Custom Water Cooling

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nakedpeanut

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Hi all, so I wanna build a custom water cooling system, but just for my CPU..
I've looked at the Corsair H50 and H70 and although they perform ok, I'd like something a little better and nicer looking :) plus i'm not entirely sure they'll fit in my case.

Now my case is the NZXT lexa, which is quite small, so a custom built system would be better than a kit IMO.

So basically you need these components right?
1) CPU block
2) Pump
3) Radiator +fans
4) Reservoir <- Is it necessary?
5) Tubing

So beside the CPU block and tubing which I'll buy new, are there second hand pumps and radiators that I can buy, and where from?

Any advise or suggestions on products I can look at?
Price as low as possible, but products must be of reasonable quality.
 
If you want the best at good prices you're going to have to import. Landmarkpc stocks watercooling goods but they're way overpriced.

Look around on carbonite. You should find a good kit there.
 
Ya I've looked at some kits and the online stores charge sooo much! Thats why I wanna try build my own
 
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How do you plan mounting a 360 rad inside that case? Or will you mount it externally? And remember, its not the amount of water per hour thats most important when looking at pumps, its the pressure it can produce. To give you an idea on price, brand new those two items are $105 and $80. Add on costs for importing and shipping. But the price still seems a bit high imo.
Reservoir is absolutely necassary. Even though the loop os water tight you do lose some of it over time. Without a reservoir that would mean your pump starts pumping air. Also in the beginning the reservoir filters out any air bubbles you may have which reduce cooling performance, and again hurt your pump. Finally you will need something to kill bacteria from building up inside your loop. Easiest thing is to put a silver coil inside your reservoir. Otherwise you need to add chemicals to your loop every 6 months or so.
 
bleh69 said:
water + electronics + diy = not good idea. : }
Click to expand...

lol thats why you gotto test it outside your case 1st :p

Has anyone bought from performance pcs? How's their service and speed of delivery?

I plan on mounting the radiator outside the case for sure. And I know, I saw some of the prices online, and was like blah, scaly person..
And i'll most probably use blue antifreeze so it looks nice in my case :) with distilled water
 
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Why not go with coloured tubing instead? How soon are you looking at building this? With anti freeze you still need something to kill bacteria.
 
In no rush, just looking around and getting opinions and options first :)

EDIT: reason why I plan on using distilled water
A good choice is distilled water, because it is relatively cheap yet pure enough to use in a water cooling system. Distilled water will not deposit harmful minerals in your system, nor will it cause algal blooms because there are no living organisms present.
Click to expand...
http://www.xoxide.com/water-cooling.html
 
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Ok. I've found the silver coil to be the easiest way to maintain a loop. One other important thing to remember, do not get anything that has aluminium on the inside (rad, CPU/GPU block). You'll have a corrosion problem, unless you add something to the water to stop that.
 
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I've been trying to look for only copper based units

Lol been looking at the silver coil and found this: http://www.petrastechshop.com/sikibyia.html

Warning: This product contains...uh...Silver!

• If ingested, you may choke... so just don't do that.

• If contact with skin occurs, smile... you're holding silver!

• AVOID CONTACT WITH EYES! If contact with eyes occurs... wait, why are you shoving metal coils into your eyes?
Click to expand...
 
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Even distilled water in a closed loop will eventually develop algae. Your loop itself is exposed to open air while you build it, and every time you fill it up. Organisms will get in, so its better to prevent it than try clean it after it happens.
 
I fully agree prevention is better than cure, and will most like use the coil in the reservoir.
 
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One last thing for now, mount the pump below the reservoir. It will help reduce the amount of air that the pump gets when first filling the loop, and as stated before help take out air bubbles while your loop is in operation before they get to the pump.
 
The MCP655 is a great pump. You can't go wrong with it.

You can build a loop with a T-line instead of a reservoir but a reservoir just makes things easier. As for coolant, I used distilled water with about 5% windshield wiper fluid to combat the algae. You only really need to top up the water once every 3 months or so.
 
Why dont any sa stores stock Swiftech (at a decent price) or Koolance or danger dan products?
It's cheaper to buy a whole Swiftech kit from the states + shipping than to but the pump and CPU block here! Never mind the radiator and reservoir...

If anyone knows of a place please point me in the right direction :)
 
:cry: nooo!

It's a pitty! If we could get the kits to retail for like R1.8k here like they do in the states, I'm sure alot more people would buy WC... Oh wells gunna keep looking for second hands...
 
nakedpeanut said:
Hi all, so I wanna build a custom water cooling system, but just for my CPU..
I've looked at the Corsair H50 and H70 and although they perform ok, I'd like something a little better and nicer looking :) plus i'm not entirely sure they'll fit in my case.

Now my case is the NZXT lexa, which is quite small, so a custom built system would be better than a kit IMO.

So basically you need these components right?
1) CPU block
2) Pump
3) Radiator +fans
4) Reservoir <- Is it necessary?
5) Tubing

So beside the CPU block and tubing which I'll buy new, are there second hand pumps and radiators that I can buy, and where from?

Any advise or suggestions on products I can look at?
Price as low as possible, but products must be of reasonable quality.
Click to expand...

I want to start getting my WC parts this month:

CPU - Swiftech Apogee GTZ
North Bridge - Swiftech MCW-NBMAX
Rad - My current rad. A Danger Den Black Ice GT Stealth 360
Res - Swiftech MCRES-Micro Rev. 2
Pump - My current Swiftech MCP655
Tubing - Tygon Silver Antimicrobial Tubing

Things I've learned over the years:

1. You can go with a T-line instead of a Res, but it's a mission to bleed.
2. Try and keep your entire system copper. Mixing metals is not a good idea in the long run.
3. !!!!Test run the system!!! 24 hour run recommended.
4. !!!Clean your parts first!!!*

*Use white vinegar rinse out your parts, but for your Rad fill it up and leave for an hour or so, then shake it up and drain. Rinse out all the parts with distilled water.
This is why you should clean out your Rad especially. That's all the gunk I got out of my first 240 Rad.

The better you clean your parts beforehand the longer it'll stay clean. My previous setup lasted almost two years before it started going milky.

My old setup Still had my old Rad and Res then. My new setup will be installed into my new case (Cosmos S).
 
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