liquid cooling tips - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

tcp · 06-29-2009, 04:09 PM

Any tips? What are some good sites for liquid (water) cooling?

I have a mid-tower so I was looking for a reservoir/pump and controller combo for one or two 5.25" bays with a separate radiator I can mount on a fan port. Do any come to mind? Also, what do you use to close up unneeded fan ports?

shakran · 06-29-2009, 04:27 PM

whatever you find out here, be sure to check out hardocp.com 's forums. They have lots of expertise in liquid cooling.

I personally won't do it. A Thermaltake Armor case (especially with the 25cm side fan option) has more than enough airflow to cool even the most powerful desktop, and no risk of leaking coolant.

Redjake · 06-29-2009, 05:45 PM

Yeah it's fun and everything but Shakran is right. Air cooling cools just as good as liquid cooling nowadays. Ever since the dawn of Thermaltake and all of those crazy fuckers with their metal fins and shit and vacuum-cleaner-loud fans, air cooling has been more than sufficient.

Radio Monk33 · 06-29-2009, 10:57 PM

I can't see it being worthwhile for the hassle and risk unless you want to do it simply as a mechanical challenge (similar to most PC modding/overclocking/tweaking)..

Good aircooling fans and cases should be mostly sufficient.

kutulu · 06-30-2009, 10:29 AM

If you want to do some extreme overclocking then I can understand but like others have said, air cooling is just fine. I have this, it has two 120mm fans and it nearly silent.

gump · 07-01-2009, 12:26 PM

I have a water cooled case setting in my closet. After two fried boards from water leaks it has found a good resting place. Good luck just check your connections every now and again for leaks.

tcp · 07-01-2009, 06:30 PM

so even though the fluid is non-conductive is still can easily fry your PC?

JStrider · 07-01-2009, 06:39 PM

I water cooled for a long time... was good for wow factor showing off to other nerds... but really it was just a pain in the butt and an extra worry associated with the computer.... not too mention it made an already heavy case really heavy!

Xerxys · 07-01-2009, 08:07 PM

huh, try xtremesystems and check out the mods on there ... rad is all I can say.

n0nsensical · 07-02-2009, 12:32 AM

Liquid helium or bust!

Vigilante · 07-02-2009, 03:51 AM

My overclocked system has been running with watercooling for over a year. I use a T-line, didn't bother with a reservoir. I check the water level once every 6 months or so, and top it off.

I've been WCing since around 2001. I guess you could say I'm an old hand at this hobby.

gump · 07-02-2009, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamtc

so even though the fluid is non-conductive is still can easily fry your PC?

In my case the leak happened at the cpu cooler and caused the damage.

Vigilante · 07-03-2009, 08:12 PM

I don't care what the box says, if it's water-based, it will short your shit out. Once water comes in contact with metal, ions form. Pure water will not short it out; pure water poured into a radiator will.

Oiled based will not short, but oil doesn't move heat anywhere close to how water does.

I'll add that if you are overclocking, air cooling, no matter what you buy, will not compare to water cooling. Can you get by with air? Yes, with a loud system. With water you can spread the heat over a large surface area and keep the volume down while keeping the overall cfm up.

Lasereth · 07-04-2009, 06:27 AM

Right but if you're doing mild to medium overclocking, a Tuniq Tower 120 or something similar will keep the temperatures fine without being at 150 decibels.

Puttz · 07-05-2009, 10:39 AM

I've never felt the need to do setup a LC system... I've seen some awfully neat ones but they always require a lot of extra work for very little real gain in cooling performance.

Why are you doing it? For effect or because air cooled isn't cutting it?

shakran · 07-05-2009, 10:47 AM

I dunno what y'all are talking about with a loud system. I can barely hear mine, and the cpu core temp and gpu core temp rise about 5 degrees from idle when I run an intensive game. It's all in getting the right equipment.

Vigilante · 07-07-2009, 04:43 AM

I run a Q6600 at 3.6GHz. It's from when the Q series was fairly new and not the 4GHz beasts you find sometimes now. I refuse to accept 60C for any CPU at full load, and I had to design a system that could run 8 instances of folding @ home 24/7, with minimal noise and exceptional cooling. That means cooling the PWMs that are over 100C as well. Crucial DDR2 got hot as shit and burned out if you didn't treat it right, the raptor drive needed to remain cool (passive preferable) and the 8800GT had to remain cool as well so I could game while the system was under full load.

This is over 400 watts continuous pull. Oh and I wanted it all in a midtower. Small by today's gaming systems, but still a challenge.

3 main fans keep everything cool. I made it more efficient by adding ducting to force air to be pulled over the RAM and northbridge. I also added the mesh to the front 5.25 bays to allow outside air directly to the radiator. That decreased the temps by 10C, no kidding.

So if you have a system that's quiet with some simple fans and a heatsink, then you obviously aren't pushing the system to its limits. When I talk about overclocking, I'm talking about near death experiences, not a 400MHz increase.

06-29-2009, 04:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
tcp Crazy	liquid cooling tips Any tips? What are some good sites for liquid (water) cooling? I have a mid-tower so I was looking for a reservoir/pump and controller combo for one or two 5.25" bays with a separate radiator I can mount on a fan port. Do any come to mind? Also, what do you use to close up unneeded fan ports?

06-29-2009, 05:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
Redjake I'm a family man - I run a family business. Location: Wilson, NC	Yeah it's fun and everything but Shakran is right. Air cooling cools just as good as liquid cooling nowadays. Ever since the dawn of Thermaltake and all of those crazy fuckers with their metal fins and shit and vacuum-cleaner-loud fans, air cooling has been more than sufficient. __________________ Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

06-29-2009, 10:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
Radio Monk33 Psycho	I can't see it being worthwhile for the hassle and risk unless you want to do it simply as a mechanical challenge (similar to most PC modding/overclocking/tweaking).. Good aircooling fans and cases should be mostly sufficient. __________________ "Punk rock had this cool, political personal message. It was a bit more cerebral than just stupid cock rock, you know" -Kurt Cobain

07-01-2009, 06:39 PM	#8 (permalink)
JStrider Poo-tee-weet? Location: The Woodlands, TX	I water cooled for a long time... was good for wow factor showing off to other nerds... but really it was just a pain in the butt and an extra worry associated with the computer.... not too mention it made an already heavy case really heavy! __________________ -=JStrider=- ~Clatto Verata Nicto

07-02-2009, 12:32 AM	#10 (permalink)
n0nsensical Junkie Location: San Francisco	Liquid helium or bust! __________________ "Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." --Abraham Lincoln

06-29-2009, 04:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	whatever you find out here, be sure to check out hardocp.com 's forums. They have lots of expertise in liquid cooling. I personally won't do it. A Thermaltake Armor case (especially with the 25cm side fan option) has more than enough airflow to cool even the most powerful desktop, and no risk of leaking coolant.

06-30-2009, 10:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	If you want to do some extreme overclocking then I can understand but like others have said, air cooling is just fine. I have this, it has two 120mm fans and it nearly silent.

07-01-2009, 12:26 PM	#6 (permalink)
gump Addict Location: TN	I have a water cooled case setting in my closet. After two fried boards from water leaks it has found a good resting place. Good luck just check your connections every now and again for leaks.

07-01-2009, 06:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
tcp Crazy	so even though the fluid is non-conductive is still can easily fry your PC?

07-01-2009, 08:07 PM	#9 (permalink)
Xerxys Junkie Location: My head.	huh, try xtremesystems and check out the mods on there ... rad is all I can say.

07-02-2009, 03:51 AM	#11 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	My overclocked system has been running with watercooling for over a year. I use a T-line, didn't bother with a reservoir. I check the water level once every 6 months or so, and top it off. I've been WCing since around 2001. I guess you could say I'm an old hand at this hobby. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill Last edited by Vigilante; 07-16-2009 at 12:07 PM..

07-03-2009, 08:12 PM	#13 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	I don't care what the box says, if it's water-based, it will short your shit out. Once water comes in contact with metal, ions form. Pure water will not short it out; pure water poured into a radiator will. Oiled based will not short, but oil doesn't move heat anywhere close to how water does. I'll add that if you are overclocking, air cooling, no matter what you buy, will not compare to water cooling. Can you get by with air? Yes, with a loud system. With water you can spread the heat over a large surface area and keep the volume down while keeping the overall cfm up. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill Last edited by Vigilante; 07-03-2009 at 08:15 PM..

07-04-2009, 06:27 AM	#14 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Right but if you're doing mild to medium overclocking, a Tuniq Tower 120 or something similar will keep the temperatures fine without being at 150 decibels. __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

07-05-2009, 10:39 AM	#15 (permalink)
Puttz Upright	I've never felt the need to do setup a LC system... I've seen some awfully neat ones but they always require a lot of extra work for very little real gain in cooling performance. Why are you doing it? For effect or because air cooled isn't cutting it?

07-05-2009, 10:47 AM	#16 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	I dunno what y'all are talking about with a loud system. I can barely hear mine, and the cpu core temp and gpu core temp rise about 5 degrees from idle when I run an intensive game. It's all in getting the right equipment.

07-07-2009, 04:43 AM	#17 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	I run a Q6600 at 3.6GHz. It's from when the Q series was fairly new and not the 4GHz beasts you find sometimes now. I refuse to accept 60C for any CPU at full load, and I had to design a system that could run 8 instances of folding @ home 24/7, with minimal noise and exceptional cooling. That means cooling the PWMs that are over 100C as well. Crucial DDR2 got hot as shit and burned out if you didn't treat it right, the raptor drive needed to remain cool (passive preferable) and the 8800GT had to remain cool as well so I could game while the system was under full load. This is over 400 watts continuous pull. Oh and I wanted it all in a midtower. Small by today's gaming systems, but still a challenge. 3 main fans keep everything cool. I made it more efficient by adding ducting to force air to be pulled over the RAM and northbridge. I also added the mesh to the front 5.25 bays to allow outside air directly to the radiator. That decreased the temps by 10C, no kidding. So if you have a system that's quiet with some simple fans and a heatsink, then you obviously aren't pushing the system to its limits. When I talk about overclocking, I'm talking about near death experiences, not a 400MHz increase. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill