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Beginners Guide on how to piece together a Custom WaterCooling Kit

Apollo4g

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Messages
874
Location
Montreal
NOTE: that these links are to a U.S website i deal with, these parts can also be found at NCIX and DirectCanada computers. So just search for the same part names there.
Regardless of where the site is, the parts are the same :)

I also did not include prices because it would be ALOT of work keeping it updated with the exact price all the time, so sorry for that.

Here are some good choices of parts
(may I suggest the following):

Pumps:
Laing D5 Vario/Swiftech MCP655 Inline 12V DC Pump
OR
Laing D5 Basic/Swiftech MCP655-B Inline 12V DC Pump
OR
Laing DDC with Petra'sTech DDCT-01s Top


Radiators:
(These following rads are best used with some high CMF fans because they are thick):
Black Ice GTX Gen Two Xtreme 240 Highest Peformance Radiator
if your on a tight budget, this rad:
Black Ice Xtreme 2 High Peformance Radiator

(These following rads are best used with some lower CMF fans because they are thinner and have a less dense cooling fin structure):
ThermoChill PA120.2 Dual 120mm Radiator
(the thermochill is thick, but it seems to perform well with both high and low CMF fans)
if your on a tight budget, these rads:
Swiftech Radiator - MCR220 Quiet Power Series Dual 120 mm
Black Ice Pro II Compact High Peformance Radiator (NCIX does't have it)
HW Labs Black Ice GT Stealth 240

NOTE: These are the 2x120mm size radiators, they also come in 1x120mm, 2x120mm, 3x120mm and the Hw Labs makes a 4x120mm radiator.

Fans:
High CMF fans will always get you better temps with thick rads.
So if you dont mind noise go with these:
Panaflo 120mm x 38mm FBA12G12M-1J Medium Speed Hydro Wave Bearing 3pin Case Fan (86.5 CFM/35 dBA)
Sunon 120mm x 38mm KDE1212PMB3-6A Double Ball Bearing 4pin Case Fan (108 CFM/42 dBA)
If you like your PC silent, go with these:
Yate Loon 120mm D12SL-12 Case Fan - Black (47 CFM, 28 dBA)
(Cheap, perform well and are quite!! got to love Loons!)

CPU block:
D-TEK FuZion Universal CPU Waterblock
OR
Swiftech Apogee GT Universal Waterblock
OR
A custom made waterblock, milled by hand by Fred a member here on this very WCing forum. You can reach him at his site here:
Stinger Waterblocks
Why i dont recommend the Apogee GTX?
After i opened my GTX i found out that it was very poorly machined, and plus had a aluminium top plated with copper.
Mixing Aluminium with copper = galvanization which is really bad for your whole loop.
So one scratch on that zinc plating will expose the liquid to copper and aluminium at the same time, causing galvanization.


GPU nVIDIA 8800 series:
For you GPU, there are 2 options, a full coverage block that covers everything including the RAM, or one that just covers the GPU core and cools the other parts with passive cooling:
(personally i prefer full coverage but results show that just the core one gives you better temps)
Full coverage:
EK-FC8800GTX Full Cover Waterblock for nVidia 8800 GTX
EK-FC8800GTS Full Cover Waterblock for nVidia 8800 GTS
OR
Swiftech Stealth Full Cover Waterblock for nVidia 8800 Series
OR
Danger Den - 8800GTX
Danger Den - 8800GTS

OR

Just GPU core coverage for the GTX/GTS:
Swiftech MCW60 GPU Waterblock w/ G80 Adapter Plate (Retail Edition)
OR the combo one with the ramsinks included:
Swiftech MCW60 GPU Waterblock w/ MC14 Ramsinks

Tubing:
1/2" ID (3/4" OD) Tygon R-3603 Laboratory-Grade Tubing
7/16" ID (5/8" OD) Tygon R-3603 Laboratory-Grade Tubing(NCIX does't have it)
AND
1/2" ID (3/4" OD) Masterkleer General Purpose Clear PVC Tubing(NCIX does't have it)
7/16" ID (5/8" OD) Masterkleer General Purpose Clear PVC Tubing

With all that bending of tubing in your PC you are bound to form what they call "kinks". Which is when the tubing gives way and collapses to for a very tight bend, these are bad as they restrict the flow and can cause your pump to over work itself.
Thicker OD of the tubing is known to kink less since the walls are thicker.
But if your still having problems here is a good solution:
Swiftech SmartCoils 625 (for 5/8" OD Tubing) - UV Ocean Blue
(Comes in other colors as well)

Some people say the 7/16"ID is easier to work with as its thinner than the 1/2"ID.
Personally i picked the 1/2"ID, just to have the largest.

As tygon is more flexable, but also much more expensive than Masterkleer, i suggest you use Tygon for the tight curves you will need in you system, and the cheaper Masterkleer for the straight parts of your loop.
At tygon at about $3.25 per foot and Masterkleer at $.75 per foot it will save you some costs that way.

A radbox:
Swiftech MCB-120 "Radbox" Radiator/Fan Housing Rev. 2 - Black
You will need one of these to mount your radiator at the back of your case.

A "T" Line or reservoir: (OR both)
Now you can use what they call a "T" line or a reservoir in your watercooling loop.
Swiftech MCRES-MICRO Hi-Flo Reservoir
EK-RES150 Multi-Option Reservoir(NCIX does't have it)
The EK and Swiftech reservoir are just 2 of the more famous ones, there are many good reservoirs out there, you just have to pick one that suits your liking, they all share the same purpose, which is just holding some coolant to feed your pump, not much complications there.
OR
For a "T" line you will need 2 parts:
1/2" OD T-Fitting (for 1/2" and 7/16" ID Tubing) (cant seem to find on NCIX, know they have it!!)
and
Danger Den Delrin FillPort They come in different colors.Blue,black,brass,etc.

You can also use a tubing plug for your "T" line, which basicly just plugs your T line so no liquid gets out, or other elements get in your loop.
Danger Den Tubing/T-Line Plug

Other miscellaneous stuff that you will need and make your build easier and more secure include: (Can get at Home Depot and other hardware stores)
Stainless Steel Worm-Drive Hose Clamp
PTFE Thread Tape
Danger Den Filling Syringe


Coolant:
For coolant there are many choices you can go with, look up some idea's on the forums.
Pure distilled water with 0% addatives will give you the best temperatures.
For much more detailed info you can go here:
Coolant Ideas
Personally i like this:
UV Reactive Pentosin G11 Coolant Additive (Blue)
You will also need a biocide to kill some evil algae growth in your system.I use this:
Petra'sTech "PT_Nuke" Concentrated Biocide

I really like Petra's Tech Shop
I order from them all the time, they have great stuff and some excellent customer service.(but they are in the U.S.)
and yes they do ship to Canada, but you have to email them with what you want, and they will then email you back a shipping quote.

Some good links to read and get you started:

Water Cooling - In English

Water Cooling Guide

Assembling your Custom Watercooling

Choosing The Best Pump for Your WaterCooling System

Guide To WaterCooling and Leak Testing

The Beginners Watercooling FAQ
 
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M

Misoprostol

Guest
Welcome to the forum. PTS does ship to Canada, but as the OP pointed out, most of these parts are available within our borders, and it would cost less to order them that way.

I read pretty briefly, but I only noticed one error. The Black Ice Pro II is neither a thick radiator, nor is it optimized for high CFM fans.

Actually one other thing: you do not need a fillport for a T-line. I used one of these: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21319&vpn=FIT-B100&manufacture=Danger Den
 
Last edited:

Apollo4g

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Messages
874
Location
Montreal
Welcome to the forum. PTS does ship to Canada, but as the OP pointed out, most of these parts are available within our borders, and it would cost less to order them that way.

I read pretty briefly, but I only noticed one error. The Black Ice Pro II is neither a thick radiator, nor is it optimized for high CFM fans.

Actually one other thing: you do not need a fillport for a T-line. I used one of these: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21319&vpn=FIT-B100&manufacture=Danger Den

Oops sorry, just my suggestions thats all :biggrin:

oh and sorry about that,:doh: i meant the BIX (Black Ice Alpha Xtreme)

will add that tubing plug to the list as well, sorry for the mistakes, just so much to cover...
 
J

JayDee

Guest
Some useful stuff there. I think I'll try your suggestion to use Tygon for the tight bends and use cheaper tube for the straight runs as I've noticed the swiftech tubing I got seems "soft" (for lack of a better term) like it would be prone to kink.

Heh I visited the Petra site for the first time about 2 hours before you posted (someone on NCIX forums had asked about an anti-vibration gel for use with a pump). Nice prices for sure :biggrin: and the guys that run it seem just nuts enough to know what they're talking about (do I detect a bit of a gnome fetish... naw...) :p
 

Patriote

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Messages
1,165
Location
New-Brunswick
Yes Petra's tech shop ship to Canada but you will have to contact Quoc through e-mail and arrange a shipping and payment method with him.

Overall the recommendations are great. But there is a lot missing :ph34r:
 

Apollo4g

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Messages
874
Location
Montreal
Yes Petra's tech shop ship to Canada but you will have to contact Quoc through e-mail and arrange a shipping and payment method with him.

Overall the recommendations are great. But there is a lot missing :ph34r:

I know, there is alot missing, but these are just the parts that I recommend thats all, there are many other parts out there, some good and some bad, but from my experience, these are the pieces i recommend the most.
Because ive used them, and can garantee there performance.
 

Patriote

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Messages
1,165
Location
New-Brunswick
I know, there is alot missing, but these are just the parts that I recommend thats all, there are many other parts out there, some good and some bad, but from my experience, these are the pieces i recommend the most.
Because ive used them, and can garantee there performance.

Good point! And some others that have used other pieces of hardware can also recommend them here ? Or is it just your personal recommendations ? :bleh:

BTW: Is it a typo or you are really running an E6600 at 3.6Ghz with only 1.25v ?
 
M

Misoprostol

Guest
this is a great beginners' guide. I would have liked to see links to Direct Canada and/or NCIX wherever possible because they are our sponsors, and this IS a Canadian forum, but that doesn't make your suggestions any less valid. Thanks for contributing to our forum :)
 

Apollo4g

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Messages
874
Location
Montreal
Good point! And some others that have used other pieces of hardware can also recommend them here ? Or is it just your personal recommendations ? :bleh:

BTW: Is it a typo or you are really running an E6600 at 3.6Ghz with only 1.25v ?

Its a typo :biggrin:


Oh please do recommend, just type up like me with a link, and ill be happy to edit and paste it in there :thumb:


this is a great beginners' guide. I would have liked to see links to Direct Canada and/or NCIX wherever possible because they are our sponsors, and this IS a Canadian forum, but that doesn't make your suggestions any less valid. Thanks for contributing to our forum :)

Oh they are !!! didnt know that....alright time to get to work!!
Ill edit all the links to either NCIX or DirectCanada then!
And if they dont have a part, ill just leave the link to Petra's.

That sound okay?
 

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