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Need Advice: WC first-timer wants quiet, high-performance setup... with bling.

871 Views 18 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  olympiawa, 
OutlawPiper
6
I’m ready to try watercooling, although it’s going to take me a while to piece everything together. I’m going to start with just the CPU, but I want my setup to be expandable, so I can add GPUs, chipsets and maybe memory down the road. I don’t really have a budget, which doesn’t mean I can just go buy whatever I want. It means that I have to rely on Christmas, birthday and Father’s Day to get my parts. I wanted to get some input before Christmas so I can ask Santa for a couple of parts.


Currently, I’m air cooling with a Zerotherm Nirvana, and I’ve gotten my Q6600 (G0) stable at up to 3.2 GHz. (I’m currently running at 3.0, because I don’t want to turn my fan up.) I don’t want to waste money going with a cheaper, entry level setup (although I’m a beginner), because I want to get noticeable performance gains over my current overclockability. Since I’ll be piecing this together over time it won’t look like as big of a hit to the wallet.


I’ll be setting up an all-internal loop in my PC-A70F. My goals are good overclocks and a quiet-ish system. Oh, and I like bling-factor.
That will come up later.

This is what I’ve picked out:

Radiator: XSPC RX360 (new matte finish)

Shroud: Tecnofront Airbox Plexi if it fits inside the top of my case with fans on top in a pull configuration. Does anyone have any experience with this part?


CPU Block: Swiftech Apogee XT

Tubing: Fesser or Primochill 1/2†ID (3/4†OD) UV Blue (I know blue is boring to most, since it’s the stock “gamer†case fan color, but I like it.)

Fittings: Bitspower Premium G1/4" Matte Black High Flow 1/2" Compression Fittings â€" Please let me know your thoughts on compression fittings verses barbs.

Coolant: Distilled water (I’ve read all the horror stories about colored coolant gunking up waterblocks.) with silver coil or PT Nuke.

Pump: MCP355 or MCP655 â€" I need help with this. I understand that the 355 has higher head pressure, but the 655 has a better flow rate. For future growth potential, would you guys recommend the 355 as the head pressure will stay higher when I add more blocks?


Reservoir: Here’s another area I need help with. If I go with the 355, I’m thinking about getting an XSPC top reservoir, but I haven’t really settled on anything.

With regards to placement of the pump and res, I’m still up in the air. PPCs has a new custom case that looks almost how I’m planning mine. Check it out here. I plan on using a different side panel, the W-75BM, but I’m going to replace the mesh with an A.C. Ryan smoke acrylic window and the rivets with black socket cap screws. Sorry…off topic. Anyway the case pic can show you the layout. Since the 355 outputs horizontally, how would you guys recommend placing it?
I see how the 655 fits well in the bottom, but it outputs vertically.

Radiator Fans: This part has proven really tricky for me. I mentioned above I’m looking for bling to go with my performance gains. I would really like some LED fans for my radiator to show through the MNPCtech “Brain Drain†radgrill I’m planning on getting, but it doesn’ t seem like anyone makes high-static pressure /high-CFM/low-DB LED fans for use with radiators. The ones I’m looking at are the Xigmatek CLF1251-4 (Don’t know which number is which color.) and the Coolermaster R4-L2R-20AC-GP. Does anyone have any ideas on that? I’ve seen some great guides for adding LEDs to non-LED fans, but I don’t think I have that kind of time.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice! I’ve got other ideas swirling in my head, but this is good enough for now.
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Nick911
Radiator fans: Typhoon
Coolant:distilled and PK nuke
Cpu block is fine
Radiator: http://www.xspc.biz/rx360.php XSPX triple rad(best for slow fans)
Pump:MCP 655 vario(quiter then the mcp355 BY A LONG SHOT)
Tubing:1/2"
Res:swiftech res
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OutlawPiper
Nick911,

Thanks for the input on the pump. (+1) That's something I hadn't heard. I'm definitely going to take that into consideration!

I've thought about the 1850 Gentle Typhoons, but as I mentioned, I'm trying to get the best LED fans I can find, and unfortunately Scythe doesn't make LED Typhoons.
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N
LED's don't keep your system temperatures down - however why not buy the best possible fans and then put led's on them?
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Darren9
If your after a quiet system I wouldn't put Xigmatek's on an RX360, I tried them on mine to replace Typhoons because they looked better and had similar dB/CFM ratings. The rad acts as a soundboard though and amplifies vibrations from the xiggy's that you wont get from Typhoons.
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OutlawPiper
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Quote:


Originally Posted by nub
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LED's don't keep your system temperatures down - however why not buy the best possible fans and then put led's on them?

You mean they're not like "go faster" stripes?
hehe

I know. It's just that my free time is limited, so I'm just trying to see if there are any fans out there that would do a decent job w/o having to install LEDs. I was hoping to save myself a step. Plus, I'm not sure how good the gray Typhoon blades would look with LEDs. Has anyone installed LEDs into Thyphoons? If so, please post pics.
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OutlawPiper
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Quote:


Originally Posted by Darren9
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If your after a quiet system I wouldn't put Xigmatek's on an RX360, I tried them on mine to replace Typhoons because they looked better and had similar dB/CFM ratings. The rad acts as a soundboard though and amplifies vibrations from the xiggy's that you wont get from Typhoons.

Thanks for the input. Do you remember which model you tried?
The CLF series uses rifle bearings, where the XLF series uses sleeve bearings. (I read sleeve somewhere, but I'm having a hard time finding it on their site now.) I will be mounting the rad horizontally, and I read in a guide here on Overclock that rifle bearings are good for horizontal mounts, where as sleeve bearings are not. How did you have your rad mounted?
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reiben05
just buy a fan controller
, it'll help controlling the sound for fans..
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OutlawPiper
Quote:


Originally Posted by reiben05
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just buy a fan controller

I plan on buying a Lamptron FC5 if they ever become available. (They're being re-engineered according to PPCs.)
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T
if you dont have a budget and you want to get chipset and mofset and memory cooling and the like you might as well upgrade your CPU and MOBO to a 1366 socket first that way you can future proof your system and have watecooling that is future proof as well

also if you plan on adding GPUs etc to you loop i'd get a 360 and a 240 atleast
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Chunky_Chimp
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Quote:


Originally Posted by OutlawPiper
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You mean they're not like "go faster" stripes?
hehe

I know. It's just that my free time is limited, so I'm just trying to see if there are any fans out there that would do a decent job w/o having to install LEDs. I was hoping to save myself a step. Plus, I'm not sure how good the gray Typhoon blades would look with LEDs. Has anyone installed LEDs into Thyphoons? If so, please post pics.

Honestly, I wouldn't know about the GentleTyphoons being modded with LEDs. Using contrasting colors always has the best visual effect, that's what I can say. Having said that, look at Sharkoon's "Golf Ball" type fans (the Silent Eagle SE for silence, the Silent Eagle 2000 for more oomph); black housings with white blades, which themselves have golf-ball-ish dimples; it's actually pretty striking to look at, AND they're good performers and undervolters.

If you want the ULTIMATE in bling for such a setup, ask CyberDruid about having one of his "waterfall" reservoirs being made with LEDs, I'm sure you can work something out, though I gotta say those reservoirs are awesome enough already.
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quentin
The 355 is not noisy at all, and it offers much more performance over the 655. It's a better pump for a cheaper price, and if you have a HDD or a PSU fan runnin', you will hear that over the 355.
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Darren9
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Quote:

Originally Posted by OutlawPiper View Post
Thanks for the input. Do you remember which model you tried?
The CLF series uses rifle bearings, where the XLF series uses sleeve bearings. (I read sleeve somewhere, but I'm having a hard time finding it on their site now.) I will be mounting the rad horizontally, and I read in a guide here on Overclock that rifle bearings are good for horizontal mounts, where as sleeve bearings are not. How did you have your rad mounted?

I have 2 rads, one horizontal, one vertical. My experience is any vibrations from the motor are transmitted the same however the rad is mounted. I only tried the XLF's (F1253) so its possible a different bearing would make a difference. I don't think the CLF series was available when I tried the XLF, I'm considering trying some now, Typhoons are the quietest I've tried but look so dull.
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88EVGAFTW
The MCP355 is not noisy, the only noise you may get will come from vibrations of the pump being directly in contact with the case. It is best to find a way to isolate it or get a gel pad for it, or get one from an old mouse pad.

Also that radiator is 8 Fins per inch, so you do not need any super powerful fans for it, no need for high speed etc... Usually some medium speed fans (Typhoons or even Yate Loons on the cheap 3$-4$ each) are great. I run Medium speed Yates on my Thermochill and its 8 Fins per inch also I believe, or 10, but they really get the job done.

Good idea on the straight distilled water + biocide. I tried Feser dye once and it was a nightmare to clean and get rid of a few weeks later. ALSO I highly suggest the Kill Coil, PT Nuke (I may be wrong or maybe just my setup) but it made my tubes get sort of foggy or white after a while, nothing serious, just slight discoloration. Going on straight water + Kill Coil my tubes look really clean over a month later so far.
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OutlawPiper
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Quote:


Originally Posted by tha d0ctor
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if you dont have a budget and you want to get chipset and mofset and memory cooling and the like you might as well upgrade your CPU and MOBO to a 1366 socket first that way you can future proof your system and have watecooling that is future proof as well

also if you plan on adding GPUs etc to you loop i'd get a 360 and a 240 atleast

When I say I don't have a budget, I more mean that I'll buy what I need in as long as it takes. I figure if I'm building the loop I'm proposing, it will take me about 6 months. I'd love to upgrade to I5 or I7, but by the time I had enough money to buy all the parts necessary, I'd need to upgrade to an I12 or something.


One of the reasons I like the Apogee XT is that it has a flexible mounting system depending on backplate. (at least that's how I understand it...) Hopefully it will last me from 775 to 1156 or 1366 and beyond. That's my goal anyway. At this point in time, I'm pretty busy, so I don't have a lot of time to game. My box is fast enough for me at the moment. I figured this would be a good opportunity to get a solid cooling setup for my next round of hardware upgrades.
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88EVGAFTW
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Quote:


Originally Posted by OutlawPiper
View Post

When I say I don't have a budget, I more mean that I'll buy what I need in as long as it takes. I figure if I'm building the loop I'm proposing, it will take me about 6 months. I'd love to upgrade to I5 or I7, but by the time I had enough money to buy all the parts necessary, I'd need to upgrade to an I12 or something.


One of the reasons I like the Apogee XT is that it has a flexible mounting system depending on backplate. (at least that's how I understand it...) Hopefully it will last me from 775 to 1156 or 1366 and beyond. That's my goal anyway. At this point in time, I'm pretty busy, so I don't have a lot of time to game. My box is fast enough for me at the moment. I figured this would be a good opportunity to get a solid cooling setup for my next round of hardware upgrades.


i7 will be around for a while. AFAIK the i9 is only an extreme edition. SO unless you have 700$-1200$ for a CPU you will most likely, and probably the majority of us, will be using i7 for a long time. By the way, if you get an i7, I suggest you get the 1366 socket, if i9 becomes affordable down the road, it will drop right into the mobo as it uses X58.
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Monst3r
Go with the heatkiller CPU Block, and please dont go compression fittings! looks so ugly.. 2 much metal for my liking
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OutlawPiper
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Monst3r View Post
Go with the heatkiller CPU Block, and please dont go compression fittings! looks so ugly.. 2 much metal for my liking

Thanks for the input. I thought about the HK 3.0, but wouldn't that limit me to one socket type? With the XT, I can change that up with a different back plate. Also, I've read that the two are very close in performance with the XT coming in slightly ahead. As far as fittings go, I'm not totally opposed to barbs, but I actually really like the look of the new Bitspower matte black and sparkle black compression fittings. Check them out here and here.
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O
Also with compression fittings you don't need to use ugly hose clamps, which in my opinion looks "worse". I deffinatly like the compression fittings, I just ordered the matte black bitspower ones myself.
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