Some Noob Questions, Please help

[DCarez]

Hey, great FAQs you guys have here. I just have a few small questions before I jump headlong into this.

First, I have an old Corsair COOL kit for A64/478 that someone gave me, can I use all the parts except the block from that with a new 775 system? From what I've read, it seems that this fusion block is pretty tight and available in the 3/8" that Corsair (which is really a rebadged Swiftech set from what I recall) uses. Corsair says that I can't use the block included since they are different for 775 (stepped block or something).

Second, while I'd prefer to save some money in that I have all the components except a block from the kit, is the single rad (Black Ice Pro) going to severely limit my performance? I'm switching from a Scythe Ninja on a E6600/P5B Dlx 3.5@1.42v, and my load gets up to 70C now, which I find unacceptable. The WC would just be used to the CPU and maybe a chipset. Since the room ambient is very warm at times, I would think WC would be more effective.

Thanks in advance.

[Sideroxylon]

In "single rad" I'm assuming you mean single 120mm rad. A 120mm rad will probably have similar temps as your air setup. Dual and quad core chips put out a lot of heat. To see significantly better temps than air your gonna need at least a dual rad.

[DCarez]

Yep, single 120mm radiator. Ok, thanks for the info. Since my ambient here can get up to like 30C-33 maybe, what kind of temperatures can I reasonably expect if I get a decent dual radiator + decent fans (lower noise please) + fusion?

[ranker]

Yep, single 120mm radiator. Ok, thanks for the info. Since my ambient here can get up to like 30C-33 maybe, what kind of temperatures can I reasonably expect if I get a decent dual radiator + decent fans (lower noise please) + fusion?

40-43C idle with mid 50's load would be the worse case scenario for a loop built with a PA120.2, Yate Loons, and a D-Tek FuZion.

[DCarez]

Ahh nice. After looking at some rads, I feel like the MCR220 is a good strike between price/performance (I can't really justify the PA120.2 to my wallet :( ). From what I understand, the new MCR220s have some kind of thing where you can attach your own barbs. Is there a huge difference between using 1/2" barbs bundled by most vendors together with a 1/2-3/8" reducer versus a straight up 3/8" barb? Also, those Yate Loons, are you referring to the 45CFM/24dBa or 88CFM/40dBa ones? I have a Panaflo fan from that Corsair kit, looks like quality (69CFM/30dBa), maybe just going to pick up a second one of those.

As always, thanks for the good info :)

[Jedda]

If you are happy with the noise your Panaflow makes, another seems reasonable. Most fan choice revolves around the cfm/db balance of noise to airflow.