Thanks for your quick responses guys!
@jaydee :-
I do appreciate the difference between the two camps - Xtreme O/Cers vs SilenceFreaks
(I did also cross-post between the two fora/forums to leverage all of your expertise!)
Two things I would say:
- Are you absolutely sure you cannot underpower the fans in a three or four fan/rad setup to allow sufficient cooling whilst keeping the noise down? Given that you can get whisper-quiet fans (with fluid bearings/whatever) as well. (I know the sound of air rushing through a rad might be loud when the fans are turned up to max...)
- I'm really trying to get the best of both worlds: When I am (only modestly) O/C'ing I hope to be able to set the fan speeds so that the noise is minimal, when I want to go crazy and see what the rig can do I don't mind a bit of noise (I'll put headphones on!), but when I've got a hangover I want to reduce everything to stock speeds and make the system whisper-quiet.
@billbartuska :-
>> From reading them I suspect that (through no faut of your own) you would not understand some of the answers.
Try me!
I have a Physics degree and am a reasonably experienced air O/Cer - it's just that there's such a range of components on offer, so many permutations possible, and I wanted to get this right "first time" from getting advice from ppl who have done this before - rather than find out the hard way and destroy expensive equipment (I have a budget too!), or at the very least waste money on components that don't fit together. I did sound a bit "blonde" in my series of questions though
>> Perhaps you should get your system up and running and work on overclocking first, to see if watercooling is really required.
I've never had the guts to use an after-market cooler on a gfx card... and I'm sick of my gfx cards overheating and causing BSODs when I'm in the middle of a Crysis (or other gfx-taxing) game in the summer months - especially when the ambient temp is up to 27-30degC (yes it can get that high in the UK!).
>> High performance water cooling and silence are mutually exclusive concepts.
See my point/question above... I guess I should have said I wanted a
hybrid system with the flexibility to tune the noise levels...
Can you name some of the good quiet pumps you mention? That would be v useful, thanks.
>> As for case modding, it will probably be necessary, at least some additional holes for tubing and radiator mounting (standoffs).
Doesn't the Cosmos case at least have two holes for the tubing to exit the back of the system? I'm up for drilling a couple of holes though...
What case would you recommend for my needs (that's sweet as well!)?
>> I prefer a T-line. It's much less hastle to install and, though slower for bleeding air out, you only do that infrequently.
Thanks. I also read that you get better flow not using a res - as the pump doesn't have to accelerate static water in a (semi-)closed system.
>> There also are inexpensive flow switches that can be set up to only supply power to the system after the punp has started, or to cut the power if pressure (flow) stops.
Hmm... I was kinda hoping I could power the pump from the ATX PSU - although admittedly I haven't actually looked at the ratings of the pumps! (Might require too much current on a single rail...)
Do you power your pump from an external source then?
Great info on the flow gauges, thanks.
I've also heard that the flow gauge in the Zalman LQ1000 can get stuck, and also seems to read very low (1.5 litres/hr) rates compared to the rated value of the pump (~300litres/hr). This worries me. The performance of the pre-built system does look good though (from reviews). Maybe something to do with the large 240mm fan in the side...
On that note, can you get rads that support one or two 240mm fans (as opposed to the 120mm ones?). Would look big, but would reduce the noise as you could obviously undervolt the fans due to the large surface area.
Bypass loops - great tip. Can you recommend any valves for this purpose?
>> A for liquid in the loop, distilled water and a bioside ---ONLY!
Oh... I've heard people put anti-corrosion agents (like coolant/antifreeze) in there as well. What's the problem with mixing a biocide as well? Don't you also want agents in the liquid to stop galvanic corrosion?
>> I mount the motherboard in the case, then hang the CPU waterblock near it's final resting place(s)...
So when you want to seat the CPU block on the CPU, do you have to turn your system flat on its side so the motherboard is horizontal? Won't this cause a leak from somewhere? (This is my most feared part of w/c!)
Thanks for the info. on Martin's Liquid Lab etc., and trying to work out the amount of heat produced/dissipated. V useful! I will attempt to do just that.
4rkon