Brand new to this forum but have been ogling your water cooled gallery for quite some time.
I've built lots of air cooled PC's in the past but never built a water cooled one. I've been considering it for ages and you guys seem to do a good job so I figured you might be able to help me with some recommendations.
In the past I haven't bothered overclocking so probably wouldn't look to overclock (much) with a new machine. Still running an E8400 which is only 65W. I see 1366's and recently 1156's and I think it's the latter that interest me more. I've read (in many places) that the i7 920's overclock well but I'm not really an overclocker; at best I dabble. The 1156's have turbo boost which means the 870's will wind themselves up to 3.6 and they're also only 95W.
Most of my current noise seems to be from the video card fan. I'm currently looking for a big nvidia video card with pre-fitted block so that would be in the loop too. Nvidia deliberately for Wine under Linux so no ATI's sadly. I'd like very good performance but as quiet as possible, heh. I guess that's what you're all chasing. Whilst I'm happy to replace cooling on a motherboard if it's relatively easy to do, I don't think I'm up to ripping the cooler of a vastly expensive video card and replacing it so pre-fitted is better for me.
Basically, can you guys recommend a good board/cpu combo for a novice water cooler? It'll be fitted into a TJ07 with probably a big Enermax Revolution. I guess I'd need to be able to replace all the onboard finned coolers and stick them into the loop too? I've seen complete kits for Asus Rampage II Extreme and EVGA X58 SLI Classified which I assume include blocks for anything that has fins on it, heh. Really either would do; 1156 is easier in my head due to the turbo boost but 1366 would do if cooling the board is easier as they've been around a bit longer. I'd also read that Gulftowns *might* work in some X58's so that's something to think about too maybe?
No SSD's just yet until trim support arrives in Linux. Hopefully soooon.
Thank you in advance. Any / all suggestions welcome; please feel free to correct my above assumptions.
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Heh, I have that case and PSU currently and am very happy with both.
A great board that is easy to add watercooling to is the Asus Rampage II Extreme. It is a socket 1366 board though. With it you can leave the stock heatpipe cooler in place and only remove one heatsink from the assembly and replace it with a small waterblock, also known as a fusion block. That's what I have done with mine and the temps are very nice for North and South bridges. The 920 CPU's are also very, very nice and really simple to overclock. It's really a shame to run one at stock because even at stock voltage you can usually get a lot more of these chips.
As for the GPU, I can highly recommend the GTX295 single PCB cards with your choice of waterblock added (I currently have the EK block nickle plated version). It is much easier than you think to remove the cooler and install the block. The dual PCB version was a pain in the a$$ but this version is pretty simple. I think even a novice would have no problem with it as with the EK version at least, the instructions are very thorough and standoffs are included.
Also you should consider the Typhoon III reservoir with a D5 pump combo. Very easy to install and novice friendly and will give you a tidy install with very nice performance.
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"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation." - Adolph Hitler (Mein Kampf) and most likely Jack Thompson's inspiration.
If you are looking to upgrade video cards, I would wait for a few months. The Nvidia 300 series are right around the corner. IIRC, they should be out around Jan. There really isn't any sense on getting a GTX200 card atm unless you have the extra cash or really need a new card atm. I don't really like the look of the pre-installed GPU blocks and they are expensive. A perfect solution for you would be a GPU only block and heatsink combo like this here. It costs less than a full cover block, but still works great. Alot of guys here, including myself, run them and are very happy with them.
I have been reading up as I am thinking about dumping my E8400 for a Core I5 750. It seems you really are not a power user, so I would send the extra money on a socket 1366 setup as the are designed as the high-end socket. I would look into a P55 board. Also, if you are not going to OC, then a high-end board is not needed either.
As you do not OC, the motherboard won't need to be watercooled. In most cases a slow quiet fan pointed at the NB will keep the MB temps in check.
I agree with Century child on the Typhoon III, it would be perfect for what you are wanting to do. Make certain to get this D5 pump instead of the non-vario. You can turn the pump down and can make it pretty much silent. It seems that is the goal of W/Cing for you anyways.
Location: The supreme land of rules and regulations
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I don't think there's any way we are going to see new Hardware from Nvidia until at least next March (unless they rehash a current product that is). They were still using mockups at their press release so it look like they don't even have any finished prototypes. I've been burned so many times by ATI that I refuse to buy their products any more. Nvidia hardware has always treated me well. I am really looking forward to seeing Intel break into this market though. That should really shake things up.
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"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation." - Adolph Hitler (Mein Kampf) and most likely Jack Thompson's inspiration.
will possibly end up with a 920 if it's as easy as they say to wind it up. looks like a reasonable saving plus it's 1366 so if the gulftowns do appear, they *might* fit the board at least, heh.
will possibly end up with a 920 if it's as easy as they say to wind it up. looks like a reasonable saving plus it's 1366 so if the gulftowns do appear, they *might* fit the board at least, heh.
i'll let you know if it all explodes
thanks again.
If you are interested in making that jump, get on the Intel section here. Most every major MB has its own dedicated thread for O/Cing with the 920. People post their different BIOs settings and batch numbers so you can check to see if you got a clocker or not.
Swiftech MCP655 12V DC Pump (Danger Den D5 Vario)
Primochill Typhoon III Reservoir System
Tygon R3603 1/2" ID 3/4" OD
Silver Coil
Silverstone TJ07B
1050W Enermax Revolution85+
Asus Maximus III Formula
Intel Core i7 870
4x2GB Corsair XMS3 Dominator DDR3 PC3-12800 CAS 8 XMP DHX
Still missing ...
CPU block - going to wait until I can get the Apogee XT
Radiator - PA120.3 maybe?
Fans - 3 x Sharkoon Silent Eagle 120's maybe?
Clamps -
Fittings -
Graphics - in a holding pattern; I'll ad-lib a little later
Coolant - Distilled water
I'll build air-cooled initially to prove the board and parts aren't goosed. Disk I can ad-lib for the short term until trim arrives, then I'll go SSD. I worked out how to take the pump apart, heh. I've read a little about galvanic corrosion but I'm not sure if I'm going to fall foul of it.
Does anyone make a small in-line chamber, something like the filters you see on car petrol lines? That would be a good place to put the silver coil.
Any comments or recommendations for the missing bits greatfully accepted.
If you are getting the silver coil from Petra's, you just slide it into your tube right before the inlet back to the res and it won't go anywhere.
As long as everything is copper, and pretty much everything is now, not a concern. If you are getting anything that has water touching aluminum, then you have an issue with corrosion.
Not certain about those fans. I haven't heard of them.
If your willing to wait, the new Swiftech block should be nice.
PA120.3 is a nice rad. You will need these adapters.
fittings, are up to you 1/2" fatboy barbs or 1/2 3/4 comp fittings. If you are using barbs, worm clamps work great.
imo id go for compressions fittings as they look yummy and perform awesome
Rad wise.. if your adding graphics to the loop i would suggest a 120.4 rad
(gfx wise go for a 5 series or wait for gf100(gt300) no point getting a hotter more expensive slower/less features more power card. etc etc..) that is absolute by ati already and will be by nvidia ASAP
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Acuattly, Nvidia will be a bit longer. Last I heard, early next year. If you have a stand-in video card, use it, or you can find GTX280s and GTX295s for decent prices now. 4870s and 4870x2 are really nice priced atm if you are running tight on the budget.
120.4 can be tough to fit in some cases, so you got the room, go for it. If not, the 120.3 will still be fine, you may just need to add more rad space later on down the road if you plan to seriously overclock that CPU and add a GPU (or 2) to the loop.
Acuattly, Nvidia will be a bit longer. Last I heard, early next year. If you have a stand-in video card, use it, or you can find GTX280s and GTX295s for decent prices now. 4870s and 4870x2 are really nice priced atm if you are running tight on the budget.
120.4 can be tough to fit in some cases, so you got the room, go for it. If not, the 120.3 will still be fine, you may just need to add more rad space later on down the road if you plan to seriously overclock that CPU and add a GPU (or 2) to the loop.
he has tj07 :P itll fit hehe
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"Cast off your fear. Look forward. Never stand still, retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die. SHOUT! My name is…"
//James
Not heard of the gentle typhoons, I'll look them up, thanks
I played around with the compression fittings that came with the Primochill and they seem OK although I'm not sure what the plain spacer washers are for. Are the Bitspower compression OK? There are some that will fit the Tygon.
Do you think the 120.4 will fit? I haven't opened up the case yet and ragged out the drive bays so I wasn't sure. I did a quick measure on the outside and it looked close. I'll wander over to the build logs and have a look to see if anyone has shoe-horned one in
Video, I can make do with my current card for the minute. If the main water build goes OK I might pluck up the courage to buy a 295 and dismantle it.
O, you are doing a TJ07 build, yep, get a 120.4. That and a 120.2 will fit in the bottom of the case. Check the build logs, there are a ton of TJ07 builds.
I just got a 295 off of E-bay. Search around, you might find one for a decent price and it should hold you over for a while. Gary also has some of the GPU blocks on sale right now. Also seeing a P55 board drops the PCI slots down to x8 when running SLI, a GTX295 or 4870x2 might be a little better than running a true SLI set-up on those boards. I haven't completely researched that though.
I have had no problem with the T3 comp fittings. The spacer is used when using those fittings on other blocks. BP fittings will work, but you need a #9 o-ring to get a good seal.
I use the Gentle Typhoon 1850s and I love them. Great fans.
Location: The supreme land of rules and regulations
Posts: 297
Yep, 120.4 + 120.2 will fit in the bottom after removing the hard rive racks of course. That's what I'm running right now. Fits like a glove even with the long Enermax Revolution PSU. Send me a PM and I'll email you with a couple pics if you want. They turned out very poor so I am too embarrassed to post them here.
__________________
"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation." - Adolph Hitler (Mein Kampf) and most likely Jack Thompson's inspiration.
Yep, 120.4 + 120.2 will fit in the bottom after removing the hard rive racks of course. That's what I'm running right now. Fits like a glove even with the long Enermax Revolution PSU. Send me a PM and I'll email you with a couple pics if you want. They turned out very poor so I am too embarrassed to post them here.
Wait till I start my build log. My photos are really bad. The point and shoot not the greatest
The motherboard sliders on the tj07 look like they're flippable - if I unscrewed them, it looks like they're designed to fit on the other side of the case (as I'm looking into the case now instead of looking down onto the top of the board, I'd be looking at the underneath of the board.)
This would make the power cables much easier to route (I'm not braiding) and I can't see without doing it if it would cause any other obvious problems. The front panel connector cabling looks easily long enough too. That way up I can point the Enermax fan at the side grill too as the bottom power supply support plate isn't 180 reversible.
Does that sound like a stoopid idea? I'll be dismantling it later to see anyway, heh, just wondered if anyone had already tried it.
Check out the murdermod store then. I'm not certain if you can just flip it like you are thinking. I think you need a new backplate like this. You can also get this window.
Hmm. The top rail is held on with screws. The bottom rail has pop rivets. Why? If it were screws I could just flip the stoopid thing round. I feel drillin' coming on.
edit: scratch that. it's asymmetrical when you swap the bracket. shame. the motherboard tray isn't centrally mounted on the backplate so you'd have to put the top rail at the bottom etc.
I thought I heard somewhere it was going to be Dec-Jan. I must of been hoping LOL. Well my GTX260 will hold me over till then.
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