Ok guys, I have been reading and studying about water cooling for the past two weeks. This site has been great. I have finally decided to take the plunge.

Here is my plan:


MAZE4 Blocks for Intel with Copper top
Maze4 Block for GPU
Black Ice Pro with 120MM fan
Reservior
Hydro L30
Tygon Tubing
All 1/2" brass Fittings

Flow = Pump -> Rad -> CPU -> GPU -> REs -> Pump

A few quesitons for the experts :

1. Can you mount the fan on either side of the Radiator? I want to put it on the outside of the case, with fittings pointinginto the case, pulling air out of the case over the radiator.
2. In the case of the above, the out take is under the PSU, and doesn't leave much room for the res to be placed above the radiator. What problems may be caused by putting the res at the same level as the pump,close to the floor of the case?
3. Also considering the DTEK Pro-Combo Black radiator instead of the Black Ice (I like the shroud setup).. which is better?

Any advice would be appricated..

All right.

1)Yes, you can mount the fan on either side of the radiator.

2)Putting the res anywhere other than the highest point in the system will defeat its purpose allotgether. You could always mount a res such as the drive bay style res in the upermost drive bay.

3)Not sure about the Pro Combo but I will be using the Black Ice Extreme in my upcoming system.

And if you plan on going with a Black Ice radiator, get the Extreme instead of the Pro.

Well,my case comes next week (D800 from coolcases.com) but from what I can see, everything is going to be a tight fit. If I use that Bay Res, is there a problem with the IN and OUT valves being at the same level? Also, does anyone know of cracking problems withthe Bay Raservoir? Due to the space limitations, I might just have to go with PUTWIG's "T" system.

I do wish that all of this manufactures would get there S#$t together when showing thier equipment. I have seen many nice looking reserviors that are mounted on the outside, at the bottom of the case, or conected to the pump. All of which are below or at the same level as the rad. Gets very confusing when trying to decide on your parts and learn about water cooling at the same time.

Actually It dosent matter that much how high your res is ..... mines not at the highest point and it still gets rid of air....also the purpose of a res is exactaly that...to store extra water...not only to get rid of air.

i would go with the d-tek....It looks alot more robust and has barbed fittings...which the black ice does not.

I haven't heard any complaints about BayRes's cracking, just the DangerDen res. The BayRes would still trap air above the fittings.

Criticool makes a nice res with lot's of mounting options.

And the D-tek radiator is a excellent choice and will out perform most computer specific rads. Especially good choice in a high flow system. The BIX is a good choice if space is limited.

EDIT: If the res is not the highest point in your cooling loop it can still trap air. BUT you will still collect air at the highest point if you don't have an air trap as the highest point. Bad advice Nikon.

My rig will be running a P4 2.8 with a Raion 9500 pro. I plan on OC the 9500. Anything special I need to consider when arrange the flow? Is the L30 Pump going to be big enough (already bought htis one)?

Are you only doing CPU and GPU? why not go ahead and do the northy before you install the entire kit..? Makes sense to me, because if you have anyplans to overclock that might give you that much more room to go. I personally don't have a water box, but i have a koolance in the works (it was a free kit). just thought i would add that...

P.S. an L30 is going to be more than enough in my opnion.....

L30 is a good fit for your components. The flow chart you listed should work fine. Really any flow order will work. After the system has been up and running for half an hour or so any advantages in component order disappear anyway.

Okay.. thanks for the responses so far ..

NExt question...

The correct water to use... I have been reading all over about the different additives and the use of DISTILLED, DE-IONZED, and REVERSE OSMOSIS water types. I have the impression that the alst two are the better ones, but where do I find them? I went to drug stores, grociery stores, plumbing and autoparts stores and couldn't find anything. The closest I got was "Battery and Radiator Mineraless Water" by PEAK.

Any ideas where I can find DE-IONZED, and REVERSE OSMOSIS water?

for r/o water try your local aquarium shops(especially salt-water).they often sell r/o water.if that fails,you could try to find a hobbiest with their own r/o unit.

You should be able to pick up distilled or deionized water most any Walmart, K-mart and many grocery stores. Maybe near where they sell irons and ironing boards if not by the drinking water.

Reverse osmosis simply means it's been filtered, how well depends on the supplier. Distilled and deionized take it one more step. Either will work just fine. Distilled has a longer shelf life. Deionized is minutely more pure.

Well, I thought that Distilled was lower grade or less pure water than De-Ionized so I was going for the best I could find. Problem as stated.. can't find the De-Ionized stuff. However, as you mentioned lots of places sell the Distilled water.

So Distilled Water with either Waterwetter or Zerex should work fine then?

If so, it will be alot easier getting these components in te future... since I will be flushing the system every 4 months.

...That battery and radiator water by Zerex, Where did you find that?

Found it at Pep Boys:
$1.84 / Gal
PEAK
Battery and Radiater Mineral-Free WATER
"Helps prevent corrosion caused by harsh minerals in tap water."

Manufactured by "Old World Industries"

You guys think this will work for WC water base?

I'm gonna check it out! by Peak or Zerex?

Quote: Originally posted by salex101 Found it at Pep Boys: $1.84 / Gal PEAK Battery and Radiater Mineral-Free WATER "

I think I said P E A K

I am still two weeks away from building my system, so let all of us know what you think of it, if you try it out.

Another Question:

Will things start growing in the water if the computer is not used for a few days at a time? Like twice a week...

With distilled water and a little glycol....very unlikely. Antifreeze is a formidable algaecide.

Never introduce tap water into the loop and flush it out occasionally and you should never have a problem.

Next question:

I have read about people lower the voltage on their fans to make them run slower. Is there a way to do the same to a water pump so doesn't pump as fast?