help me, need water cooling advice since i never tried it before!

C

chinked|out

Gawd
Joined
Feb 6, 2006
Messages
557
so guys, and gurus.
i know everyone in here is great help. so i decided to post here for some water cooling information, tips, helps, and recommendations.

first off, let's show you my components in my case:

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
HSF - ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler copper
MotherBoard - ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard
Ram - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ - Retail
Video Card - XFX PVT80GTHF9 GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
PwrSupply - Enermax 620W
Main Harddrive - 250gb

The case i'm thinking about occupying for this job is silverstone black temjin tj07. the only problem here is that i don't know how to mod or never done it before, also i don't want to buy a bunch of modding accessories just to setup watercooling internally. i was inspired to keep this case after seeing Theorie's water cooling setup.

my current case has 3 harddrives occupying one of the 2 hard drive racks on the bottom portion of the case. i'm using a hd rack on the 5.25" drive bays and i have 2 optical drives in the 5.25 drive bays. as far as i know i can get those silverstone drive bays which allows me to mount 3 harddrives using 3 5.25" bays. and if i need mroe space i can just buy single HD racks.

now the problem is having a radiator. i'm thinking about triple rad on the bottom taking out one HD cage or 2 hd cage if necessary. i want to be able to cool, my gpu 8800gts and e6300.

i'm looking to spend less then 280 on water cooling. i was thinking buying from petratechshop since the guy is south of me by like 35miles. also i was looking at his kit with the dtek block for the cpu.

now all i need is recommendations, encouragement and tips.

how hard to setup the wc kit compared to air cooling?
would it really take 10 hrs like couple members on this thread did?
would i really gain temps?
would the case be a lot more silent?
what are the chances of a first timer to mess up and get leaks killing his hardware?
what if i dont' put my gpu onto the loop right away and wait a while until later? would it be hard to add a gpu to a already setup loop?
what happens if you don't do any of the cleaning processes in the beginning before setup? is it really necessary?
how would i go about mounting the rad without drilling holes and keeping it on the bottom section of the case? can i use valcro? would it support the RAD?

current temps are as follows (on air of course)
Full load


idle


how much would i gain when i move to water?
 
Ill just give some of my opinion as well as knowledge that ive gained from personal experience and reading these forums.
chinked|out said:
i'm looking to spend less then 280 on water cooling. i was thinking buying from petratechshop since the guy is south of me by like 35miles. also i was looking at his kit with the dtek block for the cpu.
Petras is a great site to buy from, also look at dangerden/jab-tech for various watercooling parts. Usually buying everything seperate is cheaper than a kit, but I havnt really compared prices so im sure the kits on petras are reasonably priced.
how hard to setup the wc kit compared to air cooling?
Not that hard man, if u like building and putting together things, than setting up ur loop can actually be a lot of fun. If you take your time than it is fairly easy to figure everything out and put it together.
would it really take 10 hrs like couple members on this thread did?
Well, if you're looking for a "quick fix" than you may want to add more fans or better airflow to your rig. Yes it may take 10hrs, especially for your first build. It doesnt have to, but its really best to take your time and do everything correctly the first time.
would i really gain temps?
When done correctly, water will give you better temps, especially under load. If you plan on OCing, WC is the way to go.
would the case be a lot more silent?
Yes, depending on what fans you buy for your radiator. If you are still unhappy with the noise after WC than you can always buy a fan controller for pretty cheap.
what are the chances of a first timer to mess up and get leaks killing his hardware?
You should definately leak test the system before putting it in. 24 hours is usually sufficient. Also buying masterkleer 7/16" tubing and boiling the ends to fit over 1/2" bars will give you a great seal and prevent most/all leaks. Even if there is a small leak, chances are it wont kill your hardware unless left for a long time. (from what ive read)
what if i dont' put my gpu onto the loop right away and wait a while until later? would it be hard to add a gpu to a already setup loop?
Shouldnt be too hard, just drain the system into a bucket or something, get some extra tubing and add the gpu to the loop. Just make sure you setup the loop in a good order.
what happens if you don't do any of the cleaning processes in the beginning before setup? is it really necessary?
Erm.. I didnt really clean out the tubing and parts when i first bought my setup, i dont think its necessary, but its definately recomended. I believe start with vinegar and after that wash out with distilled water at least 2-3 times. Cleaning your loop after 1 year like this is recomended more than when you receive new parts (correct me if im wrong).
how would i go about mounting the rad without drilling holes and keeping it on the bottom section of the case?
There are different attachements and boxes you can use for rads, but if you are going to have it on the bottom of your case, make sure there is room for fans. In my setup I actually cut two squares in the bottom of my case where the fans were blowing through the rad and propped up my case on bricks to give the heat a place to go.
can i use valcro? would it support the RAD?
yes velcro should support the rad, but if its sitting on the bottom of ur case you shouldnt need it? i may be understanding your plans incorrectly.
current temps are as follows (on air of course)
how much would i gain when i move to water?
Cant say for sure. If you are getting 60 load like it says in TAT than I would definately expect to see a drop. It helps especially if you plan to OC as well.
Click to expand...
 
how hard to setup the wc kit compared to air cooling?
Not difficult at all actually. If you do your homework up front and get the parts you need you can do it fairly quickly.

would it really take 10 hrs like couple members on this thread did?
If you're running a test loop, mounting an external rad, and installing a cpu and dual gpu blocks for the first time then it can take a fair bit of time first time around. If I had to do it again I could probably do it fairly quickly.

would i really gain temps?
I went to water from a set of 8800 GTXs and E6700 and the temp gains were enormous. Depends on how hot your rig is now. Check out my post called 'My first watercooling setup - please post your comments' as I posted a lot of temperature results in it.

would the case be a lot more silent?
Yes.

what are the chances of a first timer to mess up and get leaks killing his hardware?
I was worried about that too. If you make sure your tubing and barbs are tight and run a test loop the odds of that happening are slim and none.

what if i dont' put my gpu onto the loop right away and wait a while until later? would it be hard to add a gpu to a already setup loop?
If you have a reservoir that's easy to fill then it would make draining/filling the loop much easier, which in turn would speed up adding a GPU block.

what happens if you don't do any of the cleaning processes in the beginning before setup? is it really necessary?
how would i go about mounting the rad without drilling holes and keeping it on the bottom section of the case? can i use valcro? would it support the RAD?
If you don't want to drill you can use industrial strength velcro strips for the rad and pump. I didn't because I mounted externally, but they would work.

Although setting it up first time was time consuming, it was a lot of fun. If you're an enthusiast it's definitely worth a go at it, especially if you're looking to lower temps and possibly overclock.
 
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