clownfart

I've always wanted water cooling, but its much more expensive than high end air coolers. Right now I have a Zalman CNPS9700 NT, which I find very loud. So my main goal with this purchase is to keep it quiet, cheap, and give me a better OC.

I only want to WC my CPU atm, but with my next video card upgrade I want to include a full cover block into my loop.

So here is what I'm thinking of, keep in mind I live in Canada and want to buy from NCIX.com.

CPU block: Swiftech APOGEE GTZ or D-TEK Fuzion V2
Pump: Swiftech MCP655
Rad: Not sure what to get. I want to keep it inside my case, so 240 is probably the biggest.
Res: Swiftech Micro res
Tubing: Tygon R-3603 1/2IN ID 3/4IN OD 5 Feet
Coolant: Feser One Fluid UV Black
Fans: Noctua NF-P12-1300
Fittings: Bitspower G1/4 Straight Compression Fittings for 1/2IN ID 3/4IN OD Tubing (Pair)

Here's a pic of my rig, the case is a CM 832.




Which CPU block and radiator should I get? Is the rest good, and will all the parts work toghether well? Will it be worth it over an Ultra-120 eXtreme?

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NVIDIA Stacker 832

Monst3r

Nice setup mate go with the Fuzion as their the same and cheaper.. for a rad really depends if your cooling just a cpu loop.. if ur goin just a cpu loop go for the PA 120 its a great rad but if your gonna use graphic card blocks and might even upgrade in the future go with a 360gtx rad, personally my favourite is the black ice 360gtx as i currently own one also.. rememebe when using a 360 rad you want the best cfm as possible so i suggest goin with some high panaflo fans preferaly 100+cfm.. hope i helped You can pic up some ultra kazes from sidewindercomputers.com for prety cheap along with the panaflo's.. good luck mate

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Monst3r

Oh and for tubing go 7/16 masterkeeler if you want, good quality which is fairly bendable and looks nice under UV cathodes..

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Ducky

Fusion over the apogee imho. Why black fluid might I ask? A nice green would probably look great As for your res, is that the full tower stacker? A 360 rad *might* fit along the bottom of that case, I remember asking about it a long time ago.

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Monst3r

oh forgot to mention you want ur rad on the outside of ur case for best temps.. Purchase a rad box which is like $8 from petras also.. Last but not least mate you want your air like this as it works the best with a 360rad as tests have been done and these are the best results for a 360 rad with high cfm fans..
Airflow <----[120x38mmfan][SHROUD][RAD][RADbox] so you want your fans pulling all that air through the rad and out, enjoy

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clownfart

The place I'm buying from sells the GTZ and Fusion V2 for the same price, so I might get the GTZ cause it looks better if they're the same. As I said in the original post, I want to keep this quiet, so I wont be getting Panaflo or Scythe fans.

Green and blue are overused. I just want something a little different. Purple or Orange are also a possibility.

The bottom only has mounting holes for two 120mm fans. It probably wont be able to mount a rad unless I drill new ones. A 360 rad might fit, but I would have to cut more of the bottom out. I was thinking of putting the rad in between the drive bays and the mobo. But outside the case seems ok too, If I did that I would put it on the top.

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NVIDIA Stacker 832

eRazorzEDGE

if ur wanting 2 use a maximum of a single 240 rad, ur gonna need at least 70cfm fans and it'll only b good 4 ur CPU.

if u want 2 add ur GPU 2 the loop, ur gonna need a bigger rad or louder, more CFM capable fans. otherwise u should just stay with air cooling.

oh, and i have my panaflo's down 2 1500rpm, not loud at all. and at that level with my cpu at load, my water temps r less than 3°C over ambient. same with my gpu

Monst3r

Id personally go the FuZion 2.. As for the rads mate your best bet is to mount it on the top of your case or just get a rad box like ive telling everyone and mount it @ the back of your case,besides mounting it @ the back will giv u best temps.... And since you want a silent pc go with a feser360 rad they handle with lowe cfm fans

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utnorris

It's a good collection of items there, however I would change these:

1 - Go with a MCP355 and XSPC Res top instead of the MCP655 and micro res. It will perform better, be easier to place in that case, cut down on the tubing and fittings and look better.

2 - Go with Masterkleer tubing over Tygon. Almost as good at half the price.

3 - Use Koolance compression fittings instead of the Bitspower, just as good at half the price. $9 a pair.

4 - Straight distilled water with biocide and a dye if you want color. Nothing beats straight distilled water for cooling.

5 - Do a MCR220 rad from Swiftech if you are doing just the CPU, make it a MCR320 if you want to include the GPU and use some San Denki fans if you can get them, if not use Zalman ZM-F3 fans.

If the rad will not fit inside you can use the Swiftech rad box to attach it to the back of the case and run the tubing inside. Keep your tubing runs short and watch your bends. I find using 90 degree angles very useful and they don't kill your flow as long as you do not use a lot of them. I use 3/8" ID and 1/2" OD Masterkleer tubing with Koolance compression fittings and have no issues cooling my QX9650, NB and 2 x HD4850 video cards, 2 loops and 2 MCP355's with XSPC res tops. Check out xtremesystems.org liquid cooling section for a ton of stickies answering a lot of these questions with plenty of tests and results. And finally, is it worth it over doing the Ultra120? Yes and no. It really depends on what your goals are, water should be quieter and your load temps should be slightly lower than the Ultra120. My loads on my CPU do not go above 63c with an ambient of 27c. That's with the chip oc'd to 4Ghz @ 1.37v vcore. My 2 HD4850's do not go over 37c with the same ambient, again I overclock them too. Watercooling should give you a little more headroom for overclocking IF temps are what are holding you back. Water cooling will usually last longer as you really don't have to keep upgrading your parts even when the chipsets change, unlike with air coolers. Otherwise the Ultra120 is one of the best coolers you can buy and is about a third of what you will spend on water cooling.

NCIX is a great place to shop, so are Jab-tech.com, Petrastechshop.com, sidewindercomputers.com and performancepcs.com (best selection, but not the necessarily the best prices).

Hope that helps and good luck with water cooling. It's a great hobby that you will enjoy for a long time to come.

Utnorris

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W/C System Consisting of 3 Loops
EK Supreme,Swiftech MCW60 WB cooler x 2, EK NB Max EK SB4
2x Swiftech MCP355 with XSPC Res top MCP655 w/ EK 5 Top
Thermochill PA120.3, Thermochill PA120.1, Black Ice XtremeII Radiator, 7 San Denki 120mm Fans @5v, Koolance Compression Fittings