Water Cooling - Buyers Guide

Thanks mate. Btw good eye for noticing the lost link. I think i've fixed it, but now cannot remember if that was the page i originally linked to, or if there was a page more specifically about the modded top. Anyways the page the link now leads to is related so that'll do for now.

Yeah, the issue of low end watercooling is a fairly a important issue to me, as I don't really think there's any need for 99% of them to be sold. I think in a lot of circumstances (cough...Thermaltake) it's exploitation of uninformed buyers who expect to get fantastic results just because it's water and "looks cool."

 

worth a mention of the swiftech H20-120 in the £110-£150 range???

 

Yeah, I'd definately be very cautious about trying to combine value and watercooling. Take that $55 Tuniq tower, melt it down and make a radiator out of it, add in $100 or so for a pump, waterblock and everything else you'd need for a WC loop, and you have effectively accomplished nothing (the cooling capacity of a heatsink and radiator of the same mass probably being roughly the same), and now you're paying three times as much. The heat may be more effectively routed out of the case, but you could have accomplished the same thing with ducting the heatsink to an exhaust fan.

So the question really becomes in what sense is a Swiftech H20-80 kit a good deal, and I suspect the answer is only if watercooling is an end in itself for the buyer without any performance increase at all being necessary over the high-end air alternative that is still $100 less. In that case I would consider this one instead, it is a rebadged swiftech unit (with an older but still decent block) and has the 120 mm radiator, radbox and PCI slot pass-through for the tubing so mounting should be possible with any case. But even so I think I'd still caution that this is best as a "starter" model that you could eventually upgrade into the high-end kit that could get you the highest performance, handle any number of blocks, etc... and then there is still the issue that this would lock you into using 3/8" ID tubing with those upgrades, though that probably isn't too big a deal.

However, I think we can do better. Parts such as the Storm and Thermochill radiators may be the best, but odds are that only adds up to a few degrees, and then they are significantly more expensive. There are comparative bargains that still arguably rank in the high-end WC tier. For instance:

$108.75 D5 pump + TDX block bundle

-or-

$39.95 DD Mag 2 Pump
$34.00 White Water LE block

-and-

$42.95 Black Ice Extreme 2 Radiator
$13.44 12' Clearflex 60 Tubing 1/2" ID 3/4" OD
$30.00 Clamps and T-line, water and anti-freeze from local stores (hardware/grocery/automotive)
$20.00 Shipping and/or Tax

$180.34 (WW/Mag2) or $215.14 (TDX/D5). I'm not so sure of the Mag 2 but I believe it would do the job, but the D5 is nearly the best and both the WW and TDX are great blocks given they aren't the high-pressure drop microjet designs of the Storm and MP-05 SP. The BI:X2 radiator is certainly quite hefty, and we have an all 1/2" ID design. True that If a radbox is needed for mounting then that takes us close to $205/$230 at which point we are in Apex Ultra territory anyway, but even so I think the price premium over something like the H20-80 or 120 is well worth it.

 

Those are all good points G L, and i'll certainly mention a few of them in the thread. However in reply to your comments on the h20-80, the reason i recommended it above similiarly priced kits like the Corsair Cool, is because of the easy and simple upgrade path you get with the kit. I mean as i mentioned already, if you simply upgrade the radiator you've basically got a Ultra kit already, as a lot of the components such as block, pump ect... are high end right from the offset. Upgrading the COOL to similiar levels is much more difficult as you'll need a new block, radiator ect... I hope i explained my reasoning ok there, but i certainly get and agree with your point. In my opinion watercooling with a budget kit is pointless and i was very reluctant to include that section at all, but forced myself. Do you think i should remove it altogether?

oh and Copey I did consider that kit as it's got nice performance for the price, but tbh i think when spending that amount of money one should really be looking to a 2x120mm radiator. I understand that some people can't fit it in their case, but I just find it hard to recommend a case when their are better performing product (albeit with a larger volume consumption) for roughly the same price.

edit: btw Since this thread is stuck now and everything i'm going to write a short guide in here on getting the kit set up and working. It should be mentioned that it will be very general due to the huge number of possible combinations of parts, and the differences in how they need to be set up, but i'll do my best to include as much as i can.

 

No, i think you should leave that section in there. Its good for people to know/see all the options available, just so long as you make the negatives of such a kit clear (which I think you do already)

BTW: seeing as we are on a watercooling thread, i just got informed that I have 2 G80 adaptor kits for the MCW60 in the post, which i dont need anymore (forgot about a preorder! Ooops) so if anyone is interested... PM me

 

The cool kit actually just is an older revision of the H20-120. It has the older waterblock and resevoir but AFAIK it has the same pump and radiator.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...ooling_Kit_Universal_Mount.html?tl=g30c83s136
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2..._AMD_Athlon_XP_CWC100-1001.html?tl=g30c83s136
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...d_Cooling_Kit_H20-80-MICRO.html?tl=g30c83s136

It also has the radbox and PCI-passthrough for the tubing while still being $20 cheaper than the H20-120 without either (and same price as the H20-80), so that would be my reasoning for preferring it. But that point of view is debatable...

No, I wouldn't take it out. You warn people that the difference over high-end air is small so if they buy one of those anyway then presumbably they want to watercool for reasons other than performance, and at least with your recommendations they end up with something that can be upraded to something more formidable in the future.

 

Well, looks like I'll finally be going Conroe soon. So either I will try to round up a TDX conversion kit or probably more likely get a new block. I am somewhat tempted by this one:

http://www.cooltechnica.com/Merchan...Code=AQX-MP05-SP-LE&Category_Code=Intel-CPUWB

Now I have seen the MP-05 SP go head to head with the Storm (narrowly losing) but not the SE with the 132 extra pins, anyone know how much of an impact that makes? For the record, by the time I'd consider quad-core they will be .045 micron so I doubt I'd be in the market for a Apogee GT or Dtek Fuzion.

 

I believe that either of the "Special editions" (ie the "MP-05 PRO LIMITED EDITION" or the "MP-05 SP
LIMITED EDITION") will outperform the Storm, and they're also a bit less restrictive which will benefit the rest of your loop. Also i know you stated about the quad core already, but the just for the record any MP-05 outperforms the Storm when cooling quads...

http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=4476&s=7

Although you may not want to consider buying a quad, you should note that the excellent quad cooling performance will be reflected when it comes to reselling your block, as it will hold its value better than the storm.

Anyways all the MP-05 are great, and that one you picked out is a fantastic choice that i'd definately go for over the Storm.

 

k I've narrowed down my choices for a kit..

I think for the price, this kit looks like a great deal. i'm wondering if anyone here has ever used it and has any comments on it..
Also, would this be a good kit for helping to overclock my c2d?? Cuz right now on air it idles upwards of 45-48c.. would I see a big enough decrease to justify the purchase??

Thanks again for the help and for this awesome thread.. its proving to come in handy

 

Looks like the d-tek fuzion comes with that kit, anyone have any resultsfor that one?

 

Nice Guide there! Haven't had time to get through it all but so far looks like some good job!

 

Thanks for all the comments guys, they're greatly appreciated.

btw anyone else noticed this...

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=133825

I've been tracking it's progress a little of the last few weeks and it looks like it's going to be a great performer. Probably better than the MCW60, whilst also being less restrictive. It's a bit of a fugly block though which will put a few people off.

 

from what ive been able to gleen from xs and ocf dtek makes really good blocks.the fusion is really popular so thats saying something.being that enthusiasts are liking it.
that block is a bit bulky looking but hey it sits under the card so...lol.

 

Yeah dtek make really great blocks from all accounts i've heard. They have very good quality control and all their blocks come nicely lapped and finished.

btw Maxfly, any news on your g80 Ek block yet? Like when it should be arriving?

 

grrr no ive emailed them 3 times and nothing in response.im beginning to believe i made a poor decision in buying from them.im keeping my fingers crossed.ill try again tomorrow and if nothing comes of it ill probably cancel my order.

 

My problem with presuming much about the fuzion is that Swiftech is a good company too yet the Apogee does not seem to deserve the name. It may get best performance with the Intel quad-cores but we're talking a situation where the silicon is unusually large and on top of that the two chips are offset in such a way where anything meant to concentrate cooling in the center will probably not work well... but this also could mean any CPUs with one die directly in the center (i.e., 99% of them) won't be similarly affected. I really wonder if these will still be best on AMD's quad-core which will not have two dies... and then there is also the fact that quad-core will probably not be economical (<$600) until .045 micron, at which point the chips will be smaller.

 

good point and i agree GL.
btw i just recieved confirmation that my ek block will be here this week!woohoo!finally ill be able to get my friggin loop reconfigured!i guess i should get around to cutting the rad hole in my case...sigh.im so lazy lol.anyone like to make a few bucks doing it for me maybe? seriously tho,ive got alot of work to get done b4 i can get my loop finished.i hate dremeling btw if you hadnt noticed.hopefully i can get it done in a week or two and post some results and some sexy pics of the block.

 

anyone know where you can buy the Coolit freezone/eliminator in the u.k or somehwere that ships worldwide???

also will it fit on my mobo , ive heard there fairly big and might hit the NB heatsink

also think there worth a mention in the guide preacher ??

 

Sorry mate, but i can't find any in the Uk at the moment.

Yeah, there was someone recommending the Coolit systems soon after i completed the first draft of the guide, and i did a bit of looking into them, reading 3 or so reviews and then posted this...

[About the Coolit freezone]

Yeah, well i kind of forgot about it after that, and have looked up 3 more reviews. It basically performed very well in all 3, and so unless anyone tells me other (as i'm only basing this on reviews i read) i'll add it to the guide. I should mention though that it performed very well in the three reviews with very cool running processors (aka single core athlons) and it still underperforms with all the hot running processors (as seen here...)

http://www.custompc.co.uk/custompc/reviews/88851/coolit-freezone-cpu-cooler-lga775.html

Oh yeah and can someone give me an accurate price of the kit, I can't find it anywhere.

 

the Freezone is around the £200 mark and the eliminator around the £100 mark , i want either , they perform very well with C2D's supposedly

EDIT: i can get the Freezone for around $355 shipped which is around £170,cheaper than i thought

what you reckon preach??