Pro/Forums - View Single Post - A nervous request for opinions on WC setup.

Trekari · 06-07-2004, 04:09 AM

Hello to all who read this:

My name is Jason and I'm new here. I post ...rarely over at bit-tech.net and pcper.com and have even visited overclockers.com before and that is where I first ran into BillA's meticulous testing methods.

I'm a bit nervous to post here because I've seen the ease in which threads can get very technical and..harsh, but frankly I feel there is no better place to go for anyone who has serious interest in watercooling and getting the best setup.

Anyways, my friend gave me his Koolance 601 setup..and I can't stand it. I've built my own custom Lian-Li PC-60 watercooling setup with a Maze 3, BIX, and Via Aqua 1300 (of which my opinion is that pump sucks), but recently sent that off to my poor dad who lives in Alabama and was losing hearing from his noisy PC fans.

The Koolance is mounted in this desk seen here. My version has the enclosure on the left side and the file cabinet on the right, but that is irrelevant. The PC is stored inside the enclosure, and although I leave the door opened by 3-4 inches, you can understand that it gets quite warm in there.

A64 3200+
2x Raptor 36GB
2x WD Caviar 40GB 7200s
Eventually a 9800 Pro or X800 XT
Powmax 500W PSU
2 optical drives.

Those are the noteworthy heat generators in the system. The problem isn't the CPU heat, the Koolance case does (reasonably, given the enclosed space) well enough keeping it under 38C. However the CASE temperatures are in excess of 45C.

So here's my incredible idea: I'd like to build a custom face for the space above the file cabinet on the (left side in the above link) and custom watercooling kit, drilling holes through the side of the desk to draw in the air, putting the entire PC inside the spot above the file cabinet with only the facia of the optical drives (and maybe a VFD display) showing through.

I was hoping perhaps the readers here could help me.

My goal is to have the major components all watercooled, overclocking is not a requirement (yet :blush: it always ends up being one though hehe), but most of all quiet.

The C-Systems pumps that I came across after reading your forums seem like an obvious choice for the pumps, but I have some questions.

The most dangerous question is: Should I watercool the Northbridge? The passive cooler on the MSI K8T Neo FIS2R seems to get incredibly hot.

I'd like to cool the CPU, with the capability of the waterblock I use to be transported to the 939 pin CPUs whenever I can afford to get one. In the past I've used the BIX and that seems to work well enough (gave my XP2100 in the Lian-Li case an overclock up to 2189MHz at 42C).

However I also want to cool the video card.

Should I purchase two BIX's and four C-System pumps for maximum flow rate?

Would two C-System pumps be plenty to acheive the idea flow rate in a "Multiple Block/Multiple Rad" setup in parallel configuration?

Frankly, Cathar's blocks seem incredibly impressive to me but I'm not sure what kind of flow rate the proposed setup I'm working on would give me and how that would hold up with his blocks. If I remember right, the Maze 4 does well at higher flow rates (for a commercial block - I realize Cathar's blocks outperform virtually everything at all flow rates)?

Would I be better off just buying the BIX2 (feel free to add-in other options for radiators, but bear in mind I have no way of working with metal reliably to make my own barbs) and running Pump-Rad-Cpu-Vid-pump? I thought perhaps running two independant loops would give each waterblock the coldest water available.

I'm sure that I can come up with more questions later, but I think this post has gone on long enough.

Sorry about the length.

-Jas

**EDIT**

If I did cool the NB, that would be part of the Video waterblock loop in the proposed two radiator/four pump solution. The fans I am likely to use would be the Panaflo FBA12G12L1A seen here.

06-07-2004, 04:09 AM	#1
Trekari Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 10	A nervous request for opinions on WC setup. Hello to all who read this: My name is Jason and I'm new here. I post ...rarely over at bit-tech.net and pcper.com and have even visited overclockers.com before and that is where I first ran into BillA's meticulous testing methods. I'm a bit nervous to post here because I've seen the ease in which threads can get very technical and..harsh, but frankly I feel there is no better place to go for anyone who has serious interest in watercooling and getting the best setup. Anyways, my friend gave me his Koolance 601 setup..and I can't stand it. I've built my own custom Lian-Li PC-60 watercooling setup with a Maze 3, BIX, and Via Aqua 1300 (of which my opinion is that pump sucks), but recently sent that off to my poor dad who lives in Alabama and was losing hearing from his noisy PC fans. The Koolance is mounted in this desk seen here. My version has the enclosure on the left side and the file cabinet on the right, but that is irrelevant. The PC is stored inside the enclosure, and although I leave the door opened by 3-4 inches, you can understand that it gets quite warm in there. A64 3200+ 2x Raptor 36GB 2x WD Caviar 40GB 7200s Eventually a 9800 Pro or X800 XT Powmax 500W PSU 2 optical drives. Those are the noteworthy heat generators in the system. The problem isn't the CPU heat, the Koolance case does (reasonably, given the enclosed space) well enough keeping it under 38C. However the CASE temperatures are in excess of 45C. So here's my incredible idea: I'd like to build a custom face for the space above the file cabinet on the (left side in the above link) and custom watercooling kit, drilling holes through the side of the desk to draw in the air, putting the entire PC inside the spot above the file cabinet with only the facia of the optical drives (and maybe a VFD display) showing through. I was hoping perhaps the readers here could help me. My goal is to have the major components all watercooled, overclocking is not a requirement (yet :blush: it always ends up being one though hehe), but most of all quiet. The C-Systems pumps that I came across after reading your forums seem like an obvious choice for the pumps, but I have some questions. The most dangerous question is: Should I watercool the Northbridge? The passive cooler on the MSI K8T Neo FIS2R seems to get incredibly hot. I'd like to cool the CPU, with the capability of the waterblock I use to be transported to the 939 pin CPUs whenever I can afford to get one. In the past I've used the BIX and that seems to work well enough (gave my XP2100 in the Lian-Li case an overclock up to 2189MHz at 42C). However I also want to cool the video card. Should I purchase two BIX's and four C-System pumps for maximum flow rate? Would two C-System pumps be plenty to acheive the idea flow rate in a "Multiple Block/Multiple Rad" setup in parallel configuration? Frankly, Cathar's blocks seem incredibly impressive to me but I'm not sure what kind of flow rate the proposed setup I'm working on would give me and how that would hold up with his blocks. If I remember right, the Maze 4 does well at higher flow rates (for a commercial block - I realize Cathar's blocks outperform virtually everything at all flow rates)? Would I be better off just buying the BIX2 (feel free to add-in other options for radiators, but bear in mind I have no way of working with metal reliably to make my own barbs) and running Pump-Rad-Cpu-Vid-pump? I thought perhaps running two independant loops would give each waterblock the coldest water available. I'm sure that I can come up with more questions later, but I think this post has gone on long enough. Sorry about the length. -Jas EDIT If I did cool the NB, that would be part of the Video waterblock loop in the proposed two radiator/four pump solution. The fans I am likely to use would be the Panaflo FBA12G12L1A seen here. Last edited by Trekari; 06-07-2004 at 04:32 AM.