I've finally decided to go with water cooling

[Judaeus Apella]

Okay, I was not aware I have to completely disassemble it every year or more, and individually clean every part differently depending on what its made out of. What a pain in the ass. I just want a cool system, not a once a year project. So it looks like I'll be doing closed loop. I'm reading good things about the Artic Cooling Hybrid, and it looks to be more affordable and far less time intensive and needy than a custom solution. I think I'm going to go with that instead. I'll probably go with a closed loop for the CPU over an air set up as well. I see the one by corsair is pretty mainstream at the moment. Is there anything with better temps than that one?

Hmmm this means I need to rethink the case. Well, I guess I'll be off looking at more cases then. If anyone has any recommendations, let me know. I don't like plastic on the outer parts of the case, and no mesh because its a nightmare to clean. I only buy metal cases, especially tough durable ones. I love steel cases.

[mcnbns]

With proper water additives (biocide) you can keep a loop together literally for years, as I have before.

Also, a little closed loop will never be as versatile and powerful as a custom loop can be. I spent many, many months reading all about water cooling before building my first loop. Don't give up so fast.

[Conumdrum]

Just buy air cooling. A top notch air cooler is within a few or less C of the magic AIO watercooling units out there. Meaning NO issues, no RMA since the CPU and GPU units are cheaply made and prone to fail.

Only real WCing in the $300+ range is worthy of watercooling for CPU/GPU. You want to add the GPU? Add more money.

Pump $90
Rad(s) $80 each or so maybe just one big one.
Res $30 to $90
Good fans ($15+ each) depending on your heat load and required raddage.
CPU block $70.
GPU block $80+.
Tubing and fittings $100 or so.

You don't like messing with the PC? Go good air cooling.




There are many GPU aftermarket GPU cooling units for your GPU. Quiet and effective.

[Conumdrum]

I'm sorry, but that is how I do it. If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work for you, sorry. Maybe there is a club in your area you can join etc. I'm not prone to spend my personal time to walk someone through this. It's not for me. I have a life and a job. Good luck.

[Judaeus Apella]

Another problem is I want to go back to college... which means I'll be a student and need a dependable system. Not something that gets dirty and needs a lot of time to drain, take apart, clean piece by piece, re-assemble, and refill. That is a lot of work and I talked to a friend of mine about it who knows a lot more than I do about computers. He said that's the primary reason he never went water. Its too much time, and it turns into a hobby instead of just having a cool system without a huge amount of fuss. So this isn't for me. Its too labor intensive and too expensive, and with the student thing... its just a bad idea. Maybe one day though.

I am liking these premade self-contained closed loop kits. Arctic cooling has a good one... though its a little labor intensive, but it never needs to be refilled and cleaned out, just dusted. So I'm seriously considering it. Its pretty easy to figure out that custom WC enthusiasts aren't going to like them, and that's fine... but for what I need they'll be fine as long as I get the right one. So I guess this topic is now centering around that type of water cooling.

[Conumdrum]

There is none unless you figure it out yourself. Unless you find a mentor in your local area. Computer clubs etc.

Another problem isn't my problem.

Arctic Cooling doesn't have a good one, you must be reading the marketing magic, not digging into multiple forums to read the problems. It's high volume factory made, they can absorb the return rates due to the VERY cheap manufacturing costs. No AIO unit is trouble free, they ALL have a pretty high failure rate, wayy by 10000% above air cooled setups and 1000% worse than custom water cooling setups.

Stay air cooled. I'm done here.

[Judaeus Apella]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1294303/r...ccelero-hybrid

Its nothing to write home about, but it definitely has my attention. I think its a great alternative if I don't have the time or money to go with a custom water solution. I suppose someone is going to come along and say that reviewer doesn't know what their doing or the results are terrible or what ever. *sigh* Can someone with something positive to say/suggest join the conversation?

[yojimbo197]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1294303/r...ccelero-hybrid

Its nothing to write home about, but it definitely has my attention. I think its a great alternative if I don't have the time or money to go with a custom water solution. I suppose someone is going to come along and say that reviewer doesn't know what their doing or the results are terrible or what ever. *sigh* Can someone with something positive to say/suggest join the conversation?

Maybe looking at other AIO reviews might be helpful. I know that the Swiftech H220 has been highly recommended, but people have mentioned others in other posts like the Corsair H60, H80, H100....
Someone recently posted something about the NZXT Kraken X60. That actually looks pretty promising from the few reviews I've seen. One thing I have noticed in the reviews on AIO's is that some work better with different fans, be they Noctua's or another manufacturer. Perhaps you need also to consider having more flexibility in your choice of fans ie. Delta's vs. others. After all, its about what gets the job done in the end, is it not?

Also, coming from an experimental background, I tend to like to do small scale and/or simple experiments before I do the money experiment. In this case, do your homework on AIO's, maybe find an AIO that you think is good, and test it out on an older system that you already have that isn't mission critical. That way you'd get a feel for how to set up a water cooling system without the pressure(no pun intended) of potential leaks and loss of major $$.

Or you could cut the Gordian knot, find a nice case with good airflow, and find a good air cooled heatsink.

[Judaeus Apella]

Maybe looking at other AIO reviews might be helpful. I know that the Swiftech H220 has been highly recommended, but people have mentioned others in other posts like the Corsair H60, H80, H100....
Someone recently posted something about the NZXT Kraken X60. That actually looks pretty promising from the few reviews I've seen. One thing I have noticed in the reviews on AIO's is that some work better with different fans, be they Noctua's or another manufacturer. Perhaps you need also to consider having more flexibility in your choice of fans ie. Delta's vs. others. After all, its about what gets the job done in the end, is it not?

Also, coming from an experimental background, I tend to like to do small scale and/or simple experiments before I do the money experiment. In this case, do your homework on AIO's, maybe find an AIO that you think is good, and test it out on an older system that you already have that isn't mission critical. That way you'd get a feel for how to set up a water cooling system without the pressure(no pun intended) of potential leaks and loss of major $$.

Or you could cut the Gordian knot, find a nice case with good airflow, and find a good air cooled heatsink.

I only buy Delta's. They're the best, and anyone who says anything different is wrong. For some reason, someone is going around telling everyone that Deltas are only high speed loud fans.... which isn't true at all. They make fans of all different speeds. Everything from really slow to insanely fast, and different sizes, thicknesses, and designs for different purposes. And everything they make is industrial quality, not consumer grade unlike all the crap you usually see sold for computer hobbyists that falls apart or requires maintenance.... so with only the occasional dust clean up, they last over to the next build, and the next, and the next. I have a 40mm from the 80's and it'll still chugging along if you need it to (even though the frame is cracked). And there are ways to buy them, you just have to do some digging and figure out who sells them. There are also replacement Delta fans available to buy for stuff like pre-made computers, projectors, vehicles, TV's, and other electronic equipment.

This is one place that sells them... though they are a bit pricy, but again they're industrial quality, not consumer grade, so you have to expect to pay a bit more. Recently I've learned my lesson and I'll never use anything else. They sell just about every size and model that can fit on a computer (some require modding).

http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/se...rs=18686+19577

So for this build I'll be buying some deltas. My previous computer case came with all the fans I needed so I didn't bother, and before that the only delta I had broke. I don't know what happened but something got inside of it and broke off a blade. I still have no idea how it happened. I heard something get stuck in the blades when I was moving a door, then a blade flew off... and I heard the object that broke the fan go flying off somewhere and hit something. I was never able to find it, so its still a mystery. I didn't have anything loose in the case so... yeah. Weird. It was a nice one too. Capable of 180cfm when turned all the way up. I ended up recycling it at an electronics recycling event they have several times a year here.

Typically, the AFB's are great for standard use, and the FFB's are great for higher air pressure (my favorite ones). The FFB's are damn good, though a little bit louder than the AFB's when turned all the way up. But for high air pressure cases and radiators, you can't beat FFB's, unless you go with FHB or PFB... which I wouldn't recommend for indoors or unless you don't mind something really really loud when turned all the way up, or they're inside of a noise insulated object.

[rehpyc]

You want to use only Deltas, yet there are tests available on these forums and others with some quality fans that give the best cfm/noise ratio when coupled with a radiator. You mentioned that you want silence, did you not?

You want people to give you months worth of information in small pieces for you to do things right, yet you want to brush off "old guides" because the products linked in them are no longer provided. While the internals of blocks and their performance have changed, the concepts of watercooling have not over recent years.

How do you figure a self-built system will need any more upkeep than an AIO type? I haven't taken my loop apart or cleaned anything in close to 2 years now (it was when I last changed out the GPU), and it has been running solid with only recently needing topping off of water in the reservoir. Performance hasn't really changed, even if the insides of some blocks have gotten dirty and may need some cleaning, since I first put things together in probably '08.

[NKrader]

You want to use only Deltas, yet there are tests available on these forums and others with some quality fans that give the best cfm/noise ratio when coupled with a radiator. You mentioned that you want silence, did you not?

You want people to give you months worth of information in small pieces for you to do things right, yet you want to brush off "old guides" because the products linked in them are no longer provided. While the internals of blocks and their performance have changed, the concepts of watercooling have not over recent years.

How do you figure a self-built system will need any more upkeep than an AIO type? I haven't taken my loop apart or cleaned anything in close to 2 years now (it was when I last changed out the GPU), and it has been running solid with only recently needing topping off of water in the reservoir. Performance hasn't really changed, even if the insides of some blocks have gotten dirty and may need some cleaning, since I first put things together in probably '08.

some people like certain fans or parts that arent "the best" on paper but they make em happy.

[OldChap]

Others have said it and I must agree ... Get a D5 or one of the variants if you really feel the need for the bells and whistles.

Whether you get a ut60 rad or an XT45 won't make a huge difference to the temps you will run at and the thinner rad just might allow you to run quieter if you so wish.

I ran Delta fans for 2 years and agree they are great but even undervolted, the faster ones, those in the 3-4k rpm range, are not for everyone from a noise or tone point of view.... but hey, fans are an easy and possibly fairly cheap change to make later if you wish. I now use 2150rpm GT's but have only just about run them for a year so I cannot say they last for ages yet.

If you are a bit limited for space in that case then maybe consider one of the EK combined pump top and tube res arrangements or the bay res equivalent.

10mm/ 3/8" id tube will be fine.

cpu and gpu blocks are likely much the same in performance if you stick with the better makes in my view. I have some favorites as I am sure others do too.

So, are these parts going to give you the absolute best watercooling around? Probably not. for that you may need 2 pumps and a rad like a Mo-ra or phobya Nova then maybe sensors and $300 worth of controller but then that is beyond your current needs. My recommends above will not disappoint I am sure

Some have said that you need to strip and clean all this gear often. I am not going to agree with that, but then most here would not agree with my solution to this potential problem

To give you the best possible advice the folks here need details: Details like what ambient temperatures you will have to deal with and they will want to know your budget. If it is too low then custom water is not a reasonable choice this time. If on the other hand the sky is the limit, the knowledge is still here on these forums. If you are willing to listen most of us will be able to justify any recommend we make.

It sounds like small steps and chunks of info suit you best so take it one or two items at a time from the list:

pump, block, block, rad, res, tubes, fittings, fans, ....Sensors? Meters?

[NKrader]

I ran Delta fans for 2 years and agree they are great but even undervolted, the faster ones, those in the 3-4k rpm range, are not for everyone from a noise or tone point of view.... but hey, fans are an easy and possibly fairly cheap change to make later if you wish. I now use 2150rpm GT's but have only just about run them for a year so I cannot say they last for ages yet.

i like these guys now
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=36548

insane headroom and will go down to 1000rpm which isnt silent but is very quiet