beginners complete watercooling kit?

[jEnkinsX]

i was thinking of buying the thermaltake bigwater.. but some ppl said it sucks.. and i saw this @ 3Dgamemans site... Asetek WaterChill 2 Water Cooling Kit which was pretty good considering its complete.. i just want to watercool my other computer not my main one.. the other computer is my families computer and its also my "toy" hehe.. so right now it has a SP97 and a zalman nb cooler.. but here are the specs

AMD Athlon XP 2500 barton stock
Thermalright Sp97
Zalman NB-47J NB cooler
ATI 9800pro
Abit NF7-S Rev2.0
maybe some OCZ 512 DC kit but right now generic 256MB DDR400
theres basic specs

[jEnkinsX]

hmm okay i just watched the bigwater's review on 3dgameman and it only has a cpu waterblock.. so thats out.. so i guess.. the Asetek WaterChill 2 Water Cooling Kit is the best option? or should i try to buy each waterblock separatly? which one would be easier/cheaper?

as u can tell im new to watercooling so any helpful comment would be appreciated :)

[duckdown]

First question is do you really need it?

Judging by the rig in your signature I wouldn't think it would be very important.. If you're not OC'ed yet and are planning on getting it just for OC'ing, then you should try OCing on air first.. Watercooling and/or lower core temperatures don't ensure any added overclocking benefits if your chip doesn't like overclocking to begin with

What kind of temps are you getting that makes you want to switch to water (and all of the hassles and risks involved)

[jEnkinsX]

First question is do you really need it?

Judging by the rig in your signature I wouldn't think it would be very important.. If you're not OC'ed yet and are planning on getting it just for OC'ing, then you should try OCing on air first.. Watercooling and/or lower core temperatures don't ensure any added overclocking benefits if your chip doesn't like overclocking to begin with

What kind of temps are you getting that makes you want to switch to water (and all of the hassles and risks involved)

do i really need it? no
second, im gonna WC my AMD xp system not the one in my sig..
third with an SP97 installed.. i get 35-40 degrees... i dont want to WC my A64 system hehe.. i just want to WC my AMDXP system just so that i can try it.. and do some benching.. WC vs my SP97 ?

im new hehe so take it easy on me

[Nubee]

The only thing keeping me from trying this water stuff is the maintenance as I'm lazy. I don't want to check and top up the water every now and then or worry if one day I get home and find some fish swimming near my cpu ( just made the fish part but you get the idea :) ). The phase-change stuff ( is it refrigeration? ) I can be comfortable with but too expensive :)

[duckdown]

Peltier is some crazy cooling.. try that out

[mortimusmaximus]

Check these out fully safe contained no muss or fuss with water ever.

http://www.pccasegear.com/prod2362.htm

http://www.pccasegear.com/prod2359.htm

[Nubee]

Check these out fully safe contained no muss or fuss with water ever.

http://www.pccasegear.com/prod2362.htm

http://www.pccasegear.com/prod2359.htm


any of these available in canada or have to buy them in the US?

[mortimusmaximus]

Here you go.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1432341

[Nubee]

Here you go.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1432341

Thanks for the link but just read a review at mod the box (http://www.modthebox.com/review390_1.shtml) and this kit isn't really doing any better than air cooling for a fraction of the cost. Although I don't know how much difference a 120 mm fan has over 80mm in terms of temp.

[Evil Techie]

i dont need watercooling at all if you are only doing stock

i dont recommend on getting one
especially not from thermaltake

[jollyeskimo]

Thanks for the link but just read a review at mod the box (http://www.modthebox.com/review390_1.shtml) and this kit isn't really doing any better than air cooling for a fraction of the cost. Although I don't know how much difference a 120 mm fan has over 80mm in terms of temp.

yeah the problem with all these kits are that they're manufacturered to be as basic and simple to install/setup (especially to fit in generic cases), so sacrifices in performance are inevitable.

jEnkinsX: it's just my opinion, but I think your money could be better spent elsewhere instead of on a basic WC kit.

edit: and yes, stay away from TT. Wouldn't touch their stuff with a 10-foot cootie stick.

[ZeroAquaduct]

Swiftech is probably the king of watercooling based on what I've read. I'm not sure if they have any kits for sale though.

You might want to see if you could find any Danger Den kits in Canada. I know they're being distributed in Canada; however, I'm not too sure what the cost is.

Well, watercooling are all not really neccessary, but it's a hobby for most (including me). Most people don't need a Porsche, but they still buy it. It's more of a want than a need. Same thing here. :D

[mortimusmaximus]

The aquagate 120 did very well in a maxpc shootout awhile back.They were very surprised it did so well.Below is a link to bigfootcomputers based out of toronto.They carry complete kits and danger den waterblocks.

http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Bigfoot&Category_Code=510.25

[radeonboy]

The only thing keeping me from trying this water stuff is the maintenance as I'm lazy. I don't want to check and top up the water every now and then or worry if one day I get home and find some fish swimming near my cpu ( just made the fish part but you get the idea :) ). The phase-change stuff ( is it refrigeration? ) I can be comfortable with but too expensive :)

Speaking of being lazy, thanks for reminding me to check my fluid levels on my WC unit! I almost forgot!

:D