new water cooling project, some help. [Archive]

BAM!

10-29-08, 02:22 AM

i am starting to plan for my next watercooling project. my Exos2 system that's currently baby sitting my Q6600 is dying on me, so it's losing its cooling power slowly day by day.

here's what i have planed for. but i need some help choosing nozzles.

here is the radiator(s) i have chosen. i plan on getting a 3X120mm black ice GT 2 pass rad, and another 2X120mm black ice gt 2pass running serial loop.
http://www.svc.com/bi-gts-360bk.html
http://www.svc.com/bi-gts-240bk.html

and i plan on pairing them together inside the cooler master Cosmos S type case
http://www.coolermaster.com/uploads/product/products_gallery/file1203579178781.jpg

http://www.coolermaster.com/uploads/product/products_gallery/file1203579202786.jpg
with this case i will be able to fit the 3X120mm on top, and loop the 2X120mm in the front.

now i already have a swiftech pump which i purchased years ago from my very very first self built watercooling kit, and kept it. http://www.svc.com/mcp655-b.html

i just need help finding the right nozzles for those radiators i listed above. now would these work? http://www.svc.com/fitc-14npt-12od.html
or http://www.svc.com/nzl-v13kg.html
http://www.svc.com/bspp-250-500-cp.html
http://www.svc.com/fitc-14npt-12od.html

jdrom17

10-29-08, 09:15 AM

Should of went with Swiftech rads IMO.

Any G1/4" fitting will work. I'd go with Bitspower as their stuff is just purely amazing. Of the ones you listed, the DangerDens would be what I'd go with.

Since I'm assuming your in the USA, check out Petra's Tech Shop (http://www.petrastechshop.com/index.html)

Comixion

10-29-08, 10:09 AM

I really liked that Exos2 you sold. I still wish I had bought it.

Devils00Champs

10-29-08, 11:19 AM

BAM!

10-29-08, 02:01 PM

thanks JD, that was helpful.

I really liked that Exos2 you sold. I still wish I had bought it.

i wish the fan would last longer. but in order to replace the fan in this thing, you have to take apart the whole damn thing down to its bones, i'd just rather move on to something else. plus i am tired of my current setup now. wanna move on to something more fun. but i'll most likely replace the fan before i put it up on ebay.

BAM!

10-29-08, 02:02 PM

Swiftech rads? The Fesser X-Changer (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23558:6a68f79313c8ed50d114669bc79a8abe&zenid=8018a35ca598518911b2627b5e59c2bc) are supposed to be the best performing radiators on the market now
Im with JD on the fittings, BitsPower is the high-end, like these Compression Fittings
(http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23558:6a68f79313c8ed50d114669bc79a8abe&zenid=8018a35ca598518911b2627b5e59c2bc)

yeah welll that's way out of my budget. for that money i can get 2 black ice GT's. but thanks for the heads up tho. great info.

jdrom17

10-29-08, 05:34 PM

Swiftech rads? The Fesser X-Changer (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23558:6a68f79313c8ed50d114669bc79a8abe&zenid=8018a35ca598518911b2627b5e59c2bc) are supposed to be the best performing radiators on the market now
Im with JD on the fittings, BitsPower is the high-end, like these Compression Fittings
(http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23558:6a68f79313c8ed50d114669bc79a8abe&zenid=8018a35ca598518911b2627b5e59c2bc)
Yeah but its only like 1-2C different from the Swiftechs. Really not worth it IMO. To get the best performance from Feser/Thermochill rads you need rather high pressure fans with lots of CFM to really get good results. Using normal slow-medium speed fans, the Swiftechs are the best.

Plus $100 on a radiator is kinda silly. Might as well get two of the cheaper ones and have more surface area.

BAM!

10-31-08, 03:36 AM

i forgot to ask... what's the best kind of tubing to get.

i do'nt want any crap tube that bends and narrows over time. i hate that crap.

ElrichMeister

10-31-08, 07:14 AM

im not sure if it is now, but i think the Tygon stuff is still best, but then i havnt bought any in like 2-3years lol

Zefram

10-31-08, 08:50 AM

i forgot to ask... what's the best kind of tubing to get.

i do'nt want any crap tube that bends and narrows over time. i hate that crap.

I dont see any tygon stuff here.

BUT, i just went to the nearest hardware store and describe my problem (like i hate tubes that kink, and doesn't kink when the temperature rise)

They give me this generic, no brand tubes......... and to my surprise, it was hard to kink and are actually wayy better than the tubes sold by cooler master or thermaltake.

Thus if you can't find tygon tubes, just go and ask around for a heat-resistant, non kinking tubes ;)

Avid6eek

10-31-08, 09:45 AM

Yeah but its only like 1-2C different from the Swiftechs. Really not worth it IMO. To get the best performance from Feser/Thermochill rads you need rather high pressure fans with lots of CFM to really get good results. Using normal slow-medium speed fans, the Swiftechs are the best.

Plus $100 on a radiator is kinda silly. Might as well get two of the cheaper ones and have more surface area.With low fan speeds, the Feser/Thermochill radiators are much better than the competition. With fans that push more than 70cfm the Black Ice Extreme series are the best performing radiators on the market.

The swiftech radiators are very thin and do not perform anywhere near as well as the higher end radiators. If they did, buying several of them would be the standard instead of a single larger radiator.

jdrom17

10-31-08, 01:35 PM

With low fan speeds, the Feser/Thermochill radiators are much better than the competition. With fans that push more than 70cfm the Black Ice Extreme series are the best performing radiators on the market.

The swiftech radiators are very thin and do not perform anywhere near as well as the higher end radiators. If they did, buying several of them would be the standard instead of a single larger radiator.
From stuff I've seen the Feser/TC are only a few degrees lower, but everyone has their own opinions on things.

As for tubing, I used Primoflex ProLRT and it bends pretty damn well. Apparently on-par, maybe even better than Tygon from some comparison on XS. Comes in a variety of colors if you want as well. Also cheaper than Tygon.

BAM!

11-09-08, 05:33 PM

would you guys say the conventional "Barb clamps" are the way to go or one of those new "plastic clamps". i just don't want any leak, but at the same time don't wanna crack any fittings. the Barb clamps from my past experience hvae cause some cracking and breakage on the reservoir fittings, while i've also used plastic wire ties (lol... those were the official tools provided by Swiftech back in the days believe it or not) but they tend to leak unless you tie them REAL tite. and when i say real tight i mean you better have a 300lb gorilla do the clamping for you.

but i've never used those plastic herbie clamps before... are they any good? better than conventional barb clamp?

jdrom17

11-09-08, 06:05 PM

I hate those plastic clamps.

If you get decent metal barbs from Bitspower, DangerDen, Feser, D-TEK, the tubing will be on there rather tight already and unless your using an Iwaki pump, you really don't NEED clamps. I just used zip ties on mine though I only have normal barbs on my CPU block. All my other barbs are Bitspower Compression Fittings which hold the tubing really snug and look awesome. They cost quite a bit though and don't fit onto the majority of blocks since they are rather large.

BAM!

11-09-08, 07:09 PM

i use those compression fittings on my waterblock too... they're from koolance, screws on easy and can almost be done by hand and doesn't leak. only thing is you can't use those with reservoir. most reservoir out are all plastic and have plastic fittings, which means you need either conventional barb hose clamp, or those new herbie clamps.

the plastic wire tie i was talking about was actually zip ties... they were provided by swftech in the early days as their standard clamp for the pump and resevoir lol...... they're horrible...

jdrom17

11-09-08, 07:56 PM

I'm pretty sure you can use metal barbs on plastic reservoirs...

I know many people use metal ones on the Swiftech Micro Res.

BAM!

11-21-08, 05:27 PM

i just ordered all the parts. from petra of course. one 3X120mm black ICE GT stealth and one 1X120mm black ICE GT stealth. i went with total of 4X120mm rad because it'll be easy to setup. i'll just have to run them in serial since the Cosmos S case has 3X120mm fan space on top and one in the back.

i do need some suggestions for fans tho. i am still undecided about which fan to get. i am thinking about this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835129244

i wanna go BLUE for all my radiator fans and this one seems to offer the most CFM at the most reasonable noise level. but hot damn! are they expensive $15 bucks a piece.

what do you people use.

phill9800

11-21-08, 05:47 PM

IF your able to, why not get a fan controller and get some fairly noisy fans but just turn them down a touch? A thicker fan will push more air even at a lower speed :) Its just getting the noise/performance level you want :)

jdrom17

11-21-08, 06:53 PM

Those Areocool fans are shyt. Don't waste your money.

Get the Blue LED Yates if you must have blue...Or perhaps the Zalman ZF-3 LED if you can find them.

phill9800

11-21-08, 07:05 PM

I can say my Yate Loon models (88CFM models) arent to noisy at full speed and do seem to push a fair whack of air even at low speeds :) Recommended and not to expensive either :)

BAM!

11-21-08, 08:45 PM

Those Areocool fans are shyt. Don't waste your money.

Get the Blue LED Yates if you must have blue...Or perhaps the Zalman ZF-3 LED if you can find them.

why are they shyt..... have you used them before? they broke?

jdrom17

11-21-08, 10:09 PM

why are they shyt..... have you used them before? they broke?
Going by other people's opinions on various forums. Apparently they lack airflow/pressure from what I remember.

BAM!

11-21-08, 10:44 PM

at 89CFM!!!? maybe i am missing something, but i can't find another 120mm fan that pushes more than that at 32db.

i think you must've mistaken with these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835129243

these ones push no air what so ever.

Devils00Champs

11-21-08, 11:26 PM

http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=26743

Its a Scythe, so u know quality will be good, but it is a 38mm model

jdrom17

11-22-08, 12:21 AM

BAM!

11-22-08, 12:49 AM

that's strange because their turbine-black version, which is the same as the LED one got 5 eggs on newegg with 115 reviews. you hardly find something like that with fans especially on newegg.

i guess i'll give them a try, and if they F'ed up.... you'll hear about it.

Grimreaper

11-22-08, 03:48 PM

Devils00Champs

11-22-08, 04:04 PM

Personally just ordered 2 of the 2000rpm Scythes. The cfm:db ration is good, as unlike the 3000rpm its only around 33db, so theyre be barely audible. They are both around 2.5-2.9 cfm:db.
Also, reading this Review (http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews.php?/cases_cooling/scythe_ultra_kaze_120mm_fans/1). It shows the pressure these put out.

BAM!

11-22-08, 04:16 PM

Why don't you toss some blue cold cathodes in your case instead of having blue led fans. That will open up the fan selection a bit. Also, 38mm fans are supposed to have much better pressure when cooling large heatsinks like the Scythe Ninja and rads. Thats just what I've heard though.

I would probably go with one of these two along with the cold cathodes.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185053
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185054

actually that's not a bad idea. although.... i think i am still going to need at least 3 of them LED's on top because of this http://www.coolermaster.com/uploads/product/products_gallery/file1203579202786.jpg

those 2000rpm scythe look pretty good too. and they're rated at .25 amp, which means more efficient. i'll give them a read.

another thing, has anyone tried to plug a 3pin fan onto a 4pin PWM plug before?

jdrom17

11-22-08, 07:10 PM

another thing, has anyone tried to plug a 3pin fan onto a 4pin PWM plug before?
Yeah, works fine. I believe most are wired to support both and some BIOS'es have an option to set which type of fan you have.

BAM!

11-22-08, 07:31 PM

Yeah, works fine. I believe most are wired to support both and some BIOS'es have an option to set which type of fan you have.

awsome.... that means even if PWM doesn't work... i can probably still use speedfan to control it then.

BAM!

11-25-08, 03:22 AM

well...... i just bought the case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119150

i was telling myself to wait untill i get my stolen replacement credit card back from the bank to buy.... but from the looks of it.... it might be next christmas before they reissue me the card. and i saw the $100 instant discount on newegg today i just couldn't pass that up.... what can i say... they got me. $250-$100=$150 :D

i just hope newegg don't cut it even steeper comes black friday... or i'll be REAL pissed!!

i now should have EVERYTHING to put together my new water system. the radiators and the rest of the accessaries are already on its way, this case should get here on Wed just in time for thanks giving :).

jdrom17

11-25-08, 10:43 AM

I just came across some nice fans, though not LED, they are UV reactive:
http://www.gelidsolutions.com/products/index.php?lid=1&cid=2&id=35

I think I'll be hunting for some now.

phill9800

11-25-08, 03:28 PM

Looking forward to seeing the results and the new pics ;)

BAM!

11-27-08, 02:57 PM

i got everything!!.... almost. except for the waterblock fitting that i special ordered, which is still in transit, but should be here on Monday. oh and i didn't order enough tubing, so i put in another order of 4 more ft. of Tygon tubing, hopfully it'll be here with the fitting on monday. meanwhile, it's down to some case modding !! :D

i received the case yesterday. my wife's first impression was "it looks alien". lol.. anyway the box was all mushed from the rain storm the day before. of all year long that never rains here.... the only day of rain storm gets me. so i couldn't keep the box since it was all mushed..... but enough about the box, the case was awsome. i immediately started some modification.

i really dislike the dull muddy grey of the Cosmos S, i think they should've stuck with the simple elegant brush aluminum color of the Cosmos 1000. but hey.... the Cosmos S just has way more features and performs better. so i decided to paint the case back to the aluminum silver color along with some special etching :)

i went to Lowes yesterday and picked up all the hardware, and painted the base color coat last night, today i am doing the clear coat.

i should be uploading some pictures in a bit later on for you guys to see.