Which watercooling kit to get?

[#ball3r]

I need help picking a water kit, and am looking for a kit that will be quiet and be good for overclocking. Please vote and post opionions as well. thx and happy holidays

[TheDude]

SWIFTECH ALL THE WAY! Top shelf quality gear, built to last and to perform! :toast:

[#ball3r]

are you sayaa from athlonoc?

[TheDude]

Originally posted by #ball3r
are you sayaa from athlonoc?

Nope, but I think I remember him telling me when he joined here that he used the same nick and avatar as me when he was at athlonoc?
This is about the only place I go anymore...I stop in at liquidninjas and a couple other places now and then, but have never posted at athlonoc.

[#ball3r]

could you tell me some places that sell the swiftech kits? I live in Canada so it's hard to find them up here. And also can you recommend a kit for a first time water user? Would i be able to switch the fans for 4 led ones? would it hurt the performance?

[#ball3r]

and i know this isn't really topic related, but what is faster for seek time with ide HD's lower or higher number? also you think i should get a cooler for vidcard, chipset, and HD?

[TheDude]

Originally posted by #ball3r
and i know this isn't really topic related, but what is faster for seek time with ide HD's lower or higher number? also you think i should get a cooler for vidcard, chipset, and HD?

Lowest seektime is fastest
I run water blocks on CPU, Northbridge and Video Card...have never really felt the need to use on memory, but I do have heat spreaders with a fan blowing over DIMMS.
I would suggest a basic swifty setup with the above components cooled, a lot depends on how much money you want to spend and what you are using PC for. Cruise thru the forum to see what others are doing and read all you can about water cooling if this is your first water rig.
There are other good blocks out there besides Swifty, mainly look for good construction and design. Make sure your pump is up to the job. Do a little more homework before you buy, so you do not "outgrow" the system too fast.
As for availability, not sure if they ship outside USA, but checkout their website. Dangerden also has some good gear. If you can afford it, consider the Qpower case...very nice watercooling setup. Hope that helps some, but don't buy just on this scant information, get more opinions and learn all you can about watercooling before you drop some big bucks.:D

[#ball3r]

which of these 3 kits would you get?
1) http://www.ntcw.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NTCW&Product_Code=HF-STH202-C
2) http://www.coolerguys.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=840556016236&Category_Code=WHS
3) http://www.criticool.com/9Complete%20Kits.html

[#ball3r]

i'm also planning on using these fan in the system....
BALL BEARING FAN


* DIMENSION : 120 x 120 x 25mm

* VOLTAGE : 12VDC

* SPEED : 2400RPM

* AIR FLOW : 69.15CFM

* NOISE : 39dBA


4 Bright LEDs, factory Installed
think they would be fine?

[#ball3r]

would it be possible to use this with one of these kits?

[TheDude]

I like the #2 swifty kit...nice. The fans should be Ok as long as you got a good PS. What the heck are those pics of? Colored, lighted pumps? or reserve tanks? The pump in link 2 and 3 is good. Does the swifty kit include all the blocks you want? CPU, NB, Video, etc?
I just really like the quality of the swifty gear, I have a Koolance case that JBELL modded with Swifty blocks...nice well made, heavy, quality blocks.
Hang around, you are sure to get more imput after the Christmas gig is over....see what others have to say. There are guys in here that make their own blocks. As a matter of fact, I think I recall a nice water setup in our classified section...check that out too.:D

[#ball3r]

ths dude :). no the kits only come with the main block and have to buy the others seperate :(. i think those pics are an led kit for a water pump??? well part of a water cooling kit anyway (i can't check there site cause it's down). for the swifty kits there are 3 different ones and wasn't sure which was better that was just the most expencive one...here are the other 2 if you can check them for me. and oops i posted the same link for 1 and 3 hehe. i forgot the dangerden kits. here are the links for the other 2 swifty kits
http://www.ntcw.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NTCW&Product_Code=HF-STH202-B
http://www.ntcw.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NTCW&Product_Code=HF-STH202-C372

and here is the dangerden kits...
http://www.criticool.com/9Complete%20Kits.html

i have a enermax eg465 power supply i think that should be good enough hey? I think it's come down too the Swifty, and Dangerden kits, because i can find them in Canada at desent prices. Thanks for all your help. I'm gonna be putting an Epox nforce2 mobo, Hercules 9700 pro, and hopefully a Barton core athlon, or 2800+ if i can't wait that long with the water system :)

[#ball3r]

this is what the led thing is in the picture...
ICEBALL2 WATER RESERVOIR (WITH 110V 7W PUMP AND SSR RELAY) do i need one of these? i think it looks cool with the leds. I have a window in my case and 3 UV ccfl's along with UV and glow in dard rounded cables. I'm going to use UV water dye as well so i'm wanting this kit to look good as well.

[#ball3r]

i will also add that i would like to keep everything inside my case. here is a pic of my case...
http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=Bigfoot&Product_Code=7200CSAN&Category_Code=0365
what will i need in my kit?

[#ball3r]

sorry dude but another thing...i guess if i'm using UV water dye there isn't much point of using the leds in a resivior since the water will glow anyway right? and to attach the tubes do you use regular wire ties? i'm really looking at a dangerden kit now, but the swifty is still an option.

[#ball3r]

omg i'm so lost now :confused: . where am i gonna put everything? i guess it's safe to say i'll lose my bottom drive cage with the fan built in? will i have to drill any holes in my case if i want it internal? This seems a lot more trouble then i thought it was gonna be. will an 80mm radiator be as funtional? I'm also gonna use a pci raid card, will that get in the way? if i use water on my vidcard can will it be safe to use the pci slot right next to agp?

[TheDude]

Ok....1st, both of your swifty links look to be the same to me. The other link (Full Meal Deal) is nice, but kinda expensive. I have no experience with the Via Aqua pump, but it looks fine (1300).
Yes the UV dyes and LEDs are kinda redundant.
The Antec Aluminum case is sweet!
Power Supply should be ok.
You can use PCI slot next to AGP as long as it is still accessible, your block will probably mount on the side facing CPU of AGP slot.
I would think you would have room for raid controller card.
I can't picture the need to drill any holes in case. Your pump might fit in front of bottom cage.
Maybe someone with this case, who watercools can answer this better?
The Swifty has 3/8 connections (swifty also has 1/2 models) and the other is 1/2 I think. Some people say the 1/2 connections afford better flow, however my swifty stuff seems to work fine with 3/8. Make sure all your blocks and tubing are same size. Make sure you have correct block and mounting for your 9700 video card.
Connect from pump to CPU, then NB, then Video card..at least that's how I do it anyway.

How about some input from all you watercooling guys on this? I know there are some very experienced watercoolers out there, who know much more than I do.:D

Have you seen this? http://www.xtwerkz.com/swiftech_kits.htm

Looks like nice tight setup that should fit your case with no problems? good price too. I am not sure about if radiator will install inside of your case ok...I always like to put them outside on back or on top..seems to help with getting rid of the heat. Again...we need input of someone who is running something similar....I don't want to steer you wrong on this.
:D For the price of some of those kits, it looks like you could almost buy a QuietPower setup! That would be my choice if affordable...but you already have the case?
http://www.xtwerkz.com/liquid_cooled_cases.htm

[Hardass]

You have alot of choices to make as far as what to buy, but you are looking at the best. I prefer swiftech blocks, I like the way they are made to me they are almost perfect. Go with 1/2" everything better cooling. Everything will fit in your case but you will loose the bottom tray especially if you are going with a res, which I prefer. In one of my rigs I am running the res combo from dangerden with the pump built right into the res works well. I also run the Blackice Extreme rad from dangerden which is a excellant rad. All run 120mm fans. The last link TheDude gave you is swiftech latest kit release, very nice setup. The only draw back I heard about this setup is the fill&bleed, and pump take up 2 of your 5" bays. Take your time deciding don,t be in a hurry. One more thing to concider is does the mobo you are going to use have the 4 mounting holes?

[#ball3r]

there i fixed the link dude :). now about the prices on the happy meal kits they are in Canadian dollars, which is where i live. I don't think they seem that bad considering i pay $.60 on the dollar if I buy from the states. So do you think buying all the parts seperately will be better? like say buying swifty blocks, and dangerden rad, pumps? Wouldn't it be more expensive this way? I wanna get a top notch system but do want to save a little cash as i still have to buy my 9700 pro, nforce2, and cpu. I have already spent thousands on this system and would like to save a little. I was thinking of either getting a swifty kit, or the dangerden full meal deal w/resivior, chipset block, and gpu block. I'm not gonna bother with the cooling for the HD. By looking at my case it seems like i have about 5-6" room between the bottom and the lower drive cage so i'm hoping i don't have to remove it. Do you think a res like this one would work good? http://dtekcustoms.safeshopper.com/20/167.htm?678, or just a standard dangerden res? And again I thank you all for your help and your patiance with this newb ;). My system is gonna be slammin and i'll post some pics of it possible today. Here are my specs so far...
XP1600+@1848
thermalright slk-800w/crystal led speed control fan(UV coated)
gigabyte ga7vaxp
corsair pc3200 512 CA2
msi geforce4 4400 w/thermaltake fan and ram sinks
SB audigy oem
maxtor ata133 40gb fluid bearing
lite-on 16x dvd black
lite-on 40x cdrw black
black floppy
viewsonic P95f+b 19" flat black
logitech z560
alienware microsoft kb
alienware intellimouse explorer 3.0
ratpadz mouse surface
black aluminum turbo gamer case w/window
3 UV ccfl's
2 glow in dark rounded cables, 2 UV rounded cables
emermax 450w ps w/neon blue psumod and 80mm green UV fan
4 UV fans in case
all wires loomed

[#ball3r]

is it better to use 2 120mm fans on the rad? i'm thinking of adding 2 of these...http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/Mer...y_Code=0100.41,
and possibly a rheobus to control them.

[TheDude]

As Hardass suggested, having the pump inside the res is nice, takes up less room...up to you if you don't mind using the drive bay, it would look nice. Two adjustable 120 fans would be perfect. (your link for fans does not work for me). I would try to make sure I had a balanced air flow thru the case as well as removing the heat from rad.You may be able to install pump in front of your lower cage if it does not fit under it. Either kit (Danger or Swifty) would do very well....and probably is cheaper than idividual parts (I forgot prices were in Canadian).
I look forward to seeing some pics, the specs are very impressive! That's going to be a TOP SHELF system all the way. At first I got the feeling you were rushing thru this, but realize from your specs that you have put a great deal of thought into it. Good luck with it my friend, I am sure it will turn out great!:D

[#ball3r]

wow thx dude :). I have been building this for about 4 months. I need a better job hehe. I think i'm not going to go raid 0 since i have been told that it will not get me any performance gains in gaming. I'm looking into one of those 8mb cache drives instead. Is ata133 that much faster then ata100? Say if i got a 8mb ata100 will it be faster then my 2mb ata133? The seek times are 9ms and 8ms respectivly.

[bigdawginva]

Speaking of the BayRes and black systems...here's the one I just finished. WCing parts set me back about $250 and is now the quietest system I've ever owned.

Next step is to put another rad/shroud in the lower front.

http://home.attbi.com/~96impalass/BlackWidowProject

If you're serious about going Swifty, I can save you some money on the CPU and GPU WBs. I have the 462-U and MCW40 WBs that have never been used, still in the box with parts, directions, etc. All you'd need is the rad, tubing, res, fans, etc.

[#ball3r]

bigdawginva i'm interested in your parts :). can you hold on to them for a couple weeks and i'll probably about 80% more then likely take them off your hands. If they will be below cost of course ;). but i will give you a good deal :)

[TheDude]

Black Widow is sweet bigdawginva!

Hey guys...if you want to work a deal, it would be better to take it to PMs or classifieds :D

#ball3r,

I posted to your HDD thread about those drives....I think you made a good choice.:D

[#ball3r]

link for fans...
http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=Bigfoot&Product_Code=2123CGCF&Category_Code=0100.41

[#ball3r]

do you think those fans will provide efficiant cooling? I need to know because there on sale now till the end of the week :)

[#ball3r]

here is a pic of my case....

[#ball3r]

and...

[#ball3r]

another picture of my baby!!

[majocerfrk]

Originally posted by #ball3r
which of these 3 kits would you get?
1) http://www.ntcw.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NTCW&Product_Code=HF-STH202-C
2) http://www.coolerguys.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=840556016236&Category_Code=WHS
3) http://www.criticool.com/9Complete%20Kits.html
Trythem (http://www.xtwerkz.com/liquid_cooling_kits.htm)

[majocerfrk]

I've dealt with them a couple times. bought me a MCW462-UHT and MCW-50T :D

[#ball3r]

ok can someone here tell me part by part exactly what i would need for my water cooler keeping in mind I want to keep it in my case, and not cut any blowholes? Please :(. I would like to use those 69cfm fans if they will not sacrifice my cooling (sandwich the rad with 2). I'm not interested in the Innovatek stuff any more so only Dangerden or Swiftech. I like the looks of the Swiftech blocks but was planning on using UV paint on the block anyway so if the maze3's are good those will do. I need a block for cpu, radeon 9700 pro, and my chipset. I would like to use a resovior maybe even a bayres. I would like to keep this quiet, but get my temps down really low so i can overclock my new cpu like crazy. I really appreciate the help, and look forward to a reply :)

[#ball3r]

*update* just purchased an Epox 8RDA+, 2x256 OCZ PC3500 EL CL2, some more glowing lime green loom, 2 120mm led fans for water cooler, and ramsinks for the radeon i'm buying. Here is the kit i'm thinking of getting, tell me what you think about it. The only thing that was left out is i'm getting a chipset block, a res, and green UV water dye.

[#ball3r]

now here it is...
Quantity Description Price TOTAL
1 Maze 3 AMD 1/2" connections - Lucite brass $68.50 $68.50
Maze 3 AMD 1/2" connections - copper brass $74.50 $-
Maze3SHD AMD 1/2" connections - Lucite brass $82.50 $-
Maze3SHD AMD 1/2" connections - copper brass $87.50 $-
Maze 3 P4 478 1/2" connections - Lucite brass $70.50 $-
Maze 3 P4 478 1/2" connections - copper brass $76.00 $-
1 GF4 / Radeon 1/2" connections - Lucite brass $73.50 $73.50
Z-chipset 1/2" connections - Lucite brass $63.50 $-
Cyclone5, Med base, 1/2" connections $105.00 $-

Eheim 1048 - 158 gal/hr $99.50 $-
1 Eheim 1250 - 316 gal/hr $118.50 $118.50
Supreme Mag 20 - 250 gal/hr $70.00 $-
Supreme Mag 30 - 350 gal/hr $80.00 $-

1 Custom CritiCool Pump Relay Kit $30.00 $30.00

Black Ico Pro EVO $77.50 $-
1 Black Ice Extreme $109.50 $109.50
1 Red Line Water Wetter 4oz $6.50 $6.50
Papst 120mm, 4312L / connectors $35.50 $-

3/8" Vinyl Tubing $0.60 $-
10 1/2" Vinyl Tubing $0.70 $7.00
1/2" ClearFlex60 Tubing $2.25 $-

Cylindrical Reservoir $50.00 $-
3/8" - Plastic Tube Clamp $0.85 $-
13 1/2" - Plastic Tube Clamp $0.85 $11.05
3/8" - Metal Tube Clamp $0.80 $-
1/2" - Metal Tube Clamp $0.80 $-
Nylon Tee 3/8" $2.75 $-
1 Nylon Tee 1/2" $2.75 $2.75
Nylon Barbed Elbow 3/8" $10.00 $-
Nylon Barbed Elbow 1/2" $10.00 $-
Plastic 3/8" valve $8.50 $-
1 Plastic 1/2" valve $9.50 $9.50
plastic 3/4" threaded to 1/2" barbed fitting $3.50 $-
brass 3/8" threaded 1/2 " barbed fitting $4.00 $-
brass 1/2" threaded to 1/2" barbed fitting $4.00 $-
brass 3/4" threaded to 1/2" barbed fitting $4.00 $-
3/8" to 1/2" Barbed adapter $4.00 $-

Artic Silver 3 $13.00 $-
1 Industrial Velcro $2.00 $2.00


Special Order


SubTotal $438.80
Shipping: Shipping & Handling $0.00
Taxes GST $30.72

TOTAL $469.52