Dtek pump - does it suck?

[icel0rd]

I think the subject says it all. I heard it's a rio pump, is that still the case? How many folks had/have one and what is the life expectancy of it?

I like the form factor of the Dtek pump/res, but I'm not so sure of the reliability. I think I will rely on your experiences to determine that.

As an alternative, I was checking out Iwaki pumps and some other alternatives to build my own clear acrylic pump/res. The more reliable pumps are always rather large it seems. I am trying to avoid getting something really big like eheims. If it comes down to it, I was thinking of maybe making something no larger than the Dtek one, but I'm not sure what a good choice is for a submersible pump. I won't want to run a pump inline.

Suggestions? NO CPUFX / OCH whatever suggestions. Been burned there, and it will not happen again.


Thanks

-Ice-

[deeznuts]

hehe, been burned by the och pumps? i could see it in your sig too

someone over at sharkyforums has been running his dtek for over a year now, and i think una has used something similar, can't remember if it was a rio though.

you can just purchase the reservoir from him, have it predrilled, and then put in your own pump. that's what i did. people have said the via aquas were better, so i bought the res from him for $25, and purchased my own via aqua, 480 to be exact. it barely fits, but it does. it is quite strong too, we'll see how it performs.

i think the rio's are just too problematic, maybe they need to be run submerged, but i'll tell you this: danny is a great guy, and is not stupid. if these were failing that frequently, i don't think he would keep selling them. OCH/CPUFX yes, cuz they are scam artists in my opinion, but danny is a straight up guy. give him a call and ask him the fail rate, he is a great guy to talk with.

btw., where did you get that K4.1 block? those are beautiful if i recall correctly.

[UnaClocker]

I've used several Rio pumps. I also have that reservoir from DTek. I've never had a Rio die on me, though the flow from that little pump is very very weak. I'd just go to the hardware store and pick up a plastic resevoir of that size. Then you don't have the aluminum in your system, not to mention you'll save quite a bit. Then go with a Via Aqua pump.

[WebMasta33]

Get a marine/outdoor electical junction box.... That's basically the size of the res.

[UnaClocker]

Originally posted by WebMasta33
Get a marine/outdoor electical junction box.... That's basically the size of the res.

Yes, that's what I was thinking of. See my "MicroStealth" article. That's what I used in there. I think they're like $9 at the local hardware store. (Got mine at Lowes, couldn't find the right size at HomeDepot).. 4"x4"x2"..

[deeznuts]

Originally posted by UnaClocker

Yes, that's what I was thinking of. See my "MicroStealth" article. That's what I used in there. I think they're like $9 at the local hardware store. (Got mine at Lowes, couldn't find the right size at HomeDepot).. 4"x4"x2"..

i've done that before, and it works great. but i am going for a clean look on this one, and its an aluminum case, with a window, so looks matter on this one.

[Fixittt]

I have been using the same Rio pump in the res for quite some time now, (Over 8 months maybe even more) and its still running smooth, Mine was not super glued to quieten it down, so I did that, still is quiet and still is running, been running 24/7 except for when storms come. I unplug it then.

[icel0rd]

Thanks a lot for the advice gang. I think what I might do is buy a pump and put it in a clear acrylic container (for looks). The Dtek res ir kinda cool looking, but a clear one would rock. Can someone recommend a submersible pump to me for the same sized setup please. I definitely want to go with the submerged pump in res setup. I have definitely made up my mind on that. I'm just not sure which pump is the best bet to go with. It sounds like Rios are not too bad if you rig them so that they dont make noise and those pumps can be relatively easily found in pet/aquarium supply stores, I'm sure.

Oh, if it's a mag drive pump, I suppose that means I have an EMI issue as well, don't I? This res/pump setup is to be on the same side of my YY cube as my drives, and that concerns me... I had a video card croak before and my darn 100+ dollar 4.x inch LCD screen. I wonder if EMI was a contributing factor there... That could pretty much mean no acrylic res if EMI is an issue...

hmmmm

Originally posted by deeznuts
btw., where did you get that K4.1 block? those are beautiful if i recall correctly.

I bought it online at:

www.low-noise.de

I had to use the google translator to translate my English to German. I told them I would pay the shipping costs if they would sell it to me, and they agreed, so I wired the money to them. Even though it took over a month to get it, it was worth it

Here is the price info from my invoice:

Vielen Dank für Ihre Online-Bestellung.

Sie umfasst folgende(n) Artikel:
------------------------------------------------------
1 x 090001 Prozessorkühler K4.1 je EUR 65.95
1 x 090004 Kühlerhalterung (K4.1) je EUR 12.95

------------------------------------------------------
Versandkosten EUR 5.00

Nachnahme EUR 3.58


Gesamtbetrag EUR 87.48


I don't think you can score one of these anywhere in the US yet.

-Ice-

[deeznuts]

so that is total of 87.48 euros shipped? that's not too bad for a one of a kind block. wonder if they have any P4 blocks.

[icel0rd]

That total reflects shipping within Europe though. I paid a little extra to get it over here.

Here are the shipping prices they quoted me to get it to the US:

Premium: (by airplane) 26,08€
Economy: (by carrier plane) 20,45€
See Paket: (by ship) 19,43€


You are right though. I wanted it because it's pretty different than the blocks available in the US now. It was just too cool to not get.


-Ice-

[icel0rd]

Oh, 1 more thing... What is the ideal GPH range for a pump? I remember an article about more not necessarily being better, but I'm mostly worried about too much flow.

I thought I remembered being told that water running too quickly through the block actually lowered cooling performance, and it's obvious that water that spends a longer time in a radiator is cooled more.

I'm really looking for about the right GPH range for CPU cooling only at this time. I would like to continue to run clampless with nice, cheap vinyl hose, and I image that if the pump is generating too much pressure, the hoses will come off.

So, at about what GPH do you guys think a simple CPU cooling circuit with a black Ice rad should run at? I was thinking no more than 200 GPH. More than that seems excessive and like it would present an issue for my clampless rig .

-Ice-