Watercooling: Better than HSF?

[perdomot]

I know this kind of cooling is quieter but is it better at keeping things cool than an HSF. If so, what's a good one to get for an Athlon XP cpu and where can I get one. Thanks.

[lightbulb8817]

Water cooling cools the cpu much better than nearly all the heatsinks out there. Someone else can answer your question to what is a good water block. I'm not familiar with w/c at all.

[tYteaZzAzN]

well, for your WC system you'll need a waterblock, a radiator, and a pump: those are the essentials. You could have an optional pelt or a reservoir if you want, but a T-line is just fine. A very reputable company which sells superb waterblocks for very reasonable prices is www.dangerden.com. check out the MAZE3 for your AMD system. Also, a great radiator you'll want to look into is the Black Ice Extreme radiator. Lastly, the most trustable pumps are those manufactured by Eheim. Although you could get AquaVias or crap like that, Eheim's are hands down the best pumps for a watercooling system. Also, don't forget to add anti-corrosion liquids to protect your metals (water wetter's great). I'd also suggest 1/2" system to allow for more flow, but 3/8" systems work great too. Tygon tubing's what you'll want too. Lastly, don't forget a nice 120mm fan to go with that black ice extreme. I'd suggest anything from a silent papst to a power hungry 130CFM delta, which is what i have on my BIX (WC system in progress ). good luck

[Sinnersis]

Try here for some nice comparisons (scroll down the page for a link!)
http://www.overclockers.com/
Personally the Koolance EXOS looks good (and idiot proof!).

Wouldn't it be better to use a copper radiator and copper water block (etc) to avoid corrosion? (i.e. don't mix metals).

While we're on water cooling, I'm interested in setting up such a system for when I (eventually) get my new dual CPU system. However I want very very low matainence (i.e. I put the thing together and thats the end of the story for a year or so). Any suggestions on such a system (and if it's possible)?

Also I know bacteria growth can occur (and I've seen some pretty nasty pics ). Would it be a good idea to add some household disenfectant or bleach to the water (distilled) to combat this or a similar idea?
Thanks guys

:Edit:
That reminds me it needs to be connected to the case for portability
(preferably internal - but I doubt I have the space - I have a Lian-li pc68 with 5 pci slots used and the extra hard drive caddy has 4 hard disks in it!!). Has to beable to survive a 2 hour car journey intact with no maintanence / checking required.

That reminds me - I would also like to add some peltiers to the system (Some reviews showed peltiers + water cooling bringing the CPU (On die I think?) temp down below room temp )

[number1sixerfan]

Swiftech probably makes the best waterblock. Here is there link.

http://www.swiftnets.com/

Good Luck

[Sinnersis]

I've seen the swiftechs and have to admit that I have seen good reports about them (Plus you can get them with peltiers ). However I would prefer to avoid mixing metals. (The swiftechs are copper and aluminium).

Keep the suggestions rolling in

[talldude]

You NEED DISTILLED WATER. Then add a little bit of water wetter and anti-freeze and you're good to go. There was a nice thread here about WC that had the best relationship of the three for cooling/corrosion stopping.

[number1sixerfan]

To get started you are going to need a waterblock, radiator, pump, reservoir, 1 or 2 120mm fans(for radiator) and tubing.

At dangerden.com you can configure a kit to your own liking. They are a top notch company, Swiftech being the only company better.

I suggest these components(all from different places):
waterblock-swiftech MCW462-UH
raiator-Black Ice Extreme
pump- Eheim 1250
reservoir, tubing, accessories-
Reservoirs, Tubing, and Tubing Accessories

Silverprop is another great company, just a bit expensive. I've seen a couple of waterblock benchmarks and the swiftech usually comes first with Dangerden and Silverprop right behind them.

Hope this is not too much for you and let us know if you are going to go through with it.

[Sinnersis]

Nice - thanks guys

Any opinons on peltiers? worthwhile or not?

For a dualie would you reccommend a T junction, Y junction or a series set up (water pumps from radiator to main proc then to second proc since in dual systems the dual proc tends to run cooler due to less usage).

As for whether I'll go through with it - I'm still doing my research, here and on the net, and it won't be until the opterons show up that I upgrade (Yes - I know lots could change by then but I prefer to know what options I have early )

[number1sixerfan]

I think peltiers are definitely worth the hassle and cost. A peltier needs a lot of power, thus they need a dedicated power supply. The next thing to worry about is condensation. Whenever cpu temperatures go below 0c you have to worry about condensation. If you follow THIS guide, you should be fine. Peltiers will help you get the max out of your cpu.

I don't know much about watercooling duallies, but it should be the same idea. Your setup should look like THIS chart here, just with an extra waterblock.

But if you get two peltiers you would probably need 2 PSUs.

[Sinnersis]

Hmmmm

Two PSU's is definately a no no.
Do you think a 550W PSU would be capable of supporting both peltiers? (Bare in mind it would also have to support the PC and 4 hard disks).

I had no idea the peltiers could lower the temperature so well - I expected a minimum approaching 12 degrees Celcius (34 F?).

Thanks number1sixerfan, the links you've given are great.

[number1sixerfan]

No a 550 watt psu wouldn't work. You'd need a power supply like THIS . It fits in a 5 1/4 bay. I know for sure this will power the highest peltier (226w). I don't think this will power two peltiers unless they are low watt peltiers(60-80w).

Probably the highest temps you'll get with a peltier are 3-10 degrees.

[Sinnersis]

Ahhhh

Now I understand

In this case two power supplies (plus a PSU ) are no problem - althrough I would need a new case to get the extra space required (A nice Lian Li PC70 comes to mind )

While on the subject what sort of maintanence does a water cooled setup require after being built, tested and put to use?

Also is it possible to put two pumps into the setup for redundency purposes? And if so where in the circiut would it go?

Do you have a water cooled setup? (Or do you work with one?)

[number1sixerfan]

I do not have a watercooling. I have just done my research and I am saving money for it. You have to change the water monthly, unless you have a "fill & bleed assembly". They are made by swiftech and it prevents evaporation so there is no maintanence.

I haven't seen anyone around here with two pumps. You'll be fine with one good ehiem pump.

Also. You need a pump relay switch. This is used to turn on the pump simultaneously with the computer. Without one you would have to remember to turn the pump on before the computer every time you use it. If you turn the computer on and forget to turn on the pump before, you could damage your proccessor.

Sorry, but I do not have a link to the pump relay switch, but it shouldn't be to hard to find.

*edit* found the link http://www.cooltechnica.com/Merchant...egory_Code=SWS

Most people say you should anyways leave the pump on, it preserves the pumps lifespan.

[Sinnersis]

I've seen alittle on the "fill and bleed" setups and belief that is the way to go for me.

I wouldn't be-able to leave the pump running unfortunately

I assume if I were to fix everything down securely the rig would be portable (By car ).

To reduce bacteria growth in the system would I be-able to add a small amount of bleach / disenfectant to the water mix? (This assumes the use of distilled water - avoiding microbe contamination is near impossible).

Out of interest how do those power supplies connect to the mains - where's the "socket?" (I admit this may be a daft question )