My upcoming set-up

[richman]

Hi all long time since i been here now, computer broke like the mobo exploded so i had to save up and get a new one then my case was no longer good enough for what i wanted. i have some ideas i would like to run past you if that is ok with you guys.

The workings
Some of the things that i want to include in my new rig are as follows :-

Case: Chieftec Black Dragon (Full Tower)

Mobo: Abit NF7-S (already got this)

HDD: 120gb Maxtor (already got this)

GFX: Radeon 9200SE (already got this)

Sound: Sound Blaster Audigy

The Cooling

The Set-up is based on 3/8" Tubing and hose connectors.

Res: Aqua Tube Mounted in to the top of the dragon with blue light kit.

Pump: This iam not sure about as i want to reduce noise could u suggest one

Rad: Black Ice Extreme With 1 120mm Panaflo Fan

Block: Alpha Cool Nexxo's Hp CPU Block

Nothbridge: Iam not sure weather to watercool this or not could u sugges a block?

GPU: Could you also recommend a block for my GFX if i can get one for it that is.

I hope this is not too much info :p and look forward to your suggestions

Cheers
Richman

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

Doesnt the BIX have different sized fittings?

[richman]

Originally posted by Da_Rude_Baboon@Mar 27 2004, 12:30 PM
Doesnt the BIX have different sized fittings?
Da_Rude_Baboon what do you mean by this?

Richman

[Knipex]

The Black Ice extreme will take some modification to accept the plug and cool connections. It may only require an adaptor (which I think is the case) but I would check it out.

You could always go for an airplex rad..

Shouldnt be a big problem though.

[richman]

Originally posted by Knipex@Mar 27 2004, 04:34 PM
You could always go for an airplex rad..

Where could i get one of these from other than pug? Also an update this is teh case i will be using 'Shown Below'
http://www.richman-online.co.uk/pc/air_metalsilver.jpg

Cheers
Richman

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

Sorry Richman i should have been more specific but i find all these sizes confusing as i work in metric. :)

All your componets are 3/8"s apart from the BIX which i think has 1/2" fittings as standard. As Knipex has pointed out though you can probably get adaptors as its a BIX used in the Asetek Waterchill setup.

On the subject of pumps i have an Aquastream pump bolted to the bottom of my case, isolated with rubber grommets, and i cant hear it all. B)

[richman]

Da_Rude_Baboon thankyou for your input but iam not sure what you mean when u refer to one of my chosen products as BIX which is this? Also what do you think to the case iam thinking about getting the aqua stream as iam placing a order from aqua compuers at the end of this week.

Richman

[fillip]

BIX = B lack I ce Xtreme

[richman]

why didnt i see that before :) do you know how long it is ruggly till pug takes orders again. becuase if it aint long i will save my money and get what i need from him, but if it is going to be a long while i will buy direct any info would be helpfull

Richman

[fillip]

Originally posted by richman@Mar 29 2004, 02:06 PM
why didnt i see that before :) do you know how long it is ruggly till pug takes orders again. becuase if it aint long i will save my money and get what i need from him, but if it is going to be a long while i will buy direct any info would be helpfull

Richman
No definate times yet - as soon as he knows of one he'll post it on here and on the main site presumably.
He's said in other posts that he is nearly there and has roughly 80% of the required stock.
Just having probs with silly middle-aged-pompus-bureaucrats in brussels sitting round a big table delaying the opening of pug's wonderful store...



well, slightly exaggerated, but anyway it will be soon. And the stuff he does stock is far more impressive imo than other stores you may be likely to buy from.

[richman]

dont worry people money has been transfered into my watercooling savings account and awaiting pugs opening. after seeing the products pug offers i would neva go to anyother store. He seems so friendly to his customers and to me that really is something.

Richman

[Edd]

Don't know how much money you have, but I would recommend an ALU case. Easier to cut if you're mounting a rad and res. And the weight too.

I built a PC for my flatmate in a Chieftec Dragon Midi-Tower with not much in. I swear it weighs almost as much as my Lian Li FULL tower, complete with twice the components, plus dual-fan radiator, res, and water loop full of water!!!

[richman]

I am going to be using the case shown above i dont care how much it weighs as most of the time it will be sitting on my desk.

Richman

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

Originally posted by richman@Mar 29 2004, 08:46 AM
Da_Rude_Baboon thankyou for your input... Also what do you think to the case iam thinking about getting the aqua stream as iam placing a order from aqua compuers at the end of this week.

Richman
NP m8 happy to help. :)

Its not a case i'm familiar with but with careful planning you can fit a watercooling setup into most PCs. Do you have an idea of how your going to position the components yet?

It looks like a nice case with plenty of potential. Hows the ventiliation as i dont seen intakes on the picture?

[richman]

The vent for the front intake is somewhat hidden which i dont like too much i wanted to put a hole in the front somehow but i cant i dont know becuase the temp thing is their. Any ideas as for the res i have changed my mind and going down a diffrent route as a lot of people seem to be getting this aqua tube and i dont want my set-up to be "normal" so i have chosed this as shown here (http://www.thecoolingshop.com/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=572)

Richman

[fillip]

Well, firstly you can get versions of that tanko matic for only £20 quid (roughly) so i wouldnt pay £40 for the innovatek one - just my 2 cents

Anyways, as for some ventilation at the front of the case it's gonna be tricky.

You could just make some ventilation holes / slots either side of the temp display.

Or, an idea that i just thought of (since i'm looking for as many uses as i can for mnpctech's modders mesh) would be to take a chunk out of the bottom of that panel - incl. the material the temp display is on and reform it with mesh so that it looks like the air intake grill at the front of a car might do. I'd then try and figure out how i could mount the temp display back where it was - maybe using some clear perspex to from a bracket for it behind the mesh and then you could mount the display into the mesh.

Could be tricky but i reckon that would look pretty sweet

[richman]

where can i get the version of tank-o-matic that is £20 and as for the vent that would be hard as this is my first mod i have no experiance with molding the front of cases and have no idea ho to go about it, i would tho pay someone to do this for me i could remove that tacky temp thing all together and replace it with a matrix orbital which will house in a 51/2" drive bay 2 line version.

Richman

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

Its hard to tell how you could add more ventilation into the case with out seeing it hands on as it were. If you mounted the Rad at the top of the case with the air exiting there you have more scope for smaller intakes at the front of the case.

I like Fillips idea of using the mesh though. The grey panel looks like it might stand proud from the rest of the bezel. If it can be removed then putting in the mesh could be quite simple as you could cut the hole or vent(s) and stick a square of mesh on the back. ;)

As i said though its hard to tell with out seeing it. Some of the more expeirienced modders like mnpctech or Nexo might have more suggestions for you. :)

[richman]

only you and fillip seem to be replying :) as i said i would pay someone to mod the front bezzel for me.

Richman

[fillip]

As D.R.B. said it's hard to know how to go about it without having the case in front of you.
If you really dont like the temp display then ditch it, especially if you plan on buying something that can provide you with the same info. anyway (M.O.)

Tank-o-matic lookie likey (http://www.watercoolingshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=76&osCsid=9166dcbe71bef7d1eb045908330ed9c6)

it's £23 and prob. not as tall as the innovatek one but if it's just the style your after you dont need a huge reservoir for a w/c setup and this looks pretty sweet, i've seen it somewhere else aswell but cant find the link right now



Cant find that link anywhere, may have been for someone like PClincs b4 they went under, anyway, the alternative is to make one - doesnt cost much for the perspex you would need, i could even tell you where to get it from, then all you need is the fittings (however, you would also need some tools - specifically a tap and die set, so if you/your parents dont have this kinda stuff you may be better off buying one)

[richman]

yea i think i will buy one -

also if anyone would like the taks of modding the front of my case for the rad vent i would pay a set price of £50 for labour and materials. and also delivery of the bezel

Richman

[richman]

UPDATE - i was woundering is there a tank - o - matic that can accept 1/2" fittings?
also iam thinking of mounting hte tank - o - matic on the top of the case as ui have some ideas :D

Cheers
Richman

[Pug]

Hi Richman. Bad news on your troubles - seems like it's been a season for hardware failure all around...
Sorry I'm late. Nice input so far, thx everyone. :)

Case As Edd said, the steel Dragons are heavy, there's an Alu version though...
I don't know the case you've posted so I can't offer much on it apart from a reminder that the bulk of obstruction for your rad airflow will be the chassis after you get the bezel done (or DiYed, as suggested)

Mobo Mmm. Make sure it's a V2.0 though.

HDD Done deal, as you say...

GFX Likewise.

Sound The NF7 has pretty corking sound as it is (esp. thru' spdif to a set of z680s :D) but you may have your reasons, so I'll pass on commenting further.

Cooling

Res Teh AquaTube is popular for good reason. If you think the second choice you had is "different" you should look around a bit more... ;)
I just added a coupla pics of some other res's to the product pages of the site to give you a little more choice.

Pump The Eheim 1046 is a solid little pump and the AquaStream is of a similar spec and fits the same accessories as a 1046 does (such as the FMJ), unlike the Inno offering.
The Alphacool range of APxxx pumps are seriously growing on me but I've yet to test the entire range in anger (though my AP900 has been going well for a while now)

Rad I'm not sure what's happening with the Black Ice range at the moment - I ordered some 120mm Tec-ice rads the other week and spotted that they'd changed my selection to BI Pros instead. I queried it and said I wasn't interested because of the different fittings but apparently, the new range has gone BSP Parallel (unless it's just on a Euro-specific model).
This means ultimately, that I can fit them (and the NexXxos & pump) with the same fittings {either 10mm (3/8"ish) barbs or 8mm Pushfit} throughout

I've got some of the Pros anyway, as they were a good price (which I've hopefully passed on) and will try and chase down the Extremes to see if the same applies.

Unfortunately, I can't hook up a NexXxos block to a BIX without having one here but you may find that the design of the Airplex is better suited to a low volume (in both senses of the word) pump and fan if you're ultimately after a quiet system.
The continous tube layout of the core exposes the coolant to the walls of the rad multiple times over an extended period of time by comparison to the twin pass approach (which can, in turn, be better suited to higher flow setups).
Only my opinion mind, have to test it to confirm.

Block *ahem* NexXxos *cough*. No argument there.

NB You could always leave it initially and see if you can live with a 40mm fan after you've quieted the rest of the little suckers down.
Might I suggest an NB-A if you need serious NB cooling? My TwinPlex seems to do a good job and is potentially less restrictive on overall system performance than the NB-A but the difference may well be minimal - it's not something I've been able to quantify yet.
It is something slated for a forthcoming test though.

GPU In the same vein as the NB but probably more tied to the performance angle, I have a gut feeling that the GP-A would outperform the TwinPlex to a degree but the TwinPlex may have less of a hit (however minimal) on CPU and other system temps.
As you're dealing with a 9200, this obviously won't be much more of an issue than it is with the NB but if you're planning ahead to a future upgrade (like overclocking a 9800Pro and using the same block), you might want to mull the option over.
My 9800 is still on the stock ArcticCooler until I find time to find its limit on air, then slap a block on it to see how much further it'll go under water (so to speak).
I'll keep you posted if I get some solid results. :)

[Edit] Oh, and General Watercooling is where this goes - please try and post in the correct section for others' benefit in keeping similar topics grouped together. Thanks.

[richman]

thanx for the input their pug, i quite like the tank-o-matic as it is nice basically lol. and i dont know if i can hold out long enuf for you to open again to get me the aqua tube or that is prob what i would get.

Cheers
Richman

[Pug]

No worries Rich.
I'm sorry to keep people waiting this long - if it was in my hands I'd be up now. :(

[richman]

anyone the tank-o-matic is a nice res i think and at the end of the day it is my rig i was just after some advice and u have done that. Cheers pug

Richman

[Pug]

No worries - btw, I was just hopping about and saw that the Tank-o-Matic can take large fittings - http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?p=...36&postcount=21 (http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?p=577736&postcount=21)

Good luck with it. :)

[richman]

i have been talking to paul and he is gonna sort me out when i order the res he is gonna put some bigger barbs on it for me so iam all sorted their, what do you think about the rad should i go for a thermochill 120.1 instead of the BIX

Richman