First Water Cooling Rig

[The boy 4rm oz]

I'm new to water cooling so I don't know the best brands (appart from Danger Den ) or the best products.

I want to make an 1/2" system taking advantage of my top 80mm exhaust fan and the rear 120mm exhaust fan.

Here is a list of the products that I intend to purchase (Most fom Danger Den):
1x Black ICE GTS Stealth 120mm Radiator
1x Black Ice Micro 80mm Radiator
1x PrimoChill Typhoon Reservoir
1x Danger Den TDX 775 or RBX 775 (Can't decide)
1x Danger Den 8800GTX GPU Water Block
1x Danger Den CPS-MAG 12V Pump

Let me know what you think of if I should change anything.

[Zephik]

First off... what are you cooling? Just the CPU and GPU?

I will assume that you know of all the little things you will need. Such as for example, Clamps. <- I would recommend getting those metal ones you typically see on plumbing from hardware stores (Like Home Depot). That said, I'll review what you have listed...

1. 1x Black ICE GTS Stealth 120mm Radiator
2. 1x Black Ice Micro 80mm Radiator
3. 1x PrimoChill Typhoon Reservoir
4. 1x Danger Den TDX 775 or RBX 775 (Can't decide)
5. 1x Danger Den 8800GTX GPU Water Block
6. 1x Danger Den CPS-MAG 12V Pump

1. Good price/performance ratio. The better of this, of course, is the GTX. But they are friggen pricey. But the GTS series are really good Rads.
2. I almost didn't realize what you wanted this for, its for the 80mm top right? Hmmm... never thought about doing it like that. I say... Cool! Go for it, should be pretty original and good for upgrading or just for better cooling. I would but this in the loop for the lowest heat emitting component. I'll assume thats you CPU. I don't think I needed to tell you that though huh? lol
3. Is this that 5.25 Bay Res with the UV front? I like these, they have some pretty neat-o features about them. Are you going to get some of the add ons that the make for them? Like the UV LED's, those are cool.
4. RBX (Check out ArcticMod.com for some SWEET water blocks for both RBX and TDX)
5. Nice... I hate you.
6. The one you have should do the job, but maybe take a look at these? MAG II LE, ASETEK, Swiftech. The MAG II LE is better and cheaper than the one you have and out of the three listed, I would go with the Swiftech.

Sorry that I am not as helpful as I usually am, I have no excuse, I'm just feeling lazy today.

Oh and one more thing before I go, Check out ArcticMod.com's Hyper Web Tubing. Use a mixture of that and Tygon tubing (From DD). It doesn't only look uber sweet like that, but the Hyper Web tubing is some strong and durable damn stuff. It's a tad bit more expensive for Hyper Web (Obviously) but its good stuff, which is why. If you don't want to go that route, go with the Tygon tubing. That too is really great stuff that wont crack or kink (as easily) as most other tubing.

**lol sorry about the colors, You wouldn't believe how bored I am right now. >< ^_^

[Silenced_Coyote]

Did you already buy your 8800GTX? Because you can get one from BFG that already has that water block installed. I think it is better since the bracket is single slot. Of course, you could cut it off yourself.

This is almost twice as much money. But this radiator is better than the GTS Stealth. Black Ice GTX Xtreme 120

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks SnowFire. I'm going to be cooling a Core 2 Duo E6600 and probably an 8800GTX mabye even a PhysX card later down the track if I can find a water block.

I'm going for the Black ICE GTS Stealth 120mm Radiator mainly because it is a lot thinner then the other radiators that I have seen and with minimal space inside my NZXT LEXA I wanted to keep it as simple as possible.

Yes the Black Ice Micro 80mm Radiator is for my top exhaust fan but sadly I can only get it in blue because the stockists are getting rid of them.

Yes the Res is a singlt bay Res but no it wont have the UV front. I will be getting UV coolant and CCFL's to get the same effect.

I was going to go for the Danger Den RBX water block mainly because it had 2 inlets and one out let like a lot of other brands. Does this increase cooling? And what do these extras that you can buy for the Danger Den Blocks do? Flow panels I think they are called lol can't remember.

I know BFG have an 8800GTX with the Danger Den block already installed but if I buy a different card and the cooler seperately I can save myself close to $150 AUS.

I chose the mag because it had the versetility to mount on any of its sides. I looked at Mag II LE and was going to purchase it but the stockist I'm getting my components through don't stock them or any of the other ones you reccomended but they can order it in for me.

I was going to use those plastic clips but If you think the metal ones are better I'll use them.

Thanks The boy 4rm oz

[Zephik]

Nice... I hate you. lol

Well I would definitely have your micro radiator cooling the Conroe then. Not that I had to tell you that. About the color of the micro radiator, you can paint it whatever color you want so it's not a big deal (I wouldn't paint the fins, just the body). But I don't think you will even see it as its in the top of your case, which last time I checked, the window doesn't go up that high.

Nice choice with the reservoir. It slipped my mind that you should get the clear front with the UV coolant. That way you can have whatever color you want! DOH! Glad you were quick enough to catch that lol. It would be kind of funky looking if you got like blue with green coolant. About the UV CCFL's... You know that you can buy UV Led's that are made especially for that reservoir right? They have three holes, one is an inlet (top) the other is an outlet (bottom) but it has a third one in the middle. That is for the LED's that they make for them, they even have a thermal sensor you can choose instead of a LED. If you want to light it up, you will have to get one of these because the back of the reservoirs aren't clear. LINK

I'm not entirely sure about the RBX. I would only assume that it cools better, but I like it mainly because it looks uber sweet. Especially if you get the UV edition. Oh and by the way, I believe the center is the inlet and the other two are the outlets. This is so you are feeding fresh coolant directly onto the center of the cpu. ...lol well theres your answer as to why its better. Looking at the TDX, it seems to do the same thing, but with only one outlet. Two heads are better than one right?

The pump you have picked out is fine for your current setup. The difference between that pump and the Mag II LE is pretty slight. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I'm going to say it in case you want to research into it. What I have heard is that its not ALL about the liters per hour but more about how much pressure your pump is creating in your tubes. I think thats why the TT Silent Water isn't a piece of crud like most other cheap kits, its because the tubes are tiny. Thats just a thought, it might be wrong so don't take it with more than a grain of rice. Go with anything from DD and you'll pretty much be fine.

The plastic clips from DD are probably fine, but I would feel more comfortable myself with the ones from hardware stores. I'll find a link to one so you know which kind I am talking about. oh and FYI, do not tighten down too much or you'll crack the tubing. I would tighten down with your fingers and then give it a quarter of a turn or less with a tool. LINK

Have you thought about getting a flow meter? It's usually a good idea to have one of those where you can easily see it whenever you need to. It's not required though, especially if you know the sound of a working system and one that isn't moving. That or if you can tell that the liquid isn't moving when you look through your window.

Here are some other neat little things, they aren't required, but they are pretty cool to have. TT Temp, Drain Valve, Thermo Sensor, Flow Indicator. Those are all pretty pricey, you can find cheaper versions elsewhere. I only listed from Xoxide for personal convience.

If you have any more questions, please ask!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks you have been a real help. I have a few more questions though. With the pumps they only have a 3 pin power header. Do you connect that to one of the three pin fan headers on your mobo or do you need a special adapter thing? I have a spare Antec TriCool fan and with that the cable breaks in half with the molex on one end and the three pin cpu socket on the other. Could I use the 3 pin to molex connector to power the pump?

You are right the UV tops on the RBX water blocks look awesome. Could you use the two outer plugs on the block as inlet and the centre as outlet or will that blow the system. It dousn't really bother me I just think that it would cool better with 2 inlets and 1 outlet lol.

The main reason I was going with that Res was because it had 2 inlets and 2 outlets so I could attack multiple components. I was going to have one outlet but have two inlets, one from the system and mabye one from a DD fillport.

Next post I will add a mock sketch of the system. Let me know If I have done any thing wrong plz.

[DaveW]

+ Rep for snowfire.

-Dave

[Zephik]

Hmmm... your pump I am unfamilar with. So lets take a look together! *FYI - Your higher performance pumps have Molex connections. Some, if not all, come with a 3 pin header too. Which is for RPM's.

CSP-MAG - Technical Specifications

• Nominal voltage: 12 VDC
• Nominal power: 8 W
• Maximum head: 2.3 M (3.3 PSI)
• Maximum flow: 540 l/hr (143 GPH)
• Connection size: 9/16” NPT
• Electrical connector: 3-pin (fan header style)
• Motor type: Brushless DC*
• Pump bearing type: Polished Sapphire
• Size: 2.1”W x 2.1”H x 1.75”D
• Weight: 241 g (8.5 oz)
• Warranty: 30 Months (2-1/2 Years)

Design Goal: The DD-CSP-MAG is designed to surpass the performance of the CSP-750 by providing an extremely long service life, without increasing the size. Various other features, requested by customers, were also incorporated.

• Extreme Service Life : This pump is designed with extreme service life (50,000 hours*) This was accomplished by employing several different design patent pending techniques.
• Bearings : The MAG features dual in fluid bearings, using the best material available, jewels. These bearings are made of highly polished Sapphire. (<-Thats cool!! lol) This is an extremely hard and long lasting material, oftend found in expensive watches, high precision instruments, and gyroscopes used in the aerospace and military industries. The MAG is the first liquid cooling pump to utilize this technology.
• Reducing Forces : The MAG design utilizes two natural pump forces to reduce bearing / shaft loads. First a small amount of flow is diverted through and around the impeller between the motor rotor and stator. This allows boundary layer effect of the spinning rotor surface to help stabilize radial loads. This is similar to how the bearings in your automobile works. As an additional effect it keeps coil temperatures low allowing the motor to run at maximum efficiency. Magnetic forces developed between the very strong rare earth magnetic rotor ring, and the iron stator teeth allow the impeller to operate in magnetic suspension, which virtually eliminates thrusting loads.
• Leak Proof : The MAG has no shaft seal, eliminating the possibility of leaking occurring due to long term seal ware. The stator assembly has a plastic barrier between the rotor and the fluid operating on magnetic coupling. The drive and impeller housing is plastic, to reduce the chance of long term fouling.
• Brushless DC motor : The MAG features a brushless DC motor designed with an operational component life in excess of 50,000 hours. All heat generating components are thermal conductive bonded to the aluminium case. This provides a large heat sink area allowing the motor to run under constant high efficiency.

User Features:

• Small Size : The CSP-MAG dimensions are 2.1” x 2.1” x 1.75" when compared to a typical 110V pumps the CSP-MAG uses considerably less space, leaving room in your case for additional components . We still have the smallest pump currently available to the PC liquid cooling consumer.
• Configurable : The CSP-MAG features an easy to exchange impeller. This will allow us to provide different impellers for the various types of cooling blocks on the market. C-Systems is working closely with the cooling block manufactures to provide specific impellers for there products
• Direct RPM : The CSP-MAG features a hall sensor that directly reads the rotation of the impeller.The impeller RPM can be monitored using your standard fan mother board utilities via the fan port.
• Power Suppy : The MAG requires 12V DC and is equipped with a Tx3 connector.
• Ultra low noise : The CSP-MAG operates at a lower noise level the our CSP-750MKII due to the sealed motor compartment and improved pump housing
  design.
• Easy Installation : Purchase the industrial velcro to mount anywhere in case.
• Flow Direction : The MAG features a side inlet and top outlet for flow direction. The pump is now available with 3/8" OD or 1/2" OD High Flow straight fitting.
• Ports : The MAG features a top outlet and side. The pump is now available with G 1/4 BSPP straight fitting ports.
• Finish : The MAG features a new Delrin (Acetal) housing to ensure long term corrosion protection.

Multi-Unit : The small size and low power consumption of the MAG allows multi-unit installs. When liquid cooling graphic cards and/or chipsets and CPU’s, separate loops can be used to limit the amount the thermal load to the CPU. As an additional benefit the flow across the CPU will also increase (see user guides for more multi unit install information). The MAG units allows series flow configurations as well as parallel flow configurations.

Well that pretty much sums it up. Basically, don't worry about it. When you read the manual it will tell you exactly what to do. *I believe it does say something about a special adapter, but that IS included so fear not. **It's not a special connector, its a fancy name for fan header. lol

I would only assume, that having two inlets and one outlet would create high pressure on the outlet. Thus resulting in your tube being blown off and liquid _literally_ being pumped out into your computer. FYI - That would be bad!

Now, if you had two smaller tubes as inlets and a tube that was the size of both those tubes combined as the outlet, I believe that would work. But that would be kind of pointless, just stick with the one inlet and two outlets. It was designed specifically that way for increased performance.

Your res has three holes. One is on the bottom (to take liquid from), another is the hole up top (to feed liquid into) and then you have the one in the middle. Which I wouldn't recommend with use for anything other than the accessories that it was designed for. I'm saying that out of safety and also so that I am not to blame at the end of the day.

Oh no way man! If you screw up, I am going to say NOTHING and laugh at you. Just kidding, I'll point out anything that I happen to catch. After all! My reputation is _literally_ on the line! I don't want my recently earned three green bars to go away! :p

**Thanks Dave! It's funny how my reputation always sky-rockets when I talk about water cooling. lol

[The boy 4rm oz]

The Res I had in mind (from the pics I have seen) say that it has 4 holes plus the top one for filling. It comes wil plugs to block up the ones that arn't in use. I was going to use two as as inlet and outlet and use one of the others to attach 2 a fill port. Will the fill port fill up and explode or anything?

Sketch of setup coming soon.

The boy 4rm oz

[Zephik]

Can I get a link to your res?