Need advice on project from experts
 

Hello Everyone,


My first post here and I just want to say, You have a great site. I spent a few days reading and reading over all the topics. A wealth of knowledge here. Overwhelming actually. This is why I wanted to start here.


Currently I have a system that is air cooled and it is not able to handle the thermal needs without going with high performace air. This is not the route I want to take because of the noise levels. The case I have(Thermaltake Tsunami Dream) will not be part of my project because of space limits. Nice looking but not enough room.

My system is used for:
Flght Simulations,especially Lock-on ( In the air for hours and heat is building up)
First Person games like BF2 and soon FEAR
Writing and composing music with Cakewalk Sonar and Firewire Interfaces
Reading Procooling's forums :)

Geography:
I am located in Florida,USA and it is very hot as well as humid here. To achieve an ambient temp low enough, my electricity bill would be more than watercooling componets in one month :eek:

Buget:

Not a problem, hey that is why we work.

Tools:

Good with hands and have plenty of tools.

About Me:

I am a very patient man who likes to gather all information,plans,ideas, purchase materials/parts, then worry about putting it all together. At that stage I like to have everything laid out and focus on my project assembly and Thank you for C8 H10 N4 O2 Caffeine !!!!


The componets I already have will be the base of this Project:

Asus A8N-SLI Premium
PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 850 SSI
AMD 4800 X2 Dual Core
Corsair Twinx2048-3200 C2 Pro
2x BFG Geforce 7800 GTX OC 256MB in SLI
2x SATAII Western Digital Caviar SE 160 GB RAID 0
Creative X-fi
Plextor SATA PX-716SA DVD±RW


Watercooling:

I would like to design a dual loop system.Overkill,maybe, but I want to do this once and do it right.
1) CPU w/ one of Cathar's G7 design if I can get a hold of one :drool:
2) Graphics w/ Danger Den NV-78 SLI
3) Everything internal

Each having their own heater core. Something like a 2-342 with 2 120mm fans w/ shrouds

Advice Needed for these sections:

Case:

Quote one of your reviews " The case is the most important as componets will be upgraded once or twice a year"

What kind of case would you suggest for something like this?
Which case could I mount all of this internal?
Which case could handle my power supply size?
Window is a plus but not needed. bling bling :p
Portable is a plus but not a big factor. I do take my rig to my lake house to game and write music.
Motherboard tray if possible
Will need air cooling for chipset as the Mainboard has a heat pipe on chipset


Water cooling loops:
T-tube or Reservoir or Combo?
Flow meters? If yes, brand or type?
Temp Monitoring?
Pumps DD or Iwaki max performance with little heat introduction AC/DC?
Coolant medium? Antifreeze, zerex which, would like to hear, remember Florida=Hot=Bugs in water. UV Dye?
Connectors Fancy or functional ? no plans of zip ties or snap clips


Any comments, suggestions, even constructive criticism are welcomed and in advance I would like to say "thanks, I appreciate all time taken to reply"


Monnie.

...Take a deep breath and dive in.....
 

A BIG case always does help. Try this one:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=3529

or this one

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=3219

or this one

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=1858

They are all beautiful, huge, and rather pricey. I recomend shoping performance-pcs.com BTW. They have great service and, this is especially good for you, they are located in Florida. I live in Orlando and frequently order stuff from them. It takes 1-2 days via standard ground.

I'm unclear about a few things. Do you just want to keep your system cool, stable, and quiet or do you want extreme performance? If it is the former, you are barking up the wrong tree. I'll carry this post on in a minute....

I'd skip the full cover GPU waterblocks. They inhibit flow too much, and GDDR3 memory really doesn't need that much to keep cool. Passive air heatsinks will do just fine.
For a CPU waterblock this should do just fine:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=3349

Even Cather said that there wasn't a substantial gain in the G7 over this design. As for a GPU waterblock, look here:

http://www.cooltechnica.com/Merchant...egory_Code=VCW

This could be the best GPU waterblock out there right now. (Though I should note this is only based on observational data not empirical data).

I'd say do one loop with a BIP 3 or 2 PA160s. The later will be very difficult to fit into one case. You could potentially get two BIP 3s into one of the cases I showed you.

Pumps: If you want to keep it simple, go with a D5. If you want it to be ultra reliable, go with an Iwaki. Stick with barbed fittings and clamps, the tried and true method (certain wbs don't have the room for compression fittings).

maxSaleen,

Thank you for your time. I looked at the links you provided.


I really do like the Lian Li V2100B with the side window. What attracts me is that the front has a cover so that you do not see the drives. I am concerned about how my power supply woiuld fit into that case. 5.9" x 3.4" x 9.0" (W x H x D)

That case caught my eye as well as the coolermaster stacker for size but the build quality of the lian li is way above when I initially started case shopping.

Radiators:

Do the Black Ice Xtreme 3 at 2445KCal (9702 BTU Per/hr) have better or worse performance than a heater core? Say a 2-342.


CPU blocks:

I see that the Storm performs well but would like the newest design that Cathar offers as well as support his cause if possible. Then man has spent a great deal of his life to get where he is. That is worth something to me. Admire you drive Cathar

GPU blocks:

I agree in your theory about DDR3 but with simple testing of fans blowing on the chips I was able to increase the clock speed from 1300Mhz to 1400Mhz. This is why I planned on using the full cover water blocks . To deal with the coolant flow restrictions, that is one of the reasons I planned a dual loop system as well as cooling benefits. I might be able to go higher once watercooling is in place which comes to your next question.

Yes, I am looking for a cool,stable, quiet system but also on a quest for extreme performace ( aren't we all ) Currently at 255x11 (2805 Mhz) I would consider phase change cooling if I was not so worried about condensation. Living in almost 100% realitive humidity( as you know living in Florida), in an old beach house that is sealed up as much as a screen door, there is no way I am able to keep a dry room. Water cooling is my option.


What is your current cooling system sir?


Thanks again maxSaleen