Initial WC inquiries, input on my kit?

[Egon]

Lets see, I can start with a little info about my history with computers. I started to build my own computers 3-4 years ago, I started OC'ing them about 2 years ago. Air was doing me OK for a while, but now that I have a new A64, and OC'ed it a little, my fans are whining a bit too loud.

Here's what I have ATM:

AMD 3200 Winchester OC'ed to 240x10
MSI K8N Neo 2
OCZ 3200 Plat rev2 at 2.5 3 3 11
Leadtek 6800gt agp (no OC atm)
WD Raptor 74Gig Sata (main drive)
Seagate 120Gig Ide (data, backup)
Lian Li pc 6077 case

cooling it:
XP-90 on cpu with TT ufo 90mm fan (screams at full rpm, yikes! nice performing Heatsink, tho)
Gi-freaking-normous Leadtek stock heatsink and fan on 6800 (occasionaly I find it unseats the card from the slot if I slide my case around, it's so heavy)
2xPanaflow High 80mm in front on fanbus Intakes (whiney)
2Xstandard 32cfm 80mm on back Exhausts (UV Cheese fans)
1xPanaflow 80mm lowspeed on top Exhaust

I've spent the better part of a month taking a crash course in Watercooling from Internet University, although I spent 2 weeks doing research in the wrong forums (read as: before I found ProCooling's site). At first I was looking at the 'bling', but now I see that performance must sacrifice aesthetics to some degree, or you need a machine shop to make pro performance look good. Seeing as I live in a small apt in a city, I don't think I'll be using any mills/bandsaws or drill presses in the near future, however, I do have at least a dremel comming to me soon

Anyway, to sum up my 'want's' for my setup, I'm looking for:

A nice balance of performance and quiet (more performance than silence)
Ease of installation (no tools, little workspace)

Here's my final cartload:

CPU - MCW-6002-64
GPU - MCW-50 w/1/2 inch barbs
Rad - Black Ice Pro II Rad w/2x Panaflo Mediums(they'll go on the fan controller)
Pump- Aquaextreme 50Z

With 1/2" Clearflex and a T-line.

I plan to run it: pump > rad > cpu > gpu > t > pump (woo hoo, should be fun for a noob to fill!)

The selection process was quite hilarious. At first I looked at AquaComputer stuff, since it's got major bling. Once I started to understand flow, I knew I wanted to do 1/2" tubing, I started looking at DD's kits, then I came here, and learned that the BEST blocks come in small quantities from down under, and that lucite tops can crack, and that Swiftech really knows their stuff, and decided to go with them.

And some starter Q's that I didn't find specific info on:

Did I pick the right pump? I'm afriad the high flow may not like the double pass rad. I read Phaestus' article and threads on pumps numerous times, but alas, much of it still flies over my head. I can wrap my brain around theories, but I loathe crunching numbers. Freaking public education ruined me for math and science. grrr....

Where can I find/make a rheobus that I can use with my pump (if it ends up being too loud after a week or so of break in?) I found a number of electronic stores online that have what I think I'm looking for, but they seem to be rated in ohms and volts, never watts, and I don't know how they relate.

Does the orientation of the input/outputs on the rad affect performance? I'll be mouning the rad vertically, and I know having the barbs at the top should make filling the system and getting air out easier, but after the system is full and airless, will I notice performance difference if the nozzles are on the bottom?

How much does extra tubing length affect flow or overall performance? Is the effect more from the added water in the loop, or the distance the pump has to pump the water? If I had an external box set 10ft away from the comp, which would add 20ft to the loop, and um.....0.64ish gallons (pi(r)squared * length for cylinder volume, right?), would I need more pump power?

....extra credit?

I noticed from the new show pics that some manufacturers did some painting on the Swify products. Would painting the blocks affect performance? painting the clip shouldn't, right?

When PSU's start getting up towards 750 Watts, will the companies start refering to them as 1horsepower computers?

Finally, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for giving me the facts about watercooling. Your countless hours of hard work are appreciated. I haven't learned so much in 7 days since I don't know when. You all deserve a raise, or some cookies, at least.

[pdf27]

Originally Posted by Egon

I found a number of electronic stores online that have what I think I'm looking for, but they seem to be rated in ohms and volts, never watts, and I don't know how they relate.

Watts = (volts)^2 / ohms
(volts squared divided by ohms in case you didn't get the symbol).

Originally Posted by Egon

How much does extra tubing length affect flow or overall performance? Is the effect more from the added water in the loop, or the distance the pump has to pump the water?

Totally from the distance the pump has to push the water. All the amount of water in the loop does is increase the time the water will take to reach running temperature (and the weight of your computer ).
In reality with half inch tubing the effect of increased tubing isn't all that great - I personally wouldn't worry about it as the performance drop from any length of tubing you could realistically want is pretty minimal.

Originally Posted by Egon

I noticed from the new show pics that some manufacturers did some painting on the Swify products. Would painting the blocks affect performance? painting the clip shouldn't, right?

Shouldn't make a blind bit of difference. Provided you don't paint the part of the block in contact with the chip (duh!) or the barbs (might possibly cause leakage) there's no reason not to.

Offhand the system looks pretty good to me, but there are no doubt people around here who can give you a far more accurate opinion as they'll actually have the kit you're thinking of getting.
As a side note, if you eventually decide you want to go for a really silent rig (there are a few noise obsessives like me around here ) it would just be a matter of replacing the pump, fans and (possibly) PSU - the blocks and rad you've chosen are just about the best out there for running silently.

[Egon]

Thanks for the input, pdf, seems like I managed to do alright for myself.

I didn't mention that the fans I chose are the 38mm thick kind. I thought I remember reading somewhere that thicker fans have an easier time pulling air through a rad. I hope they should be quiet enough for me. I have a floor fan in my computer room to circulate smoke, so it doesn't get immediately sucked into my computer, so utter silence would be waste since there is already some fan noise even when my system is off.

Anyone with input on my Radiator question? I'm thinking it shouldn't make a difference, am I correct?

Thanks again.

[Lekta]

I'm in the same position as you Egon and have found this site an invaluable resource. I'm fairly sure most people will agree with your choice of CPU block but for GPU the Silverprop Cyclone HL maybe a better choice.

[pdf27]

Barb orientation? I really can't see how it would make a difference. Unless you've got a good reason to want them at the bottom (e.g. saving quite a lot of plumbing) I'd have them at the top to make bleeding a lot easier.

[Egon]

I agree, Lekta, the Silverprop is a sweet Graphics block. I seriously considered ordering it, but that would have meant yet another store and shipping charge, since it doesn't seem to be as available as the Swiftech (in the states at least). That, plus the mcw50 is 25 bucks cheaper

I actually just got my first package of parts today! The swiftech blocks look great, they're bigger than they look on the web The BI Pro II is bigger than I thought, too. It's an inch longer than hwlabs claims on their website, and I'm not sure I can fit it in the front bays without serious modification.

I hope that Dremel gets here tomorrow!

Thanks again for all your input.

'gon