Just finished my 1st WC build ...Pics Uploaded *FIXED*

[DavidP]

First i want to thank everyone in this forum. It has provided me with great resources and I wouldn't have had the balls to go into water cooling without this forum. I took pictures of my work from start to finish and i will be posting them tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone for your help and feedback. Everyones work logs helped a great deal. I Also want to thank Petra's if they happen to read this. You guys are the best. They also provided me with most of my stuff and some great advise !

Here's my WC stuff ...
D-Tek Fuzion
Laing DDC-2 w/ Petra's Top
7/16" Tubing Tygon R-3603
2 X MCW-30 (NB & SB)
Swiftech MCRES-MICRO
Thermochill PA120.3 w/ performance shroud

And to spoil myself a U2-UFO :)

Anyway, I'll post up some pictures tomorrow. I'm still amazed that everything worked the first time without any issues :D

** PICS UPLOADED **
Sorry for the delay I had to go out of town on business.

Here I am testing the loop, I decided to try it outside the case as I was a virgin to WC at the time and I didn't want to spill anything or make any other stupid mistakes. This is after
spending hours cleaning everything. Damn the radiator was a pain !! I went through 6-7 Gallons of boiling distilled water and shaking it like a mad man to get the water to
come out crystal clear.
Thank god distilled water is cheap.
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7195/cimg2222fj3.jpg

Next it was time to take the stock heat pipes off my board and clean the crap they use for thermal paste. Here is the end result ... btw i used ArctiClean which works wonders.
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6430/cimg2243ud8.jpg

This is the crap that EVGA put on their NB and SB. So even if you aren't water cooling the NB or SB I would strongly recommend taking off the heat pipes, cleaning that crap off
and re-applying some Ceramique. That alone should help a lot !!
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/103/cimg2235cu3.jpg

Here is a pic of the mess my office was during assembly :D
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9151/cimg2247dq9.jpg

Here I have my D-Tek Fuzion and a pair of MCW30's for the NB and SB. I also added some Swiftech MC14 Memory RAMsinks to the R50's which i was told generates quite a bit of heat.
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/969/cimg2251gx1.jpg

Here I am preparing the PA120.3 as i added the gasket ...
** Side note the stuffed duck is my dogs I just noticed it in the pic :p:
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/5177/cimg2257nk4.jpg

And here id the PA120.3 with Gasket, Shroud, and some Yate Loon D12SM-12's
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1803/cimg2258ds4.jpg

I found the drilling holes in my case was unnecessary to mount my MCRES-MICRO … I found the perfect place for the reservoir on the back of my motherboard tray.
I know swiftech includes a couple of pieces of Velcro, but I felt safer getting stronger industrial strength Velcro.
You can get that at any Home Depot … it’s pictured below.
That sucker won’t budge at all !!
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3443/cimg2255dp1.jpg
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3753/cimg2256ib3.jpg

Here is where I mounted the reservoir & Pump ... I ended up hard mounting the pump which has Petra's Gel Stuff under, which by the way really does help with vibration.
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5936/cimg2966ek0.jpg

Here I am testing the loop again for another 24hrs as i obviously had to re-do my tubing and I am now using Worm-Drives to secure everything.
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/1984/cimg2967vp8.jpg

Here is another close up ... I wasn't going to use a CPU backplate until reading some threads regarding safety and preservation of the motherboard so I ended up using a Tuniq Tower backplate which I must say is very sturdy and regardless if it makes a difference or not I do feel better with it installed .. http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/3029/cimg2977tv3.jpg

I have added some Pentosin G11 coolant and a couple drops of Petra's Nuke to the loop. I'm also adding some UV lights ...
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/221/cimg2980gh7.jpg

Here is a pic of the final product ...
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/6118/cimg2983fr9.jpg
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/8459/cimg2986en2.jpg

And it's final resting place ...
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/8851/cimg2985td4.jpg


Some side notes ...

1) I added a Sunbeam Rheobus Fan controller which is excellent if anyone is looking for a quality one.

2) I outfitted all of my barbs with D-Tek High Flow Fittings (G 1/4" Thread 1/2" OD)

3) For the radiator I used the AquaXtreme High-Flow Fitting (G 3/8" Thread, 1/2" OD)

4) I used Yate Loon D12SM-12 for all the case fans in my MM U2-UFO. They under volt very well and when you need the extra CFM for overclocking it's waiting for you. They are also very quite even on full RPM's.

5) For no reason except because I want to show you guys ... here is my dog :D He's guarding one of his toys ...
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9507/cimg2220or1.jpg

[Pinmod]

pretty much the best stuff you can buy ... should be awsome

no gpu love?

what fans?

[Sideroxylon]

This is one of the worst threads ever. You should never post anything like that without PICS!!!! :slap: ;)

[Pinmod]

i know for real


where are the pics already

[clee]

.....

Here's my WC stuff ...
D-Tek Fuzion
Laing DDC-2 w/ Petra's Top
7/16" Tubing Tygon R-3603
2 X MCW-30 (NB & SB)
Swiftech MCRES-MICRO
Thermochill PA120.3 w/ performance shroud

And to spoil myself a U2-UFO :)

Anyway, I'll post up some pictures tomorrow. I'm still amazed that everything worked the first time without any issues :D

Nice parts.
I'd suggest you to consider the Swiftech / Msterkleer 7/16s instead next time
you plan to replace the tubing. Not because they look better, but because they have a much thicker sidewall and less prone to kinking.
I love the R-3603 but it's 7/16 is uncharacteristically thin.

[carholmes]

Nice parts.
I'd suggest you to consider the Swiftech / Msterkleer 7/16s instead next time
you plan to replace the tubing. Not because they look better, but because they have a much thicker sidewall and less prone to kinking.
I love the R-3603 but it's 7/16 is uncharacteristically thin.

What are you talking about? Both Tygon's and Masterkleer's 7/16"ID tubing are 5/8"OD. They have the same wall thickness. So the bend radius should be about the same.

[clee]

What are you talking about? Both Tygon's and Masterkleer's 7/16"ID tubing are 5/8"OD. They have the same wall thickness. So the bend radius should be about the same.

Yes you're right.

I switched to 7/16 'bout 2 yrs ago and the first one I used was the R3603 which had a very thin sidewall. I saw similar complaints from a couple of people over at [H]forum so I was under the impression that Tygon 7/16 only came with thin sidewall.
I just checked and indeed it has the 5/8 OD variant as well

http://www.petrastechshop.com/7id5odtyrlat.html

Sorry to misinform, thus I stand corrected !!!

[Pinmod]

i'll be tryin out my home depot special 1/2ID 3/4OD $5 for 10 feet tubing this weekend i think

[IanY]

Pinmod,

Save your $5. It won't work. Its stiffer than a metal pipe and places immense stress on your mobo, even after boiling the tubes to soften them.

[Pinmod]

i bought it and it seems fine

i'll report back and post pics etc...

hopefully you're wrong... but i probably am ... thanks for the heads up

[newls1]

That Home Depot clear hose is VERY VERY stiff. I use that stuff for extreme bends. What I do is use my 1200W heatgun, heat up the tubing for about 20-30 seconds or until it starts to get really soft, make the bend that im needing, and slide my big spring over the tubing and let it cool down. After 10 minutes or so, I have a smooth curved 90 degree bend that will never loose its shape and doesn't restrict flow any. I cant seem to do this with any other hose but that Home Depot 1/2 hose.

[G.Foyle]

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9986/worthlessiq6.gif

[Pinmod]

Tell me is 7/16" ID (5/8" OD) Tygon R-3603 smaller than 3/8" ID (5/8" OD), ID IS SMALLER OD IS THE SAME if not tell me which tygon 3603 size is the same or close enough to fit on 1/4" barbs YOU'LL NEED 1/4ID OR SMALLER but still look neat as a 3/8" tubing fitting on 1/4" barbs.

3/8TH TUBING OVER 1/4" BARBS SHOULD BE TO BIG

the tubes would be too big and leak i mean

[Pinmod]

why are you trying to go so tiny anyway?

[1badhabit]

I would love to see some pics of this build!!:up:

[DavidP]

bump

[Grinch]

pics are'nt showing up...

[DavidP]

damnit

[DavidP]

i used uploader.ws
can you recommend another host ??

[DavidP]

using imageshack now ... can someone confirm they see the first image ??

[Sh0ckwave]

Very nice. yes all the pics are working now.

What additives did you put in the water to get that blue?

[DavidP]

Very nice. yes all the pics are working now.

What additives did you put in the water to get that blue?

Pentosin G11 coolant ... you can get different colors from petra's.

[septim]

there's 2 colors pentosin blue and red (turns out pinkish)...

nice now we can see em pics.
and very nicely done. will wait for more pics of completed setup.
watercooling ram too...

[1badhabit]

Woot, Pics! Very nice setup bro, very clean!

[DavidP]

there's 2 colors pentosin blue and red (turns out pinkish)...

nice now we can see em pics.
and very nicely done. will wait for more pics of completed setup.
watercooling ram too...

I would like to WC my Ram but I think the wife will have my head if I spend any more money. My next step is getting a new GPU as right now I have a 7800GTX 512 MB. I'm saving up to get a 8900 when they come out and another loop for the ram and GPU.

[clee]

Very nice Dave, mad props to your setup.
Yeah it definitely looks like 5/8 OD to me, I think I'm gonna switch back to Tygon 7/16 next time around.
btw what are those ramsinks sitting on top of the dimm sticks ? Perhaps they are mosfet heatsinks, are they not ?

[Grinch]

what temps are you getting?

[Jedda]

Yeah, I'd be interested in how your temps are too.
It's a bit unusual to find the 680 with the chipset done but without GPU.
How much G11 did you use too, David?

[septim]

wife factor for most of us...
with expensive hobby we've got, we're lucky that we don't get thrown out on our butts...

[Grinch]

what screws did you use to mount the pa120.3 to the front of your cube?

[YugenM]

wife factor for most of us...
with expensive hobby we've got, we're lucky that we don't get thrown out on our butts...

...and we seventeen-year olds have the mom factor to contend with.

I'm dreading the day the package arrives, she's going to go ballistic when she finds out how much I spent on watercooling.

[Vice]

...and we seventeen-year olds have the mom factor to contend with.

I'm dreading the day the package arrives, she's going to go ballistic when she finds out how much I spent on watercooling.

Ahhh yes !

I love those days where big packages addressed to me arrive, and my mom flips out.

Trick is, you have to open it up quick and steal the receipt so she can't see the price you paid- at least, that works for me. My mom never knew my watercooling order cost like 220, I told her it was on sale for 50.

:up:

[YugenM]

Ahhh yes !

I love those days where big packages addressed to me arrive, and my mom flips out.

Trick is, you have to open it up quick and steal the receipt so she can't see the price you paid- at least, that works for me. My mom never knew my watercooling order cost like 220, I told her it was on sale for 50.

:up:

$120 for rad
$400 on order from vcore.dk (you guys rock!) but $80 of it is coming back when I walk the blocks virtualrain ordered to his house, since we combined orders.
then I need to order a couple fiddly bits from Petra's Tech Shop, which hopefully won't break the $20 mark...

...this is what happens when you have a <$300 watercooling loop planned, then you see sexy waterblocks from www.watercool.de and blow up in your pants. Watch and learn.

[DavidP]

what temps are you getting?

I put it in my sig now :)

Temps: E6600 @ 3.150 Idle 32C Load: 45C

[DavidP]

what screws did you use to mount the pa120.3 to the front of your cube?

I Used the screws that came with the PA120.3. I know fan screws look much better but i don't have fans on the other side yet, and I wanted to do the pull config. Can I do it another way ?

[DavidP]

Yeah, I'd be interested in how your temps are too.
It's a bit unusual to find the 680 with the chipset done but without GPU.
How much G11 did you use too, David?

I have a 7800GTX and I thought well since I'm not over clocking my GPU and I plan to upgrade soon I figured I would hold off on WC the GPU. Your Question about the G11 I didn't use much ... I should have measured but in relation to the bottle it's a little less than 1/4.

[Jedda]

What temp are you seeing from the chipset at idle (in bios)?

[Okda]

i like the look on the dog's face :)

[DavidP]

wife factor for most of us...
with expensive hobby we've got, we're lucky that we don't get thrown out on our butts...

I hear ya ... I'm lucky that she tolerates it to some extent. Even though I'm the money maker she still has a say because she can take away the 1 thing I like more than computers ;)

[DavidP]

What temp are you seeing from the chipset at idle (in bios)?

31C last time I checked

[Jedda]

Thanks.

[ranker]

I hear ya ... I'm lucky that she tolerates it to some extent. Even though I'm the money maker she still has a say because she can take away the 1 thing I like more than computers ;)

The TV remote?

[septim]

The TV remote?

nah must be the chocolate cake...

[masaville]

Lookin' good!

[nullface]

Cool those RAM :slapass:

What are OCZ Flex doing in a WC setup without water? :D

[mhw100]

I see you covered up the MC50s on the board with what looks like Swifty MC14s. I thought you weren't supposed to cover them up though? Also, was it not possible to replace the sinks that are behind the mc50s where evga has the black aluminum units?

Thanks.

[ranker]

I see you covered up the MC50s on the board with what looks like Swifty MC14s. I thought you weren't supposed to cover them up though? Also, was it not possible to replace the sinks that are behind the mc50s where evga has the black aluminum units?

Thanks.

Thermalright's mosfet sinks won't fit there. Don't know of any thing that will hence most of us running EVGA boards resorted to swiftech heatsinks.

[mhw100]

Thermalright's mosfet sinks won't fit there. Don't know of any thing that will hence most of us running EVGA boards resorted to swiftech heatsinks.

Yes it looks like really tight quarters. So;
1. So then I assume it is ok to cover up the tops of the mc50 with the swifty?
2. Could these same ramsinks be used to replace th existing other black aluminum sinks that are behind the 50s or are they too big for that?

[noel82]

great job man :woot:

looks and works great ;)

[picard]

I like your case. What is the size of the tubing?

Is that pump strong enough to pump through such a large radiator?

What kind of case are you using?

[Senater_Cache]

on the backplate u used, did you cut out a spot for the little resistor on the back of the mobo?

got a pic of the backplate mounted?

[Gunlance]

Man that looks awesome. Do enjoy it!

[Grinch]

very nice!

[DavidP]

I like your case. What is the size of the tubing?

Is that pump strong enough to pump through such a large radiator?

What kind of case are you using?

Tubing size = 7/16
The pump is fine .... i got the DDC-2 w/ petra's top. No issues at all
The case is from MountainMods.com it's the U2-UFO with the original top.

[DavidP]

on the backplate u used, did you cut out a spot for the little resistor on the back of the mobo?

got a pic of the backplate mounted?

I didn't take a picture of the backplate ... sorry. But to answer your question there was no issue on the transistor clearance. EVGA fixed that problem when they released the "A1" version of the motherboard. I used a backplate from a Tuniq Tower 120 and it installed like a charm.