decisions decisions ?

[mark.d.]

hi all,im just about to start my 1st water cooling set up and have a few question's for you.

i have brought a XSPC X2O Delta Water Cooling Kit but i upgraded to a double radiator.

this kit will be cooling my cpu only (for now) which is a 2.4ghz conroe.

i have a asus maximus mobo with the northbridge water cooling already fitted as standard with 8gb of corsair ram and a asus 4850 and a antec p190 case.

1st question...do i put the radiator inside or out ?....what is the best option for cooling ?

2nd question...i will be putting 2 sharkoon fan's on the rad and seeing a lot of thread's about this push pull theory with the fan's im not sure which way to go.

does this push pull theory make a big difference if the rad is on the inside or outside ?

i will be overclocking my cpu once everything is running fine.

just one more question (sorry).once i have set the watercooling kit up..can i plug everything in and leave the cpu block on the outside to test for leaks ?

ill leave my tuniq on while im testing for leak's.

many thanks for reading such a few silly questions

mark

 

[Freak]

I a, not sure but will try and aply wot logi I have to it.

To cool a radiator you need cool air being blown through it. Air is colder from the outside than inside the case. I think that fans are better at moving air forward than backwards. In other words pushing.

That would be the only hting you need to worry about. In or out, the radiators position wont make too much difference.

 

[maxw]

I don't think it makes a huge difference if the rad is inside or out.

Most people like to have them inside as it's neater.

You can have the CPU block outside yes, and that's the best way incase it leaks.

 

[Freak]

You could do it with no hardware in the computer.

Install the loops etc then ge the 24pin lead of the psu and short the connection from the green to any black lead.

This will fool the PSU into thinking that there is a motherboard and that its asking for power.

Cant remember the link that I saw this from....But it worked for all those in there.

Founded it:

http://www.overclock3d.net/articles...er_cooling_-_quick_install_leak_testing_guide

And the jump start link:

http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=435

 

[mark.d.]

iv'e heard about that trick but in my case there are 2 psu's(total 1200 watt's) and there is a green lead that hooks them up together and i dont think that trick will work with my set up but thanks for the thought.

 

[Freak]

? Never heard of connecting two PSUs together....N00b alert ;D

A spare one lying around?

The above just removed the motherboard from the equasion. It would still work with the motherboard connected.

 

[monkey7]

Yeah the Antec P190 is supplied with two PSU's working together.

Short the green/black on the 24pin motherboard plug. So the one you normally plug in the motherboard is the one you should short. Or just use a spare PSU (I'm sure you got a generic 300w lying around) and keep your current rig running so you can game ánd leak test at the same time :')

 

[mark.d.]

good idea m8,i have a spare dell psu in the loft,i would rather use that to test my w/c than my antec psu's.

many thanks

 

[SwaleSmith]

Have done many loops am by no means a pro as there are many far better than me but I have had my fair share of lessons and mistakes and have wised up alot on WC.

Heres what I think...

Temps are slightly better with fans in push and pull but if you running a large enough rad then you won't really need to worry about this, totaly upto you this can make a good difference depends how good your fans are and how loaded your rads are. Recommend it on thick rads such as thermochill ot tfc xchanger

I much rather see the rad inside as I am not a fan of them being outside especialy when the pumps come outside the case an go in through holes...looks a little bodged in my opinion, This is all prefrence though no performance gains to be had, only the direction of airflow affects this.

As for what direction I'd certainly say if given the choice Suck in cold air from outside the case and blow it through the rad then into the case you can do it the other way but the intake air will be warmer as your gfx etc etc will warm the air inside the case unless your case is very well ventilated then the difference may be negligable and will bring it once again to your own prefrence.

Setups will differ your not running a particularly hot/hard to cool cpu and a double should be well and truly capable of handling this along with the m/board.

Heres one very important tip.. do not use the supplied northbridge pipes and t-peice included they spring leaks and the pipe splits!!! I found this out the hard way at a cost of a 9800gx2 and this was when they was in excess of £380!!!! buy a proper t-peice with better tubing and better jubilee clips from soemwhere like WaterCooling UK I can't stress enough How Important this is!!!

Monkey 7 has covered the PSU trick but you can buy this very hand little tool http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=64&products_id=641

 

[mark.d.]

thanks for the advice m8,i have ordered the psu tool as that will come in handy later on.

this is my 1st water cooling ever !

so i just need some info and advice before i start on this journey.

 

[mark.d.]

thanks for the link and tip swalesmith,it is a very handy little tool and should make life a lot easier.

 

[mark.d.]

just one more question guy's.

where do i plug my 2 fan's which will be on my rad ?

 

[monkey7]

Your motherboard, molex connectors or a fan controller. The main advantage of a controller is the fact you can .. control the fans, making them more quiet. Your motherboard and molex however do not cost you additional money but will always run your fans on the max. speed.