Watercooling parts and liquid

[rrjwilson]

I'm looking at going WC but do not have time currently. I have read many tutorials finding out the basics explained in many ways but some questions I cannot answer unless I have the kit here so measurements are my best friend.

120mm x 180mm x 170mm is the space where I intend to site the reservoir, pump, radiator attacment (i'll explain later) and tubing splitters. For blocks I have a cunning plan and damn the expense (i probably will for one reason or another). I only plan to do the CPU and the SLi GPUs (for the moment at least). Swiftech MCW6500-T1 TEC & WC block for the CPU and for the GPU I was looking at some EK full board blocks this one and this one. What in gods holy name is the difference between these blocks aside from not being able to see the water (or other liquid) flowing through it. They are both ready for SLi so I can regain some space (and airflow).

The reservoir and pump i would prefer to have pre-made (pump in res) but pre-assembled may have to suffice. I'm more worried about pump ability than res size because of what i plan to run (explained soon). A simple res and pump combo mean i can fabricate a TEC cooled res from my old electric fridge. Nothing fancy like just whip off TEC and attach (somehow) to the res (or DIY made res to same spec).

Radiator attacment will be on the side of the case near the front. I'm gonna weld on some bits (father-in-law is sheet metal worker and has been for over 50 years) so i can remove the side panel with hassle still. I also intend to fit a full 360mm radiator to keep the temps down. I've read about the ThermoChill PA120.3 and I am impressed but can't help thinking one of the others may help out more.

In the recent PCformat magazines there has been a case modder guy doing some watercooling as well as other bits. He had some tube splitters but not 2-to-1 but 3-to-1 and they were metal too. This got me thinking about my plan i had originally planned to serial attach rad-block-rad-block-rad-block but if i could split the flow i could use one behemoth rad and three separate loops (or more ).

I have a an aluminium racing radiator in my car (modified ) and use OAT coolant (as recommend by my friend who works for BMW F1 team) but I am wondering if this would be good in my PC as it would stop fungal growth and cools over 15% better than deionised water and does not corrode the radiator.

Thats my plan and unfortunately here are my questions.

1. Swiftech block, good idea?
   
2. The GPU EK blocks what actually is the difference?
   
3. What are my pump in res options?
   
4. Is there a pre-fabricated pump-res combo you would recommend?
   
5. Are TEC cooled res' available?
   
6. If Yes will they work as I hope to do it?
   
7. Will my radiator shift enough heat from my system?
   
8. Where do I find tube separators like that guy?
   
9. Would OAT racing coolant be good in a PC WC setup?
   

 

[rrjwilson]

Here is my tech specs too

Hardware:

Windows XP Pro x64

Asus Striker Extreme 680i

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 3.0GHz (1333MHz - 333 x 9) G0 stepping

2Gb OCZ ReaperHPC PC2-8500 (930Mhz - 465MHz 5-5-5-15-2T)

2x 160Gb SATA2 Maxtor DiamondMax +10 (System Disk and Documents)

2x 320Gb SATA2 Maxtor DiamondMax +11 (Audio and Video)

2x Asus Extreme 8800GTX (600Mhz, 1000Mhz, 1406MHz) in SLi

Thermaltake 1200W PSU

Asus MW221u Monitor

Artic Cooling Freezer Pro 7

Coolermaster 4-in-3 Hard disk cooler

Drivers:

1503 BIOS

9.53 680i SLi Intel Edition

163.75 8800GTX driver

DirectX 9.0c

All Voltages: [Auto]

Results:

CSS VST @ 1680x1050 16x AA 16x AF - 318.11fps

3DMark06 @ defaults - 16069 - 6138 - 7513 - 4778

 

[ai_01]

1) for tec its good, iv seen a few D-Tek blocks on tecs too.

2) Full blocks cover everything from the GPU core to the mem chips to the mosfets on the GPU, whereas non full blocks just cover the core chip only

3) For pump in res, id use Liangs Ultra DDC or Danger Dens Poly Res with DDC.

4)Stated above, you might have to assemble them though

5) Not that I know of, Coolit does something with Tecs and res and Iv seen a mockup here but its a personal built, but as far as commercial nothing that i can think of.

6) TEC on a block, will give better temps by far.

7)Thermochill will be fine, its the best, you can get a car radiator if you want

8) ionno

9) Iv known people that use radiator fluid from their car, I say just about anything that is distilled or deionized is fine, the only thing that you have to worry about is the pump. Iv seen best temps though on straight water. B/C the liquidity limits the pump on how much it can push and also it just transfers more heat. Radiator fluid and everything else is to either protect your system if it leaks or so the fluids don't corrode the loop b/c of the metals. Also makes it look cool, cars have radiator fluid b/c you cant have your radiator fluid freezing in the winter, thus your car wont work.

 

[rrjwilson]

Thank you for not making fun. I actually meant the difference between clear and acetal is it just cosmetic. Bad question really.

The reason I ask is because I have a fair science background I know thermal transfer efficiency with OAT is much better than deionised water or water with additives as it is composed for this purpose alone. It works along the same lines as water wetter but synthetic breakdown of the bonding which usually occur helps transfer. My main concern was OAT fluid causing detrimental effects to the other parts such as the pump increasing wear and such so wondered if anyone has had strange happenings with such stuff.So a TEC reservoir would be a good thing i'll go in the loft then.

 

[FarFarAway]

I use Zerex racing coolant in my loops sometimes, not that it makes too much of a difference really.

I think you'll find that the second part of your post about OAT is the exact reason why it's not used in PC's: the parts aren't designed to the tougher standards car parts are and quite frankly don't really need to be.

Kind-of TEC cooled reservoirs are called water-chillers and act as the res and a cooler in one, a lot of the time cooling to below ambient temperatures. In this case you'd need a lot of insulation as condensation + PC = dead PC

Hope that makes sense/is relevent to ya

 

[rrjwilson]

Yeh i am worried about the seals going using OAT stuff but as PC piping is the same as mine just smaller i was hoping for it to be ok maybe a pond pump loop with some would solve my mystery (and anyone else wanting to know). Another reason for it is the fact nothing grows in it due to its synthetic engineering.

Yes I realise condensation and computer usually means dead computer but as I intend to use the Swiftech block i will use conformal coating over it. So condensation "should" not matter. Why does the Swiftech instructions say to coat the entire back of the mobo but only cover part of the front and spray just the socket area? Why not cover everything that has a connection open then spray it all? As long as your not a muppet and check you've covered everything surely it should be fine and better protected?

The TEC i plan to use is only a little one as it can already be run on 12v for in-car fridge fun so not sure how cold the res will get given constant movement but it should help.

Thank you

 

[rrjwilson]

Rate my shopping list

Radiator

Pump

Reservoir

CPU block

GPU block

Tubing

Non-conductive liquid

Splitters (not the ones that guys used )

Clips

 

[ai_01]

A+ on the parts, I for one am not big on the reservoir and pump all in one solution(just restricts flow a little). But everything else looks good, Yates are known to work wonders on the PA120.3 series, Scythes are also good on it.

The reason why you do not spray the whole entire board is because the spray can not touch the pins, ex. PCI, Ram sockets. Thats why you use De-Electra grease on the CPU socket and don't spray it.

 

[Bungral]

One thing is you haven't linked a pump.. Just the top for a pump. If its just a linky error then no probs. What pump you going for the pro or ultra?

 

[Pat123]

Ive never seen that CPU block before.. lol. Ill just go along with everyone else.. The loop other than that looks fine to me.. (Y) Get some yates on that Rad

 

[FarFarAway]

You will be fine with that CPU block and don't need insulation on the tubes. I was only saying that if you went for a water-chiller that went sub-ambient

 

[rrjwilson]

Thanks for the replies nice to know I'm picking good bits. The rad obviously needs fans of some sort and i guess Yates are the ones?

Also because the CPU is a TEC cooler it will be sub-ambient and if the reviews and technical bumph are to be believed I will be only 5C when loaded too.

I only have the listed space so want to economise on it as best as possible, thats why i chose the pump-res option. Most powerful pump 18W i believe.

Any other tips or ideas?

 

[rrjwilson]

Rate my shopping list

Radiator

Pump

Reservoir

CPU block

GPU block

Tubing

Non-conductive liquid

Splitters (not the ones that guys used )

Clips

So you were all very kind about my first pickings and i shall get them all sorted but as it's my first adventure into the world of WC I'm gonna restrict myself for a few months to CPU and NB (its Fusion block so might as well) cooling only.

I have a space 120mm x 180mm x 170mm clear in my case for the parts. Will everything fit in?

Now the Swiftech block is currently being a

to get hold of so I need a substitute block that i can loose my WC V-plates too while I get the other one sent. Alternate blocks?

In worry that I am unable to get the Swiftech I am wondering if the disregarded fridge TEC could be epoxyed to a measured plate (somehow) attached to the reservoir side. The TEC runs off 12V and isn't exactly powerful but its not cool the CPU just chilling the Reservoir. I'm just wondering if this could give the £/Hz increase in stability i'm hoping for?

The reservoir is a combo to make sure I have enough room so that I dont screw my first WC venture with my hooves. However the space cleared for it is at the bottom of the case. Reservoirs should be at the top for bubble extraction. Does it matter?

Also all the parts are 1/2" connectors so bends will have to be very gentle. Anti-Kink coil thingys should help this right?

I am SLi and want to cool the GPUs as my next evolution (a few months down the line if I can wait that long). I intend to split the flow after the radiator to have separate loops effectively for each component. The mobo is triple SLi (maybe quite handy come the CUDA drivers for PhysX) and so I want to efficiently route the tubing. Splitter are easy to find but the ones I keep finding are shabby for my specific purpose. I really need a 1in-4out splitter to get this project running like the amazon. Anyone know where to get one or at least how to make a very small one from bits?

 

[rrjwilson]

Thinking about the splitter just now. Had a quick browse around the sponsors and found some fittings for 1/2" screw in. Now if I had a block of metal (aluminium?) I could bore it out for the fittings then side drill to attach the split points everything done in 4" x 1" x 1" which would solve my splitting woes. Here is the annoyance. I would have to the drill points (no biggy done that before) but where do i get a suitable tap for the job?

 

[rrjwilson]

Anybody know?

 

[rrjwilson]

Okay so I know where to buy the tapper but does anyone know about the tpi of the thread or how to translate the watercooling sizes (eg G1/4) to normal BSP tpi?

 

[rrjwilson]

Click on my attachment to see my idea.

It is neat and effective but am i right in thinking it will be a

to remove the air.

Yes i'm removing the lower drive cage for room.

 

[rrjwilson]

Ok so I did not buy my original plan but I will soon.

Radiator

Pump

Reservoir

CPU block

GPU block

Tubing

Non-conductive liquid

Clips

I have some worries though. As you know I don't want the normal sort of splitters but I'm gonna "rough" it until I get the others done. The GPU blocks will be split fed after the CPU. Will this be ok?

Non-conductive fluid (yes I know about the YouTube "tests") is bit lacking in my setup as the Blood red looks brilliant but I'd like to window the case and have the coolant glow. Blood red doesn't glow however Feser UV red does but its mostly pink :O so I thought given its water with inhibitors i should be able to mix them together and create a truely red UV coolant. Am I being a tit?

Can I fit everything like in my picture attachment on last post?

I realise I'll have to jiggle the case a bit on filling but that will be it right?

 

[rrjwilson]

Bump

 

[rrjwilson]

Everything has arrived but until I have some information from you guys I cannot do anything.

I have some worries though. As you know I don't want the normal sort of splitters but I'm gonna "rough" it until I get the others done. The GPU blocks will be split fed after the CPU. Will this be ok?

Non-conductive fluid (yes I know about the YouTube "tests") is bit lacking in my setup as the Blood red looks brilliant but I'd like to window the case and have the coolant glow. Blood red doesn't glow however Feser UV red does but its mostly pink :O so I thought given its water with inhibitors i should be able to mix them together and create a truely red UV coolant. Am I being a tit?

Can I fit everything like in my picture attachment on last post?

I realise I'll have to jiggle the case a bit on filling but that will be it right?