Quiet watercooling

[Radical_53]

Yeah, well Some reviews even claimed SilenX to be the next best innovation after beer in bottles... but they aren't

[andersson.j]

Hehe this tubing talk is making me slightly confused atm I must admit, sorry if for being a little slow I couldn't make sense out of the tubing on the danish site, contained good information, but the inability to understand the details of what they truly said, the question remained just to be on the safe side.

But to put it easy and practical, let's just say I buy the Swiftech Storm, which uses 1/2" (not G1/2, stated as 1/4" NPSM) barbs and go with the DDC+ and Radiical top that also use 1/2" barbs, and the PA120.3 uses 3/8" BSP, this would mean should I go with 1/2" ID tubing? Or...?

Haha, been there myself! It's hard to understand before you order the wrong barbs and learn from your mistakes. It's hard to explain, especially in english!

Storm use 1/4 NPSM barbs which is the same thing as G1/4 or 1/4 BSPP except NPSM has 19 threads per inch(?) and G and BSPP has 18 threads per inch. All three has the same diameter across the threads, 13.1mm. Since the OD is 13.1mm the ID can't be 1/2"(12.7mm) there just isn't enough material left for threads. Swiftech and everyone else write that the barbs are 1/2" but that's not completly true, it means that it fits 1/2" ID tubing not that the barbs ID is 1/2". And sometimes 1/2" barbs just means that the barb has 1/2" OD. The actual ID of 1/2" 1/4 NPSM, G1/4 and 1/4 BSPP is below 10mm, which makes 7/16"(11.1mm) ID tubing the best alternative. You probably won't notice any performance difference between 7/16" and 1/2" ID tubing, the main advantage with 7/16" ID ist that it has a smaller OD and you can bend it tighter.

I see you did the infamous widening of the alphacool top, very nicely done

Thx!

[RekLess]

I also enjoy a "whisper-quiet" watercooling set-up and was always a Yate "fan" so to speak. However, I found a 120mm fan from AC that claimed lower noise at higher rpm's - yeah right.

Well, for $7ea and sleeved 3-pin connectors that go great with my Sunbeam controller, I decided to give em a try. They are great - actually noticeably more quiet than the Yates on my PA120.2.

http://www.svc.com/af12025.html

[voigts]

I got into watercooling for silence as well. If you REALLY want silent, then you want a passive rad. I have been using a small car rad now for almost a year with no fans whatsoever on it. I was very lucky and got a new copper core MG Metro rad on ebay for $35 shipped. I swear it was practically made to be used for a computer. I had it mounted to the side of my midtower case that I used which worked very well. I now have it mounted on top of a custom wood case I have built. It is a non-restrictive effective way to cool with no fans. As long as you get a decent small car radiator, it works great and can be side mounted onto a case.

For case fans, the scythe sflex fans have more CFM and are quieter than even yate loons. I have both and the scythe fans put out noticeably more air at the same db as the yate loons.

As far as pumps go, I bought both a DDC 10w and a DDC 18w and did a side by side sound comparison. I also had a D5 to compare to. The DDC 10w is about as quiet as you can possibly get, and the 18w has only a slightly higher pitch and it is only slightly louder-my educated guess is about 3-4db or so. It is just louder enough to notice it, but that is all. You want to get a DDC for silence and then put it on some good foam to absorb any vibration.

[Syranide]

Haha, been there myself! It's hard to understand before you order the wrong barbs and learn from your mistakes. It's hard to explain, especially in english!

That's a comfort (Yeah english adds a little confusion too )

Storm use 1/4 NPSM barbs which is the same thing as G1/4 or 1/4 BSPP except NPSM has 19 threads per inch(?) and G and BSPP has 18 threads per inch. All three has the same diameter across the threads, 13.1mm. Since the OD is 13.1mm the ID can't be 1/2"(12.7mm) there just isn't enough material left for threads. Swiftech and everyone else write that the barbs are 1/2" but that's not completly true, it means that it fits 1/2" ID tubing not that the barbs ID is 1/2". And sometimes 1/2" barbs just means that the barb has 1/2" OD. The actual ID of 1/2" 1/4 NPSM, G1/4 and 1/4 BSPP is below 10mm, which makes 7/16"(11.1mm) ID tubing the best alternative. You probably won't notice any performance difference between 7/16" and 1/2" ID tubing, the main advantage with 7/16" ID ist that it has a smaller OD and you can bend it tighter.

Ah, now it makes more sense to me what you said earlier, so 7/16" tubing it is then. I still wouldn't say that I understand all of these measurements (for sure), but it is a lot clearer now and hopefully I won't order wrong ones now at least ... and I bet it will all be a lot clearer when the parts are on my desktop

I got into watercooling for silence as well. If you REALLY want silent, then you want a passive rad. I have been using a small car rad now for almost a year with no fans whatsoever on it. I was very lucky and got a new copper core MG Metro rad on ebay for $35 shipped. I swear it was practically made to be used for a computer. I had it mounted to the side of my midtower case that I used which worked very well. I now have it mounted on top of a custom wood case I have built. It is a non-restrictive effective way to cool with no fans. As long as you get a decent small car radiator, it works great and can be side mounted onto a case.

Yeah that was my initial though too (something totally silent), and I must agree with you that one of those would most likely be the best and I've read a lot people doing just that which has turned out perfectly, but due to the warm nature of my room and that I want to keep it a little "future proof" too I think the PA120.3 is the better alternative for me (of course it might be possible to add fans to your rad too, but seeing this is my first setup I'd rather stick a little more to the "safe/known" side), and I will only run my PA120.3 with as many fans as needed. (Note that I will be cooling CPU, NB and the GPU, and moderns GPUs tend to become really hot, so it adds up) But there is always room for future improvements

As far as pumps go, I bought both a DDC 10w and a DDC 18w and did a side by side sound comparison. I also had a D5 to compare to. The DDC 10w is about as quiet as you can possibly get, and the 18w has only a slightly higher pitch and it is only slightly louder-my educated guess is about 3-4db or so. It is just louder enough to notice it, but that is all. You want to get a DDC for silence and then put it on some good foam to absorb any vibration.

Ah great, just what someone said just earlier in the thread, so then it is double confirmed . Btw, yesterday when just surfing around watercooling products I noticed a strange pump, can't remember the name, but it was some black box with some crystal ("found only in very expensive clocks") and it just slapped all pumps in noise and performance ... ... ... for 30$ ... yee- ... -aah right.

I will most likely embed the pump in some layers of dampening and downvolt it as much "as possible/needed", so probably the DDC+ (aka Ultra), especially since the dampning I'm using seems killer at cancelling high pitch noises.

Radical_53 Yeah, well Some reviews even claimed SilenX to be the next best innovation after beer in bottles... but they aren't

... Is that a verified claim or just your speculations that they aren't?

I also enjoy a "whisper-quiet" watercooling set-up and was always a Yate "fan" so to speak. However, I found a 120mm fan from AC that claimed lower noise at higher rpm's - yeah right.

Well, for $7ea and sleeved 3-pin connectors that go great with my Sunbeam controller, I decided to give em a try. They are great - actually noticeably more quiet than the Yates on my PA120.2.

http://www.svc.com/af12025.html

For case fans, the scythe sflex fans have more CFM and are quieter than even yate loons. I have both and the scythe fans put out noticeably more air at the same db as the yate loons.

Hehe, and here my Arctic Cooling fobia comes telling me "no, it can't be, the results must've been faked!" But if they are available where I buy my stuff I might perhaps throw one in and try.

/me is patiently waiting for:

You mean the Arctic Silent high RPM jet turbine? They aren't bad, but performance ain't as good as with the Yates. Also, good Yates has developed AI and taunt the Arctic Silents on command.

[Radical_53]

Well, the Scythe might have more cfm on the packaging, but the don't give you the same temps as the Yates. On my PA, they scored ~1K worse than Loons at the same speed.

And no, that plus the thing about the SilenX is not speculation but based on real-world tests.
I did a compare with all fans running at the same speed, and the Yates came out first place... I might put the whole thing together as soon as I think it's "done"

[voigts]

You won't need or want to undervolt the DDC. It is quiet in its own right at 12v.

[Syranide]

Well, the Scythe might have more cfm on the packaging, but the don't give you the same temps as the Yates. On my PA, they scored ~1K worse than Loons at the same speed.

And no, that plus the thing about the SilenX is not speculation but based on real-world tests.
I did a compare with all fans running at the same speed, and the Yates came out first place... I might put the whole thing together as soon as I think it's "done"

Oh, see, didn't need to be very patient for that to come
Leaning more and more, and even more towards just buying only the Yates once again then and not trying the others

(Btw if you look again I was referring to SilenX best after beer bottles )

[Radical_53]

Yeah, well. Honestly I didn't believe the Yates were that good in the first place. They're dead cheap, are silent so far and the were supposed to have the best performance also? Strange. All those big other companies with their expensive, fancy fans that can't beat them? So I got myself a couple of fans and tested them on the PA. Well, Yates came in first.
I'm still looking around to find something else that might beat them, but I don't expect to see that in the near future. SilenX didn't work better (and is way noisier), Sharkoon wasn't better nor Scythe.

[Syranide]

Hmm, while we are still talking about Yate Loons and fans I noticed yesterday that they sell Yate Loon 38mm 12V... however they are louder (put push lots more at higher RPM), but would these perform better than the normal 25mm when slowed down (or are they still loud perhaps?) ... or should I just go with the 25mm

[Marci]

If silence is the issue, and the heatload isn't anything dramatic, a PA160 with a Yate at 5v is a hell of a lot quieter than a PA120.3 with 3x Yates at 5v, and would still perform within 8 deg C...

[Syranide]

If silence is the issue, and the heatload isn't anything dramatic, a PA160 with a Yate at 5v is a hell of a lot quieter than a Yate with 3x Nexus at 5v, and would still perform within 8 deg C...

Well, yeah of course, but I don't intend to run with 3 fans unless I have to, so the other spot(s) are just "reserved for the future" and might help cool a little by just beeing there and beeing copper

But yes of course, I'm not saying this rig can't be made quieter, but being me is also not building something and trashing it next month, so I intend to at least keep most of this rig for some time, and having some available power isn't that bad considering it not a too great cost in silence. But surely, the PA160 would be easier to fit and more silent.

[Radical_53]

38mm fans would be nice considering performance, but honestly I haven't found a single one with bearings/motor even close to the noise of a 25mm thick Yate.

[nop]

Totally agree with Radical_53 on Yate. I used to run 3 of Scythes on my PA 120.3 and they were noisy...not lound but still noisy. With Yate, ther're very very quiet.

[Overconfidence]

Depending on how much you're looking to overclock, a dual rad -may- be enough for you, and cuts one fan out of the noise.

Aso, from my understanding, the DDC ultra and pro are both pretty much identical, with one running at a higher speed, and consequently a higher wattage. The noise will be louder and higher pitched due to more RPM. If you slow down the DDC ultra, it -should- behave like the DDC pro, but I'm sure you could get the pro down to a lower speed. Not 100% on this though.

Make sure you get the DDC in a nice acoustic environment and have some foam - mine is in a metal box and is fairly amplified, but free floating it's quieter than my yates.

[Overconfidence]

Hmm, while we are still talking about Yate Loons and fans I noticed yesterday that they sell Yate Loon 38mm 12V... however they are louder (put push lots more at higher RPM), but would these perform better than the normal 25mm when slowed down (or are they still loud perhaps?) ... or should I just go with the 25mm

38mm fans have higher static pressure and consequently are better when you have something restrictive to push/pull air through (i.e. conventional heatercore). They're going to be louder than a 25mm fan for the same CFM floating in free air, but will be much better for air restrictions. On silent rads (PA series) there isn't too much advantage for a 38mm fan because the 25mm will be quieter and there is negligible restriction in those radiators.

[Syranide]

Ah okey, overconfidence, thanks

[eXa]

oh btw. i find my heatercore beeing noisy itselves. i have 1 yate cooling it and its way noisier than my other yate. im gonna switch out the core with a pro3. just got to find one with an ok price...

[Shpoon]

About tubing...if you have a mix of G1/4" and G3/8" would it be possible to just use 7/16" ID, or would it be better for a uniform 1/2"?

Also...I have yet to find a good answer....what are the "best" (loosly used) fans that are quiet, and capable of cooling a TC PA? I wasthinking of undervolted Scythe S-Flex, because the Yate Loons seem to have horribly low CFM ratings...

[ReD.SkY]

i use 7/16

the G1/4 and G3/8 is only the thread size, not the barb size.

[eXa]

s-flex is 1600rpm right? so if you want to undervolt them a yate would be better! i think a D12SM-12 would be a better choise than s-flex if yoy need a bit more rpm than 1300...

oh btw... manufactors lie! yate loon is one of few wich are pretty close to reality!

[Shpoon]

i use 7/16

the G1/4 and G3/8 is only the thread size, not the barb size.

But sometimes the 1/2" barbs are 1/2" ID, and some are OD. I wans't sure if it's even possible to get the 1/2" OD barbs in 7/16" tubing?

s-flex is 1600rpm right? so if you want to undervolt them a yate would be better! i think a D12SM-12 would be a better choise than s-flex if yoy need a bit more rpm than 1300...

oh btw... manufactors lie! yate loon is one of few wich are pretty close to reality!

Where to buy though? I can get Sythes in Canada...

[Okda]

u can buy them fropm Petra, check my sig casue they ship to Canda and WorldWide

[Shpoon]

u can buy them fropm Petra, check my sig casue they ship to Canda and WorldWide

No, they only have the SL (Low CFM) variant. I've never seen the SM, that's why I was going to get a scythe (1600RPM), dunno.