Waterblocks, Sugestions?

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03-11-2005, 03:44 PM
TheAnimus

Waterblocks, Sugestions?

I've decided to cut down on drinking when i go out, and as such have got some money to watercool my desktop.

Waterblocks are the hard part, as i'm on a necona xeon 604 (dual).

The cooler master one looks very good (RL-CUC-CNU1), cheap, and also dual output:
http://www.overclock.co.uk/productimages/18631.jpg
priced around £25

A cheap option Swiftech (money is a constraint):
http://www.overclock.co.uk/productimages/17632.jpg
priced around £20

Probably the best option (Danger Den RBX):
http://store.over-clock.com/RBX_sm.jpg
priced around £40

the problem is when i'm buying two theres a £40 difference between the cheapest and danger den.

At the moment i'm think the cooler master, but the diameter looks a bit slim, considering how many iteams i hope to have in my water cooling in the end (2 gfx cards, mabye some HDDs). I also want to have a big 3 * 120 mm fan res. So i can keep the sound down.

So sugestions against the coolermastered welcomed, i can't find any reviews on that waterblock!
03-11-2005, 03:58 PM
TheAnimus

http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/super_...6000/page2.htm

so tempted to save money, my case has no window or such lewid things, so the shear ugly nature of these blocks wouldn't be a problem!
03-11-2005, 04:02 PM
herulach

What ID tubing are you gonna be using? If youre going for 1/2" (or 3/8") or my recommendation 7/16" (same flow as half inch, uses half inch barbs but you dont need clamps.) THen the swiftech storm is the best you can get. Dont get too hung up on dual outlet, theres no noticeable gains, as evidenced by the fact that cathar originally designed the storm with 3 barbs, and then cut it down to 2.

It really depends a lot on what pump youre going for, something like the storm/RBX will not perform very well at low flow.

For a comparison, the stuff in my sig gets me 33/63 (cpu/gpu) degs load with the pump on lowest and the fans at 5v (panaflos) and is so near silent as to make no difference.
03-11-2005, 04:54 PM
BubbySoup

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnimus

http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/super_...6000/page2.htm

so tempted to save money, my case has no window or such lewid things, so the shear ugly nature of these blocks wouldn't be a problem!

Yes, but imagine the scene every time you take the side off your case ..

OMG, my eyes, my eyes!
03-11-2005, 04:56 PM
TheAnimus

Thanks for your advice, i'm wanting to build the rest of the system around those blocks, as i might end up with seperate water cooling loops, i've got a lotta stuff in that box (2 targen 480w PSUs, 7 15k RPM SCSI HDDs, 2 nvida gfx cards). But i'm rather strapped for cash (most of the stuff listed was free/bargin/gratuity!) so i'm wanting to water cool the CPUs first as they make the most sound (well their cooling).

I was thinking i'd have to stump up for a 1000/lh pump anyway, just because the case isn't tiny, and i was thinking of putting the rad at the top (with a fillport and pipe for filling/bubble removal).

I'm not very experainced at all with watercooling, so i'll be grateful for all newbie advice, but i've read around, and used a combined pump/waterblock on a shuttle before).

I was planning on 7/16, but i was going to put clamps on none the less, or tape at the very least. (this is my most important machine). For pump i was thinking a XSPC DC1000, for which i'll nock up a controller to slow down for noise benefit and put on some foam/rubber to reduce vib sound.

Any rad recomendations? I'll be putting a "growler" on the fans, so they'll be very slow, i've got space for a 2 or 3 120mm fan rad too. (a growler is what i call my fan keep them just above stalling devices, because if the frequency is too low, the fans just growl, done perfectly its silent/not in human hearing range, by about 100khz!)
03-11-2005, 04:56 PM
TheAnimus

Quote:

Originally Posted by BubbySoup

Yes, but imagine the scene every time you take the side off your case ..

OMG, my eyes, my eyes!

yes those swiftechs are fugly, but this machine is such a beast already, the board (supermicro X6DA8-G2 http://www.supermicro.com/products/m...5/X6DA8-G2.cfm) is a beast, look at those dimensions! Not to mention the SCSI cable everwhere!
03-11-2005, 05:10 PM
herulach

Ive got a thermochill 120.3 which has plenty of headroom i think, especially if i were to turn the fans up to 7V.

You definately want an mcp655. best pump available bar none imo.
03-11-2005, 07:31 PM
TheAnimus

The pump looks good but is more than i was going to spend, but as u've convinced me enough to cut back on the dual outlet (which i can't see how it would reduce friction if was properly designed, but some sites say it was cooler as much as a whole degree (TBX vers RBX). So i can afford to splash out on it.

Rad looks good, right size fixings for me too. So looking like:

The danger gen fillpoint a t-peice and a pipe for res. At the topmost part of the system.
Swiftech Blocks for Xeons
Swiftech mcp655 pump
Thermochill 120.3 rad
resivour, which ever i think i can most estetically mod into the case, without having to book time on the milling machine.
03-11-2005, 07:47 PM
dave87

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnimus

But i'm rather strapped for cash (most of the stuff listed was free/bargin/gratuity!)

Who do you know, and do you want to put me in contact with them?? :shocked2:

:p Dave
03-11-2005, 07:59 PM
herulach

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnimus

The pump looks good but is more than i was going to spend, but as u've convinced me enough to cut back on the dual outlet (which i can't see how it would reduce friction if was properly designed, but some sites say it was cooler as much as a whole degree (TBX vers RBX). So i can afford to splash out on it.

Rad looks good, right size fixings for me too. So looking like:

The danger gen fillpoint a t-peice and a pipe for res. At the topmost part of the system.
Swiftech Blocks for Xeons
Swiftech mcp655 pump
Thermochill 120.3 rad
resivour, which ever i think i can most estetically mod into the case, without having to book time on the milling machine.

If you are having a fillport anyway then why do you need a res? T Piece on the pump inlet to your fill port and youre golden. Youd prob end up witha very similar set up to mine, see the link to my project log for a full kit list. And think very carefully about case size if you do go for a res. I bought one and then it didnt fit, in a stacker!
04-11-2005, 12:28 AM
TheAnimus

because i want some tube to collect bubbles in below the danger den fillport.

ie:

Code:

# thats the fill port | | | tube --+-- t peice

so that phalus like thing, is ment to be the fill port, t peice and some tube, i was under the impression (just seams logical to me) that if i have that at the highest point in the water cooling system, all the bubbles will collect there! Simple. Then the t peice would be inline with the return from the rad, and the intake to the pump. the tube is there because the rad is at the top of my case (or will be rather) and i want some tube to be able to lift the fillport above the height of the rad so its the highest component in the system, thus bubble collecting! Or am i missing something, i've a habbit of missing the obvious.
04-11-2005, 02:59 AM
herulach

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnimus

because i want some tube to collect bubbles in below the danger den fillport.

ie:

Code:

# thats the fill port | | | tube --+-- t peice

so that phalus like thing, is ment to be the fill port, t peice and some tube, i was under the impression (just seams logical to me) that if i have that at the highest point in the water cooling system, all the bubbles will collect there! Simple. Then the t peice would be inline with the return from the rad, and the intake to the pump. the tube is there because the rad is at the top of my case (or will be rather) and i want some tube to be able to lift the fillport above the height of the rad so its the highest component in the system, thus bubble collecting! Or am i missing something, i've a habbit of missing the obvious.

Well yeah, i was asking why you need a rad. Youll find the mounting for most rads is casef - fan - rad so you dont need to worry about it, as a tube to the top of the case is a fan width higher than your radiator, which is more than enough to get it filled if you open up the bleed valve.
04-11-2005, 01:49 PM
TheAnimus

more ease of filling tbh, i don't want to risk trying to fill it over the motherboard area (which is directly below the radiator) but now i've bothered to note the fact the pipe is £1 a foot! Kinda makes me change my mind!

Any good places to buy pipe for, i shouldn't need the extra nice no kink stuff at first, its quite straight, no tight corners. I've been looking through farnell and rs (engineering supply firms) but i can't find any imperial mesurements (ie, 7/16ths of an inch).
04-11-2005, 04:57 PM
Steve B

in my w/c kit, ive got a black ice rad, asetek resevoir, l30 pump and a swiftech storm block. Its got 1/2 inch tubing and the only clamps i need were provided with the waterblock:) its a good kit, plus you can get the tubing cheaper:)
06-11-2005, 03:20 PM
herulach

Over-clock.co.uk is pretty cheap for tube, and they have a good range. Where basically all my parts came from (except storm which was scan.)
06-11-2005, 05:09 PM
TheAnimus

Ah thats were i got mine from in the end :)
07-11-2005, 12:34 PM
GFiSH

Have a look at the ww.innovatek.de they have a full Dual Xeon kit for about 329 euros
10-11-2005, 06:15 PM
TheAnimus

Rightie, well i've made my choices, in the end i went for the swiftech blocks, thermochills newer radiator, the fillort, 7/16th tubing for most, with a 3/8th splitter for each CPU block, and the MCP655 pump....

WOW.

Performance was better than i ever hoped for.

The pump is amazing, i've used an enhiem before, i've also seen a DangerDen branded one (or should i say heard). This one nocks them into the ground, its so quite, it has a bit of vib, but thats nothing some thick rubber and foam don't cure, right now i've got it sat on the carpet next to the box, i can't hear it at all.

The 120.3 Rad is a pain the arse to get the bubbles out of, but has amazing performance, I guess it is about 12 times the size of the heatsink it replaced, but i've one 12cm fan, which i'm running at 1,000rpm (using a sawtooth wave thats been adjusted to keep it just above stalling). Its incredibly silent.

On two neccona 3.0ghz xeons, the temp is 20 for the primary CPU, and 18 for the secondary. Impressive. Under stock air, they would idle at 40.

Herulach, next time ur in reading, you've got a beer waiting for you!
11-11-2005, 11:23 AM
peterb

I've found this whole thread fascinating - many thanks! It's got me thinking about water-cooling (mainly to reduce ambient noise) - not a cheap option though!
11-11-2005, 12:27 PM
herulach

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnimus

Rightie, well i've made my choices, in the end i went for the swiftech blocks, thermochills newer radiator, the fillort, 7/16th tubing for most, with a 3/8th splitter for each CPU block, and the MCP655 pump....

WOW.

Performance was better than i ever hoped for.

The pump is amazing, i've used an enhiem before, i've also seen a DangerDen branded one (or should i say heard). This one nocks them into the ground, its so quite, it has a bit of vib, but thats nothing some thick rubber and foam don't cure, right now i've got it sat on the carpet next to the box, i can't hear it at all.

The 120.3 Rad is a pain the arse to get the bubbles out of, but has amazing performance, I guess it is about 12 times the size of the heatsink it replaced, but i've one 12cm fan, which i'm running at 1,000rpm (using a sawtooth wave thats been adjusted to keep it just above stalling). Its incredibly silent.

On two neccona 3.0ghz xeons, the temp is 20 for the primary CPU, and 18 for the secondary. Impressive. Under stock air, they would idle at 40.

Herulach, next time ur in reading, you've got a beer waiting for you!

Hey no prob man. Money well spent, cos bar mounting clips that set up will last you a lifetime. What 7800 Block did you decide to go for? And are you just running one fan on the rad? I need to get my chipset block installed, couldnt get it off at the time of install, but im told a haridryer does wonders. That and i need to sort out some airflow across my ram cos its running slightly too hot for my liking. Think over-clock will be getting an order for a couple more panflos.

God a circuit diagram for the sawtooth generator? Mine are just running at 5V and the noise level is acceptable, but if i could get them quieter that would be amazing.
11-11-2005, 02:04 PM
TheAnimus

after leaving the system on overnight doing some number crunching, 22 degrees each cpu. This is with on fan on the rad.

Currently my chipset is just stock passive cooler, i might change that, but it sits at 40 degrees so isn't exactly a problem.

Both graphics cards are cooled by fans at present, not enough money and the CPU coolers had actually warn out very badly (i think there must of been a bad batch) so i've just started with them.

Chipset i'll probably leave passively cooled, as its what supermicfro have when it leaves the factory, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

My graphics cards aren't that great, a 5800 and a 6800, i might upgrade after xmas + water cool em in one go, the fans are very quite atm. But i've only got TFTs on my rig at the moment (and a dataprojector) but i've not been gaming much (i miss my crt). However if i can get away with getting blocks that will cool my present cards, and say a 7800 in the future, i'd probably w/c them at xmas.

But i think my next concerne is my HDDs, i want to make them more silent. Yes the maxtors make horrible scratching sounds. But the segates i think just need simple vibe reductors. I'm not sure if they need water on them to cool them thou. The maxtors idle at 45 but can get to 50. The segates 35. There is a 120mm fan i can put over them, which i might do, because i don't want to stop airflow in the case. If money was no object, i'd water cool all the HDDs, in silent enclosures, but i don't think they need it.

So i guess it will either be graphics cards next, or HDD depending on what i feal like when i've got more money.

Herulach, pm me your address i'll send you a PIC with my program on it, it needs fan with a speed sensor, i'll also try n liberate 3 * darlingtons to drive the fans. You use uC's before?
11-11-2005, 02:11 PM
herulach

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAnimus

after leaving the system on overnight doing some number crunching, 22 degrees each cpu. This is with on fan on the rad.

Currently my chipset is just stock passive cooler, i might change that, but it sits at 40 degrees so isn't exactly a problem.

Both graphics cards are cooled by fans at present, not enough money and the CPU coolers had actually warn out very badly (i think there must of been a bad batch) so i've just started with them.

Chipset i'll probably leave passively cooled, as its what supermicfro have when it leaves the factory, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

My graphics cards aren't that great, a 5800 and a 6800, i might upgrade after xmas + water cool em in one go, the fans are very quite atm. But i've only got TFTs on my rig at the moment (and a dataprojector) but i've not been gaming much (i miss my crt). However if i can get away with getting blocks that will cool my present cards, and say a 7800 in the future, i'd probably w/c them at xmas.

But i think my next concerne is my HDDs, i want to make them more silent. Yes the maxtors make horrible scratching sounds. But the segates i think just need simple vibe reductors. I'm not sure if they need water on them to cool them thou. The maxtors idle at 45 but can get to 50. The segates 35. There is a 120mm fan i can put over them, which i might do, because i don't want to stop airflow in the case. If money was no object, i'd water cool all the HDDs, in silent enclosures, but i don't think they need it.

So i guess it will either be graphics cards next, or HDD depending on what i feal like when i've got more money.

Herulach, pm me your address i'll send you a PIC with my program on it, it needs fan with a speed sensor, i'll also try n liberate 3 * darlingtons to drive the fans. You use uC's before?

If you have the room the coolermaster 4 in 3 bays are pretty good at cutting down vibe noise.

Never used pics no, but im fairly handy with a soldering iron (last thing i made was a latching circuit so the fans can do 5/12V using a push button switch, cos it looks a hell of a lot better than a toggle.
Passive cooled chipset should be ok provided you kep plenty of airflow going, but eventually im hoping to go down to the 3 radiator fans and 1 5v over the hdds so airflow is gonna be an issue for passive coolers, and mine ahas a little 30mm screamer sat on it, which im tempted to just unplgug, but it has no temp sensor.

As far as im aware most gpu blocks will cool any graphics cards, its only if you get the big dangerden things you have to change for different graphics cards.