Watercooling advice

[F022Y]

I did some digging around and i hope i have put this in the right place.

I'm looking to replace my TRUE 120 extreme rev.C with a water setup, i think i have worked it all out but would like another set of eyes to have a look.

What i want to do is have a dual rad setup to cool the CPU which is a AMD Phenom II 965 (for now as i'll probably be throwing another 5870 at it in the future) the chain will be pump/res > rad > cpu > 2nd Rad then back to pump/ res.

These are the parts i've been looking at:-

CPU waterblock - EK-Supreme HighFlow CPU Block - Copper AM3
120mm Rad - XSPC RS120 Black Radiator
240mm Rad - XSPC RS240 Black Radiator
Pump/res - XSPC Dual 750 Bay Reservoir Pump Rev2 Multi Fascia
Tubing - Tygon 1/2"
Coolant - Feser One F1
TIM - IC Diamond 24

I'm looking to keep my noctua fans and i'll coil the tubing, i think it all looks good and should fit in my CM cosmos case (120mm on the rear and the 240 on the roof).

I would really appreciate any comments and advice that can be offered as this is my first water setup.

[GoNz0]

you dont need dual rads as the water moves so fast round the system that it only picks up a little heat on its merry way round.

why waste money on tygon tubing as your not going to be flexing it thousands of times an hour like a medical pump would ? once its fitted it doesnt move and standard tubing is a fraction of the cost.

the change leftover from buying a 120.3 rad and standard hose would allow you to buy a decent pump and block

oh and the PA160 i have for sale fits on the back of the cosmos *cough*

a 120 rad on the back would need some form of a spacer so it doesnt foul anything.

http://downloads.rackage.com/images/G/DSC00336.jpg

[F022Y]

Thanks for the comments, i would have thought the double rad setup would be better at diffusing heat due to surface area? If possible i don't want to go external to the case and the rad thing does confuse me in terms of what brand to use, from what i've read the EK waterblock is one of the best for AM3 but if this is not the case what would you suggest? Also the idea of the pump and res being together in one unit appeals to me and as it fits in the 5 1/4" bay it can double up to show that fluid is actually moving.

Thanks again and i do appreciate the advice

[piggin23]

I agree with your comment regarding the rad surface area. If you can fit another rad in then go for it.
Regarding the pump, the XSPC Dual 750 Bay Reservoir Pump Rev2 Multi Fascia is not the best.

Go with this pump

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...roducts_id=181

and a

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...roducts_id=515

or a

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...oducts_id=1371

as for tubing, the tygon is very good but I would go with a coloured tube and distilled water.
Any of these will do

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/inde...ath=44_116_147

as for feser one, don't do it, it will stain everything and will be a complete nightmare to remove.

go with distilled water (Tesco) and a kill coil

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...oducts_id=1196

as for thermal compound, go with

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...oducts_id=1319

[F022Y]

Hello piggin thanks for the comments.

I'm hoping the two rads will fit in the coolermaster cosmos (i have the RC1000 v2).

I have been thinking about just using distilled water with PT_nuke but didn't know it was a supermarket item lol (i suppose i would still need the coil but thats fine will save money in the long run) the only reason that i opted for tygon is that its the only one that i've consistantly heard good things about. I was actually using MX-3 up until i got the TRUE 120 when i was given some IC diamond to try, that dropped my temp by 1-3 degrees over the MX-3 so as i still have some spare i'll remount with that (or unless someone gives me some indigo xtreme )

[piggin23]

The rads will fit in the coolermaster.
I know they are different but this is my old cosmos s



The distilled water & pt nuke will work with no problems just stay away from feser.
As you do not want this to happen.



As for IC diamond, I have some of this and had better results from MX-3.
If you have the diamond then use that.

[F022Y]

Yeah your "S" can take a triple in the roof and mine only a dual. i see what you mean about the staining. The IC diamond is a pain to apply i will admit lol and if i didn't have like 3 applications left of it i would change probably to the shin-etsu as that gets rave results, but people have their prefered TIM and every website has different results in terms of performance its unreal and hard to find a clear "this is the best because........."

[piggin23]

If you have problems with the application of TIM because it is thick, place it on a house rad for a time to help thin things out.

[F022Y]

I must admit i put the syringe in a cup of near boiling water for 3-4 minutes but both work well lol

[piggin23]

That will do the job. lol

[F022Y]

when it comes to rads which is better?

Swiftech
XSPC
or Thermochill?

[GoNz0]

i prefer thermochill

[F022Y]

I suppose the stupid question is what is the real difference? lol

[piggin23]

I suppose the stupid question is what is the real difference? lol

Thermochill used to be the best.
They used to have 25mm spacing for the fans and this gave them a rad that was a little longer than the competitors. This in turn gave a little more surface area, which equates to an unfair advantage over everyone else.

Have a look at some of these lab tests

http://www.skinneelabs.com/

I know they are mostly for 120.3 rads but it will give you a good starting point.

I personally like Thermochill but I am happy to use XSPC.

[scaryjim]

They used to have 25mm spacing for the fans and this gave them a rad that was a little longer than the competitors. This in turn gave a little more surface area, which equates to an unfair advantage over everyone else.

Oooh, does that mean the rad I'm buying off GoNz0 is actually slightly better than a new 120.3?

[PeterStoba]

Oooh, does that mean the rad I'm buying off GoNz0 is actually slightly better than a new 120.3?

Very slightly. The new, smaller, 120.3 is still very good.

Thermochills are better due to their design, the additional surface area plays very little part.