Pro/Forums - View Single Post - My home made WC Rig

samualt · 03-10-2005, 03:56 AM

Changes:
First, I got rid of the Danger-Den TDX water block. It was a nightmare to try and install. The hose clamps are underneath the top plate making screw driver access all but impossible. That and their lack of instructions make it useless. Besides, the massive aluminum sides on the thing can scratch your motherboard and it just wasn't worth the chance. So I went with a Swiftech 6002-A water block and couldn't be more happy! This is a great water block and is very easy to install and access later if need be. There is nothing to get in the way at all.
Second thing I did was buy five feet of Latex rubber tubing from McMaster. I got the 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD stuff. I used this only on the tubes going to the water block. I left them long on purpose so I can use them with different setups. This stuff is great because it bends so much easier then the hard vinyl tubing I got from Home Depot. This way there is no stiffness trying to push the water block one way or the other during install. And it is so much easier to remove later. The only downside is you can't see through it.
Third, I quit using so much Redline. That stuff is nasty. It makes things foam and bubble when first added and later has all this light blue precipitate. I didn't remove it all but I thinned it out a bunch with distilled water. I'm just going to use distilled water and some form of algae killer and that is it. The algae killer only adds a teaspoon so probably not much harm there.

How Well It Works:
So far it has been fantastic! My setup is a simple AMD XP 3000+ with no overclocking. My idle temp is about 98F (36.6C). Using Prime95 torture test or Boinc w/Seti@home gets me on average 104F (40C) with just a few spikes, very rarely, to as high as 105-107F (40.5-41.6C). So most of the time it is staying within a 6 degree range of 98-104F. I can't confirm the spikes are even real because they last less than a second and almost never appear. It could be the MB getting a wrong reading or the MBM v5.3.7 software reading it wrong. In any case, this is much better than any air cooling I have ever used. Is this about average results or is mine higher?

The Future:
My next water cooling rig I build will have a Honda Civic radiator that is all copper and brass , two rows, Core size 13 3/4" x 13 15/16" x 1.25". There are many aluminum ones also but I'll stick with the copper. They go for about $50 including shipping on ebay. Being a car radiator it has it's own reservoir so no need to buy one. It probably even has a nice drain valve on the bottom. I will add two small pumps with Y connectors for redundancy. Having just one big pump scares me.
Well, thats it for now. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Prepared but not soldered.

A good solder joint using plumbing solder and a torch.

Tower on side during installation.

Messy wires behind computer.

Shot from behind showing fans.

New Swiftech 6002-A water block. Sweet!

What precipitates out when using Redline.

Can't access hose clamps. Dangerous sides. Too bulky. Bad TDX!

03-10-2005, 03:56 AM	#14
samualt Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Texas, USA Posts: 30	Changes: First, I got rid of the Danger-Den TDX water block. It was a nightmare to try and install. The hose clamps are underneath the top plate making screw driver access all but impossible. That and their lack of instructions make it useless. Besides, the massive aluminum sides on the thing can scratch your motherboard and it just wasn't worth the chance. So I went with a Swiftech 6002-A water block and couldn't be more happy! This is a great water block and is very easy to install and access later if need be. There is nothing to get in the way at all. Second thing I did was buy five feet of Latex rubber tubing from McMaster. I got the 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD stuff. I used this only on the tubes going to the water block. I left them long on purpose so I can use them with different setups. This stuff is great because it bends so much easier then the hard vinyl tubing I got from Home Depot. This way there is no stiffness trying to push the water block one way or the other during install. And it is so much easier to remove later. The only downside is you can't see through it. Third, I quit using so much Redline. That stuff is nasty. It makes things foam and bubble when first added and later has all this light blue precipitate. I didn't remove it all but I thinned it out a bunch with distilled water. I'm just going to use distilled water and some form of algae killer and that is it. The algae killer only adds a teaspoon so probably not much harm there. How Well It Works: So far it has been fantastic! My setup is a simple AMD XP 3000+ with no overclocking. My idle temp is about 98F (36.6C). Using Prime95 torture test or Boinc w/Seti@home gets me on average 104F (40C) with just a few spikes, very rarely, to as high as 105-107F (40.5-41.6C). So most of the time it is staying within a 6 degree range of 98-104F. I can't confirm the spikes are even real because they last less than a second and almost never appear. It could be the MB getting a wrong reading or the MBM v5.3.7 software reading it wrong. In any case, this is much better than any air cooling I have ever used. Is this about average results or is mine higher? The Future: My next water cooling rig I build will have a Honda Civic radiator that is all copper and brass , two rows, Core size 13 3/4" x 13 15/16" x 1.25". There are many aluminum ones also but I'll stick with the copper. They go for about $50 including shipping on ebay. Being a car radiator it has it's own reservoir so no need to buy one. It probably even has a nice drain valve on the bottom. I will add two small pumps with Y connectors for redundancy. Having just one big pump scares me. Well, thats it for now. I hope you enjoy the pictures! Prepared but not soldered. A good solder joint using plumbing solder and a torch. Tower on side during installation. Messy wires behind computer. Shot from behind showing fans. New Swiftech 6002-A water block. Sweet! What precipitates out when using Redline. Can't access hose clamps. Dangerous sides. Too bulky. Bad TDX!