Watercooling: A newbies guide

[Nataku]

Hi there - long time reader, first time poster

Seeing as the summer is fast approaching (although you can't tell by the weather!), I'm looking to watercool my PC. At the mo I've got a P4 2.8C (@ ~3.2Ghz) and it gets a little too toasty for my liking in my CM210 (was around 55-60degs last summer ).

I've been doing some research, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is exactly that I want! Ideally I want something that can run fairly quietly (so that I can sleep at night) and can allow a fair bit of overclocking. What my research has revealed is that I don't want to go for an 'off-the-shelf' jobby - I'd much rather get the parts and do it myself. I've also been pondering over getting a 2x120mm rad or a 1x120mm rad - I know a 2x120 would give better cooling but it would be a really tight squeeze for my case.

The basic stuff I've found that will do the job is

DangerDen RBX
Thermochill 120.1
SilenX 120mm fan
Innovatec Tank-o-matic / Aquacompter Aquatube 1.1
Not too sure on the pump, and tubing - thats where I get confused

My budget for this is around £150-200 although this can be streched a little . Any help will be much appreciated!

[Ant]

I am also in the process of water cooling my system, so I am also a "newbie" . Unfortunately the parts I have ordered are only arriving tomorrow, so can't really say what they're like yet.

But what I have ordered is kind of similar to what you have listed.

I decided on the TDX block instead of the RBX. The TDX seems less awkward to install in my case, as it has one output, one input, unlike the RBX's two outputs, one input. From what I have read the performance is pretty much the same, for less effort. Both blocks seem to get a good response from the reviews scattered about on the web.

Pump wise I went the Laing D4 pump as runs off 12v, so you can just plug it into your psu with a spare molex connector, eliminating the need to have some sort of relay to power up a 240v pump everytime you turn your pc on. Again performance is apparently quite good. Almost forgot to mention, the Laing D4 pump can be connected to a rheobus, so if it does get a bit too noisy, you can just slow it down.

With regards to the hose, any flexible 1/2" hose should do the trick, just as long as you have 1/2" connectors on your Rad and res, as i don't think the rad normally comes with any connectors when you buy them on their own.

Please note though, I am also new to all this! Hopefully a w/c expert will come along soon and give their opinions too!

Give me a few days, then hopefully I can reply using my own experience! Wish me luck!

[Nataku]

I was actually in two minds about the RBX and TDX. Maybe for ease of installation the TDX may be better...

With regard to the tubing, quite a few have 1/2" hoses, but I've got my heart set on an Aquatube (bit big!!) which can have 10mm (about 3/8" I think) barbs. Does the tubing have to be 1/2" - will the cooling be so adversly affected by me choosing to go the 3/8" / 10mm route? Decisions, decisions...

As for the pump, I'd prefer to keep things seperate - maybe keep the thing running even with the PC off, having a relay doesn't bother me too much.

And please, let me know how you get on!