I run allot of newer games like Splinter Cell, G.R.A.W. and F.E.A.R. to name a few plus I love LAN gaming as most do. I needed something better that forced air to cool and water cooling seemed to be the only option. Forced air creates higher db's and the annoying sound of air rushing through the case sounded like jets taking off everytime I restarted my WinBox. I started with a small water cooled kit by Kingwin and I thought it was good, but I didn't see a great deal of inprovement in gaming. I would still freeze during gaming so I started searching the forums and seeing what I was missing. So I will post what I had to what I am aiming at.

First and foremost - watercooling performance is heavily dependant on the components you use and whether you use them in a balanced configuration.

(from your sig)
You have a very good CPU waterblock as well as a good pump and average waterblock - but you are running a black ice Mini radiator (80mm fan fitting)
An 80mm radiator cooling both a CPU and VGA card in games will not offer much improvement in performance. Think of the radiator as a heatsink (it's actually a heat exchanger) the larger the surface area, the more heat you'll be able to take away from your water loop
(there are other factors such as restriction which will affect the performance too - but the 80mm rad is priority number 1)

I'd advise that you at least swap it out with a 120mm radiator - you'll end up with even cooler temps and less noise

EDIT: I noticed that you are running SLI too (am I right?) That's going to pump a ton of heat into your loop

What size case are you using, sometimes 80mm rads are nice for size, if you running asmall LAN oriented case can you bare to fit another rad (80mm) in the loop, maybe even outside the case, if you running a big case, can you upgrade to 120mm (modding even) because one 120mm rad works well on VGA/CPU cooling, a dual would work best for the money.

also the thermaltake stuff you got in there, is greatly reducing you flow, those things have over 90 degree bends in a very very small tube, and kill flow.

Quote: Originally Posted by s1ugh34d also the thermaltake stuff you got in there, is greatly reducing you flow, those things have over 90 degree bends in a very very small tube, and kill flow.

not to mention that they are made for 1/4" tubing....

a single 80mm isn't enough, i have a dual 80mm BI micro setup for just my CPU and OCed to 2.5ghz on my 2800+ keeps its running at a nice 45C. I would reccommend at least a 120MM if not a 120x240mm rad.

if your pc is freezing it may not be the heat but unreliable components (although all that on an 80mm rad will not give good temps!). download some tempreature monitoring software and see how hot your components are actualy getting.

+70c on your cpu or chipset will result in unreliable operation
+100c on your gpu will result in unreliable operation (although personaly I would not go anywhere near that!)

also whats the heat like in rest of your case, pleanty of case ventilation?

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I think that I need to clarify my setup needs. First I have a small acrylic case and I will be modding and adding to it.







I started my project with modding the top of the case to fit my dual radiator (80)




Second, I added a temp LCD from Thermaltake to the top of the case to visually see how my water reads after passing through the GPU block, and flowmeter.


I modded the front of the case by adding a rocker switch for the UV lights (to be added later)

I made the mod to the rear of the case to install the exterior BI Mini 80.


I installed the CPU block and FSB block on the mobo, this install suprised me when I went to clamp down the hoses, I had to stagger the hose clips.



The Thermaltake resevior and flowmeter made a nice addition to the front of the case. The Aquabay was cheaper to buy then buying them individually. I took advantage of the front fan port and placed the aquabay resevior in its place.


I sent off for the F connectors that Swiftech has for the ramsinks and used that to branch off from the 1/2" tubing.

I am showing the SLi cards with the Thermaltake block on one and just the ramsinks on the other.


Yes, I did run into problems with installations with my dual radiator, I punctured my rad four times, but I used a bit of epoxy to fill in the holes and allowed to setup, did a bubble test and seemed to work, I will find out during my 24hr. test.

I stuffed everything into my case, but you will have to see pics of that after I test it. I need to do some dressing up first as well.

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nice work so far i like
when i installed my water cooling it was the same thing had to stager the clamps too (way to close to each other)
im still without my MB right now because of a RMA 10 DAY TURN ARROUND RIGHT WHATEVER!!!
keep up the good work

I finally got everything stuffed into that case. There were complications like getting the mobo wires for power, reset, and leds attached while working around the pump. I installed 4 UV lights for the effects of the case, hoses, and fans. I started up the pc and verified my temps. So here are the pics for a visual description.

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That looks 10 times better than I expected from the diagram. Nice clean work.

Quote: Originally Posted by Seyeklopz That looks 10 times better than I expected from the diagram. Nice clean work.

Thanks man, Takes time to place wires where they need to go, I still want to replace my power supply with a better one, when I do, I plan on doing a wire management overhaul by replacing all the 12v with exact length runs so I don't have to make loops and tie off extra. I just need to master the amp ends of the 4 pin molex and replace as needed.

On further note, this is not the final case for this machine. I want a bigger case and I am after the ultimate acrylic case: Lubic Q Full ATX with casters in an apple green. A good second would be the new Sunbeamtech 9 Bay with 6 120mm fans.

Thanks for the post!