Where Do I Start?

[Nickd]

Hi gents,
I'm new to watercooling and the forum, but after spending hours researching how I go about it (95% of the time spent here..) I am realising that the more I read the more I need to learn before I can make any educated guesses.
I've been reading the threads about block efficiency/hydraulic power and about how different pumps have differing characteristics (High head low flow Vs High flow low head) along with radiator capabilities and everything else.
Seems that the obvious answer is to ask people who know more than me rather than trying to work it all out but I need to physically start somewhere, so....
Ultimately I want to cool my CPU (P4 2.6c), GPU(Radeon 9600Pro) and NB(875) but I think that it would be wise to start small and progress, so initially I want to cool just the CPU.
I have a Coolermaster case which is a bit limited in space, but have room for a 120.1 or BI pro rad in the top (having noted pH's advice regarding warm stale air passing over the rad but its the only place a rad will fit until I buy a new case).
What would be a good block and pump combo to start with? Is it worth going to 1/2" ID?
thanks in advance...
Nick D

[peepingdan]

You are in good hands with Swiftech.

[scooterfl]

Have you checked out the Interactive Waterblock chart? match your choice of block with a laing DDC and you cant go wrong. Also, get a radbox for external rear mounting of your rad for better cooling potential.


edit: Welcome to ProCooling! Oh yeah you are required to sign up for our Folding at home team lol

[bobkoure]

If you only have room for a 120x120mm radiator, then the amount of heat that radiator can shed will be the limiting factor. I think you may be able to cool a P4 and 9600 with it, but they won't be lots cooler than air cooled - particularly if you are using already-warmed case air.
You may find that the best solution is to go for a new case now - one that can fit a decent sized radiator in the lower front. There may also be places in your current case where a larger radiator might fit. One of the attractions of the "big momma" sized heater core (about 6"x7" including header tanks) is that it will fit more places than the 120x240mm radiators.

You might give some thought as to why you were waercooling, which would make it easier to decide which direction to go in. "Why" as in quiet/silence or overclocking or "looks cool"...

[Nickd]

Wow, quick replies.
Scooterfl, thanks and yes I have been looking at the interactive waterblock chart - Its a good way of presenting data. It suggests that it is worth going down the 1/2" route but then again the DDC has smaller barbs than that, so if I was going to use a DDC then 3/8" ID would be a more natural choice... questions dont lead to answers but to more questions! I think that the data Cathar presents here
Performance Vs Hydraulic Power
is the pretty much the same as the interactive chart, except presented slightly differently. Makes me wonder why the MCP600 was replaced by the MCP650 though?
Bob, the main reason for wanting to watercool my PC is that I want to make it quieter. The fans are driving me nuts - I leave my PC on 24/7 and can hear the fans whine at night. Now that you mention it a new case might help too, as the Coolermaster I have has 4 80mm fans which won't be helping the cause. What do you mean by "Big Momma" cores? I've read threads about BI pro Vs BI extreme where someone said that the Pro is better when used with lower output fans (or fans at reduced voltage), but haven't come across much relating to Big Mommas. Are there any cases out there that would accept a 120.2 or Pro II in the front, either horizontally or vertically? Would a big momma in the front give comparable heat dissipation to one of these?
many thanks again
Nick
/edit/ Bob, I hadn't looked hard enough - review of Big Momma is easy to find in the Reviews section. Is it still the radiator of choice for a WC system as the review is quite old?

[bobkoure]

Originally Posted by Nickd

/edit/ Bob, I hadn't looked hard enough - review of Big Momma is easy to find in the Reviews section. Is it still the radiator of choice for a WC system as the review is quite old?

Yes and no. It offers quite a lot of cooling capacity and fairly low water resistance for not much money. The issue is that these cores are 2" thick and present air resistance, so it's hard to find very quiet fans that can move enough air through this resistance.
I've since discovered that a pair of nexxos 12V fans stacked on the "pull" side work just fine and, at 12V are under 20dB (my estimation). If you undervolt the fans a tiny bit (either with a fan controller, a resistor, or a rheostat) they get (surprisingly) quite a bit quieter. I can't hear them over my disk drives (quiet seagates).
If you decide to go this route, I'd suggest buying a heater core for a '71 mercury montego (fedco 2-224), about $34 at partsamerica or rockauto. Then get a coolingworks "coolshroud" (? I may have that name wrong) - about $11 When you stack fans, put something between them. I use a hollowed-out fan frame (easy as I had a dead 120mm fan I hadn't thrown out), but you could just as easily space the fans on long screws (or threaded rod) and just wrap the outside with duct tape.
Oh - and if you don't mind using AC fans in your case, ferdb has found some 120mm 240VAC fans, that, when run at 115/120V perform better than the nexxos ones (quieter and enough more pressure that they likely don't need to be stacked). (FWIW, he's who put me on to nexxos fans as a possible quiet solution...)
Anyway, before going any further with this, why not cut out a piece of paper, say 6.25"x7" and see if there's room for that in your case. If there isn't, there's no point in thinking about these right now... (but remember the nexxos fans as they'll be quiet on whichever radiator you end up using)

[Tempus]

In case the big differences between the BI Pro and Extreme haven't been made clear - its about the thickness of the unit and (i believe) the # fins per inch. The extremes are thicker and more dense and require a more powerful (and louder) fan to get full potential. however the cooling potential of the extremes are significantly higher than the pros.

You didn't really mention what your performance goals (OC wise) are. If you are just after quiet (or just a lessening of the torrent of noise) then a single 120mm x 120mm radiator should work okay for you.
I have a 3.2gig P4 and a 9800Pro going off a single BIX in my lanboy case. The exhust air is very hot but its quiet and OCs very well.

The northbridge of the 875 isn't really a heat producer. There is some but its not a significant contribution. However it can be a very restrictive place for a block so watch yourself there. I didn't notice any benefits on cooling mine and have removed it from the loop and replaced it with a larger passive cooler.

If you plan on running at or near stock for both the CPU and the VC then a single 120mm rad will be enough, assuming you are using a fairly decent fan.