Waterblock recommendations

[uncle_jim]

Hi all. I'm trying to piece together parts for a WC setup, and am stalled on the block. My rig is a Winnie 3200, stable at 2.4GHz at 0.05 overvolt. I have two aims for this setup: first, I want to be able to up the fan speed on the rad to boost my system performance (I'm pretty sure I can get 2.5 stable with a bit more voltage but am too afraid to go higher on air); and second, I want to be able to dial the fan speed down to get silent performance. My primary desire is to run my OC permanently - something I have not done just yet.

So far I have decided on the MCP655 to drive the system (prices of all higher pupms are similar so why not maximise flow rate?), and will do a ghetto heatercore rad (2x120mm and a small mod job to fit it in the case - I hate exterior mounted rads). I want to add in a GPU block later on. I'm tossing up between the MCW6002 and DD TDX. My problem is that since I live in New Zealand, I have a limited availability of blocks - to get these two I have to go to Australia (fortunately I'm popping over in a couple of months). Basically, the only ones available seem to be Silverprop Evo, Swiftech, DD and Radiical (probably a bit too rich for me). I remember reading somewhere on here that there was some discussion that the TDX was beter for long-term OCs, but could not verify this.

I've done a bit of reading around, and on paper the 6002 seems better, but I can't seem to get my head around the impact of pressure drop just yet. Google has not been too kind to me on this.

Thanks in advance.

[maxSaleen]

My suggestion would be to PM Cather about getting a little river G5 (he was the original designer). If I'm not mistaken he still manufactures them in small batches. This block would offer you the best performance with the pump you have selected. Remember that blocks don't make for more stable OCs, temperatures do.

[Cathar]

http://www.davidandkarma.com.au are in Australia but ship to New Zealand if you're after a local-ish vendor.

[uncle_jim]

Thanks for the replies. I've looked at David and Karma, they seem to be the only vendor currently selling the 655, so it's a bit of a shame they don't seem to have the 6002 block. Shipping shouldn't be a problem. I'm going to be in Melbourne next month, so I'd pick up then. My partner's parents now live there, so I can probably do shipping to them for future purchases.

While I would love to try a Storm block, my budget doesn't quite stretch that far. That's why I've narrowed it down to those two options. So far they seem to be very comparable, especially at high flow rates, so with this kind of pump it's likely to be neither here nor there with the blocks. The budget-conscious person in me is leaning toward the Swiftech. I still would like to learn more about pressure drop. Can anyone point me to a good resource explaining its impact?

It's interesting, considering how geographically similar NZ and Australia are, to see the colossal price differences in WC parts. Small market indeed.

[Etacovda]

Its good you've chosen not to buy parts from nz stores, you really, really get shafted on pricing as you know

if you are assuming you can run straight into a wrecker w/o checking first, go in NOW and check - else you may be unpleasantly surprised at either A) the prices or B) the availability of the core you specifically want; they can be pretty difficult to get hold of. You seem fairly certain though so it sounds like you may have the rad already - if so, disregard.

The storm G4 is available through swiftech now, for 75ishUSD - so you wont be spending too much more on the block if you choose to go in that direction.

If you want to save possible headaches, grab a metre or two of clearflex whilst you're there - tubing in NZ is non-existant.