Quote Originally Posted by Abel View Post
This being the first water cooling system I setup, I would like to know:
  • What do you think about the hardware I considered so far?

    Good, the radiator is overkill for basically your gpu. You cpu doesn't produce hardly any heat, I've heard you can run one without any heatsink at all(straight from the creator of Real Temp).

  • Do you think the Swiftech MCP 350 / Laing DDC 3.1 is the most silent pump?

    Yup, quiet indeed.

  • What about the radiator? Would it be better to use two at different points in the loop or just one? With how many fans for one loop? 1, 2, 3, 4?

    The 120.3 is a great rad, a bit much for your loop but great for universality. I would put 3 near silent fans on it. Or maybe some 1800rpm GTs on a fan controller.
  • Would it be useful to cool some other components of the motherboard for overclocking purposes or the power supply unit for silence considering I don't want to afford more than one loop?

    No, once you invest into cooling the board your fairly tied down to it. Your board isn't extremely stressed with the North Bridge handling just the 8800. The return on investment just isn't there.
  • What are the pros & cons of a system with no reservoir?

    Dunno, ressys allow for a place to monitor levels and check pressure. Also come in handy during bleeding the loop.

  • What about the tubes, the fittings and their sizes? What tool should be used to cut a tube? How many fittings are needed? Should 90° fittings be used to shorten the overall tubing length?

    I would suggest using 1/2" fittings and tubing. It's less flexible but fairly uniform in water cooling world. Also your MCW80's will come with 2 fittings. You can use scissors to cut tubing. 90 fittings will reduce your flow, use'm only if you have to.
  • What should the coolant be composed of?

    Distilled water. Maybe some PT Nuke, but dyes and additives are crap.
  • What do you think about connecting the pump directly to the radiator? Where should the radiator go for an integrated system?

    The pump can be connected directly to the radiator, no problem there. Most radiators can go outside the case or inside the case if you have the space. You may want to look into a Rad Box if you mount outside the case.
  • Would it be possible to «refrigerate» the case in order to improve the transfer of heat?

    Sure would, but then condensation may appear. Better idea is to keep ambient temps as low as possible.

  • What precautions should be taken before and after the system has been set regarding cleaning & maintenance?

    Bleed the loop before using. That means filling the loop and running the system independent to make sure there are no leaks. Check for leaks well prior to applying power to your board/gpu. Check water levels frequently, and tear down the entire setup every 6mo and clean thoroughly.


Thanks for reading and hopefully guiding me.
Hope that helps!

Quote Originally Posted by TRICHEESE View Post
you may be able to run completely passive with those components.
Damn close, some 800rpm fans just to keep air movement but yeah it could be near silent for sure.