loop setup advice

[toby]

right well im working on a loop for a future project that im planning and i need some thoughts and help etc because i only really know about 1/2 systems and even then i dont know much!. more specifically fittings, ie push and cool and what not because im really not sure which is best.
here is the specs of what i want in the system:

cuplex evo 1.1 for amd64
plain cape nb block ( is this going to fit an amd 64 board or just an amd board)
airplex evo 360 ( now i would love to run this passive but i think getting some 120s 7volted would be more appropriate but im not sure which are the most silent 120s because i normally go for most cfm so advice on that would be good)
aquatube (is this the fill point cause reaaaaaly stupid question)
i have no idea about the pump but 12v would be better as i want it to start up with the rest of the computer and turn off with the computer.
and i want one of those aquacomputer lcds cause they are v cool looking


now onto placement of stuff i would like the radiator at the bottom with air being pulled in from underneath the case , i know its not ideal placement but thats where its going! and then the pump near the front of the case with the aqatube at the top
i figured the loop would go like this
pump
cpu
nb
rad
aquatube

so your thoughts are appreciated on the system etc and try not to have to much of a laugh at any stupid questions

[Starbuck3733T]

I think you've done quite okay with the planning, and i can't offer any advice on your block selection. AP900 pump would be tasty, but you can rig a 220VAC pump to start/shutdown with the computer. Just get a 12VDC relay rated at whatever current your pump uses.

[kazuo]

what about your gpu?

[Fibbles]

That sounds fine. For the blocks, all you need to make sure is that they will work on an AMD chipset, and then from the different adaptor plates I've seen, they shoulf work allright. It just depends on the mounting style and hole distance. The EVO 1.1 will be an awesome choice. I bought a Cuplex Pro with the intention of replacing it, but I couldn't bear to part with my EVO. Rad choice is completely up to you. :) So is how you want to run it. I have my loop setup the way you'll have yours, but I have my Aquatube sideways in a bay. I use an Innovatek Tank-O-Matic plugon to fill and bleed the system, and it works well. That makes it easy to add water and I don't have to turn the computer on its @$$ to fill the tube. I am going to buy the Aqua Computer LCD/VFD display (the Aquaero), besides seeming overly functional, it is very swanky.

[toby]

well i was thinking of not doing the gpu becauwse i have a HIS 9800 pro with one of those huge heatsink/fan combos although i spose it would give my lazy self a reason to see if i have the correct core to softmod it to an xt. so i suppose a twinplex gpu would be in order and i would probably stick that after the cpu in the loop.i was thinking about going with an eheim for the pump a 1046 but im not sure that will give me a high enough flow rate and the p900 costs £50 which for some reason seems excessive to me.

[Fibbles]

A 1046 would be great for this setup, it doesn't offer a high flow rate, but these blocks are designed for the flow the Eheim provides. If you wanted something a bit higher, the 1048 or the Innovatek HPPS or Alphacool pumps would work. What size tubing are you planning for?

On a side note, I prefer 12v pumps because I'd rather power it through my PSU instead of a wall outlet and I don't have to route any pump cables. It also saves a wall outlet, and I don't have many spaces on my power strip left.

[toby]

i figured 1/4 for all fittings and tubing to keep it nice and universal and probably plug and cool fittings but im not sure about the fittings yet, i just want something with the least chance of leaking lol! oh and additives i suppose some watter wetter and uv dye should be included

[Fibbles]

I've not had a leak issue with my Plug & Cools since I've been using them and I've been using them for 4 months. I actually had one leak, but I caught it right away. It was due to not pushing the tube in all the way. Before that, I was using 1/2" steel barbs, which was leak free also, except I'd weaken the tubing because I'd overtighten the clamps. I realized that when I'd re-use the hose, I'd have to cut off the areas where the clamps were, because it was grated and leaky. That would have been an invitation to leak, but I've never had one after the system cleared the first 24 hour testing period.

[kazuo]

I've been using Plug & Cool for nearly 3 years, never had a leak. :)

[Fibbles]

I've been using Plug & Cool for nearly 3 years, never had a leak. :)
Sweet. :)

[toby]

plug and cool it is then, now i just need to make sure that the blocks i want will fit my amd64 motherboard, decide on the fans and price the whole thing up

[Fibbles]

plug and cool it is then, now i just need to make sure that the blocks i want will fit my amd64 motherboard, decide on the fans and price the whole thing up
The blocks will fit an AMD64. Pug doesn't have the AMD64 versions of the blocks listed, but they do make mounting brackets for them (I know, I have one for my EVO). If it fits 1 AMD64, it fits them all, meaaning, socket 754, 940 and 939 all use the same design.

[Starbuck3733T]

Oh that's good to know Dr.F!

[toby]

hmm well im wondering about the pump again. if i get the eheim i want it to be running off the 12v really so would it be better to splice it to the psu? or should i just spend more money on something like an aquastream?

[Fibbles]

Hrmm, I'm a fan of 12v pumps, and the Aquastream has an on/off power cycle to make bleeding easier, so you can mess with moving pieces around w/out needing to worry about turning the pump on and off. It also has a nice front 3.5 panel that has a little LED that flashes to alert of any problems. It connects to the Aquaero and can be overvolted and perhaps has more features, but you'd have to ask Kazuo. There is a bit of a premium to pay for it though, so if its features justify the premium, go for it, if not, well...

The Innovatek HPPS (the one that claims it has "more power than an Eheim 1048") is 12v and a bit less pricey than the Aquastream.

Acc to an Innovatek distributor:
"The HPPS is neither a 1046 or 1048 but a completely new pump. The HPPS 12v pumps reach a flow rate of 1.2 liters/min and have a head height of over 1.65 Meters @ about 2.5 Watts. For comparison a standard 1046 will be around 0.7 l per minute, and the 1048 has a pump height of about 1.5 Meters, a 1250 nearly reaches HPPS levels but requires roughly 28 Watts !!! This new HPPS pump also has automatic oscillation detection (smoothes out flow), automatic restart, gradual starting procedure to go easy on the spinning wheel prolonging the life as well, and pure 12 V electronics, no high AC/DC running through a system anymore making them highly reliable. In simple words, this pump will outperform a 1048 anytime and features almost same rates as a 1250 by only using nearly a 10th of the Watts ......

Fact is that Innovatek water blocks only require a minimum of 0.3 liters/min to provide successful cooling. So reaching a value of 1.2 l/m like the HPPS pump is 4 times greater then actually needed and is a great rate. The amount of l/hr is also pending on how many components are included in the system (closed system). For example, we have a system running with a CPU and a GPU cooled using a HPPS pump and we are around 1.1 liters.

There is also any of the AlphaCool pumps, as well as the Timmer Coolpumps for 12v. If you'd prefer to use a non 12v pump, you will either need a relay or that pump control O Matic device, or whatever you mentioned before. I should add that I like 12v because if frees up an outlet and I don't have to mess with any wires ^_^

[toby]

Its very hard to find information on aquacomputer products i find because the aqua computer site is in german but the aquastream does sound like a nice addition to a setup but it is so very very expensive. i will look into the innovatek pump and then have a look at the safety aspect of splicing a pump into the psu

[Fibbles]

As long as you wrap it with something like electrical tape, it's safe.

[Starbuck3733T]

Electrical tape at a minimum, soldered and heatshrink'd connections would be the preferable method.

[Fibbles]

Electrical tape at a minimum, soldered and heatshrink'd connections would be the preferable method.
Yeah, what he said ^_^ . Of couse I'd injure myself doing any of that.

[toby]

just going through the last touches to the loop and im not sure wether to use 8mm or 10mm hose, has anyone got any suggestions cause i want something to easily work with theplug and cool and that isnt going to be hard to organise in my system

[Fibbles]

It depends on how you want to organise. Plug&Cool is hard to bend, but its' little ID is easy to work around. There's other stuff like Tygon, but its' outter wall is too thick to use in a Plug&Cool fitting. 10mm Tygon is nice if using barbs, it's not that bigg and very bendy. I don't like 12mm+ hose because it's quite large and obstructs fiddling inside and viewability. Maybe you could grab a 1/2 meter of each sort you want to try and sample them.

[Starbuck3733T]

Saint-Gobbain (the ppl who make tygon) are quite nice about giving out samples if you intend to buy in quantity.