I have only used air cooling befor and know very little about it. I know that water and computers are not a good mix..........But are rigs like that hard to maintain? Should i not try it becuse I have no cash for new parts if I Fry my machine? What are all or yalls thoughts?




Foo

we had a guy join and tell us its not safe so we dont do that round here no more but if you want to know lcpiper and his man putwig are the men to wait for a responsce from unfortunatly lc is haveing problems with his rig at home so can only post from work

Bigakita knows alot too i believe

Water is very efficient and very safe when properly implemented.

These water rigs are not without risk. Water can obviously damage your gear.

You should not undergo any sort of modding or overclocking if you cannot replace parts. We are certainly not going to guarantee that you won't screw anything up! And there is always risk!

Once a water rig is set up, there is still regular maintainance to be done. System should be flushed and refilled frequently (prolly every 2-3 months, but at least twice a year). This can be relatively painless, or a major PITA depending on how you design your system.

Hope this answers some of your early questions.

One option is to go with an external cooling unit, putting the reservoir and pump outside your rig so only the hoses to and from the block are in the case.

As with any mod you do, you need to plan, measure, and visualize what you want to do. Once you think you have it figured out research it thoroughly to ensure that it will work. Perusing the case gallery can give you some ideas on how to put it together.

Watercooling is safe if you take the time to put together correctly taking all precautions against leaks.

Quote: Originally posted by putwig You should not undergo any sort of modding or overclocking if you cannot replace parts. We are certainly not going to guarantee that you won't screw anything up! And there is always risk!

WHat if I had a heat sink on my cpu that busted, How much damage would it do? I know mobo and cpu would be history, But would it take my hard drive and other cards with it?




Foo

Well, you would only lose the mobo and CPU if it was a real bad leak. Remember, your board is vertical. The fittings extend away from the waterblock at least 1 - 2 inches. When you figure in the width of the block itself, your hose connection to the block is probably 3 inches away from the mobo.

A more likely scenario is that water would slowly leak and drip onto your vid card. There are ways to alleviate that possibility using silicone. The best thing to do is get a good block, good tubing, and make damn sure you have a good fitting on all the connections. Any new block I get I automatically reseal it before I install it. Lesson learned from a Leufken block back in 2000.

As BA pointed out, your Video card is definately at highest risk from a leak.........

unless you have a horizontal desktop case!

Sneaking in some time from work

Hi Foo, these guys are correct of course, water cooling has many pluses and some negative aspects too.

On the plus side you can gain better cooling and therefore system performance. It can be quieter and you can have a lot of fun with it. And you can learn a lot by doing it. In the case of pump or radiator fan failure, you have a very good chance that your system will not be damaged, but a fan failure in air cooling can cost you a processor very fast.

On the bad side you can easily spend $300+ on the gear, it can be done cheaper but it just depends on what you want. It will add weight and reduce portability of your system, it can be done small and light, but it will always be heavier and more involved then air cooling. It will require maintenance and allthough you can survive a leak, you can also loose gear from one. All of the gear I have lost while water cooling has been because I goofed up during maintenance while changing hoses or bleeding air from the system. The most expensive damage wasn't because of the water, it was because I was trying to force something to fit where it wouldn't, or because I didn't take the time to really think about what I was doing.

I mess with my system so often that the odds are just greater that I will botch something up.

These guys can help you with whatever you need to do. I am going to be very scarce for awhile, things are happening in the world and I am about to be very busy. Good Luck

ok one last question..........................What are the chances of Zaping myself? I love my computer, But I don't want to die with it.......



Foo

As long as your power supply is staying out of the water, no real danger. A bigger threat is cutting your finger in a fan. If you did get zapped, it feels kind of good. I chew on a 12V wire directly from the PS to wake myself up at work.

Foo, we use fluids that are non-conductive

What generally makes fluids conductive is mineral content so we don't use tap water etc.

We use a fluid base, usually distilled water or a distilled water and glycol mix (plain windsheild washer fluid with no additives to lower the freezing point) and add in either anti-freeze or even better is Red Line Water Wetter as an anti-corrosive and to fight biological growths.

Right now I use a little water wetter in windsheild washer fluid.

I have spilled coolant onto my mobo and cards and the machine would not boot, but it didn't fry, 3 hours and a little blow dryer action later, all was fine. BUT - remember that if your mobo and cards are dust, well the water will pick that up as minerals and your non-conductive fluid will become conductive.

Well Thanks for the advice. I Am definatly going to think about it. Will Keep yall post. Got to get more cash now........Now how do you cut those eye holes in stokings before you rob gas stations.



Foo

you put the hat on the you jam the knife hilt deep where the eyes need to be just rotate around the socket