New to WC: please advise

[Raadster]

Hi guys, ill start with my hard ware and then discuss my problems.

Antec 900
i7 920
asus p6t deluxe
radeon 4870x2

Now i have had the stock intel fan on since i built the comp over a year ago, recently i changed the TIM on the cpu cause the fan wasnt sitting well and it seems the contact made using the stock fan is terrible and my cpu is booting up and idling at 90c.

This has been a recent phenomena, what scares me is that when the computer boots up now it is running markedly slower, apps take 10-15 secs to boot up as opposed to booting instantly before.

has the fact the comp has shut down from overheating and is running super hot damaged the cpu? I certainly hope not.

Anyways i actually bought wcing parts with the rest of the gear in order to wc the cpu and the gpu, but i ran out of funds at the time.

What I bought at the time which was based on what i read to be reasonable is as follows:

DDC 3.2 18w pump
XSPC acrylic resevoir top (from what i remember this modded with a 1/2" inlet hole is meant to improve performance)
D-tek fuzion v2

Now im only looking to wc the cpu atm, if i were to wc the gpu i would get a separate loop.

please advise me as to a radiator which would handle a OC'ed i7 920 at say 4ghz (Note: that speed 24/7 would be a goal and the main reason i wanted to wc in the first place)

and ofcourse fans which would be best suited for the job.

Also my antec 900 is a very flimsy case, when i take it to lans the case warps a little as i hold it and seems to pop out one of the ram slots just enough so it wont boot, which results in me needing to take out that ram slot and place it back in so the comp will boot.

So in conclusion please tell me if i screwed up my cpu, if the parts i already have are any good, and what reservoir and fans to get + new case.

I very much appreciate any and all advice given.

[Johnny87au]

D-tek fuzion 2 is very old im not even sure if you can buy 1366 brackets for them? Maby someone can correct me.. Ive never watercooled a antec 900 but i know they dont really look all that water friendly hehe, As for a radiator i'd recommend a triple such as a MCR320 which is more future proof incase you ever wanna add more blocks to the top if not a MCR240 Rad is more then enough for a cpu loop only.. For fans really depends on your budget, I highly recommend the Gentle Typhoon GT's as they are great all round, good static pressure/great cfm/db ratio... Things you need to buy : External Radiator bracket unless you can fit it inside, And a Reservoir, As for fittings just go for barbs seeming as this is your first time watercooling with 7/16 tubing with say 1/2 DD fatboy barbs...

[SiGfever]

920 can run pretty hot when hyperthreading and running at full load, do yourself a favor and get an EK HF waterblock and a damn good rad and fans if you plan on pushing that chip. I tried a Fuzion with a 1366 bracket and it just did not have the ability to fully cool the chip to my liking. YMMV

[Raadster]

Thanks for the responses, based on your recommendations im going to get a

xspc rx360 rad

EK supreme HF Block

Now what about a case that will fit all the wcing components in it but is super solid and wont really warp when you carry it to a lan, i don't care about weight i just want room and strength in a case, please advise!

also there was no feed back on the pump i got, im guessing its fine for the job?

[mindwreck]

pumps more than enough..

[Johnny87au]

Well a great Case would be the 800D as its a massive case, can fit a 360 up the top even a 480 if your prepared to get your hands dirty, All black motherboard tray etc too.. Also HAF-X can fit a 360 internally without any mods.. And yes the pump is absoulately fine, just grab a Aftermarket top such as a XSPC/EK "even though the ek is better" then your ready to rock and roll :D

[Raadster]

thanks for the advice guys, now i need 3 fans for the rad.

was browsing and have come across a fan that doesnt add up in terms of its performance vs the noise level.

all other fans ive seen that pump out more then 90 cfm are at the 28dba+ range.

check this out http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_510&products_id=8022

its saying 90 cfm at ONLY 19dba, seems too good to be true.

you think its a typo?

[Johnny87au]

thanks for the advice guys, now i need 3 fans for the rad.

was browsing and have come across a fan that doesnt add up in terms of its performance vs the noise level.

all other fans ive seen that pump out more then 90 cfm are at the 28dba+ range.

check this out http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_510&products_id=8022

its saying 90 cfm at ONLY 19dba, seems too good to be true.

you think its a typo?

Yeh thats bs, I owned 4x red one of these and they are quite loud, definately not 19dba..

[Jokester_wild]

Don't do it water is evil!

[Conumdrum]

Gosh, if your new, maybe you shuld learn a bit more about WC before you take the leap. Took me 3 months to read, learn, and decide.

Please readthis link, take it to heart, read each and every link from beginning to end. Then decide.

Whats the rush? It's a hobby.............
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6489396&postcount=3

[Raadster]

there is no rush, but having said that why wait?

ive read up on parts and have come here to get some recommendations from experienced people, so apart from setting up the system there is no real danger of getting things wrong.

So Johny, since you have had 4 of those fans, what are your thoughts of them.

90cfm is powerful, 3 of those on a xspc 360 should be enough?

[coolhandluke41]

there is no rush, but having said that why wait?

ive read up on parts and have come here to get some recommendations from experienced people, so apart from setting up the system there is no real danger of getting things wrong.

So Johny, since you have had 4 of those fans, what are your thoughts of them.

90cfm is powerful, 3 of those on a xspc 360 should be enough?

XSPC RX series RAD's are optimized for slow~medium 800~1500 RPM fans
I would suggest GT's or Noctua (1450rpm shroud in pull conf.) but if you decide to use the CoolerMaster fans
or any fans above 1600RPM make sure you have fan controller
http://skinneelabs.com/xspc_rx360-v2.html

[z3d.]

XSPC RX series RAD's are optimized for slow~medium 800~1500 RPM fans
I would suggest GT's or Noctua (1450rpm shroud in pull conf.) but if you decide to use the CoolerMaster fans
or any fans above 1600RPM make sure you have fan controller
http://skinneelabs.com/xspc_rx360-v2.html

I couldn't make some tests on that but I made some researches on the best Fan to put on XSPC RX radiator in order to have a silent pc..well, the best ones seems to be either Noctua NF-P12 (1300Rpm) and Scythe Slipstream (1200Rpm); considering the price of both, and without having a direct test with those, my advice is to go with the Scythe Slipstream; the model is the one with 1200Rpm cuz the higher ones have some tickling problems and are more noisy.

Btw, if someone can make or made a comparison on the fans mentioned above, please post it! :)

[jspace]

Bah, just be cheap and get some low speed Yates from Petra's!

[Johnny87au]

there is no rush, but having said that why wait?

ive read up on parts and have come here to get some recommendations from experienced people, so apart from setting up the system there is no real danger of getting things wrong.

So Johny, since you have had 4 of those fans, what are your thoughts of them.

90cfm is powerful, 3 of those on a xspc 360 should be enough?

Easily enough but dont you want better performance/silent/price ?? I had 3 of the fans in a old build and also another 3 as intake fans on a old HAF 932, TBH there quite loud and hardly blow any air, My old crappy antec 1200 case blows way more cfm then those cm's... Go with some gt's..

[mindwreck]

90cfm at 19dba..really?? don't believe what the manufactures say.

This is the sickleflow version.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=36_49&products_id=25750

looks like the same R4 series fan but without leds.. same specs except here it only does 69cfm at 19dba.. hmmm

description and model numbers say they're different fans. sickleflow vs standard led silent. yet same blade design. same rpm. same pressure.. same power usage.. where does that extra 20cfm come from? the LEDS?:shrug:

[Raadster]

Thanks for the responses all, but riddle me this.

Why go with the gt 1850's which are 57cfm for 28dba.

when i can get this http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_510&products_id=14171

[fatherTime27]

Please look at my build log! At 4ghz 1.34 vcore and 1.34 qpi I am getting low 60's under prime small fft's

[Church]

Raadster: "Why go with the gt" - because in independent tests (not in manufacturer provided specs) they are better.

[penguins]

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=261778

here is a really good independent test by martin a great tester.

if you need any help translating stuff just ask. but it shows the GT as the best noise to CFM ratio ( Through a radiator )