Any liquid cooling pros here?

[menace]

I just installed the liquid cooling setup last night and I'm having mixed results. the temps are down 5 degress centigrade (i was hoping for more) but i'm getting microbubbles throughout the reservoir and tubes.  I added some dish detergent--just a few drops-- but i'm curious if nayone knows some easy to find chemicals that would eliminate the fine bubbles?

I'm happy its soooo quiet now though--just need to find a quieter power supply fan and a gpu water block and then i'm set.

[Pacific Ripper]

I'm far from a pro. I had a liquid cooling system before but a hose broke and destroyed my comp when I moved it from one room to another. I wasn't even handling the insides nor was I doing any sudden movements.

[GGKoul]

Menace

If your looking for a quiet PC.  I got the Antec Sonota Case and it's super quiet! Plus it came with a ultra quiet power supply.  When I turn it on, it's whisper quiet.
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15138 

If your looking for quiet fans and a quiet power supply, a good Canadian place to go is http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/

I bought my case and some Silnex Fans from them.

[menace]

well i solved the bubble problem--jet-dry--a couple squirts and all the microbubbles just disappeared.  I think i'm going to remount the water block this weekend and see if that gives me better performance.  I also need to change the reservoir from plastic to metal--my goal is for no fans so we'lls ee if this helps--thanks for the links !

[DrewKaree]

Find some stuff called "Water Wetter".  Oops, I see you already tested JetDry!

I'd SERIOUSLY recommend keeping the reservoir plastic - maybe fabricate a metal housing for it if you want, but using a metal reservoir is ASKING to have to replace your water A LOT - it'll gunk up WAY faster from reaction to metal, and once that starts, it only gets worse.

Try moving the reservoir up near the top of the case near the PSU if it has a fan sucking out hot air.  Also, mebbe see if you can run the hoses outside the case - have the reservoir on top of the case or something?



As for a quieter PSU, I can't remember the name, so check both manu's - Either Enermax or Vantec (possibly BOTH! ) make a power supply that has an adjustable fan, as well as use higher quality fans - mine was pretty quiet to begin with, and when I tinkered with the fan speed, it was darned near silent.  Don't have it anymore to tell you who it was - kids dropped a drink     RIGHT       ON      the damned thing when I had it all out of the case and testing stuff.  The resulting shortout and smoke and refusal to start made me throw it out so I never had to be reminded of that.

[GGKoul]

well i solved the bubble problem--jet-dry--a couple squirts and all the microbubbles just disappeared.

[menace]

Good thought on the metal tank--i completely forgot about galvanic corrosion between steel and copper--it would have got ugly fast.  The reason for the whole thing is that i sit here in my office for 10hrs a day listening to the bloody thing and it gets on my nerves after awhile so I thought what better excuse to needlessly endanger my PC than have water running around in there  so far I'm pleased.

I will look into the quieter power supply likely after christmas and my credit cards have been paid off  thanks!

[GGKoul]

I hear ya on the noise.  I had a Lian-Li aluminium case with an enermax powersupply and 5 fans in total.  Boy was that loud.

So I purchased  Antec Sonota case for $200 and it came with a super quiet 420watt power supply.  It's SUPER quiet. 

[menace]

I'm waaaaay too cheap to spend that on a case    i'm just going to swap the fan 

[lucindrea]

acctully my view on the resuvar is just the oppsit , put it below the case ( or the case on top of it ) .. mainly because if you ever get a leak or loose power , gravity will acctully suck the water out of the tube and down into the resuvar , the other way it will fill the computer case .. this means you need a second tube for an air bleeder though.

not that it matters much , water in the case is just plain bad

[Apollo]

Why don't you just buy a bar fridge and stick your PC in it?

[GGKoul]

Why don't you just buy a bar fridge and stick your PC in it?

If Menace puts his PC in the bar fridge?  Where is he going to put his beers??

Wait.. Menace, I'll help you find a good home for your beers.   

[Apollo]

Hey good point, we'll be round to finish off any spare beer shortly.

[DrewKaree]

Hey good point, we'll be round to finish off any spare beer shortly.

there must be some translation problem - different language? 

I've never heard of "spare" beer.  What is this phenomenon you speak of?

We need ANY we can get in my neck of the woods 

[Samstag]

I've never heard of "spare" beer.

[menace]

Last thing I need is a bunch of free-loading mame experts at my house drinking my beer.  The average joe wouldn't spot all the corners I've cut with my projects but even a drunk byoac'er likley could 

On a side note (or back on track depending on which part of the thread you were following) this is from swiftech's site giving a possible explanation for higher temps found on my amd board after the liquid cooling was installed:

Since the water block doesn't generate any airflow around the socket, the air inside gets hotter, and the motherboard reports erroneous CPU temperature. Making things even worse, this particular board doesn't have a cooling fan installed on the Northbridge.  Verifying this theory was quite easy:  by installing a small 40mm on the Northbridge, we created sufficient airflow in the area, and the motherboard CPU monitor suddenly dropped in temperature from 45

[danny_galaga]

Good thought on the metal tank--i completely forgot about galvanic corrosion between steel and copper--it would have got ugly fast.

[GGKoul]

Hey good point, we'll be round to finish off any spare beer shortly.

Menace and I are Canadians.. there will be no "spare" beers.

[DrewKaree]

Last thing I need is a bunch of free-loading mame experts at my house drinking my beer.  The average joe wouldn't spot all the corners I've cut with my projects but even a drunk byoac'er likley could 

Yeah, but it'd be the first time you had a group of more than one  person there to check out your cabinet and not a soul asked you "what's MAME?  I though this was a video game"

 

[Edgedamage]

Have you thought of heatpipe cpu coolers? You can get good cooling and low noise at the same time. I found a review on one.
http://www.techniz.co.uk/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=153

Also how big is the rad whats the GPH of the pump? Even the best waterblock won't do squat if the rad is too small or the pump can't supply water quicky to the water block. Also the rad should be the last thing the coolant pass through before it hits the waterblock this helps to get rid of any heat the pump might be passing on the coolant.
Before anyone thinks about watercooling make sure to read everything to do with watercooling at this site:
http://www.overclockers.com/topiclist/index31.asp#WATER%20COOLING

[Buddabing]

I just installed the liquid cooling setup last night and I'm having mixed results. the temps are down 5 degress centigrade (i was hoping for more) but i'm getting microbubbles throughout the reservoir and tubes.

[DrewKaree]

Good thought on the metal tank--i completely forgot about galvanic corrosion between steel and copper--it would have got ugly fast. 

i dont know anything about these systems, but surely there would be an aluminium reservoir available? after, people love to have anodised parts...

And to resurrect this old thread since I found:

• an answer for danny
• a different metal for a reservoir
• a solution to the empty cans
• a picture demonstrating the myth of "spare" beer

Since you can make a reservoir out of 'em, you've now got a use for them.  Now it's simply "that's not a "spare", I'm behind on production".

http://www.boxgods.com/dept/modding/index.php?Action=Article&ID=110