CM-690 Watercooling help etc...

[Galaad97]

Well, i've already posted in the motherboard section, asking about motherboards suggestions and such... But as I've mentioned there, Im interested in starting to work on a Watercooling setup... So I recently upgraded my regular "air" system and Im using a Coolermaster CM-690 case... I noticed it has holes in the back to let water cooling tubing come through... I guess I ended up really liking this case and its price (for less than 80$ I found it to be very solid and well made).. Its also relatively large for a mid tower case...

So I've got two main questions here.. Anyone thinks I would have any problem building a decent setup using this case? It seems fine to me, but since I've never messed with watercooling... And the second question is: I intend to overclock that system and parts that would have great cooling efficiency... I intend to actively cool the northbridge (To make it easier to OC the memory) and video card (Likely to be a 8800 GTS 512.. I have sli in my main setup, but Im not that impressed, so I'll probably split 1 card in each)... I might even cool the South bridge, just for the heck of it. Suggestion on parts to use, and tips on building are more than welcome.

From reading a bit around I see the NCIX ultimate 360 kit coming up quite often, getting a radbox seems a given from all the advices i've read as well... Ncix suggests Swiftech MCW30 to cool chipsets like nb and sb..Is that fine? Is there something better?.. The NCIX kit comes with an Apogee GTX cpu block, would I be better off getting a Dtek Fuzion... and same for the GPU? Is the difference huge? I've heard about some corrosion problems with the Apogee..

Would I be better off buildint a kit from custom parts like the D-tek and whatever else you guys would recommend...That might cost a bit more than a starting kit, but that might cost me less than buying a kit and then buying a second CPU block ..etc..

I dont mind paying a bit higher price, but I dont need the most 'extreme' part either.. I want performance and quality but not at just any price..Although Im willing to pay what needs to be paid. I just dont want to pay for a ''name'' I guess.


Thats all that comes to mind for now... I'll post more as I have more questions I guess..hard to ask when you hardly know anything about the subject :P.

[Galaad97]

Sorry, I know a lot of these questions are probably answered here and there, but sometimes I read a lot of diverging opinions, so I guess Im trying to get some more, and those related to the system I use (CM 690, 8800 gts 512 and probably E8400 cpu )...and to get those info in one place as much as possible.

oh Another thing... I might actually transfer the SLI setup to the watercooled system (Im not sure yet)..as I said, I found SLI to be alright, but not as impressive as I thought, but I'd like to see maybe where it gets with a good amount of OCing... just thought i'd mention both possibilities (single or dual cards) just in case this has any effect on recommandations...

I just really dont want to screw up :P (Not too much anyway)

[3.0charlie]

I've played a lot with water-cooling, experimenting with parts and comparing air to water. I've found that water-cooling the CPU gives the biggest return in low temperatures with high oc. Cooling the NB / SB using a simple fan next to the blocks does a great job. As for the GPUs, I still believe that water-cooling is not worth the hassle. A good after-market cooler like the Thermalright HR-03 and the Arctic Cooler Accelero S1 with an added fan allow great temps.

CPU wc example: I had a Q6600 @ 3.7, with 1.50 Vcore under load while folding: 51C-53C on all 4 cores. The WC setup was:

Swiftech MCP-355
Swiftech Apogee GT
Swiftech MCR-220
Swiftech Micro-Res
Swiftech Radbox
2 Scythe SFF-12 in Push config.
3/8" tubing.

As for a case, I believe that any case can be used for water-cooling. It's just a matter of choosing the right parts for the case and defining clearly where they all can be installed.

(ps. is this "Piedmont" as in next to St-Sauveur?)

[Galaad97]

Thanks for the reply 3.0Charlie, Yup Piedmont as in right next to Saint-Sauveur. I was in Laval just last night, went to pick up a book there :P...

The reason I meant to cool the NB and SB is based on my current board actually.. Since I overvolt the Northbridge a bit to play around with the memory timings and OC it, it gets really hot even though I stuck a 40mm fan over that small heatsink..and i'd rather not even look at the southbridge, I fear It'll burst on fire any second now.. of course that in my 'air' system..but still, Im not sure I'd want it this way in my next system... As for the video cards, the Thermalright HR-03 looks awesome, but I think you can forget a SLI setup with one of those... but then again Im not sure I like SLI so much :P.

Also, for the coolant, for example right now if I order parts at NCIX they give you discount on Primochill PC pure Extreme 32oz ... Is that any good? Are you better off with water and additive, how much would be required?.. As for the Tubing, i've been checking it out.. Tygon seems good, so does the Swiftech sleeved norprene.. But is it necessary..? What sort of lenght do you need on average in term of tubing... Since Tygon only comes in batch of 5 feet, I wouldnt want to end up being short and having to order again :P.

[Primu$]

Originally Posted by Galaad97

Thanks for the reply 3.0Charlie, Yup Piedmont as in right next to Saint-Sauveur. I was in Laval just last night, went to pick up a book there :P...

The reason I meant to cool the NB and SB is based on my current board actually.. Since I overvolt the Northbridge a bit to play around with the memory timings and OC it, it gets really hot even though I stuck a 40mm fan over that small heatsink..and i'd rather not even look at the southbridge, I fear It'll burst on fire any second now.. of course that in my 'air' system..but still, Im not sure I'd want it this way in my next system... As for the video cards, the Thermalright HR-03 looks awesome, but I think you can forget a SLI setup with one of those... but then again Im not sure I like SLI so much :P.

Also, for the coolant, for example right now if I order parts at NCIX they give you discount on Primochill PC pure Extreme 32oz ... Is that any good? Are you better off with water and additive, how much would be required?.. As for the Tubing, i've been checking it out.. Tygon seems good, so does the Swiftech sleeved norprene.. But is it necessary..? What sort of lenght do you need on average in term of tubing... Since Tygon only comes in batch of 5 feet, I wouldnt want to end up being short and having to order again :P.

Hi Galaad97,
Im new here but firmiliar with water cooling with the oldies technology =)
Im sure I'll be of some help to your situation.
First off I would like to ask your system specifications, Motherboard, CPU, Ram, Video card, present cooling solution? Im guess your typical heastsink & fan =)

As for the Primochill PC pure Extreme im unsure its benefit compared to your typical distilled water + a drop of anti freeze but im sure its not a signicant temp difference but check on some reviews on it.
1.The required amount of coolant depends really on your setup (ie. Water Blocks<Radiator<Resovior ect) but it shouldnt be more than 1Ltr of coolant or so.
2. The tubing 5 Feet of tygon (best tubing ive ever used very smooth Flexible)should be plenty but before your start cutting away take your time and plan your setup FIRST before anything. Its better to have the parts you are going to use so you can fit them all in to see how they all go. BTW if you do need tygon I got a roll of it sitting around PM ME I got heatware and ebay feedback.

Oh Yea Beautiful Case you have that was the one I've been wanting to get for ages! I think ill get one for my next build. Coolermaster CM-690 <- Will provide very nice airflow especially for water cooling

EDIT* Also can you tell me your current temps Sorry if you've posted this info elsewhere...

Primu$