Pro/Forums - View Single Post - US vs German systems

quicksilverXP · 07-02-2004, 06:23 PM

Well, let's say we were to ask Bruce to selectively build the best U.S.A. watercooling system. One ongoing trend that I have seen between German and USA setups is that US setups involve much more "home" modification than German setups. We are satisfied with "strictly made for watercooling" pumps such as the MCP600 and the soon to be Dtek Csystem pumps but we always are anxious of how a non-made for watercooling pump such as an Iwaki, Blueline, or Gen-X pump would affect performance. Moreover, most WC enthusiasts would opt for a Fedco2-342 rather than a BIX or Thermochill.

That said, choosing items not made for watercooling would be an unfair comparison. I'd say an MCP600 and a Thermochill would suffice.

For the German side of things, I agree that using a BIX caters towards more of a U.S. specified system because of its similarities to a standard "from the car" radiator (even similar to the "Big Arse" style radiators of Australia). I suggest using an HTf2 radiator rather than an Airplex because it performs a lot better and I think utilizes the restrictive tubed style radiator that we have all been accustomed to seeing with a German system.

As for tubing, when I think American I automatically think 1/2." That is just me. The MCW6000 was a wonderful block, but many people waited for the 1/2" version because their systems were already 1/2" and they assumed "bigger is better." I do not know exactly if it performs better, but the assumption is already there: typical U.S. systems prefer 1/2" and nothing less. All the parts that PUG chose are catered towards 3/8" and utlize a quiet low flow pump like the AP. I honestly don't understand how it can even be considered American (that is, after Pug has decided to take out the transformer andexchange the BIX for an Airplex) because it has little to do with the "bigger is better" stereotype.
1. You have small tubing.
2. The pump is nowhere near the specs of a Mag 3 or MCP600 (again, this is
without the transformer)
3. The Coolplex reservoir follows the same restriction as a Tank-O-Matic (which
Americans have come to hate because of its restriction, although most
decide to modify it)
4. The restrictive radiator.

That said, I slightly modiied my setup, which can be seen here
http://www.insanetek.com/index.php?page=germanwb
with some German blocks. I used the same radiator and reservoir (both which can be considered American) but I switched to a 1048 and three German blocks as well as 3/8 inch tubing. Before this I had an MCP600 and a TDX and Fusion HL. The graphics card temps remained unchanged with the newer setup, but the CPU temps went up 2 degrees C on Load, but the change in noise was MUCH lower than before with the elimination of the MCP600.

I still have all my stuff, and I'm saving up for an HTF2 radiator and a Coolplex reservoir from http://snt-systems.com/catalog/index.php.

I hope to do a comparison between the 1/2 setup and the 3/8 setup, but I know that it won't be near as good as Phaestus's reviews.

07-02-2004, 06:23 PM	#250
quicksilverXP Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Irvine Posts: 58	Well, let's say we were to ask Bruce to selectively build the best U.S.A. watercooling system. One ongoing trend that I have seen between German and USA setups is that US setups involve much more "home" modification than German setups. We are satisfied with "strictly made for watercooling" pumps such as the MCP600 and the soon to be Dtek Csystem pumps but we always are anxious of how a non-made for watercooling pump such as an Iwaki, Blueline, or Gen-X pump would affect performance. Moreover, most WC enthusiasts would opt for a Fedco2-342 rather than a BIX or Thermochill. That said, choosing items not made for watercooling would be an unfair comparison. I'd say an MCP600 and a Thermochill would suffice. For the German side of things, I agree that using a BIX caters towards more of a U.S. specified system because of its similarities to a standard "from the car" radiator (even similar to the "Big Arse" style radiators of Australia). I suggest using an HTf2 radiator rather than an Airplex because it performs a lot better and I think utilizes the restrictive tubed style radiator that we have all been accustomed to seeing with a German system. As for tubing, when I think American I automatically think 1/2." That is just me. The MCW6000 was a wonderful block, but many people waited for the 1/2" version because their systems were already 1/2" and they assumed "bigger is better." I do not know exactly if it performs better, but the assumption is already there: typical U.S. systems prefer 1/2" and nothing less. All the parts that PUG chose are catered towards 3/8" and utlize a quiet low flow pump like the AP. I honestly don't understand how it can even be considered American (that is, after Pug has decided to take out the transformer andexchange the BIX for an Airplex) because it has little to do with the "bigger is better" stereotype. 1. You have small tubing. 2. The pump is nowhere near the specs of a Mag 3 or MCP600 (again, this is without the transformer) 3. The Coolplex reservoir follows the same restriction as a Tank-O-Matic (which Americans have come to hate because of its restriction, although most decide to modify it) 4. The restrictive radiator. That said, I slightly modiied my setup, which can be seen here http://www.insanetek.com/index.php?page=germanwb with some German blocks. I used the same radiator and reservoir (both which can be considered American) but I switched to a 1048 and three German blocks as well as 3/8 inch tubing. Before this I had an MCP600 and a TDX and Fusion HL. The graphics card temps remained unchanged with the newer setup, but the CPU temps went up 2 degrees C on Load, but the change in noise was MUCH lower than before with the elimination of the MCP600. I still have all my stuff, and I'm saving up for an HTF2 radiator and a Coolplex reservoir from http://snt-systems.com/catalog/index.php. I hope to do a comparison between the 1/2 setup and the 3/8 setup, but I know that it won't be near as good as Phaestus's reviews.