My first real project FINISHED!

[Tim]

I was considering a TJ07 project for my first real water cooling setup... but the price I might be able to get the Rocketfish case for just made me rethink this entire thing.

My goals in order of importance.

1. QUIET
2. Not screwing anything up (I probably couldn't mod myself out of a wet paper bag, I have no experience, and few tools)
3. Cost (the lower the better)
4. Performance

I'd like to watercool the CPU and the MCP (Nvidia's northbridge) The fans on the 8800GTS's seem to be quiet enough, and ramp up in speed when I'm gaming but I never seem to notice them audibly when that's all going on.

The components I'll be using: (All things I currently have)
eVga 680i mb
e8400 CPU
4gb (4x1) patriot ddr2 800
2x eVga 8800GTS (g92) 512mb in SLI
2x WD 160gb hdd
1 optical drive
600watt PSU

What I need: (with your imput on what to get)
1. Case: I'm hellbent on getting this Rocketfish case from BestBuy
2. Radiator (what should I get? I'd like to top mount it, and which way does the airflow go!)
3. Pump (quiet yet effective)
4. Waterblocks (for CPU and MCP, most effective with pump and rad choice)
5. Fans Fans Fans! (QUIET yet sufficient enough to run all hardware at stock speeds, negative case pressure, which fans for intake, which fans for out, and which fans for the rad?)
6. Tubing (most effective, not concerned with looks although I'd like to keep it nice and neat, a T-Line for ease of draining and maintenance on the loop)
7. Resevoir (perhaps mod a fillport to the top of the case?)
8. Sound dampening material (I want quiet! Side panel stuff, rubber washers or screws or whatever I need to help, HDD mouting things or whatever, I have no clue)

What I need to do: (duh)
1. Mod the case to fit the best choice radiator and fillport in it (Send the top panel somewhere and have it professionally cut or try it myself and risk screwing it up... I swear I think I have fumble fingers and this would be my first attempt.
2. Get everything up and running!
3. Bask in the quietness!

I am willing to take my time with this, as I know what I want to achieve, and of course only buying a part when I'm ready for it as this will help spread the cost out and make it more workable for me.
I am hoping to have the case today.

I know this is a long winded thread, but I'm asking for your help with all of this, and I appreciate any help. If there is a service that you can provide to me to help me with my goals, let me know and we will work something out to our mutual benefits.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

First of all, great post, tons of info, but, can you give us a dollar ammount so we can attempt to taylor a set-up around that. 680i blocks are not common or cheap.

1)ok.
2)given the budgetary concerns, I'd say swiftech MCR220 or 320. inhaling.
3)MCP355 with an XSPC top.
4)EK supreme or Dtek Fusion for cpu and I believe EK has a block for the 680i.
5)Zalman ZM-F3's or Scythe Sflex mediums in that order.
5)Masterclear 7/16"
6)Either a swiftech micro res or a t-line at the inlet of the pump with a danger del fillport.
9) ask bluefront and/or woodbutcher when they get here.

PS: look at the row of symbols just above the letters on your keyboard. Notice anything different from how they're arranged and how your list is arranged? lol. I'm just playing, I've done it too, atleast the 5 5 thing, don't know about 5 6 9...

 

[Tim]

PS: look at the row of symbols just above the letters on your keyboard. Notice anything different from how they're arranged and how your list is arranged? lol. I'm just playing, I've done it too, atleast the 5 5 thing, don't know about 5 6 9...

LOL, and I read it over twice... I'm ashamed. Just typo's from editing to give as much information as I could think of.
Will edit to fix haha.

The total amount will end up to be a lot, maybe around 500-600, a little more to spend here and there. Since I won't be getting and doing everything at once, it will diffuse that number, at least in my mind. I'd imagine the rad, res and Fillport would be the first purchases, since those would be the crucial parts necessary to have, and know where they'll be to mod the top panel of the case.

Looking at the pump you recommended, I noticed one webpage said that "this is not for the silent modder". Would this XSPC top have anything to do with this? Also said that the MCP655 was quieter, and a much higher flow rate. This information was from performance-pcs.com

Thanks for the reply, you and agiomorla (SP) are the ones I was most looking to answer me as you two seem to be here often and with massive experience.

P.S. Now who's numbered list is messed up

 

[DerwenArtos12]

The laing D5(655) is a fabulous pump but, it lacks the versatility of the 355. You can even get a 355 with an xspc top and a res and attach the three all together and have on self contained unit and it'll be close to the size of the 655. Plus you're very limited on tubing size and barb options with the 655 unless you want to cut off the integrated barbs, drill out the passages and tap them for new barbs yourself. The 355 is not the quietest pump but, if you properly isolate the pump from the chassis it gets quite silent.

PS: I' completely new to water cooling, I'm building my first rig now and with completely off the wall odd-ball parts, everything I know is form other experience. I would highly suggest posing this question to the xtremesytems forums once you get the case side of things worked out.

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12
You can even get a 355 with an xspc top and a res and attach the three all together and have on self contained unit and it'll be close to the size of the 655.

I very much like the sound of that Idea. I like space saving self-contained ideas as long as it doesn't reduce functionality. If I go with that idea, would I also be able to incorporate the fill-port? Is putting them all together a hard mod to accomplish?

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Nope, it's pretty darn easy.

It's actually the best performing top on the market.

And yes, you could plumb a wye fitting just above the intake for the reservoir up to a fill port.

 

[Tim]

XSPC Laing DDC Reservoir Pump Attachment w/ MCP-355 w/ 1/2"ID barbs- $144.97 @ frozencpu

Good price for that? Other options and opinions?

 

[DerwenArtos12]

nope, the black bottom is the pump, just above that where you can see the blue and the barb coming out the side is the top and on top of that is the reservoir.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: thepladfad
XSPC Laing DDC Reservoir Pump Attachment w/ MCP-355 w/ 1/2"ID barbs- $144.97 @ frozencpu

Good price for that? Other options and opinions?

only if it includes the stand too. otherwise you can buy all the pieces from jab-tech for about the same and they'll have better deals on the other parts.

 

[Tim]

Figured that out, and edited post at same time as your post.
That seems to make it a rather easy setup for that part of the watercooling project, just would need the case, the rad, and the pump/res combo mounted to know where to have the top-panel modded.

Figure 50 for the case (if I can get it at that) 150 for that pump/res combo and 60 for the rad. Around 260 for the intial investment plus taxes/shipping cost. Not to bad

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Radiator for $48 at sidewinder

+$4 for barbs. get the dtek.

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: thepladfad
XSPC Laing DDC Reservoir Pump Attachment w/ MCP-355 w/ 1/2"ID barbs- $144.97 @ frozencpu

Good price for that? Other options and opinions?

only if it includes the stand too. otherwise you can buy all the pieces from jab-tech for about the same and they'll have better deals on the other parts.

After adding the cost of the pump, top, res, barbs and stand @ jabtech, it comes to 154
The stand is 10.95 at jabtech, add that to Frozencpu's 144 and the price is 155, so they seem to be pretty even on the prices.

So the stand would be mounted somewhere on the bottom of the case? Or are there other places it can go. I wouldn't be too crazy about a huge long line running to the fillport. In fact, the shorter all of the tubing the better. I'm thinking a shorter loop is more efficient?

 

[aigomorla]

some advice, i dont recomend watercooling that board.

Reason is i havent had one last longer then 5-6 months on heavy ocing. Boards will carry a YMMV tag, but im seeing people drop them in favor of the P35 from all the headaches which is associated with the 680i + backplate expecially. The infamous "--" error is a backplate pushing against ground pin problem.


If your still going to follow though it, the board layout blocks i recomend is EK. They make all the blocks required for your board, from mosfet to sb.

As for the CPU, a lot of blocks are available, each having there own forte. How much moding and additional eq effects components drastically.

i know you said your willing to do this right, and whatever it takes, but we still need a figure. For me i spent almost 300 on rebuild right now just on the h2o gear. This is just a rebuild, meaning im recycling a lot of parts, but additional parts were added.

To others 300 would be the total cost in a project. :T


Each person has a different definition of small, medium, large.

 

[Tim]

I'm already using the board, and it's been hooked up to 2 different thermaltake watercooling kits for over a 1 year (feb 07) without issues with the backplate.
Also, I'm approaching this from a quietness standpoint more than an overclocking standpoint. I run this at stock 98% of the time, and overclock usually to test a benchmark or out of curiosity. Isn't another goal of watercooling to help reduce noise?

I said about 500ish a few replies above. Not to mention I might be able to get a little extra money back from the Lian-Li v1000 modded case I'll be replacing, not to mention the Thermaltake Bigwater 760i I'm using now is fairly new and can also be sold to help diffuse cost of other parts.

 

[Tim]

I'm also thinking about going passive cooling on my 2 8800gts 512's via the accelero s1 rev.2. I hear nothing but good about it, and with the rocketfish, i'll have a case that will fit them! I think that's cheaper than trying to watercool the video cards, and according to reviews these particular passives work VERY well. This would cut down the fans to the case fans and the rad fans.

Oh the cost is going up up up, but It makes me happy

 

[Tim]

I've tried at all the Best-Buy's in my area... the cheapest I can find the rocketfish case is 96 and they won't pricematch other stores...

Pretty bummed out now :|

 

[aigomorla]

hmmm, 500 budget, case is a rocketfish.

You dont know how to mod, but you would like to?

Okey, top mount a radiator. Use a Radiator Grill to clean up your mess on the top of your case. The Rad Grill will cover uneven cuts with a nice blingy top cover.

Radiator: PA120.3 < basically your best option for noise>
Pump: Swiftech MCP655 Vario. Dont get the non Vario, its weaker then the vario.
Cpu Blocks: D-tek Fusion, no accelerators. We gonna take small steps in h2o cooling.
Gpu blocks: MCW60 are great, however if you have a 8800GT or 8800GTS (G92) the DangerDen's IONE block is pretty darn amazing.
Reservoir: Swiftech MicroRes

NorthBridge: get the EK. DD MPC 680i, and so is XSPC's new chipset block as well.
SouthBridge: Get EK, or just air cool it with an enzo sb sink.

Mosfet make sure you inspect those mosfet contact. Sometimes the stock cooling sinks on the mosfets wont make good contact and crap your board out in 2 months. <first hand experience>

Read my sticky linked in the bottom of my sig so you know what im talking about with parts. Tubing and coolant recomendations are also covered, as well as installing, bleeding, cleaning, and testing.

 

[Bluefront]

FWIW....Last Tuesday my local BestBuy had the Rocketfish case for $96. On Thursday it was down to $49. Keep trying....

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: Bluefront
FWIW....Last Tuesday my local BestBuy had the Rocketfish case for $96. On Thursday it was down to $49. Keep trying....

Thank you, I will keep checking

 

[dedwards]

Originally posted by: thepladfad
I'm already using the board, and it's been hooked up to 2 different thermaltake watercooling kits for over a 1 year (feb 07) without issues with the backplate.
Also, I'm approaching this from a quietness standpoint more than an overclocking standpoint. I run this at stock 98% of the time, and overclock usually to test a benchmark or out of curiosity. Isn't another goal of watercooling to help reduce noise?

Watercooling is a lot of fun - I like the performance and esthetics of it. I'm on my 3rd generation WC setup now and it's great.

Having said that, if quiet is your top priority, and you're not dead-set on watercooling, then a high-end aircooled setup might be better for you. Esp. if you're not shooting for a radical OC either.

WC CAN be fairly quiet, but you're talking about at least 2 fans, probably 3, plus the pump. For top performance, 3 fans that are moving some air (not low-speed). Maybe more than 3 if you're still using case fans in addition to the rad fans.

You could aircool that case with 3 under-volted low-speed fans, add some sound-dampening material and a top-of-the-line HSF for 1/2 the cost. With the right PSU that setup could be very quiet.

Not trying to talk you out of the WC setup, but if you're expecting it to be uber-quiet you may be disappointed.

DE

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: dedwards

Originally posted by: thepladfad
I'm already using the board, and it's been hooked up to 2 different thermaltake watercooling kits for over a 1 year (feb 07) without issues with the backplate.
Also, I'm approaching this from a quietness standpoint more than an overclocking standpoint. I run this at stock 98% of the time, and overclock usually to test a benchmark or out of curiosity. Isn't another goal of watercooling to help reduce noise?

Watercooling is a lot of fun - I like the performance and esthetics of it. I'm on my 3rd generation WC setup now and it's great.

Having said that, if quiet is your top priority, and you're not dead-set on watercooling, then a high-end aircooled setup might be better for you. Esp. if you're not shooting for a radical OC either.

WC CAN be fairly quiet, but you're talking about at least 2 fans, probably 3, plus the pump. For top performance, 3 fans that are moving some air (not low-speed). Maybe more than 3 if you're still using case fans in addition to the rad fans.

You could aircool that case with 3 under-volted low-speed fans, add some sound-dampening material and a top-of-the-line HSF for 1/2 the cost. With the right PSU that setup could be very quiet.

Not trying to talk you out of the WC setup, but if you're expecting it to be uber-quiet you may be disappointed.

DE

Thanks for the info. That hits a hard chord with me, as the money saving part tempts me very hard. I'll keep these opinions in mind and combine them with what everyone else has to say and make my decision soon. I'm still trying to jump the hurdle of getting the case at the price I want it at.

Also, I don't think I'd feel much sence of accomplishment just slapping the thing together all traditional-like

 

[DerwenArtos12]

I have to disagree with dedwards here. with the proper set-up and enough time spent properly assembling everything there is no reason water cooling can't be just as quiet if not quieter than air cooling. The PA 120.3 is more than capable of cooling a pretty substantial load with very quiet if not silent fans. Proper fan selection can go a LONG way here.

 

[Tim]

I pretty much already knew that the fan selection and tuning would be the most hit/miss thing in order for quietness.

On another note, what am I going to do with the hard-drives... even in quiet systems you can often hear them churning.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

mount them in a 5.25" bay suspended on some surgical tubing or heavy duty elastic.

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12
mount them in a 5.25" bay suspended on some surgical tubing or heavy duty elastic.

Is there another option?
I was planning on removing the HD cages all together and placing the 2 HDD's I have where the floppy disc drives usually go (i don't have an FDD).
I have other plans for some of the 5.25 bays (which I won't disclose at this moment)