help liquid cooling or tuniq 120

bobbys

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i just built my first rig. i got my e6600 running on stock fan right now clocked at 3.2. i've got one of the newer e6600s' which i heard dont overclock too well without getting high temps. i have a evga 680i a1 mobo, and 2x1gb g.skill ram 4-4-4-12. I was gonna go with the tuniq 120, but i'm also considering liquid cooling. which is where i need help.

does any one know what the top off the line liquid cooling systems are, all i know about is thermaltake's bigwater 745, which some ons had told me is only just a lil better than the tuniq. also if i go with the liquid cooling system it would be cooling my cpu and gfx cards?

i'd be satisfied with 3.6ghz but i'd prefer 4.0ghz if possible

any comments and are tip appreciated.
 

skyguy

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You certainly won't hit 4.0 with a Bigwater kit. And not even maybe in the ballpark if you want to cool your GPU as well. Might as well flush your money down the toilet.

Thermaltake liquid systems are nowhere near "top of the line". They are bottom of the line actually.

You'll want something like a Swiftech 655 pump (1/2" loop) based setup. Check out Petra's, it's the place to go for liquid cooling for novices:

http://www.petrastechshop.com/wacoki.html
 

rammedstein

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thermaltake liquid cooling systems suck (that is aside from the one built into the kandalf which isn't bad at stock but is even better if you stick a new pump/res and waterblock.
 

SuperFly03

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Good water will run you $300 and can get you 3.8+ (usually run into chip problems before temps become a problem)

Good air will run you $75 and can get 3.8+ [depending on temps/chip] but most likely in the 3.6 range.

It is your money, but water really doesn't have much value when you think about it.

And as other have said, BigWater just sucks at life.
 

kwalker

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The best high end Liquid cooling systems are home grown using the higher end components in combination
The swiftech H220 ultra kit takes the guess work out of it and is good enough to get you started.
http://www.svc.com/h20-220-appl-gt.html
You can also put your own kit together
For instance I would substitute the radiator for this
http://www.svc.com/rad-3430.html
And the pump for this(although I dont like the 3/8 barbs)
http://www.svc.com/mcp355.html
This will give you an upgrade path for more restrictive but outstanding CPU ,GPU and chipset water blocks.
 

ausch30

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What are you talking about, there is a much better pump in the kit. The one in the kit is 317gph and the one you said you would change it to is 120gph. Considering that the CPU block is very resrictive and there are GPU and northbridge blocks in the kit 120gph is no where near enough. That is a great kit and if someone were to consider watercooling that would be the one I would suggest although I would call Swiftech and find out if I could switch the 2x120 radiator for the 3x120 and just pay the difference.
 

kwalker

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Slow down Turbo :lol:
The efficiency of a pump is measured by how many feet it can shoot a column of water vertically into the air at zero psi.(head of pressure)
The pump in the kit although more than sufficient has a lower head of pressure and this is how you recover from restrictive blocks not gallons per hour.
The apogee GT is not as restrictive as the storm and is a very good water block so the kit I linked is fine for starting out and only an example.
Adding other components in the loop or a more restrictive radiator may require more head of pressure to be efficient and there are far better pumps available to get the job done.
I personally use the MCP 655 without a hitch .
 

ausch30

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That's what I'm saying is that the MCP655 is a very good pump and much better than the other one you linked to. I am the first to admit that my water cooling knowledge leaves much to be desired but I would always suggest getting the best you could possibly afford and then adding more later. In that I mean the best CPU block, rad, pump, res. you can afford then if you want to add more later you won't find that your pump can't push enough to add a chipset block or your radiator can't dissipate enough heat.
 

phreejak

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THere are pluses and minuses for the MCP655 and the MCP355. The 355 is considered to be the more powerful of the two based upon it's "head" potential being superior to that of the 655. However, it does have a higher noise rating and is noticeable during operation. The MCP655 (which I use) is dead silent - the only way to really tell it is functioning is by the water movement. Also, straight from the factory, the MCP355 uses 3/8 diameter connection and the MCP655 uses 1/2.

By far, the most superior water cooling system that can be put together is going to involve parts from various companies because no single company can supply everything. Some of the premade kits (Swiftech, Danger Den, Aqua Computer, etc.) do offer very superior performance and would do just fine for most any computer but, to achieve truly superior results, you'll need to buy components from different companies.
 

skyguy

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Consider the 350 pump instead if not doing a complete CPU/GPU/NB/RAM loop........it's 3/8" and will do just fine.....it's silent...my whole system is, so I'm very in tune with noise.

The only reason I didn't go with a 655 is that I have a P180 case and my setup HAD to be completely internal.....and what all the stuff I have in my case there would not have been enough room to fit the 655. I've seen people do it with the P180 but they didn't have all the stuff I do, or else they hacked up their case alot.

So it depends how hardcore you wanna go.

If you REALLY want to see some great setups and expert advice, take a run over to xtremesystems.org......they're the gurus.
 

kwalker

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That's what I'm saying is that the MCP655 is a very good pump and much better than the other one you linked to.

Well I see there’s no point in discussing this with you.
You’re too stubborn for me :?
Just to set the record straight
The MCP355 is the better of the two pumps because of the flow rate,
The MCP 655 most of us choose is sufficient for smaller loops and quieter in operation with ½ “ barbs but lags in larger loops
I would not recommend the MCP 655 pump if you’re looking for maximum clocks and leaning toward the extreme side of over clocking , cooling multiple gpu’s and both chipsets.
For a high end system I would use the Iwaki RD 30. For maximum flow rate and to overcome large restrictive radiators or chillers requiring more than usual lengths of tubing
http://www.petrastechshop.com/iwrd24vdcinp.html

Here’s a little reading on centrifugal pumps to better understand the concept of flow rate
.
http://www.idcon.com/pdf-doc/centrifugalpumps.pdf

There are a few experts lurking in the background more knowledgeable than I when it comes to liquid cooling but for now let’s just say I hold my own and that is my preferred cooling solution.