Cooling suggestions

[nanoprobe]

This will be my first venture into this type of water cooling and I'd like some input from our resident gurus. How does this system rate?

[wevsspot]

Hi Nano,

 

I started my very first water cooling with an older version of that same kit. It served me well (and in fact the original pump, radiator and fans are still in service )

 

A couple of things to note;

 

1. Kit comes with 7/16" ID tubing and fittings and I think it's worth while to go ahead and change the fittings and tubing to 1/2" ID

2. The RAD box is a cool idea, but depending on the configuration of your back panel the radiator "may" interfere with your rear i/o plate, cables and plugs

3. Just throw away the stupid tubing coils, they are a pain in the arse and get really brittle quickly inside a warm case

 

Otherwise its a really nice starter kit and I highly recommend it. In all three of the rigs I've used this type of kit on I've hung my radiator off the left case panel. It looks a little different but its been a workable solution. And everybody that sees one of those setups for the first time always says "hey whats that thing hanging off the side of that case?" I tell them water cooling radiator and they look at me like i'm crazy

Edited January 19, 2010 by wevsspot

[nanoprobe]

I was nosing around on the egg and found this. I thought they were the same but the sidewider site said they use the XT water block and the egg site version uses the GTZ water block. Is the XT block worth the extra cash?

[cjloki]

I was nosing around on the egg and found this. I thought they were the same but the sidewider site said they use the XT water block and the egg site version uses the GTZ water block. Is the XT block worth the extra cash?

i like the big 3 fan swiftech radiators, they're hard to beat for the money. i'm thinking about getting another one to expand my wc system...

[wevsspot]

I was nosing around on the egg and found this. I thought they were the same but the sidewider site said they use the XT water block and the egg site version uses the GTZ water block. Is the XT block worth the extra cash?

 

Looks like there is only $5 difference in the kit price between Sidewinder and the Egg. The Egg is out of stock on the kit that includes the GTZ block so that may play into your decision.

 

If you bought those two blocks separately there's about a $25 difference in retail price. So the kit from Sidewinder is definitely the better deal.

 

I've use both the GTZ Extreme and XT blocks. For $25 there isn't enough performance difference to justify the cost difference IMHO. But again, the better pricing deal is at Sidewinder+you get the high dollar XT block, so that's the way I'd go...

[Camshaft]

This is a cooling solution I may pursue on my forthcoming i7 build as well. I'm building it for audio recording so a low noise level is a must, and liquid cooling has always fascinated me - see the Cray-2 in my avatar?

 

Incidentally, how would I mount it in this case? http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0246524

Edited January 28, 2010 by Camshaft

[wevsspot]

Unfortunately you're gonna have a booger of a time getting any radiator inside the Antec 900. About your only option is to remove six or seven optical drive slots on the front of the case and squeeze your radiator into there leaving you enough room to install one optical drive.

 

Mounting the radiator inside top won't work because of the big fan up there. Mounting the radiator on inside bottom won't work because it's a bottom mount PSU case.

 

The Swiftech radbox gives you some flexibility outside on the rear but you'll find that it probably interferes with your rear i/o panel and the wires/connections you'll need to make.

 

So your only real options are up front where the optical drive bays/aux fans are located, or outside somewhere. As I pointed out before, I hung mine on the right panel exterior. I've got some pics somewhere I'll post up.

[Camshaft]

Unfortunately you're gonna have a booger of a time getting any radiator inside the Antec 900. About your only option is to remove six or seven optical drive slots on the front of the case and squeeze your radiator into there leaving you enough room to install one optical drive.

 

Mounting the radiator inside top won't work because of the big fan up there. Mounting the radiator on inside bottom won't work because it's a bottom mount PSU case.

 

The Swiftech radbox gives you some flexibility outside on the rear but you'll find that it probably interferes with your rear i/o panel and the wires/connections you'll need to make.

 

So your only real options are up front where the optical drive bays/aux fans are located, or outside somewhere. As I pointed out before, I hung mine on the right panel exterior. I've got some pics somewhere I'll post up.

 

The right side might be a good idea. An old roommate of mine had the Antec 900 case and I grew quite fond of it. I will figure out some way to make the radiator work. I'd appreciate any pictures and install info you may have.

[Queenz]

For a first timer that kit is good, but for hardcore it's ehhh....

 

Custom setups are better, plus you get to choose the stuff you want. Everything is this kit is chosen for you already.

Edited January 29, 2010 by Queenz

[Hyper]

This is a cooling solution I may pursue on my forthcoming i7 build as well. I'm building it for audio recording so a low noise level is a must, and liquid cooling has always fascinated me - see the Cray-2 in my avatar?

 

Incidentally, how would I mount it in this case? http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0246524

 

 

 

I actually had a triple rad hanging off the back of my 900 with a rad box and it worked fine (though I think I might have used 1/2" extentions to push it out a bit more for extra clearance.)

 

can't find exactly what spaer i used but they look like

http://www.lowes.com/pd_136452-37672-88042...product_price|1

 

and you can find them at most hardware places...

[wevsspot]

I actually had a triple rad hanging off the back of my 900 with a rad box and it worked fine (though I think I might have used 1/2" extentions to push it out a bit more for extra clearance.)

Never thought about that. Guess you could get creative and mate two of the radbox's together and get some pretty good spacing.

[ccokeman]

You could also look at the Corsair H50