Cooling need advice on best water cooling for my setup

i was wondering if you guys can give me some advice for the best cooling i can get at not too high a price for my system(medium price not budget) ?
P4 3.4(type 775 i think)
2 gig corsair
5 hard disks
2 X nvidia 7800GTX SLI

my space in the box is at a premium so will be looking for an external solution and one that is good to cover the processor and both graphics cards and possibly the northbridge

if it matters,in terms of product availability i am in the UK

ty

 

Depends on a few things.

What case do you have, and are you willing to mod it at all? Specificly need to how you plan on mounting the radiator.

 

it sounds like your case is pretty full so i would look into things you can put on the outside with ease. reservoir, radiator, inline pump etc.

Your definetely going to want 1/2" tubing

just my $.02 but i think you can start narrowing your shopping down a little bit from there and start psoting more specific questions as they arise.

oh and I really like my dangerden block on my proc its got two outlets from the block which could provide an easier solution to cooling your sli system.

 

thanks guys

my case is nothing special,so can change it,but it is crammed full
have asked a friend to make me a bespoke case out of stainless steel,just need to get the design to him,when i've done it

fab,i am a total noob when it comes to modding so haven't got a clue on how to mount a rocking horse let alone a radiator

i have had a sneak look at the corsair nautilus 500 but it doesn't come with all the blocks as standard and the online shops in the UK i buy my goods from tend to be a bit sparse on accessories

 

Don't bother doing the northbridge, most nb blocks kill flow rate.

 

Why?

1/2" is complete overkill, 3/8" is about right and the performance difference between that and what you probably class as 'small bore' is negligble. An Alphacool setup on 10/8mm would probably out perform your 1/2" DD block anways. If he wants to cool all the kit he has listed then 'small bore' is much more suitable.

Look for what is available to you in your area then select kit you like the look of.

 

First off, avoid anything big branded, like Thermaltake or Corsiar.

As for 1/2" being overkill- there is no such thing as overkill. I don't know why people bother with 10mm tube. You can do a 1/2" setup for the same price, and its just as easy to do, but it gives better performance.

With regards the radiator, it dosent really matter too much which brand you get, only the size matters. The bigger the better.

CPU block is another matter. Avoid the alphacool ones, ive tried them, they dont give particularly good performance. The Swiftech Apogee or Danger Den RBX are good blocks if money isnt an issue. The XSPC X2O block is the one i stuck with after trying all sorts- just becuase i get 18*C CPU temps out of it in an 18*C ambient room, and it only costs like £23.

Reservoir is just a matter of taste and mounting space.

 

We do 10mm because we do our research. It offers the same levels of performance but allows easier tube routing and takes up less space. I would have a read of this link, it provides some interesting information. At the end of the day its down to personal preference but blindly saying 1/2" is best' is misleading

Your findings are rather interesting and seem to go against everyone else's. I will again link you to ProCooling, this time their review of the Alphacool NexXxos, where it was regarded very highly. In fact it was shown to offer much the same performance as the Storm G4, which happens to be better then both blocks you mentioned, and is currently considered as the top performing block.

 

But it makes you look like a wimp .

 

lol

Nah we dont have to over-compensate.

 

I have used a few sorts of tubing, differnt fittings etc. 10/8mm (i actually use a softer 10/7mm legris tubing, but its less common) tube with G1/4", 10mm push fits is without a doubt the easiest, most fool proof. It does add a tiny ammount of extra restriction on the fittings / flow paths when comparing the internal measurements of a G1/4", 1/2" barb, but its negligeable for me, especially when you consider the added benefits of push fits.

The internal diameter of most 1/2" barbs are close to 3/8" anyway, so why make tube routing harder by increasing the size of the tubes.

For reference purposes, Here is the links to procoolings review of the NexXxos XP (alphacool's flagship CPU block). If you cant be arsed to read it all, at least take a look at the graph comparing the XP to other blocks. It certainly isnt a poor performer i think you will agree.

 

A differance is a differance, small or not. If i can get 20*C for £10 or 22*C for £10 ill take the 20*C, thanks. Every little bit helps- anybody with experance knows that.

My findings are based soley off what i found with my setup. If somebody else got differant results, fine. I will point out that that guy was using a very low flow pump, and an old CPU. Its also an old rev. of the block he is testing. Prehaps not a very good comparison.

Ive tried a polarflo E-series block, the Alphacool Nexxxos block, the X2O block, and the Apogee Block. The best temperatures i got from the Apogee, followed by the X2O.

Alphacool blocks i got 25*C, X2O i got 18*C.

Overclocked (3200 @ 3.04GHz, 1.78v) i got 37*C with the alphacool, and 35*C with the X2O.

 

Sorry for the double post, but just to elaborate one more point- that procooling thread is 12mm vs 10mm.

The hose "da rude baboon" reccommended is 8mm ID- not the 10mm ID that thread is refering to. 10mm ID is almost unused nowerdays.

12mm ID vs 8mm ID. Same price. Hmmmm, i wonder which is better.

 

thank you all

fab,i'll do my homework and come back with my WC "kit" for you to inspect before i purchase

 

man i havent read up on any of this stuff in a long time. Im just going off what i learned in fluids class. I figured you would want the 1/2" because youre cooling a very hot processor, two gfx cards and possibly a northbridge and with all that comes a ton of flow loss. But like the man said times have changed.

 

You are mistaken, young Padwan. The efficiency of water cooling depends on many factors, some even quite specific to your case. Depending on your configuration, an 8 mm setup can be as efficient as a 1/2" setup, and have some room left for overclocking. Of course you would need a bigger radiator to compensate.

It further depends on what your main criteria are. If you are looking for ultimate overclocking, 1/2" setups are good. But if you have space to consider, and multiple components in the loop, 8 mm systems may actually suit your needs better.

 

Sure, 8mm can be good if you have problems with space, cant argue with that.

But with a decent sized case, which most enthusiasts will have, its really not an issue.

The pressure/head loss with the 1/2" is certinatley an advantage over a 8mm system.

If youre going to spend money on watercooling, assuming youre doing it for good overclocking performance, then 1/2" is by far the best option.

Ive been watercooling for years, and had all sorts of differant systems. Routing 1/2" tubes has never been a problem. Its all about thinking with it before you do it, and planning where you are going to run the tubes.

 

I've spent $1k+ on my watercooling, in a Lian Li v2000 case (friggen huge case!) and I use 6mmID tubing. All things considered, if I did it again I'd probably go with 8mmID, but I've tried large-bore on more than one occasion and hated every minute of it. Of course, if having your CPU, GPU, chipset and MOSFETs being cooled almost inaudibly with some good overclocking room aren't your cup of tea... to each his own.

Of course this is the fundamental battle of watercooling. Both have their ups and downs. I've used both, and small-bore systems consistantly come out on top for me, in every category (including performance), and I'll recommend accordingly. Some people swear by 3/8" or 1/2"; as I said, I've used them, and always end up with a headache and generally a giant spill during filling (no fillport or bayres compares to having a 40mm+ opening to aim for right at the top of your case). It's highly dependant on the components being used too - some blocks are designed for smaller-bore systems, but they also tend to be much pricier.