Im going to try water cooling

Plasticjesus690 · 08-06-2002, 07:06 AM

What is a cheap kit that works decent

airspirit · 08-06-2002, 03:03 PM

I hate to say it, but read the other posts and make your own call. The more money you spend, the better kit you get. That is almost set in stone.

Otherwise, for a rad, use a Black Ice Extreme r2, for a pump try a Eheim unit (1250 is standard, it seems), use TYGON hosing (1/2") for ease of assembly, and make sure you get some Red Line Water Wetter or HyperLube or some of that purple sh!t they have on Becooling to mix with your DISTILLED water. Look at some articles on how to make an air trap and decide on how you want to do that (it makes your life easier, trust me). Last of all, you need a good block, and that is up to you. The Jagged Edge at Becooling is cheap and effective, though it only uses 3/8" barbs. The Spir@l is more expensive, but very effective, from what I hear. The block is up to you, but I would highly recommend the above to you (BIX, Eheim 1250, Tygon 1/2", water wetter/distilled water, homemade air trap). It costs more than the cheapest stuff, but you'll get the most bang for your buck. Expect to spend $250 for a good kit. Most of the "Kits" that are sold are cheap CRAPOLA that will turn you off of water cooling forever (and will probably end up in a garbage can somewhere).

Oh, and make sure you have a case that'll fit all of this stuff. Anything else we can help you with?

redleader · 08-06-2002, 03:25 PM

Its pretty hard to go wrong with Danger Den.

airspirit · 08-06-2002, 04:40 PM

Amen. If I recall, you can find most of the parts I described on their page. Also, their maze blocks have had some good reviews. Best of all, the customer service there is supposed to be bar none. Once again, don't order from some fly-by-night site ... unless you want to risk getting crap/nothing for your money. There are some horror stories floating around ... Danger Den and Becooling are both outstanding places to order.

Plasticjesus690 · 08-06-2002, 07:08 PM

I was told that it would be best if i go with a kit this being my first time and all

jaydee · 08-06-2002, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Plasticjesus690
I was told that it would be best if i go with a kit this being my first time and all

You where told wrong! Do a little homework, find what you need and buy and make the parts yourself if you can/want to. If not buy a kit or the parts and put it together. It isn't that hard so don't be to scared of doing it yourself.

Pump, radiator with fan, water block, res if needed/wanted, and hosing. Big deal!

Also you have the best tech support there is right here in this forum!

Plasticjesus690 · 08-06-2002, 10:19 PM

Im looking at the swiftech barbone system with case for $380

ambient · 08-06-2002, 10:44 PM

The swiftech case gets pretty good reviews. To what extreme do you want to overclock? Do you have tools? Do you think you would enjoy spending the time and effort it takes to learn all of the stuff related to watercooling and building a custom case, or customizing your own? Or do you just want something that is quiet and works pretty well and not have to hassle with case mods?

Anomaly2181 · 08-06-2002, 10:53 PM

I would recomend checking out what exactly comes with a good kit, and buy the parts seperatly. Even the best kits don't come close to a well tuned hand part picked system. There have been several good recomendations for parts already mentioned above, but I will list you what I just bought after doing extensive reading and comparisons, and talking with lots of people in here....

Pump: Danner Mag Drive 350(350 gph) more gallons per hour not good past about 300-350....the more gph a pump puts out, the bigger the pump, and the bigger the pump the more heat the pump has to put into the water to cool itself....So the point of this.....a 300 gph pump will cool almost exactly the same as a 500 or 700 gph pump, and its alot smaller to put in your case..

Radiator: If you are liek me and you really don't want to put a 12' by 6' radiator in your case taking up all the space, but still want performace that is almost on par with that big of a radiator, go with the Black Ice Extreme 2...already mentioned

Block: Up to you most blocks perform very closely, but I do like the Spir@l, and any of the danger den maze blocks are good.

Airtrap: Self built are usually best, you can pick up a new clear one for 25 bucks at danger den, or make your own from a little model airplane gas tank for a few bucks.

Tubing : 1/2' Tygon...already mentioned

Get a 120mm Sunon 108 CFM fan @ 42 dbl or 2 Enermax Variable Speed fans: at top rpm they are 34 dbl and 84 CFM each.

And I think thats about it let me know if you have any more questions, I was in your shoes about 2 weeks ago.

And I recomend making a duct/shroud connecting your rad to fan to the bottom or side of your case to expell all heat from your case.

Plasticjesus690 · 08-07-2002, 02:06 AM

I like harware and im learing to write code i dont care all that much about how a case looks im just trying somthing new to see how it works

airspirit · 08-08-2002, 04:14 PM

That is a ton of money to spend on a stock kit. You will be better off building one from scratch, man.

If you want a good case, look at the Chieftec full tower that they have on NewEgg. It has enough room for everything you'll ever need to put in there, and has a ton of places for fan mounting and mods.

For the love of humanity, though, don't waste your money on a kit. Put it together by hand and go with it. Believe it or not, the hardest part about water cooling is deciding where everything is going to go in your box. This isn't rocket science. The solution is to get a big box and have fun with it.

At any rate, good luck, and post pictures when you are done so we can see the fruits of your labor.

bigben2k · 08-08-2002, 04:37 PM

For a case, try the Chieftec Matrix 01MA, from Directron (I'm not affiliated).

BIG case (~26in. tall). Plenty of room for anything and everything. Only 79$

(BTW, they posted the wrong pics for the black one, so watch for the silver one)

08-06-2002, 07:06 AM	#1
Plasticjesus690 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 5	Im going to try water cooling What is a cheap kit that works decent

08-06-2002, 10:44 PM	#8
ambient Cooling Savant Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 312	The swiftech case gets pretty good reviews. To what extreme do you want to overclock? Do you have tools? Do you think you would enjoy spending the time and effort it takes to learn all of the stuff related to watercooling and building a custom case, or customizing your own? Or do you just want something that is quiet and works pretty well and not have to hassle with case mods? __________________ water cooled 1.4 tbird @ 1580 143x11 vcore 1.88 vio 3.55

08-06-2002, 10:53 PM	#9
Anomaly2181 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 67	I would recomend checking out what exactly comes with a good kit, and buy the parts seperatly. Even the best kits don't come close to a well tuned hand part picked system. There have been several good recomendations for parts already mentioned above, but I will list you what I just bought after doing extensive reading and comparisons, and talking with lots of people in here.... Pump: Danner Mag Drive 350(350 gph) more gallons per hour not good past about 300-350....the more gph a pump puts out, the bigger the pump, and the bigger the pump the more heat the pump has to put into the water to cool itself....So the point of this.....a 300 gph pump will cool almost exactly the same as a 500 or 700 gph pump, and its alot smaller to put in your case.. Radiator: If you are liek me and you really don't want to put a 12' by 6' radiator in your case taking up all the space, but still want performace that is almost on par with that big of a radiator, go with the Black Ice Extreme 2...already mentioned Block: Up to you most blocks perform very closely, but I do like the Spir@l, and any of the danger den maze blocks are good. Airtrap: Self built are usually best, you can pick up a new clear one for 25 bucks at danger den, or make your own from a little model airplane gas tank for a few bucks. Tubing : 1/2' Tygon...already mentioned Get a 120mm Sunon 108 CFM fan @ 42 dbl or 2 Enermax Variable Speed fans: at top rpm they are 34 dbl and 84 CFM each. And I think thats about it let me know if you have any more questions, I was in your shoes about 2 weeks ago. And I recomend making a duct/shroud connecting your rad to fan to the bottom or side of your case to expell all heat from your case. __________________ I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather.....not like my family kicking and screaming in his backseat.

08-08-2002, 04:37 PM	#12
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	For a case, try the Chieftec Matrix 01MA, from Directron (I'm not affiliated). BIG case (~26in. tall). Plenty of room for anything and everything. Only 79$ (BTW, they posted the wrong pics for the black one, so watch for the silver one) __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

08-06-2002, 03:03 PM	#2
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	I hate to say it, but read the other posts and make your own call. The more money you spend, the better kit you get. That is almost set in stone. Otherwise, for a rad, use a Black Ice Extreme r2, for a pump try a Eheim unit (1250 is standard, it seems), use TYGON hosing (1/2") for ease of assembly, and make sure you get some Red Line Water Wetter or HyperLube or some of that purple sh!t they have on Becooling to mix with your DISTILLED water. Look at some articles on how to make an air trap and decide on how you want to do that (it makes your life easier, trust me). Last of all, you need a good block, and that is up to you. The Jagged Edge at Becooling is cheap and effective, though it only uses 3/8" barbs. The Spir@l is more expensive, but very effective, from what I hear. The block is up to you, but I would highly recommend the above to you (BIX, Eheim 1250, Tygon 1/2", water wetter/distilled water, homemade air trap). It costs more than the cheapest stuff, but you'll get the most bang for your buck. Expect to spend $250 for a good kit. Most of the "Kits" that are sold are cheap CRAPOLA that will turn you off of water cooling forever (and will probably end up in a garbage can somewhere). Oh, and make sure you have a case that'll fit all of this stuff. Anything else we can help you with?

08-06-2002, 03:25 PM	#3
redleader Thermophile Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: The deserts of Tucson, Az Posts: 1,264	Its pretty hard to go wrong with Danger Den.

08-06-2002, 04:40 PM	#4
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	Amen. If I recall, you can find most of the parts I described on their page. Also, their maze blocks have had some good reviews. Best of all, the customer service there is supposed to be bar none. Once again, don't order from some fly-by-night site ... unless you want to risk getting crap/nothing for your money. There are some horror stories floating around ... Danger Den and Becooling are both outstanding places to order.

08-06-2002, 07:08 PM	#5
Plasticjesus690 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 5	I was told that it would be best if i go with a kit this being my first time and all

08-06-2002, 10:19 PM	#7
Plasticjesus690 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 5	Im looking at the swiftech barbone system with case for $380

08-07-2002, 02:06 AM	#10
Plasticjesus690 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: CA Posts: 5	I like harware and im learing to write code i dont care all that much about how a case looks im just trying somthing new to see how it works

08-08-2002, 04:14 PM	#11
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	That is a ton of money to spend on a stock kit. You will be better off building one from scratch, man. If you want a good case, look at the Chieftec full tower that they have on NewEgg. It has enough room for everything you'll ever need to put in there, and has a ton of places for fan mounting and mods. For the love of humanity, though, don't waste your money on a kit. Put it together by hand and go with it. Believe it or not, the hardest part about water cooling is deciding where everything is going to go in your box. This isn't rocket science. The solution is to get a big box and have fun with it. At any rate, good luck, and post pictures when you are done so we can see the fruits of your labor.

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