is in contact with anything that can vibrate (like the side of the case). I put it on a folded towel at the bottom of the case, that keeps it pretty quiet. It's a tiny bit quieter than my old air setup still, which was 2x80mm intake fans, one ducted to the CPU, one in the front of the case.
 
You can do it very cheaply as noted above, but you may be better off buying quality components. Although I would recommend getting a heater core at an Auto parts store, and Dtek's blocks are pretty decent. I would get a little better pump though, for a bit more you can get a nice and quiet Eheim or Hydor, and you won't have to deal with the noise factor.
 
in a couple of days im posting a "how to" do it yourself watercooling guide. I made everything. 2 blocks, dual 120mm radiator, shroud and res. Stay tunded. ($122.16)

37 C load temp.
 
If i were to do it again (which i may, and move my current setup to my other machine) i'd go for a known quieter pump, or a 12V pump, and shoot for quiet rather than max temp decrease. I did this setup as an experiment, to be as cheap as possible, while still getting decent components. I could have gotten an Aquarius II or something for about the same price, but it was much more fun piecing it together. Leak testing is fun.

:rolleyes:
 
bonneville heatercore - $20
2 fans - $20
spir@l block -$20
hydor l20 pump - $30
tubing, t-line, clamps, fittings - $10

there ya go
 
Thermaltake Aquarius II


or does that not even qualify as a WC system :p
 
xphantg0d said:
Do you have any benchmarks on that?
Click to expand...

Nope, I just found it while looking for a kit/setup for myself. It doesn't look too great though, but its cheap.
 
gclg2000 said:
in a couple of days im posting a "how to" do it yourself watercooling guide. I made everything. 2 blocks, dual 120mm radiator, shroud and res. Stay tunded. ($122.16)

37 C load temp.
Click to expand...

I'm buying the materials for my Res based on yours tonight. I'll post in my worklog later on. I look forward to that guide.
 
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