Watercooling Setup advice

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530
I need some advice on a watercooling setup. here is my setup, along with previous and current cooling methods.

AMD 1090T Phenom II X6
Asus Crosshair IV
8GB corsair AMD Dominator memory DDR3-1333 CL7
Asus 5750 Formula video card (soon to be a 5850)
Silverstone Strider Plus 750w
Lancool PC-K62
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme (previous)
CoolIt Domina A.L.C. (current)
Arctic Cooling MX-3


I have been thinking about getting the Swiftech Ultima XT kit, but I am only happy with one of the components.
my question is should I go for the kit and upgraqde later, or spend a little more right now and go custom kit. the problem is the store that I will be buying from only has the ek water blcoks Supreme HF for the water block, they don't have any of the other top brands of water blocks. If I were to build a custom kit it would be as follows:

Thermochill PA120.3
MCP655 (not B model)
not sure what reservoir I would use yet
eK water block (no others in stock)

here is my overclocking setup:

I can stay under 50c @4GHz if room temp is below 21c, if above 21c I can stay under 50c @3.8GHz

I would like to be around 45c @4.1-4.3GHz

The CoolIt Domino/TIM has lowered my temps by a couple of degrees, but I would still like to be cooler.

Avg. room temp (summer) 23c-25c (probably closer to 25c)

is it worth it to go the watercooling route, as I am sure it is which setup would I benefit from (I can get 30% off the swiftech kit - 200CAD). thanks for the help
 

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530
I am Canadian, and my budget is up to about $400 (not including cooling the video card. I use NCIX, but I have found a great price that I am sure NCIX will match (I won't give out the source, sorry fellow canadians). so I can get it for low $200s CAD, $300 with all the fittings I need (90s to make if fit nice and koolance quick disconnects).

My worry was that every review I checked out put the APOGEE XT as the best water block. the swiftech kit obviously includes that, but the pump included is not adjustable, and I would like a thicker 3x120 rad.

so which is better to have first and which is less important to upgrade to later

kit=better waterblock
custom=adjustable pump, bigger thicker rad

also if anyone running a modest water cooling setup can post your overclocking results with the Phenom II X6
 

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530



I had 4GHz (20.0xMultiplier @1.3625 volts, but it would run @ 1.4v under load)
 

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530



1. it would be the supreme HF.

2. I dont mind that res at all, I think frozen cpu was out of stock on water blocks too (Koolance CPU-360 in stock and supreme hf in stock)

3. with 2 of the plates it beats the apogee xt (but I'd prefer not to tear the block apart right away, because if it leaks from the block there is no warranty)

4. left out of the bunch :(

5. ok, how much of a temp difference do you think it will make?

6. don't know yet, not to worried about silence but would like a fan with different settings. (I keep my PC on all the time, and when it is sitting idle, I would like a quiet fan, but during gaming/editing the fans can be a bit noisy, but not deafening) probably a fan that has settings around 1000RPM, 1500RPM, 2000RPM give or take.
 

jedimasterben

Distinguished
Sep 22, 2007
1,172
1
19,360

Well, I've my CPU and GPU (both in my sig) in the loop, and the GPU idles/loads at 30C/45C and the CPU at 34C/62C, with a 28/29C ambient temp (finally got my A/C fixed! 24C here I come!).

As for just CPU, I think that it would idle near the same and load in the 50s.

As for leak testing, I'd say the longer the better, just in case! If something leaks and shorts, it's not covered under any warranty!
 

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530


You gave me your temps, but never said what size rad you are using??
 

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530
it seems like the rad is going to put me mildly over budget, so I think I am going to get a swiftech mcr220 and mount it internally and maybe for father's day, or in a month or two, I will add a HWLabs GTX 360 outside the case.
 

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530
I figured out with a cutom mounting solution (I will enjoy making) will let me mount the rad inside the case and the fans where the 140mm fans are stock. so I am going to start with the swiftech kit as it will cost me under $250 shipped now that I know that I can get the rad inside the case, and I will add a gtx 360 or 460 when I add a 5970 or 2 to the loop.
 

drummerdude2010

Distinguished
May 7, 2010
34
0
18,530
I found a little gem today, a never used freezone (not elite) for $75. I am going to get it and splice it into my current domino A.L.C. loop and in a couple weeks put it into a custom loop. do you guys think its worth the $75 to get it and will it integrate well into a water cooling loop?