water cooling on a budget?

[blk03MitsuES]

i got two comps and one will get water cooled. i wish i could WC both but i'm on a really tight budget. so where can i get good parts for a decent price?

all i need is a basic set up.... cpu block, pump, reservoir and radiator. i dont mind piecing it together or buying a kit like these ones..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835124007
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835128015
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106078

i'm hoping to stay below 100 bucks......


btw i already looked around McMaster Carr and Grainger, industrial catalogs, for reservoirs, radiators and pumps without luck....i was hoping to order through them to get them cheaper

[Spawn-Inc]

well i've pretty much heard that most the kits suck. but here are some sites with water cooling parts and good prices.

www.performance-pcs.com

www.frozencpu.com

www.xoxide.com

what socket? if its 775 here is a good kit i think, its all swiftech but its 129.99.


also are you looking to overclock?

[Zephik]

Swiftech H20-80 Micro

Thats the cheapest WC kit you should buy, if anything, I would suggest its bigger brother. Anything cheaper than that, you would be better off with a good air cooler.

Cheap water cooling kits are not worth your money. You can save money on a good air cooler and usually get better performance out of them too. If you want a cheap water cooler just to have water cooling, then you best search around newegg.com. The Thermaltake Silent Water I hear is pretty decent, thats probably your best bet in my opinion. You can also check out this Cooler Master kit, it says VGA, but in the description is also says CPU. So I will only assume that it is compatible with cpus and gpus alike. Has decent reviews as well.

Water cooling is only effective when you drop a decent amount of cash into them. Otherwise, your better off with air cooling. imo at least.

-Snow

[crenn]

If you want the performance of water cooling, but can't afford it. Look at the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme.

[Zephik]

Another good choice for air coolers are Zalmans, my favorites being these coolers. My favorite of those being this one.

I've owned a Thermaltake Blue Orb II for my 2.8GHz P4 processor, it never even got slightly warm. I got it for half the price of what it is now too. :p

If you want the performance of water cooling, but can't afford it. Look at the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme.

Newegg - Review

[dgrmkrp]

Depending on what you want to watercool, it would be better to keep air cooling on the map too: I had some experience with a core 2 before and after watercoling: it had a Scythe katana 2 (3 heatpipes, 100mm PWM fan), an Infinity (5 heatpipes, 2 120mm fans) and a cheap watercooling kit (120 Black Ice rad, 2 fans in push pull, hydor l20 pump and an nexxxos waterblock).. At stock, the were all really silent and kept things at low 30ish. Only with the water I was able to go 3GHz+ and keep the same temp... So... What do you plan on cooling?

[blk03MitsuES]

ooh yeah sorry, i forgot to tell you what kind of pc's they are. a friend gave me a p4 pc. i've only used it once to see if it works and it did. according to Sony, the pc came with a P4 640 3.2ghz single core chip. but when i was checking to see if the pc worked, it would show in a couple of places as two processors(when i right clicked on "my computer" > properties, task manager and samurize). the pc has 3 fans, 120mm intake and exhaust and then heatsink fan, but when i first opened up the case it was really hot. thats why i havent used it, i figured if two 120mm fans didnt keep it at atleast room temp while idle, it provably get hotter if i really used it.
the other pc is an older AMD socket A 2.2ghz set up that i've been using for 3 or so years.

the one thing i dont like about some of those kits is the all in one pump-block. anybody know the specs on pumps, like the flow rate and stuff? i found this pump.

Delrin Miniature Gear Pumps
Just the size for low-flow transfer of chemicals and nonabrasive fluids. Pumps are self-priming. Maximum pressure is 20 psi. Intake and discharge connections are 3/16" male hose barb. Gears and body are Delrin. Fluids must be compatible with wetted parts (materials in contact with solution). Wetted parts are Buna-N, Delrin, PTFE, and Type 302 stainless steel.

78oz/min @ 0psi
63oz/min @ 10psi
13oz/min @ 20psi
12 vdc
160° F max temp
4" x 1 7/8" x 2 1/2"

[dgrmkrp]

Hmm.. well, if the heatsink is stock, there is your answer.. also, if the system is dusty, clean it.. also, try and find out what kind of fans you have >> are they old and dying or need replacement because of other issues, or are they ok. Change the heatsink to something like a Thermaltake or Thermalright or Scythe or Zalman.. Have as many heatpipes as possible, as big a fan as possible and as small and light and cheap as you can go hyperthreading makes for the two cores.. but this model shouldn't have neither 2 physical nor 2 logical cores, just 2 megs of L2 cache.. It isn't that of a monster nowadays, more like an aging heater.. An air cooler and a cleaner case air-flow wise should keep it in the 35~40 degrees centigrade area..

If you still plan on going to water: you need a pump that has the highest flow rate, but the lowest heat dump wattage. A danger den or laing or alphacool pump is nice. Eheim or hydor too.. Mixed thoughts for all of them.

[Spawn-Inc]

Head is also important. the swiftech MCP655 or dangerden on is rated for 10ft of head.

Technical specifications
Nominal voltage
12 V DC

Operating voltage range 8 to 24 VDC
Nominal power (@ 12 V)
24 W

Nominal current (@ 12 V) 2 amps
Motor type Brushless, microprocessor controlled
Maximum head
10 ft (3.1 m)

Maximum discharge
~ 317 GPH (1200 LPH)

Connection size
½" barbs

Maximum pressure 50 PSI (3.5 BAR)
Temperature range 32 °F to 140°F (0 °C to 60 °C)
Electrical connector
Molex 4 pin

Weight
1.4 LB (650 gr.)

Impeller Housing material
Noryl®