I want to WC my rig, but need help!

[Phoenix]

Here goes! I've recently bought a new rig, and clocked it to 3,375, and the temps are okay under full load, but I wanna try out watercooling for the first time, and maybe push my Q6600 to it's limits. So, seeing that I'm a total newbie in the WC-world, I need some help.

I want to WC my CPU, NB, RAM and, in time, my two GF8800GTS-cards. The price is cruicial, but I can wait with the NB and RAM too. As I'm from Norway, I will probably be ordering stuff from a Norwegian site, so maybe it'll post as a challenge for you to find something in my pricerange, so you shouldn't actually bother. I've been looking at a Swiftech Compact H2O 120-kit, and the reviews on it is rather good, but I want to know if any of you are familiar with it? And then there's the question of tubesizes and stuff like that. I don't really need to have it looking like Willy Wonkas magical chocolate factory, as long as it works, I'm fine. I'll also be taking my PC on the occational LAN-party at work, so I want to be sure it will not post any problem with leakage while transporting it.

The cabinet is a Antec P182, so as far as space goes, I should be ok, but I really want to be able to have everything inside the case.

So PLEASE OC3D, PIMP MY PC!

 

[Pat123]

You should be able to get it all in if your getting a 120mm rad, however with a 240mm i think you'de be best off with the rad outside the case.

Whats your budget?

 

[Phoenix]

Well, tbh, I haven't got a budget yet, but once a month my employer finds it in his heart to give me one. But I'm planning on spending around 150-200£ on it. Though I found the XSPC X2O-kit at Aqua-Pcs at 64£, which looks like a good starter-kit, at a very nice price, so I was thinking of ordering it...

 

[nunzio]

Up in tromso.. couldnt you just put it outside in the snow?

Yeah, the xspc kit is nice, but advise a larger 240mm rad, if you wish to cool both your vga cards you might want to put a 2nd loop in for them and do cpu/nb/sb/ram on the 1st loop.

 

[Pat123]

tbh i wouldnt bother with the ram, just buy some nice sinks.. The i dont know much about Nb and south bridge but for the CPU ide say make a custom kit, for £200 you could get a pretty solid loop that would last for ages

 

[Phoenix]

That's the problem, I don't know the first thing about what I need or don't need, besides the pump, rad and heatsink, and I don't really know what kind I should choose, in the endless jungle of equipment.

 

[nepas]

as a starter kit there is nothing wrong with the xspc one,as that is what i have at the moment(just to see if I could put it together)

 

[Phoenix]

Nice What kind of CPU are you running, and at what temps? Do you have any temps under aircooling to compare with? I guess that kit is pretty easy to assemble?

 

[nepas]

Q6600 at 3ghz idles at 28-34,loads at 37-42.And yes its very easy to put together,took 20 mins lol

 

[Phoenix]

Oh, that sounds nice! Mine is idling at 40 and under full load it peaks at 66, so I guess water would be the way to go Now, only to wait for my paycheck, and then, maybe.

 

[Pat123]

I get similar temps, slightly lower, at the same clock speed.

I get 26-31 idle 38-41 load. My loop was put together on £188

Edit: ill help you put together a loop if you like.

 

[tinytomlogan]

So what are you planning to cool with the xspc kit?

For overclocking a quad I would say you would need the 240mm rad just for that!

Theres no way you will cool a quad and 2 gpu's with a 240mm rad either just no point.

If you want to cool your full system then its a 360mm rad minimum Im affraid

Id go custom build if you can afford it.

Im a regular over at wcuk and alway get my kit from rob,

Willing to help you get the kit you would need picked out if you like?

 

[Phoenix]

Help is always appreciated, and seeing I know little or nothing about watercooling, I think I would need something that's pretty easy to put together...But if I go for the XSPC-kit with a 240mm rad for the CPU, would there be room to eventually buy another 240mm rad for the GPU's?

 

[tinytomlogan]

you could add another rad in but I would recomend it myself, you would be better off keepthing the gpu's in a seperate loop.

You will need a decent rad for those 2 aswell.

What is your budget?

 

[Phoenix]

Here's a pic of what my rig looks like atm, mind you, I will be replacing the IDE optical drive with a SATA.

 

[Phoenix]

As posted earlier, I haven't really got much of a budget, I'm just thinking here, but I would say around 150-200£.

 

[tinytomlogan]

You could build a custom set up for £200 if the budget does reach that far, would also give you room to add mobo blocks in at a later date.

The 240mm XSPC kit would do you fine, its up to you really.

Im a watercooling nut really, if it gets hot I want to watercool it.

Hence why I have a watercooled X360

 

[Pseudonym]

Hence why I have a watercooled X360

Nice, have you got pics/build gallery?

 

[tinytomlogan]

Not on here no....

Plenty of pics though, wont post here and hijack the thread!

Interested in it then....?

 

[Pat123]

Personally ide reccomend either the D-Tek Fusion CPU Block or the EK supreme, i have the EK. If you get the D-tek make sure you buy the nozzle kit for around £3.. And a 775 backplate for which ever you buy.

Then ide say go for a thermochill rad however theres not a MASSIVE difference between a thermochill and a standard XSPC rad when cooling only the CPU.

Ide then get a few yate loon fans, 1/2" id tubing, wormdrive clips.

A Laing DDC pump either standard or ultra depending on your budget. Then a nice top for it.. i have a EK acetel top, works a dream, though i kinda wish ide bought a see through one..

Then you'll need a res for easier filling.. See my build log for pics or w.e if it'll help. (click my sig), you could use a fill port, but with it being your first build ide look into a res probably. That should be about it..

Oh yeh and liquid, feser one, which ever colour you fancy. You'll also need a few 1/2" barbs.

Have a look around on aqua-pc's or watercooling uk and tot a few prices up see what it adds up to.

Happy Shopping