WC Kit Recommendation

CoW]8(0)

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 25, 2005
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I'm searching for a new WC kit for my Socket 754 (AMD64 3400+) system. I've been using the Kingwin AWC-1 kit and it simply doesn't cut it. The performance is somewhat acceptable and the noise levels are very low. But quality of the central Pump/radiator is poor. The front inlet of the nozzle of the resevoir is cracked (which I had to seal with silicon). But I haven't the time nor the confidence in building a custom system.

One of the main featues of the kit should be silence with good performance. Ths is another reason why I'm shying away from custom kits because from what I've seen they're usually centered around outstanding performance but not much silence. Also it would be great if I could reuse some of the parts of the Kingwin Kit. Does anyone know the compatability of the Kingwin AWC-1 tubing? (5/16" OD (Outer Diameter) silica tubes)
 
Aqua Computer makes very silent systems. Another is the Zalman Reserator system.
 
You can make just about any system silent or near silent just by selecting the right fans and pump, fact of life there. What price range are we looking at here, that's the first question that needs to be asked.
 
Well, the price depends on where I would buy it. But I won't be spending more than ~$140, on a system. I know that might be a tight squeeze, but as I said, I'm not looking for exceptional performance because I don't plan to overclock.
 
Take a look at one of these smaller Swiftech kits, they're going for under $200 these days and perform very well for the size of the radiator.

http://www.swiftnets.com/products/h20-120-R3a-0.asp

H20-120-FK-R3a.gif
 
For the price and performance I think Swiftech might indeed be the best answer for you.
You can get other kits cheaper or quieter ... but your going to be disappointed somewhere.
 
Can the kit be mounted internally with the fan pulling air from the outside of the case? It looks like a good kit. Do you think the tubing from the Kingwin AWC-1 (5/16" OD (Outer Diameter)) could be reused safely? I'm hoping to at least salvage the GPU block....
 
Your current tubing is going to be a little small but could be used with adapters. And yes the radiator can be mounterd inside the case if you wish. Swiftech includes the radbox as a meane of easily installing the kit without modding anything........... :D Where you install it is your option............ :cool:
 
From the reviews I'm seeing, the radiator box seems a little too big to be mounted inside. I'm looking more for a internal cooling solution.
 
Mount it without the radbox, then all you have is a standard single 120mm radiator that should fit in most any case without much problems at all............ :cool: That is unless you have a very very small case.
 
this is the rad box

MCB-120.gif



it holds the Rad on the outside of the case for easier External mounting... but you dont have to use it, and can just mount the Rad in the inside of the case, on a standard 120mm fan slot.

hope that helps.

Chris
 
Yes they do.............;) I forgot about them...............:) Sorry, they are slso worth a good look at.
 
Are there kits that provide more control to the water flow and fan speeds of the radiator? Something that would allow me to control these components from a 5.25" drive bay would be great.
 
There are several companies that make such controlers............Aqua Computer makes one of the best, but it will cost you your whole cooling budget in it's self.................... :D
 
Well after looking at the kits available. The custom kits such as D-tek and swiftech seem to be ended towards high performance/customizable. They also seem a bit more advanced than I would prefer. But I still haven't ruled out those kits yet.

The Thermaltake BigWater seems to be a good kit for me, especially because it uses the same size tubing as my Kingwin kit. Does anyone have any comments about this kit?
 
If you want to reuse what you have why not just invest in a better pump and a dual fan rad. By pass the kingwin pump in the kingwin main unit (should just be a matter of modding the lines and/or power to the pump) and add the new pump inline before the original pump. Then just mount and add the new rad in place of the kingwins standalone rad/fan. You might need to buy some fittings adapter to get the connections to line up.
 
CoW]8(0) said:
Well after looking at the kits available. The custom kits such as D-tek and swiftech seem to be ended towards high performance/customizable. They also seem a bit more advanced than I would prefer. But I still haven't ruled out those kits yet.

How can those kits be too advanced, when they include everything you need except for a gallon of distilled h20?

CoW]8(0) said:
The Thermaltake BigWater seems to be a good kit for me, especially because it uses the same size tubing as my Kingwin kit. Does anyone have any comments about this kit?

Why would you go from crap, to more crap? Not to be rude, but the Big Water is aimed at the dorks who go to compusa and know nothing about wc'ing, but read an article in pcworld about it. That d-tek kit is very simple to install and works great...and its 10% off.
 
CoW]8(0) said:
The Thermaltake BigWater seems to be a good kit for me, especially because it uses the same size tubing as my Kingwin kit. Does anyone have any comments about this kit?

Wes told me one day that almost everyone who buys that kit from Sharka calls up a week later and wants to know what they have to do to get something that works. Caveat emptor... :) If you want something just to say you are watercooling it will be okay. If you are considering OC then forget it and go get a Zalman high end air cooler if taht is in your price range.
 
I gave my step son a review sample one for Christmas and it's still doing a OK job. It's nothing fantastic and I don't think it's any better than what you have now. They do work as long as you don't plan on OC'ing anything and are only looking for quiet.
 
Well I don't plan to overclock and noise is the main factor. The custom kits I've seen seem to have those large black radiators which from what I've read can be awfully noisy. And also, power consumption is also a factor, I don't want the added stress of a pump on the PSU that provides more than enough flow for the system. The kit also needs to be mountable internally.
 
I've always found the Koolance Exos systems to be attractive. They seem to be good performers in the "pre built" systems category too.
 
HERE is a link to my work on the swiftech H20-APEX system. My first WC setup but so far I like it and it came with everything but the water:)
 
Well the main aspect I like/dislike about the kit is the requirement of a wall outlet. This would ease the stress on my PSU, but also create the hassle of turning on the pump when powering the system.

Perhaps I could simply leave the pump plugged in constantly. But would this cause the life expectancy of my system to be drastically higher than the life expectancy of the pump? I'm trying to find out what the life expectency of this pump (Hydor L20), but haven't had any luck.

If it's life expectancy is anything like an aquarium pump, it should be for a very very long time since those pumps are meant to run constantly. I've seen some run for over a decade without any sign of failing in the near future. But those pumps are much stronger than any WC cooling pump.


Or am I just being paranoid about the power consumption of the pump? I just worry at running my PSU anywhere near it's capacity because it is an Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU.
 
I wouldn't worry about your PSU all that much using the Swiftech/Laing DDC pump. They have a low power draw and are rated at 8.3 watts at 0.69 amps. That's less than a lot of highspeed 120mm fans out on the market these days.
 
Well I'm basing the reliability of my PSU off of some very anectdotal evidence. I've only heard forumites question it's overall performance and reliability because they've had a friend or know someone who has had an Ultra X-Connect PSU die on them. For all I know, it could be the same person saying this in the various forums, but I can't find a more concrete review of it's longterm dependability because no review site does a 7+ month review of a PSU :eek:

So would the power draw of a pump be more or less than that of a PATA HD?
 
Just a little of my system info for you........... :D
Abit AV8 A64 socket 939
AMD A64 3200 Winchester
PQI PC4000
ATI 9800 Pro
WD SATA 80 gig
Lite-On Optical
ULTRA X-CONNECT 500w
My PSU has been pushing several large high powered systems with water cooling without a problem.......... :eek:
This is not saying that I couldn't have a problem, any part from any maker can have a problem. My X-Connect replaced a Antec 480 that up and died for no reason just after it went out of warranty.
 
How long has the PSU been in that system?

Also, with regards to cost if I go with Asetek KT03-L20, I've got the price set to ~$175 (with a GPU block). Think I can go lower with something else with same performance/silence? (Note: you can include custom setups because the price I configured involves buying parts from a few different places)

I've also found out that the Hydor L20 pump is in fact an aquarium pump :)
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=HD12127
So running it 24/7 for a few years should not be a problem.
 
I'd guess the PSU has been in use for ove a year or so. I first had it in my old XP test system and when I sold it went into my A64 test system. It's had a hard life so far, but the rails are still solid and strong, I test them before every new review just to be sure.
That L20 pump might be a little weak for a multi block set-up, it's on the low performance end for Hydro pumps. I wouldn't go with anything less or you'll be looking to upgrade pretty fast.
 
Price is a big factor in determining the kit I buy. I'll probably find the best price-performance ratio if I go with a custom kit. At the moment, I'm trying to find a good price for the Asetek KT03-L20 or configure something very close to it.
 
Save up until you can afford something that is quality, and that works. It is your pc, why cheap out on it? If it breaks you're just going to have to spend big bucks to replace it.

Spending more now almost always gaurentees that you won't have to spend a TON later. :D
 
Well, what I meant to say was saving money was a big factor. I do plan on getting quality components (after reading a recent thread, probably non-lucite blocks). I prefer to get the absolute best prices on anything I buy.
 
I'm actually considering building a custom kit from DangerDen with either a 120V Hydor or Eheim pump. I believe those two brands may be more reliable because both companies specialize in aquarium pumps and those pumps on dangerden are aquairum pumps ;)

Am I being biased about the 12V vs 120v conception?
 
I had a hydor 30 pump in the past and it was a great pump for the price, along with the criticool powerplant card, so I didn't have to worry about turning the pump on/off. In the waterchill review, the kit doesn't include a fan, res, or the powerplant card.
 
Do bay resevoirs like these stick out from the drive bay? It would make my case look absolutely awful if it did.
 
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