New water system - last minute help on fittings

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kevinjp

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Feb 2, 2008
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I am new to water cooling, my Zalman 9700 LED is just not cutting it enough for me, and I want to over clock.

My current Computer is:

Q6600
ASUS P5N-32E SLI
BFG 8800GT OC (I will upgrade this later and a new waterblock)
OCZ GameXtreme 700w PSU
74GB Raptor + 250GB W.D
2x1GB OCZ Platnium PC-6400 4-4-4-15

I am upgrading my memory, to something else since those are designed for crossfire but they work fine for now/


This is the water system I have come up with. Looking to spend 300$ as a limit.


Kit list

D-TEK FuZion v2 Extreme 53$
D-Tek UNI-Sink- nVidia 8800 GT 25$
Thermaltake P500 Liquid Cooling Pump 500 L/H 50$
PrimoFlex Pro LRT Clear Tubing -3/8in. ID X 1/2in. OD 24$ 12 feet.
PrimoChill ICE Non-Conductive Liquid Cooling Fluid (32 oz.) 16$
Reuseable Clamps - For 3/8" Tubing (1/2" O.D.) 10$ for 12
Swiftech APOGEE GTZ Ultra 69$
Swiftech MCRES-MICRO™ Reservoir $20

Rad - TC PA120.2 - just not in stock on that site. Good place to shop to find in canada?

Shopping Cart
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=shopping_cart


My questions:
-What fittings do I need for that pump to get attached to my hoses?
-How much fluid roughly do I need (depends on lenght of cables I know)
-Am I missing anything important/not important?

total build of 270$ not including radiator. Its a little over my budget. Where can I lower my costs and improve my parts? Max I want to spend is 350$

I am thinking of cutting out my GPU right now since I will upgrade later on anywheres (after xmas) which will allow me to save/upgrade my build.
 
In general, I would recommend avoiding thermaltake like the plague. Either this pump or a DDC with a res top would be excellent alternatives: http://www.dangerden.com/store/product.php?productid=356&cat=23&page=1

As for the rad, go with a swiftech mcr either double or triple if you have room. Not only are they cheaper but as testing from Martin's Liquid Lab has shown, performance is within a couple degrees of the Thermochill rads so the impact on your temps will be negligible.

As for fluid, 32 oz. should be enough even for a triple rad as long as you aren't planning extremely long tubing runs. Alternatively, you could just run distilled water with a couple drops of PT Nuke. That would save you some money as well.

Also, consider compression fittings. They simplify things greatly.
 
Your hose's specs are:
# Inner Diameter -- 3/8"(9.525 mm)
# Outer Diameter –1/2"(1.5875 mm)

Use 3/8" barbs.

Forgot to add, stay away from pre-made coolant (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1325851) and make your own. If you really must get a fluid, get Feser's. Plus it's cheaper to just go DW + Additive (pentosin, hydraX, feser, petratech).

Also, change the pump as suggested by anr11 to DDC/MCP355+custom top/D5/MCP655.
 
I removed my GPU water cooling right now, since I will be upgrading really soon.

Changed my pump to what you suggested along with my rad.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=3653

I believe I now have all my fittings, and clamps. The rad, CPU block, water block, and RES all came with 3/8'' fittings. So I should be good to go now. I am just going to make my own coolant with a dye, PT nuke, and distilled water.


Any other suggestions? Is the tubing I selected good enough? Is there best ones for cost/price?
 
kevinjp said:
Thermaltake P500 Liquid Cooling Pump 500 L/H 50$
Click to expand...

I've used that pump before. I ran it with 3/8"ID tubing and it decided to start squealing for no reason. It was never once starved of water either. It continued to work, just made some horrible noises. This was only after 2 weeks of operation as well. I'd avoid that pump if I were you. I can't trust a product that makes scary noises after such a short period of time.
 
kevinjp said:
I removed my GPU water cooling right now, since I will be upgrading really soon.

Changed my pump to what you suggested along with my rad.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200&products_id=3653

I believe I now have all my fittings, and clamps. The rad, CPU block, water block, and RES all came with 3/8'' fittings. So I should be good to go now. I am just going to make my own coolant with a dye, PT nuke, and distilled water.


Any other suggestions? Is the tubing I selected good enough? Is there best ones for cost/price?
Click to expand...


Do not mix any dye with distilled and PT nuke. You will most likely end up with sludge in your loop. If you absolutely want a colored coolant, Feser One is the only way to go. There are plenty of colors to choose from and it is proven stable. I have seen reports of others separating and also causing sludge and other problems. Do not use the Feser dye, only the premixed stuff. It has all the corrosion inhibitors you will need plus it's non-conductive (in the beginning at least). To sum up clearly, either run straight distilled with PT Nuke or use a premixed Feser One fluid in the color of your choise.

Also, it is very important to flush your radiator before putting your loop together. Just attach a couple fittings to it along with 2 pieces. Stick a funnel in one end and pour distilled water (heated to boiling if possible) through it several times. That will get all the crap out of it from the manufacturing process.
 
kevinjp said:
I am new to water cooling, my Zalman 9700 LED is just not cutting it enough for me, and I want to over clock.

My current Computer is:

Q6600
ASUS P5N-32E SLI
BFG 8800GT OC (I will upgrade this later and a new waterblock)
OCZ GameXtreme 700w PSU
74GB Raptor + 250GB W.D
2x1GB OCZ Platnium PC-6400 4-4-4-15

I am upgrading my memory, to something else since those are designed for crossfire but they work fine for now/


This is the water system I have come up with. Looking to spend 300$ as a limit.


Kit list

D-TEK FuZion v2 Extreme 53$
D-Tek UNI-Sink- nVidia 8800 GT 25$
Thermaltake P500 Liquid Cooling Pump 500 L/H 50$
PrimoFlex Pro LRT Clear Tubing -3/8in. ID X 1/2in. OD 24$ 12 feet.
PrimoChill ICE Non-Conductive Liquid Cooling Fluid (32 oz.) 16$
Reuseable Clamps - For 3/8" Tubing (1/2" O.D.) 10$ for 12
Swiftech APOGEE GTZ Ultra 69$
Swiftech MCRES-MICRO™ Reservoir $20

Rad - TC PA120.2 - just not in stock on that site. Good place to shop to find in canada?

Shopping Cart
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=shopping_cart


My questions:
-What fittings do I need for that pump to get attached to my hoses?
-How much fluid roughly do I need (depends on lenght of cables I know)
-Am I missing anything important/not important?

total build of 270$ not including radiator. Its a little over my budget. Where can I lower my costs and improve my parts? Max I want to spend is 350$

I am thinking of cutting out my GPU right now since I will upgrade later on anywheres (after xmas) which will allow me to save/upgrade my build.
Click to expand...

If you want color use this with distilled water:

http://www.jab-tech.com/Pentosin-G11-Long-life-Coolant-Blue-pr-3707.html

Otherwise, just distilled water with anti algae drops from the pet store. If you are going to get the Swiftech res, then get the new version with drain port and G1/4" fitting up top. Well worth the $5 difference. Otherwise I would strongly recommend doing a MCP355 with an XSPC Res top. You can't beat the performance unless you want to do an Iwaki and it will save you 2 fittings and having to run tubing between the pump and res. If you are going to add dual video cards to this loop, then get a triple rad, preferably a Thermochil or Feser and worse case a Swiftech MCR320. The TC and Feser will give you more heat capacity so that if you decide to add 2 video cards to the loop they can handle it. The swiftech should be fine on a CPU and single video card. Save yourself $20 and get the D-tek Fuzion CPU water block version 1. The difference between the GTZ and the V1 is minimal. If you go with 1/2" barbs and 7/16" tubing, you will get a nice seal that will be hard to get off, still use zip ties or clamps for extra safety. You will need to boil some water and heat the tubing up to get it over the barb or you can use some water based petroleoum jelly to slide it on.

And finally, if you are looking for a great place to shop in Canada, try NCIX.com. I have ordered from them before and they are great, even when you live in the states.
 
anr11 said:
Do not mix any dye with distilled and PT nuke. You will most likely end up with sludge in your loop. If you absolutely want a colored coolant, Feser One is the only way to go. There are plenty of colors to choose from and it is proven stable. I have seen reports of others separating and also causing sludge and other problems. Do not use the Feser dye, only the premixed stuff. It has all the corrosion inhibitors you will need plus it's non-conductive (in the beginning at least). To sum up clearly, either run straight distilled with PT Nuke or use a premixed Feser One fluid in the color of your choise.

Also, it is very important to flush your radiator before putting your loop together. Just attach a couple fittings to it along with 2 pieces. Stick a funnel in one end and pour distilled water (heated to boiling if possible) through it several times. That will get all the crap out of it from the manufacturing process.
Click to expand...

CaptainSoble said:
My Feser Xchanger came with Feser Base Corrosion Blocker. Is this ok to use with a dye?
Click to expand...

Feser pre-mixed is the best option. A lot of people have reported that using the Feser dyes with the Feser One fluid that it would still separate. If you want color get colored tubing or use G11 Blue with distilled water, it's great, cheap and protects your stuff.
 
Thanks for the help guys. I think I am going to run clear for alittle while. I got alot of cathcode lights that will light everything up. Just going to use distilled water and PT Nuke it.

I know about flushing the rad, and thanks for the tips. I might run a triple rad since I will be adding dual video cards in the future, might as well save the money now right.

What are some good fans to run on the rad? Is medium speed fans ok? I am not worried about cost for them, no sense in cheaping out here when you spend the money on a good rad.

Also, I am sticking with the 3/8'' fitings, I like your tips but i'd rather not fuck with everything I have not to make it work. And running the extra tubing doesn't bother me.

What is the best way I should cut the tubing? I was going to use a pipe cutter. But my brother works in heating and air conditioning, and has those plastic cutters so I might just borrow them so its one clean cut.

I can't wait till I have some picks of my system. Thanks for the help guys
 
For fans, I like the scythe slip-streams. I have 6 of the 1600 rpm's running push/pull on my triple rad and they are barely audible. Just out of curiosity, which pump did you decide to go with? And the fittings, you mentioned 3/8, but which type did you mean, barbs or compression? Use a proper tubing cutter so that you get nice, clean, straight cuts. That will help to ensure a good seal. Be sure and post your pics in the systems thread when you are finished.
 
anr11 said:
For fans, I like the scythe slip-streams. I have 6 of the 1600 rpm's running push/pull on my triple rad and they are barely audible. Just out of curiosity, which pump did you decide to go with? And the fittings, you mentioned 3/8, but which type did you mean, barbs or compression? Use a proper tubing cutter so that you get nice, clean, straight cuts. That will help to ensure a good seal. Be sure and post your pics in the systems thread when you are finished.
Click to expand...
Really? I have the 800rpm Slipstreams and they're slightly audible in my rig.
 
It's of course all relative to where you sit in relation to your PC, ambient noise, how well you hear in that particular frequency range, etc. For me they are barely audible. YMMV.
 
Nah, screw that and buy some San Aces and undervolt them ;).

I personally like the low speed Yate Loons, but I'd suggest that whatever fans you end up with, that you should put them on a fan controller.
 
save yourself hassel and get compression fittings . . .get a Ridgid pipe/hose cutter from your local hardware store . . .
 
DarthBeavis said:
save yourself hassel and get compression fittings . . .get a Ridgid pipe/hose cutter from your local hardware store . . .
Click to expand...

I use a pipe cutter like that. While I hate compression fittings (big, fat fingers), they look so much better than worm clamps it makes them worthwhile. I'll get my wife to tighten the close ones when I wet this system, soon.
 
Kil4Thril said:
I use a pipe cutter like that. While I hate compression fittings (big, fat fingers), they look so much better than worm clamps it makes them worthwhile. I'll get my wife to tighten the close ones when I wet this system, soon.
Click to expand...

If this was not a rated 'G' forum I would have tons of shady comments relating to your big fingers and wife helping tighten things up . . .but alas . . .not for here ;)

I hate have cut up fingers from Fat Boy fittings (pushing 3/8 Tygon on 1/2 fittings can be a bloody affair) . . .
 
Agreed. I use 1/2" ID/ 3/4" OD BP compression fittings, and its a PITA to tighten down, but damn if they don't look sexy when complete vs. worm clamps. :)
 
DarthBeavis said:
If this was not a rated 'G' forum I would have tons of shady comments relating to your big fingers and wife helping tighten things up . . .but alas . . .not for here ;)

I hate have cut up fingers from Fat Boy fittings (pushing 3/8 Tygon on 1/2 fittings can be a bloody affair) . . .
Click to expand...

:p:D Nothing she wouldn't be expecting.
 
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