Water Cooling an AMD64

[JediOfDarkness]

What are some of the best water cooling devices for socket 754s? I'm wanting to buy a nice water cooling solution for my system, and I'm wanting something that will be fairly quite and give good preformance. I'm wanting something somewhere around the $100-$200 mark. I also want it to be internal, as I hate external anything. Any suggestions?

Two I've kinda got in mind right now:
CoolerMaster Aquagate ALC-U01
Titan TWC-A04

And also, can I use a GPU cooler on the GeForce 6800GT? And will I need ramsinks?

[Cyan]

Of course you can use watercooling on it, in fact, a company makes one that come with it stock,

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20040721/index.html

I like FrozenCPU.com for watercooling, they've got some nice kits

http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/scan/se=Water%20Cooling/se=Water%20Cooling%20Kits/mp=menu_search.html

Here are some GPU water things at 1/2" ID

http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/scan/se=Water%20Cooling/se=1::2%20ID%20Chipset::Video%20Water%20Blocks/mp=menu_search.html

Anway, I suggest you explore frozencpu for something good for you (matching up the ID's etc...) the only problem I saw with the "Gainward's CoolFX Ultra" is the 1/4" ID fittings, so you might want a different solution.

[Someone Stupid]

www.dangerden.com

Maze4 CPU and GPU blocks, a radiator, a couple 70 CFM evercools they sell (unless you splurge and get a twin radiator, then some Papst would do), some 1/2" OD tubing, and an decent head pump, the top end enhiem or the hydor L30 both would work well - though since both blocks are low drop you could settle for a cheaper pump (though if you want to upgrade later to something quieter such as a larger radiator and some Papst or Panaflo's you can without having to get a new pump). A bit more than 200, probably 250 with that setup, but it will perform quite well at tolerable noise levels. All contained, you aren't going to get anything that solid performing. Some kits come close, but with either a slight external component or compromised performance.

Probably the best all in one stop.

I have/do use Dangerden and Swiftech blocks personally.

[Happy Joe]

I second Cyan's and Someone Stupid's recommendations, avoid those systems with small hoses and go with a system that is more than enough.
Enjoy!

[JediOfDarkness]

OK, I'll go there and look up some parts and see what I want to do.

Thanks guys

[Someone Stupid]

That above system runs 210 at dangerden with everything you need including AS 5. You will hear the fans - they won't be loud, but still will be slighty audible given the 70 CFM rating. That's a bit higher than your price range, but not as much as I thought. Still would personally wait to get a better pump to use with a larger radiator - you aren't hurting for speed right now, so might as well take advantage of that.

[JediOfDarkness]

Yeah, I don't have to have water cooling, I'm just looking for a good water cooling solution for when I do need/want it. And I'll probably just save up my money to get a higher end water cooler, like somewhere around $300, if it'll give me any better preformance.

[Someone Stupid]

Marginally better perfomance (a couple C I'd imagine) but you can set it up to run much quieter and if you need to squeeze every ounce out your system, you could just use the same evercools or something faster. Though I'd pick the quiet and works really well than the loud and it works a bit better than really well. If you going to water just to go faster and don't care about noise (you will, you may not now, but you will :) ) you can run some Delta 120mm blenders and get 100 MHz extra or you can keep your hearing and still enjoy a very healthy overclock with a quiet PC to boot. :)

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, as of right now I have a Athlon XP processor and not an AMD64, but I'm updating to an AMD64 here within the month, so that's why I ask, just to know what's out there. Right now I have a Thermaltake Volcano 11+ that on full speed is somewhere around 48dBA, plus two Thermaltake Smart Case Fan II's that run about the same, so I get used to the noise of them, though I only turn them up while gaming. I get about 38c idle and 50c full load with them on half speed. The thing that annoys me most though, is that even with them at full speed and a full load temp of 48c I can't get any higher than a 2215MHz OC, any higher and I get Windows errors left and right. So that's the main reason I'm going to an AMD64, for higher OCs. From what I've heard you can get an Athlon 64 3200 to 2.47GHz on air cooling alone. That's my main intrest in water cooling, is how much further could it go.
But thanks a lot, I'll look around for the parts you've recommended and get a good idea of whats best. I'm wanting a quite system, for sure, but something that'll get me at least better than air cooling temps. And also something that wont leak :eek: that's my biggest fear...

[Someone Stupid]

Leak test first. :)

I wouldn't worry right now if your at 2.2 GHz. There aren't going to be any real leaps if you look at the crippled state Intel and AMD are in with .9 nano.

[Happy Joe]

"something that'll get me at least better than air cooling temps"
I got my best performance on water by using a "remote" radiator (outside of the case) and blowing room air through it. I have gotten my best cooing on air, also, by not using the case air for cooling.
Enjoy!

[cuelebre]

I do use and also would recomend DangerDen components.
I did my own thing and I have to agree that you should go with 1/2" setup, also ( and I know that your intentions are to do an internal install) I think that an external setup it's the way to go, as Happy said, your room temp will be always lower than the inside of your PC,If you really think about it really does not make sense an internal setup.

[Happy Joe]

I hung my remote radiator from its side at the back of the case so that the fan blew sideways. It even looked pretty good (being largely hidden). The radiator was even with the case side and the fan pushed air form the area near the cables through the radiator.
Enjoy!

[Someone Stupid]

If he gets an external setup it would be easier as all but a few cases have 120mm intakes, so modding would be needed unless it's on the exhaust and it's a 120mm (a bit more common), but then your temps will be a few C hotter due to the case.

[Happy Joe]

...Kind of an off the wall idea... use the 120 intake fan blowing through the (internal) radiator into the case (yeah I know its gonna heat up), then use a large, slow (quiet), high cfm fan in a blow hole to move the heat out of the case, I don't know if it would be worth the tradeoffs, but it would be an interesting experiment. A second intake case fan could/would help aleviate the case temps by diluting the hot air.
Enjoy!

[Cyan]

You're best off putting an internal fan in your hard drive area (at the front) pulling air into the case and put the radiator as the exhaust taking all the cpu heat directly out.

If you have an internal radiator set up by the hard drives, you're just pulling hot air from the hard drives, then mixing it with the hot air from the radiator, then blowing it over the CPU/mobo/vid card area. Not very efficient.

My setup allows a case temp 2C's above room temp, and hard drives (3) that run 5C's above room temp under load. - I'm still tweaking my water cooling setup, I think I don't have enough flow and a inefficient CPU block.

[Someone Stupid]

I'm lean more on the pump than the block generally. What block and pump do you have. What order are you running your setup and how it's only one block?

[Cyan]

Originally posted by Someone Stupid
I'm lean more on the pump than the block generally. What block and pump do you have. What order are you running your setup and how it's only one block?

Could be the pump, its the Eheim 300.

As water-cooling pumps go, the compact Eheim unit mounted inside the Reserator is a relative lightweight. A comparison of the 80gph and 18” head of the Reserator's Type 300 pump to the commonly used Type 1048 pump's 158gph and 59” head is a pretty powerful indicator that the Reserator is going to be a low flow system, in any configuration.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article181-page1.html

I've also go the Zalman Bock ZM-WB2 GOLD (http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/view.asp?idx=84&code=009), with a block on the GPU ZM-GWB1 (http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/view.asp?idx=90&code=013). The Gpu block is more of a direct pass through, I doubt that It adds little if any resistance in the circut.

I tacked on a Radiator because I'd be using a fan anyway, Danger Den Black Ice Xtreme 120mm Radiator (http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/ex-rad-10.html)

Everything is 3/8" ID tubing, the pump has to push/pull the water about 3/4th of a meter before getting into the computer.

It goes

Pump/Reservoir(submerged)-Radiator-CPU-GPU-Pup/Reservoir

So you'd think I should upgrade the pump first?

[Someone Stupid]

Yeah, it is probably the pump. A 300 with 3/8ths, two blocks, and a radiator seems a good bit for that, even with low restriction blocks. Granted I don't know how Zalman blocks perform, but most blocks are within 5C of each other. You may get a bit lower with an impingment block, but to me it isn't worth the extra power for a couple C drop for an impingment block. I don't think being 2-3C lower or higher is different when it comes to one's overclock.

[Cyan]

I don't OC, that's the sad part lol.

I'll do the pump thing first. Thanks for the help :t

pump suggestions? :eek:

I was thinking about:

Eheim 1048
Eheim 1046
Hydor L35

I can find reviews for the 1046, I'm not sure it's too much better than the 300 regarding flow rates, but it has a better head, the 1048 should surely work, but I cant find any good reviews on it.

The Hydor should be stronger and have more head than both Eheim's but I can't find any info besides manufacturers, and other Hydor pumps made crickly sounds in reviews.