Watercooling tips/suggestions required

Kenjutsu · Post by **Kenjutsu** » 09 Oct 2006, 22:29

Hello everyone!

I want to get my "feet wet" with watercooling

Here is the specs of my PC:

Intel P4 530 CPU 3.00GHz OC 3.6-3.8
Asus P5AD2-E Premium
Antec P180

I was in contact with Arthur from Synapsys and he gave me a quote on the following components:

CPU Cooler Antarctica DYO - CPU01/AT 10mm (Socket T only)
Chipset Cooler DYO - NB01/P2 10mm
CoolWave Power Radiator - Dual 120mm
CoolWave 12V DC Pump - 1.8m Head, 12W
CoolWave Acrylic Reservoir - 200ml
Asetek WaterChill 10mm OD Tube (x2)
Coollaboratory Liquid Pro

I am not looking at VGA cooling at this stage.

Regarding the 120mm fans, which ones should I consider?

Comments/suggestions appreciate

TIA

DAE_JA_VOO · Post by **DAE_JA_VOO** » 09 Oct 2006, 22:38

Antec TriCool fans are really good, but they're about R150 a piece...

Also, why not go for a triple 120mm radiator?

Kenjutsu · Post by **Kenjutsu** » 09 Oct 2006, 23:00

DAE_JA_VOO wrote:Antec TriCool fans are really good, but they're about R150 a piece...

Also, why not go for a triple 120mm radiator?

I like the Antec TriCools. Bought 2 for my Antec P180

Will a triple 120mm radiator make a big difference over the dual?

Bobendren · Post by **Bobendren** » 10 Oct 2006, 01:05

You could try two single rads and link them together. They would fit the P180 perfectly...one at the back and one at the top...no cutting required. Just a thought.

Kenjutsu · Post by **Kenjutsu** » 10 Oct 2006, 07:28

Bobendren wrote:You could try two single rads and link them together. They would fit the P180 perfectly...one at the back and one at the top...no cutting required. Just a thought.

Yes, I do not want to cut my P180 8O My idea was to place the rads outside the case without mounting them onto the P180. I like the way the Switech rads are fitted to the case with the radbox, but it looks to me as if even a dual rad would barely "fit", while still allowing access to the VGA port and PCI connectors

Kenjutsu · Post by **Kenjutsu** » 11 Oct 2006, 07:54

DAE_JA_VOO wrote:Antec TriCool fans are really good, but they're about R150 a piece...

I saw in the September issue of Custom PC SA that they tested the Zalman ZM-F3 and found that at 900rpm it produced 36cfm @ 20.6dBA, and at 1800rpm it produced 87cfm @ 37.3 dBA which "is too noisy for comfort". They did, however, award it the "Best 120mm variable-speed fan"

The Antec TriCool: 16cmf @ 1200rpm @ 201.dBA, 55cfm @ 1600rpm @ 32dBA and 101cfm @ 2000rpm @ 43.2dBA and "while at medium and high speeds, it produces irritating levels of noise"

I must admit that since my TriCools are inside the P180 case, I don't find them too irritating, but seeing that I will mount 2 (maybe 3 if I go for a triple 120mm radiator) outside the case, that could be a problem.

The ZM-F3 also costs about R100 compared to the cheapest TriCool of about R130. I like the fact that the TriCool has a little switch to select between the three speeds, whereas the Zalman has a resistor cable.

How much different will the 37dBA of the Zalman be compared to the 43dBA of the Antec?

Thanx!

Syndicate · Post by **Syndicate** » 11 Oct 2006, 08:33

Your best bet to control a fan properly is to use a munual fan controler, eg the ones with the knobies that you turn yourself.

I'm running 5 x 120mm fans and a 80mm fan on my water cooled PC, and its dead silent, just ask DAE and Wik1d.

DAE_JA_VOO · Post by **DAE_JA_VOO** » 11 Oct 2006, 08:41

Yeah, Carl's Case is very very quiet.

Kenjutsu · Post by **Kenjutsu** » 12 Oct 2006, 10:28

How important is a control unit like the Asetek Control Unit DYO - CTU01 incl SafeStart and NoiseControl? Is it a nice to have, or a need to have?

Syndicate · Post by **Syndicate** » 12 Oct 2006, 11:01

The Asetek Control Unit DYO - CTU01 is a pump controler, your not going to need one if you are running the coolwave pump, as the coolwave pump is a 12V pump. Also go for the bigger coolwave pump, as it's easier to get barbs for it.

Kenjutsu · Post by **Kenjutsu** » 13 Oct 2006, 15:48

Now that the Swiftech H20-220 APEX ULTRA and H20-220 APEX ULTRA+ are available in South Africa, how would these kits compare to my original list? According to David from Global Parts, only the complete Swiftech kits will be sold, not the components seperately

kraven · Post by **kraven** » 13 Oct 2006, 15:53

umm, if im not mistaken, they review the + in this months custom PC...