[waldojim]

OK guys, the time has come. I am slowly purchasing the parts for a water-cooled setup.

Right now I have *drum-roll please*

A water block.

Seriously though, I really don't know what to get. I know the water block in this case is a solid unit. There are things I need to consider - such as the fact that I do NOT want to mix metals. So the radiator meant for my case is a no-go from the start. Anyone know of a place to get 2+ 120mm fans (or a single 220 capable) radiators that are solid, copper, and inexpensive?

What pumps would you guys suggest I investigate?

How about the reservoir? Would I be better off opting for a large tank, or a small one?

I intend to use whatever lines I can pick up locally, though admittedly I will probably shop at Home Depot or Lowes for that (as PC parts end up with stupid markups).

Anything you guys can think of that would be an immediate no-no? I cannot remember if the 'dye bombs' are safe...

Just looking for feedback. I want this to go smoothly, and I will probably take a month or two... or three buying up the parts.

edit: This is the block! Yes I know it is a 775 block, and normally that would be a problem. Once again I <3 EVGA for being so kind as to include 775 mounting holes.

This post has been edited by waldojim: 16 July 2011 - 07:23 PM

[mjd420nova]

The only water cooled unit I've worked on belonged to a client and was pretty good. The incoming water temp to the radiator was 65C when the CPU was at 100% (an i7) while doing some video rendering. The entire setup had no metal except for the aluminum block in top of the CPU. The pump was one of the Tyvex tubing in a circular roller affair and the radiator was plastic. A small (70mm) unit blowing air inside, across the radiator. The output water temp from the radiator was a cool 25C. That's pretty good heat transfer. The CPU temp was kept at 60C when running at 100%. The fan was controlled by a small thermistor mounted on the output radiator hose. The temp in the room was kept at 19C Z(laboratory environment) so it never changed. Mixing dis-similar metals can create some problems and the water should be deionized, demineralized to insure no bacteria can grow. The Tyvex tubing was clear to insure the water remained clean and is easy to replace in any event it clogs or changes color.

[waldojim]

mjd420nova, on 16 July 2011 - 07:44 PM, said:

The only water cooled unit I've worked on belonged to a client and was pretty good. The incoming water temp to the radiator was 65C when the CPU was at 100% (an i7) while doing some video rendering. The entire setup had no metal except for the aluminum block in top of the CPU. The pump was one of the Tyvex tubing in a circular roller affair and the radiator was plastic. A small (70mm) unit blowing air inside, across the radiator. The output water temp from the radiator was a cool 25C. That's pretty good heat transfer. The CPU temp was kept at 60C when running at 100%. The fan was controlled by a small thermistor mounted on the output radiator hose. The temp in the room was kept at 19C Z(laboratory environment) so it never changed. Mixing dis-similar metals can create some problems and the water should be deionized, demineralized to insure no bacteria can grow. The Tyvex tubing was clear to insure the water remained clean and is easy to replace in any event it clogs or changes color.

Ok, I am having trouble here, where can I find a pump like that?

[coastie65]

http://www.xoxide.co...cp355-pump.html

[waldojim]

What flow rate is really needed? I have seen pumps ranging from 250GPH to over 600GPH on these sites. For a single loop, do I really need more than 250GPH?

edit: Coastie - it is interesting you should point out that particular unit, as it has a relatively low 120GPH flow rate. Am I missing something here?

This post has been edited by waldojim: 17 July 2011 - 01:00 PM

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 17 July 2011 - 12:54 PM, said:

What flow rate is really needed? I have seen pumps ranging from 250GPH to over 600GPH on these sites. For a single loop, do I really need more than 250GPH?

edit: Coastie - it is interesting you should point out that particular unit, as it has a relatively low 120GPH flow rate. Am I missing something here?

No, I probably did.

[waldojim]

coastie65, on 17 July 2011 - 04:45 PM, said:

waldojim, on 17 July 2011 - 12:54 PM, said:

What flow rate is really needed? I have seen pumps ranging from 250GPH to over 600GPH on these sites. For a single loop, do I really need more than 250GPH?

edit: Coastie - it is interesting you should point out that particular unit, as it has a relatively low 120GPH flow rate. Am I missing something here?

No, I probably did.

Your link is fine, and that is correct. That is also a more popular unit. But that has me thinking. Why can't I just use a $30 hobby/marine/aquarium pump? One that is good for 300GPH or so.

The point of overclocking is to squeeze the most you can out of cheaper gear. Getting an Intel i5 750 to perform on par with a $500 i7 CPU for example. Wasting $400 on water cooling parts is NOT saving money... so yea, once again, I am going to be a cheapskate about this.

This post has been edited by waldojim: 17 July 2011 - 04:54 PM

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 17 July 2011 - 04:52 PM, said:

coastie65, on 17 July 2011 - 04:45 PM, said:

waldojim, on 17 July 2011 - 12:54 PM, said:

What flow rate is really needed? I have seen pumps ranging from 250GPH to over 600GPH on these sites. For a single loop, do I really need more than 250GPH?

edit: Coastie - it is interesting you should point out that particular unit, as it has a relatively low 120GPH flow rate. Am I missing something here?

No, I probably did.

Your link is fine, and that is correct. That is also a more popular unit. But that has me thinking. Why can't I just use a $30 hobby/marine/aquarium pump? One that is good for 300GPH or so.

The point of overclocking is to squeeze the most you can out of cheaper gear. Getting an Intel i5 750 to perform on par with a $500 i7 CPU for example. Wasting $400 on water cooling parts is NOT saving money... so yea, once again, I am going to be a cheapskate about this.

I missed the flow rate, but was looking at the size ( fairly compact ) as well as the fact that is PnP. From what I saw though, it may be a bit noisy. At 120 GPH, that is 2 GPM and plenty of water getting in there in a hurry should something break loose. I seem to recall another cooling solution using cooking oil.

[mjd420nova]

The 120 GPH should be enough in most cases. A good, accurate temperature gauge would give you a starting off point to compare with any system readings. The idea is to keep the system as closed and free of air as possible. Leaks can be a danger but some planning and clever hose routing schemes, it would be possible to eliminate the hazards. Cooking oil is very hard to deal with nut may get thrashed into a foamy mess at the 120GPH rate. Your not dealing with a whole lot of water here so what you do have must be moved quickly. The radiator size is most important and fans that bring cooler air to the radiator need filtered air to keep out dirt. Special additives for both water and mineral oil (not cooking or vegetable oil) needs to be free of any contaimanants or air bubbles that will stop coolant flow.

[waldojim]

coastie65, on 18 July 2011 - 05:50 AM, said:

I missed the flow rate, but was looking at the size ( fairly compact ) as well as the fact that is PnP. From what I saw though, it may be a bit noisy. At 120 GPH, that is 2 GPM and plenty of water getting in there in a hurry should something break loose. I seem to recall another cooling solution using cooking oil.

Hey - that worked pretty well, and should I ever get a work shop again, I will probably perfect it. I just have to remember to keep it away from people aiming to knock it over...

[waldojim]

mjd420nova, on 18 July 2011 - 06:32 AM, said:

The 120 GPH should be enough in most cases. A good, accurate temperature gauge would give you a starting off point to compare with any system readings. The idea is to keep the system as closed and free of air as possible. Leaks can be a danger but some planning and clever hose routing schemes, it would be possible to eliminate the hazards. Cooking oil is very hard to deal with nut may get thrashed into a foamy mess at the 120GPH rate. Your not dealing with a whole lot of water here so what you do have must be moved quickly. The radiator size is most important and fans that bring cooler air to the radiator need filtered air to keep out dirt. Special additives for both water and mineral oil (not cooking or vegetable oil) needs to be free of any contaimanants or air bubbles that will stop coolant flow.

I won't be using oil in this loop. I will be using water, and some form of coolant. There are places suggesting automotive coolant, but I don't think I like that idea. If 120GPH is enough, then I should have no problem with a wide variety of pumps.

[waldojim]

All right, here we go! I love updates. Especially when they happen to include pictures.

I mentioned I was going to be a cheapskate about this, and I think I did a mighty fine job of doing so!

I found a Total Pond fountain pump at the local Home Depot for $29.99 good for 300gal/hr with a max head of 7.2 ft. I realize this isn't a lot, and won't linger on that for long. It does appear to be sufficient though.

I then remembered the Hydro 50 water cooling thingy that was floating around, and yanked the radiator off of it for now. I still don't like it, and will be getting a Derale series 7000 later. That rad is 12x17" uses copper tubing (10 passes), and should do wonderfully with 4 160mm fans on it. Again, for now, this seems to be working well. Remembering that all I am cooling is a single CPU. I want to add the video cards in to the loop later, though that will call for a new pump I think.

Now then, a reservoir is a tricky thing to find. Much less one big enough to swallow an entire pump. I found the most interesting solution to this problem, and don't ever call me unresourceful! Nice thing about infants around the house, are the canisters of food. It just so happens that the Good Start formula canister fits just PERFECTLY in a 5.25" drive bay! It does sit kind of tall though, consuming 4 bays. The nice part about using this canister is that I also get to have easy access to fill the water!

I also picked up some 3/8" water tubing, and silicone sealant.

Now then. Let me warn you - doing things this way result in 2 things.
1. A whole lot of swearing.
2. A very satisfied feeling at the end.

As I assembled this, I found myself cursing the strangest things. For example, the pump I bought said something about a 1/2" connection, so naturally, I bought a 1/2" to 3/8" reducer, only to find that the threaded connection was 3/4". Bite me misleading packaging!.

Secondly, getting that stupid rubber hose over brass connections is a bear, as is getting the darned thing through a hole into the canister.

I got very lucky though, and everything was set in about 5 hours. I have tested for 2 hours and am 100% leak free!

Right now, obviously I am posting this, but will let you know how the temps work out.

Now pics! And sorry about the focus, the cell phone was having a very hard time focusing inside the case.

This post has been edited by waldojim: 18 July 2011 - 08:35 PM

[waldojim]

Oh yeah, and the total cost so far, is about $70

[waldojim]

Currently stable at 4.2Ghz, but don't seem to be taking heat away from the cpu quick enough (65C after 20 minutes, yet the water is still COLD). Any idea what kind of coolant I should be using? Water alone obviously isn't enough...

[mjd420nova]

That's a super install, I'd have no problem trying to service many units if they all looked as neat as yours. Most resemble a rats nest and can often require unplugging something to get to something else. Nice job.

[waldojim]

mjd420nova, on 19 July 2011 - 05:47 AM, said:

That's a super install, I'd have no problem trying to service many units if they all looked as neat as yours. Most resemble a rats nest and can often require unplugging something to get to something else. Nice job.

Thank you! I worked hard to ensure a clean system. Not just for easier repairs, but because it just looks nicer. :lol

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 19 July 2011 - 09:13 AM, said:

mjd420nova, on 19 July 2011 - 05:47 AM, said:

That's a super install, I'd have no problem trying to service many units if they all looked as neat as yours. Most resemble a rats nest and can often require unplugging something to get to something else. Nice job.

Thank you! I worked hard to ensure a clean system. Not just for easier repairs, but because it just looks nicer. :lol

Also makes for better airflow when you don't have a lot of clutter blocking it.

[waldojim]

coastie65, on 19 July 2011 - 09:27 AM, said:

Also makes for better airflow when you don't have a lot of clutter blocking it.

Don't really need a whole lot now, the CPU has been freed from that!

Interesting note though, now that you mention airflow. I am actually having a harder time keeping my video cards cooled. Even in WoW I need about a 75% fan speed... Not sure what would have caused that, but I suspect it is because I turned down the intake fan speeds.... will do more testing on this later.

This may just mean that I need to work a bit quicker at completely changing everything over to WC so I can kill these damned fans! I am tired of hearing this machine.