First Timer!!!(Oh god another one... I know)

First things people should know about this build.

- I have no hands on experience with watercooling.

- Performance is not everything to me.

- Goal of the build is to establish a solid base on which I can expand to gpu and mobo cooling later on.


This is the case in which the loop is hoping to be stored. I move my pc once a week or so over to a friends house to lan, so the A5 has been pretty nice for mobility. However if its wholeheartedly suggested that I use a different case, I have a 1200 sitting behind me that I can use as well.



This would be the parts list that I have put together(rather blindly I might add). Suggestions here would be very welcomed because I crave personal experiences. All parts were chosen from performance-pcs and if there is a much better place to shop please let me know.


I'm rather curious if compression fittings should ease my concerns on moving this pc around. Price range is $300-$350 however I can wiggle a little if its considered necessary for the long term goals. Also with any suggestions please post a link so I can check it out as well.

Thanks in advance to all the helpless people like myself, who love nothing more than building computers and helping others out.

Ah, well to be honest with you, I originally used compression fittings, but the last 6 years I've just use regular old plastic clamps, and they have worked perfectly fine, I've transported my computer to 6 quakecons, and 10 local lans, and I've been rough with it, never had a single leak.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1451956 <----- Save yourself some cash.

Barbs plus steel clamps offer the best prevention against leaks. Compressions do look smexy though.

That setup is a ripoff. Let me show you what i use on my 4.2Ghz I7.

Water Block
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/91...tl=g30c325s839

Rad
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/57...?tl=g30c95s161

Pump
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/75...tl=g30c107s155

Res
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/69...html?tl=g30c97

Tubing
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/72...?tl=g30c99s172

USE Distilled water. Much easier and cheaper. You also want 1/2" fittings. Anything else is a complete and utter waste

1/2" 5/8" tubing really sucks you could go 3/8" 5/8" if you are space limited, you'll need like tons of anti kink coils or metal rotary fittings for that not to kink in your system.
The feser shit is useless.

HK waterblock is a good choice, i've had the GTZ, the backplate and screws are POS, the HK or the Enzotech is what i would do.

Where you buy that stuff is hella expensive, i pay $5 i bought 20 of them they are not that expensive. for a compression fitting you paying like $8 a piece, petra store is overpriced compared to sidewinders or jabtech and their selection is so so, pcs has the most stuff but they are expensive as well, the 2 stores mentioned will get you 99% of the stuff you need,

Sure you throw some clamps and metal bards you'd be saving like $50 if that, let alone when you want to upgrade or move thigns around you'd be saving a lot of grief and wishing you went with compression, barbs are a bitch to take out specially with that thin wall tubing you use, good luck with that.

I love compression fittings. I used the barb/clamp deal for a while, but I've had much better luck with compressions. Plus, as lollerskater69 said, they look really good.

I would also recommend some other kind of tubing. 3/8 5/8 would work well for you. I had that in my microfly for some time without having kinking issues. I've actually moved to 1/4 3/8. I know it seems small, but I saw maybe a 1'C increase and it's so easy to work with it seemed well worth it.

The heatkiller waterblock is a great choice. My old roommate from college just got one of these and loves it.

I'll agree the feser cooling liquid is kind of a waste of money. Save yourself some cash and just use distilled water. If you want it dyed, just pick up on of the little bottles for $7. They last forever as it only takes a few drops to get your entire loop.

Everything else looks pretty good, just make sure you price shop a little bit to get the best deal. Good luck with everything!

Both sides of the fittings issue has been given (little roughly but there it is) fittings are sexy but costly, bards work well and IMO with a inexpensive band clamp are very hardy. I think the hose removal is a bit over stated but they can be a bitch to get off and sometimes I have to slit the tubing at the fitting with an exacto knife and then they come right off but the tubing typically then is too short and has to be replaced. Totally your call based on looks and price. Installed properly both will work fine.

Oh duh, I see the fluid is UV blue, Ok , I was going to do the whole distilled water thing. Nevermind .

Dont forget fans.

Originally Posted by BlackTTC6

Water Block
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/91...tl=g30c325s839

Rad
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/57...?tl=g30c95s161

Pump
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/75...tl=g30c107s155

Res
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/69...html?tl=g30c97

Tubing
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/72...?tl=g30c99s172

USE Distilled water. Much easier and cheaper. You also want 1/2" fittings. Anything else is a complete and utter waste

What are your temps with that setup @ 4.2ghz? Vcore in cpu?

I've decided to move my system back into my 1200. While the idea's I have for cooling are somewhat the same, I may just end up holding off for a little while and buying a 5870x2 when they are released. Once I have this card I'm sure it will run hot enough that I will force my self into water cooling. Probably do a dual loop as well because for once in my life I have plenty of funds with very few expenses. Would like to thank everyone who posted their opinions because it's helping me get a better grasp on what to look for.

Originally Posted by Pastyface

I've decided to move my system back into my 1200. While the idea's I have for cooling are somewhat the same, I may just end up holding off for a little while and buying a 5870x2 when they are released. Once I have this card I'm sure it will run hot enough that I will force my self into water cooling. Probably do a dual loop as well because for once in my life I have plenty of funds with very few expenses. Would like to thank everyone who posted their opinions because it's helping me get a better grasp on what to look for.

I don't think you'll need 2 loops for just 1 gpu and 1 cpu the gains will be in the order of 2-3C for the cpu ,as long as you have enough rad you should be fine. With my set up 1gpu/1cpu my cpu performed 2C worse but is much cleaner and i keep the other pump for backup. If you want the absolute best temps go with dual loop but again may be not worth the trouble.

Yep. Loop order doesn't really matter. After you get your system running for a while your system will balance out.

Well I've made it a week without buying anything as planned...



However I have been shopping around some more, and this is what I have come up with. The goal has stayed the same and the big one is to establish a base. I am also really liking pump/reservoir combos and I am hoping the mcp 355 will match up with laing ddc tops. I've seen a few articles saying they are compatible however I'd like some confirmation from other forum users.

My system has moved back into my 1200 and I've removed 2 of the top hdd cages in preparation for a radiator to be installed. I'm planning on picking up the screws and mounting brackets from a local hardware store because everything online has been way overpriced so far.

Please leave comments and suggests as stated before.

One last question is the $50 gtz worth it or should I end up spending $40 more for the heatkiller lt with a backplate and extra shipping charges from a different site?

get the hk LT i hated the GTZ from day 1 i got it the backplate is a piece of shit basically the mounting system sucks so much and thet test Gabe did with the block performing so well is with 2 D5s this block is a flow killer below the suggested 1.5gpm. I have a HK 3.0 Cu waiting to be installed. I should see the results but i think hks worksmanship is top top.

Or you could get the Sapphire which pretty much peforms on par with the HK 3.0 and has better flow.

Only about $42 shipped on Newegg. Plus the 1366 bracket is free in a combo deal.

A 120.2 is fine but if you can strech your case or budget out I would pick up a 120.3 for more OC headroom. Newegg also has the MCR320 for about $50.

Well I finally pulled the trigger and ordered everything. Everything ordered follows that last list other than the gtz which I switched for the HK LT.

While you are probably very right lollerskater, I want the color scheme and look of all the components to match up a lot better than they currently are in my case. Whenever I see my ugly ass noctua fans I get a little squeamish so I figured I would pick a block that went along well with the current system's look.

I want to thank you guys for posting all your input.

ha np the HK is a great block.

Just figured I would give an update. After a few hours everything is operational and I'm posting on the very machine. Only one small dilemma which was fixed right away, one of my fittings was loose on the reservoir so I had water all over the bottom of my case. Kinda scared the crap out of me but it didn't hit any components so its all good. I don't have any pictures of the set up just yet but I do have temps which I must say surprised even me. My load temp is my old idle temp on my Noctua cooler.