how quiet is watercooling?

[b0bd0le]

i want a silent computer and a fast computer... I'm not sure if this is possible. My goal is a san diego @ 3ghz watercooled with very low noise.

So how loud are the pumps, or is it the rad i should be worried about?

[idleuser]

as quiet as 2 medium 120mm fans :)

[MaxxxRacer]

well the acutal ghz range is variable from chip to chip.. but..

pumps are near silent.. its as quiet as u want it to be regrading the radiator fans..

do you want me to spec out some parts for you to look at for a super quiet yet high performance system??

[Holst]

You still need fans on your radiator so you will get some noise. The bigger radiator you can have, the slower airflow you can get away with and the quieter you are going to get.

But you can get very quiet using a dual 120mm rad and a coupe of quiet fans.

Eheim pumps are silent when mounted right, I cannot tell if mine is running at all, even with my head a foot from the pump. (i have a 1250)

My dads unoverclocked system is quieter than mine as he is running passive cooling on everything but CPU and PSU, which both have fans at 7v. He also runs at reduced vcore for better temps.

[caLume]

watercooling is as quite as your pump and your fans are.

just get a silent pump and run your fans @7v and its noiseless.

[Der_KHAN]

watercooling is as quite as your pump and your fans are.

just get a silent pump and run your fans @7v and its noiseless.well i wouldnt say noiseless. it would be more like "med ranged noise" with most fans.
theres always a compromise between noise and perf

if u want absolute silence u have to be very picky about the pump.
and make sure to get fans that turn on at low volts, like 3v.
if u put the rad in a position that will allow for good airflow u should be able to get some halfway decent cooling. but theres no chance of having a 3ghz amd rig with really silent cooling imo.

if u just want it silenced when its not under load a fan controller should solve this though

[ingentingmendeg]

just get a zalman reserator 1. thats a noiseless water cooling kit. :bananal:

[Disposibleteen]

just get a zalman reserator 1. thats a noiseless water cooling kit. :bananal:
it may be noisesless but it can never match the performance of a decent home built system, the pumps on those things are anemic and isnt the tubing only 3/8"?

[zeebs]

As quiet as you make it. Just don't get your expectations up thinking it will get ou too much higher than air.

[MaxxxRacer]

Reserator is a bad choice. as I have seen in several cases in the past it has serious corrosion issues.

[ls7corvete]

if u put the rad in a position that will allow for good airflow u should be able to get some halfway decent cooling. but theres no chance of having a 3ghz amd rig with really silent cooling imo.

You think that why??

Depends on the chip, build it with silence in mind and you will only be a few C off of a full on performance water cooling system. VERY VERY low chance that small of a temp difference will make a difference in overclocking. We are talking 2-3c here.

My 3000+ is completley stable if the fan stops(With one BIP ATM). The difference between stock cooling and WCing is 15 htt.

[EnJoY]

CPU Block: DDen RBX
GPU Block(optional): DDen Maze 4
RAD: BIP3 w/ Panaflo L1A's
Pump: Blueline HD20 (assuming you have the space, it's the quietest and coolest performance pump I know of). If too big, AX 50z would do fine, but I'd swap out the RBX with the MCW6002 as it'll do better with the lower flow provided by the 50z.
Res/T: T-line or resevoir, whatever you prefer.
Tubing/Additive: Tygon 7/16" ID tubing and Swiftech HydrX + distilled water or zerex + distilled. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=18316&product%5Fid=7689&cookie%5Ftest=1

[b0bd0le]

thanks for the input guys, i really appreciate it :)

so i shouldn't expect that much of higher clocks with watercooling? 3ghz on a san diego is unrealistic? If pumps are quiet, couldn't i just get a few pumps in series so i have have like 2-3 rads setup too?:cool: I know i want the storm g5.

3ghz is the biggest priority out of this box, but being very quiet comes in with a close 2nd

heh, i could make one side of my case out of the thoose thermochill 120.3s ;)
are thoose rads even good? I notice the diameter is 3/8th :(

[phextwin]

Get a car radiator and bolt it onto the side of the case. You dont need fans then.

A large to midsize family car will do, i got mine out of an XF falcon.

Its actually quite well suited for low power fans though, its about 3cm thick, and has about 2/3 of the fin density of a heatercore. Plus its just enourmous. (mine is ~ 550x375mm excluding the endtanks).

[EnJoY]

^ ignore him. Not a bad idea, but totally inadequate for watercooling, your temps would suck at stock.

Follow my setup, 3GHz on a good San Diego would be a breeze with the setup I described.

[iboomalot]

expensive but very quiet near silent operation other than a noisey hard drives


Zalman Reserator + swapped out 1/2" barbs + Eihen pump set on thick foam pad + 1/2" tubing + mcw6002 + silverprop HL + 50/50 mixed glycol mix + 120mm med speed panaflo set at 7v = near silent

put the fan about 4-6" from the reserator and it will push cool air and increase the reserators performance alot and since its not pulling/pushing air through a rad its near silent.

This isn't a cheap way but works great.

[amisha]

Eheim pumps are silent when mounted right, I cannot tell if mine is running at all, even with my head a foot from the pump. (i have a 1250)



and what is the right way to mount this little beast ?

[EnJoY]

expensive but very quiet near silent operation other than a noisey hard drives


Zalman Reserator + swapped out 1/2" barbs + Eihen pump set on thick foam pad + 1/2" tubing + mcw6002 + silverprop HL + 50/50 mixed glycol mix + 120mm med speed panaflo set at 7v = near silent

put the fan about 4-6" from the reserator and it will push cool air and increase the reserators performance alot and since its not pulling/pushing air through a rad its near silent.

This isn't a cheap way but works great.

Dude, THE RESERATOR SUCKS! Everyone quit suggesting that or you'll get banned from this section! :p: The reserator corrodes like no body's business and it does not cool nearly as well as a radiator. Plus it's massive! So forget it.
Besides, this guy wants quiet and overclockable, not silent and $hitty.

[phextwin]

Not a bad idea, but totally inadequate for watercooling, your temps would suck at stock.Explain this please.

[iboomalot]

hummm lets see I added a single 120mm to my reserator and temps dropped from 49c to 42c and I have a WEAPON 302 with two 120mm + the reserator and temps are nearly the same.

low noise go with a 302 HC + two 120mm

want near silent Reserator + 1 120mm

with a 50/50 glycol mix the anodizing will protect from corrosion and using all copper blocks like the 6002 and silverpro you won't have any block corrosion even if the coating failed.

use the proper protection and the reserator works very well I would put money my reserator with 1/2" fitting + two 120mm fans will stay within 2-4c of any other dual 120mm setup on this forum. (with same fan speeds)

and I run a 3500+ NC at 2.55 gig at 1.62v and it does just fine.

[EnJoY]

hummm lets see I added a single 120mm to my reserator and temps dropped from 49c to 42c and I have a WEAPON 302 with two 120mm + the reserator and temps are nearly the same.

low noise go with a 302 HC + two 120mm

want near silent Reserator + 1 120mm

with a 50/50 glycol mix the anodizing will protect from corrosion and using all copper blocks like the 6002 and silverpro you won't have any block corrosion even if the coating failed.

I would put money my reserator with 1/2" fitting + two 120mm fans will stay within 2-4c of any other dual 120mm setup on this forum. (with same fan speeds)


If you're using 2x120mm fans with your reserator, why not just use a radiator that is smaller and performs better?

[iboomalot]

the fans pulling air through the rad makes noise vs the fans free standing makes a difference noise wise.

I noticed very little difference between my system with and without a 302 HC inline temp wise.


When I get time I will take the HC out of the line and do a direct comparison for some hard #s.

[EnJoY]

A heatercore with shroud makes the fans quieter, it's a fact.

[Holst]

and what is the right way to mount this little beast ?

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=46369

[amisha]

can u take a closer picture of the pump ??
i cant really understand whats going on there ..... but i can see that u have a very nice WC rig ...... congrats ....

[T2k]

CPU Block: DDen RBX
GPU Block(optional): DDen Maze 4
RAD: BIP3 w/ Panaflo L1A's
Pump: Blueline HD20 (assuming you have the space, it's the quietest and coolest performance pump I know of). If too big, AX 50z would do fine, but I'd swap out the RBX with the MCW6002 as it'll do better with the lower flow provided by the 50z.
Res/T: T-line or resevoir, whatever you prefer.
Tubing/Additive: Tygon 7/16" ID tubing and Swiftech HydrX + distilled water or zerex + distilled. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=18316&product%5Fid=7689&cookie%5Ftest=1

Ooops, I just caught it :) - I'm thinking about buying a BlueLine HD20 w/ relay switch instead of MCP655 or Eheim 1048 for this setup: Storm v2, EK-FCX1800, some NB that fits on DFI CFX3200 (DD NF4 DFI Expert maybe?), 1/2 ID Tygon tubing, MCRES-MICRO if I can buy anywhere, BIP3 w/ Yate Loons (see here (http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=37&threadid=1836852&enterthread=y) my plans)
Is this HD20 really quieter than others or at least same as an Eheim?

THX

[Fresh Daemon]

Is this HD20 really quieter than others or at least same as an Eheim?


Yes, it's quiet. I have one. It's noisy when there's air in the loop (duh) but when bled, it's very quiet. I'd say it's just slightly louder than my Samsung hard drive (NIDEC motor) when idling. It's just a humming sound. There are pumps that are quieter, but far less powerful.

some NB that fits on DFI CFX3200

What? Why?

BIP3 w/ Yate Loons

Also what I have. At 7v they're virtually inaudible. Unless it's 2am any ambient noise will drown it out.

[Eddy_EK]

Here is the picture that shows optimised water cooling for low noise:
http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/slike/vodno_en_1.jpg

[EnJoY]

Guys, I made my posts here a year ago. Don't res threads, just ask the question again.

[T2k]

Guys, I made my posts here a year ago. Don't res threads, just ask the question again.

Well, you could have just answered it yet you rather posted this...

[T2k]

Yes, it's quiet. I have one. It's noisy when there's air in the loop (duh) but when bled, it's very quiet.


Sounds good. I don't intend to keep air in the water anyway... ;)


I'd say it's just slightly louder than my Samsung hard drive (NIDEC motor) when idling.


That's pretty cool but from how far? Your HDD is supposedly closer to you, isn't it?
HD20 will be under my desk somewhere, so if it sounds like a HDD from there, that could a bit annoying after a while...


It's just a humming sound. There are pumps that are quieter, but far less powerful.


Which one you're talking about? Is there any other you'd think of that'd serve my setup (see above)?


What? Why?


1. Why not? :)
2. If I replace the mobo a month from now I don't want to deal with my WC again - I'd rather do it in one sitting, even if I won't use it. (With the exception of a 2nd VGA block but that's solely because it'd cost me another $110 for nothing for months, until I buy another X1900.)


Also what I have. At 7v they're virtually inaudible. Unless it's 2am any ambient noise will drown it out.

If it's 2AM I'm probably going to the bed. If not, I'm playing a game (most likely UT2k4) anyway... :cool:

THX

[EnJoY]

Well, you could have just answered it yet you rather posted this...

I didn't need to, he did:

Yes, it's quiet. I have one. It's noisy when there's air in the loop (duh) but when bled, it's very quiet. I'd say it's just slightly louder than my Samsung hard drive (NIDEC motor) when idling. It's just a humming sound. There are pumps that are quieter, but far less powerful.

[einCe]

black ice pro 3 3x sunons rated at 90cfm 45db and its quiet enough to bug me after leaving my x1900xt fan on max 24/7

[Fresh Daemon]

That's pretty cool but from how far?

Um... the same distance! What's the point comparing at different distances? "Yeah, my pump sounds as loud as a jet engine if you are 12" from the pump or 3 miles from the jet!" Come on.

HD20 will be under my desk somewhere, so if it sounds like a HDD from there, that could a bit annoying after a while

The pump under your desk will sound very slightly louder than a HDD under your desk. Bearing in mind that the Samsung/NIDEC drive is the quietest 7200rpm 3.5" drive in production since they stopped making the Barracuda IV.

Which one you're talking about? Is there any other you'd think of that'd serve my setup (see above)?

Apparently the Eheims can be quieter but not as powerful. No, it wouldn't do well in your setup. Pumps are like fans: as a general rule, more flow is more noise. As the Blueline is a very well designed and built pump, to cut down on the noise, even a little, means a lot less flow. And you have picked a very good but restrictive CPU block, and a very $hitty and very restrictive GPU block, and you want to throw in a pointless NB block as well, and a double-pass rad - right? Your rig needs a powerful pump.

Why not?

Because it's pointless and stupid. Read the stickies.

If I replace the mobo a month from now I don't want to deal with my WC again

What has that to do with watercooling the northbridge? Surely w/c on the nb would make a motherboard swap harder, not easier.

With the exception of a 2nd VGA block but that's solely because it'd cost me another $110 for nothing for months, until I buy another X1900.

Why are you paying $110 for waterblocks? Seriously, those big, restrictive VGA blocks are a waste. DD Maze4, ramsinks, job done, much cheaper, better performing.

If it's 2AM I'm probably going to the bed.

Granted, but personally, on the occasions that it's 2am and I'm awake and not drunk I like a little quiet. Usually because I'm sleeping. And it's a shame to have to shut off all those downloads overnight.

-Edit- That made no sense. Maybe because it's 3am. No, I'm not drunk.