Water Cooling

[TheWakeUpCall]

I am thinking of building a computer in a few months time, and I want to plan ahead a bit now and start thinking of components.

I want to try to make it as quiet as possible, so I was also thinking of water cooling,

does anyone know about water cooling, because I don't know much about it, just that it is quiet (or so I hear), and does anyone have any websites that explain how to install it and how to purchase the parts and everything.

Thank you very much.

 

[oneman]

I am thinking of building a computer in a few months time, and I want to plan ahead a bit now and start thinking of components.

I want to try to make it as quiet as possible, so I was also thinking of water cooling,

does anyone know about water cooling, because I don't know much about it, just that it is quiet (or so I hear), and does anyone have any websites that explain how to install it and how to purchase the parts and everything.

Thank you very much.

What are you using the system for ?

I just build a media centre PC and the only fan is an ultra quite 120mm on the PSU, the reset of the system is passivly cooled.

 

[acer1]

You can get water cooling kits now. go to h**p://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=500680. Note some air cooler are as quiet as the water coolers.

 

[TheWakeUpCall]

It is for my bedroom, which I sometimes leave on when I sleep which is partly why I want it quiet, also just because I would like it very quiet.

It will be a high end PC since I do stuff like web design and photo editing, so I will be running programs like dreamweaver, photoshop, illustrator, firefox, iTunes, filezilla, msn and then all the background utilities all at the same time. So I need it to be fast.

That's all fine though, i'll worry about the specs later, atm I am interested in keeping it quiet but still cool.

I didn't think you could get fans very quiet, but if you can I would be interested in that.

What is passive cooling oneman?

 

[nozzer]

What is passive cooling oneman?

Passive cooling is basically heatsinks - things that have no active components of any form.

 

[oneman]

It is for my bedroom, which I sometimes leave on when I sleep which is partly why I want it quiet, also just because I would like it very quiet.

It will be a high end PC since I do stuff like web design and photo editing, so I will be running programs like dreamweaver, photoshop, illustrator, firefox, iTunes, filezilla, msn and then all the background utilities all at the same time. So I need it to be fast.

That's all fine though, i'll worry about the specs later, atm I am interested in keeping it quiet but still cool.

I didn't think you could get fans very quiet, but if you can I would be interested in that.

What is passive cooling oneman?

passive cooling = no moving parts.

OK, noise is coming from moving parts so there are a couple of areas to look at,

PSU - get something a quality PSU 120mm fan - like this, http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=465717

CPU - If your case is big enough a stacker design again with 120mm fan - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=296802

Northbridge, choose a motherboard with passive cooling. Be careful about heatsinks if using the above fan.

Graphics card - Hardest one to cool quietly, espically if you want a games machine. I just used this in my media centre machine but it may not be quick enough for you - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=661336

Hard disk - Either seagate baracuda or Samsung spinpoint are both very quiet. If they still bug you, you can get a HDD mounting kits - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=657361
Another option is eSATA in an external enclosure.

Add a good quality ali case and a quiet 120mm case at the front and you are set.

 

[trbd]

Id think twice before shelling out on water cooling. I did this (foolishly) about 12 months back. Most of the non expensive kits aren't actually that quiet. You have a pump (which usually start vibrating after its all fitted) plus cooling fans on the radiator in most cases (I was running 3x120mm radiator fans). In the end, it turned out to be just as loud as running Heatsinks with fans.
Most of the newer processors will run fine with a fan and have various technologies which let them run quieter such cool n quiet by AMD which basically slows the CPU fan to a slower speed and clocks the CPU down when you don't need it's full power (for example, if you left it on downloading overnight).

If you're just photoshopping and web designing, you can probably get away with a passively cooled graphics card. GFX cards seem to be one of the main noise culprits, due to them being smaller they need smaller fans, which need to spin faster to keep the card cool. Not sure on the spec you want, I just bought one of the HP DX2250s on offer a while back. AMD dual core 5000 with 2 gig ram, 250gig sata drive and DVD RW, plus PCI-e there on the motherboard if you need it. Cost me £190 after the £50 cashback, is fine for my photoshop and web editing and can even play games! (I fitted an old X850 card I had laying under my bed) Best of all, it runs pretty much SILENT, so i can leave it on overnight without it disturbing me.
I've recently found that a lot of OEM machines can run quieter as the cases are often designed around the components inside, with various ducts and cowling, some only have a single fan in them which cools the entire system! DIY ATX cases have to cater for everyone so have to be more universal with the locations for PSUs etc.

HTH
Dave

 

[digicol]

Personally I have never water cooled, but the above is right about it not being quiet. Don't forget your water has to be pumped around the system and the water has to come from somewhere, i.e. your reservoir, so I assume you must need more space to hold this too?

But on the other hand running a high end system on a passivley cooeled heatsink can pose a temp problem, it all depends on how you build the PC, but you would need good auirflow to back up that silent heatsink which defeats the object.

A high end PC running silent is usually a big no no.

But looking back over your posts I see your not needing any silly graphics cards in there which is a bonus.

So yes you could get away with a passive heatsink and some 120mm case fans to push the air through while your working, coupled with a nice Seasonic silent PSU, also a nice fan controller would be a bonus so you can control everything as and when you need it.

Can be done easily mate, the guys above has covered most things. Samsung Spinpoint for the hard drive is a must in my eyes, very quiet.

Basically the only thing in your PC making a noise would be your case fans, if you buy some good quality 120mm bearing driven fans then this should not really be a problem, especially if you rig them up to your fan controller. Oh and the PSU but if you choose the right one that should not be a problem sound wise.

As for the graphics card you could get something like a passievly cooled 8600gt for about £60 which would do you fine, again 100% silent.

Just make sure you get a decent case with great air flow as your main point of cooling will be your case fans as and when you need them. One intake and one exhaust. Also if doing this try to limit yourself to one hard drive as to not generate a lot of heat in front of your intake fan as this will be your main point of cooliing, again the Samsung Spinpoint comes in 500gb, but may not be enough as your a video editor. EDIT - I have no idea where I got video editor from , lol, 500gb should be enough, if you need extra then an external would be cool and help to keep your system temps down.

Just remember the more that goes on inside your machine the more heat is generated, and hard drives do contribute, especially if your intake fan is very close to them.

P.S. Drunk again...hehe.

 

[TheWakeUpCall]

Thanks guys, I've gone off water cooling now. I will probably stick to fans then. Digicol, you said I need one intake fan and one exhaust. I assume the exhaust goes where the PSU is, so where does the intake go?

Also, are CPU fans silent? Because I think the CPU will need to be cool.

 

[acer1]

You can use a fanless cpu cooler as long as you are not overclocking. Have a look at this Scythe Ninja Plus. http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/63450831.html

 

[nozzer]

Even with heatpipes you dont magically get rid of the heat - it still has to go somewhere so you still have to get rid of it eventually

 

[oneman]

Thanks guys, I've gone off water cooling now. I will probably stick to fans then. Digicol, you said I need one intake fan and one exhaust. I assume the exhaust goes where the PSU is, so where does the intake go?

Also, are CPU fans silent? Because I think the CPU will need to be cool.

On decent case there will be mounting points at front and back for fans. Front fan I normally have just in front of HDD to drawn air over it, rear fan above half way down in line with CPU or just below it.

With the Ninja cooler you may get away without a fan (the heatsink is HUGE !) if the rear fan or PSU fan is next to it. The Core2 is quite an efficient CPU, especially the latest 45nm fabrication, if you are not overclocking you should be OK. Worst case, you can get a slow spinning 120mm fan with ball bearing for the CPU, you will hardly notice the noise.

I have a very similar cooler in my case with a single fan (the heatsink actually supports two fans) and unless I overclock, I cannot notice the fan. You can tell if it is making any noise by stopping it spinning and checking it there is any noise different.

As I said just be wary because the heatsink is huge and it hight might be a problem along with any components that surround the CPU.

 

[MFCGMFC]

i have 1 intake fan at the front

1 exhaust at the back

1 fan on my psu (it is silent tho)

and the arctic cooling cpu cooler but its spinngin at 2700 RPM!!!

my pc is far from silent but has hardly any fans anyone got any tips

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

 

[trbd]

We have near silent ones at work fujitsu mainly I think, celerons (unfortunatley) the PSU sits right on top of the CPU and points out of the side of the case, meaning the whole PC has 1 x 80mm "exhaust" fan and nothing else. The fans spins at about 1500 rpm and you can't hear a thing.
Not so easy to accomplish with a standard ATX case though.

 

[oneman]

We have near silent ones at work fujitsu mainly I think, celerons (unfortunatley) the PSU sits right on top of the CPU and points out of the side of the case, meaning the whole PC has 1 x 80mm "exhaust" fan and nothing else. The fans spins at about 1500 rpm and you can't hear a thing.
Not so easy to accomplish with a standard ATX case though.

Couple of things, the Fujitsu, Dell 745, etc are based on BTX design were there is a straight airflow path from front, over CPU and out back. Also the memory is rotated 90 degrees so as not to impede airflow.

If you want to reduce heat output, go for a Core2 mobile CPU, these are available in 775 package and take less power then standard CPU and can definitely be run fan-less.

There are some really nice BTX cases (with built in IR & fluorescent display), BTX motherboards with built in HDMI and mobile CPU available. Through in a couple of low profile digital tuners, analogue capture devices and it is entirely possible to make a media centre PC cooled by a single fan at home, it just won't be cheap.

 

[digicol]

i have 1 intake fan at the front

1 exhaust at the back

1 fan on my psu (it is silent tho)

and the arctic cooling cpu cooler but its spinngin at 2700 RPM!!!

my pc is far from silent but has hardly any fans anyone got any tips

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

Get a fan controller mate, they are cheap enough, get a decent one for less than £20, you can then conrtrol your fans and turn them right down if your not doing anything much other than browsing. Some also come with digital temp readouts on the front panel so you can keep a check on things.

Oh and they look quite good in my opinion.

Also if your PC can fit them make sure your case fans are 120mm and not 80mm, there is a massive difference in volume between the two, 80mm need to spin faster to shift the air compared to the 120mm thus resulting in a much louder noise output.

 

[molegrips]

water water everywhere!

Hi all

I am currently using a Zalman reseratorII kit, quite enough to hear a goldfish poop! :Fish: and instructions aesy(ish) to follow, only make sure the pipes are securely fitted onto the processor block and a good idea is use cable ties instead of the included pipe clips, a little pricey but good quality stuff though,

Regards

Mole:eatarrow:

 

[oneman]

Hi all

I am currently using a Zalman reseratorII kit, quite enough to hear a goldfish poop! :Fish: and instructions aesy(ish) to follow, only make sure the pipes are securely fitted onto the processor block and a good idea is use cable ties instead of the included pipe clips, a little pricey but good quality stuff though,

Regards

Mole:eatarrow:

I used to love Zalman products then got their CNPS-9500 and though it was OK and looked pretty, the performance was so an so. I now use a stack cooler which seems quieter and better performance.

 

[MFCGMFC]

Get a fan controller mate, they are cheap enough, get a decent one for less than £20, you can then conrtrol your fans and turn them right down if your not doing anything much other than browsing. Some also come with digital temp readouts on the front panel so you can keep a check on things.

Oh and they look quite good in my opinion.

Also if your PC can fit them make sure your case fans are 120mm and not 80mm, there is a massive difference in volume between the two, 80mm need to spin faster to shift the air compared to the 120mm thus resulting in a much louder noise output.

i've got a fan controller mate

its the cpu cooler tht gets me

a couple of days ago its was running at a solid 900 RPM not its running at 2700 RPM!!

all my fans are 120mm

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

 

[oneman]

i've got a fan controller mate

its the cpu cooler tht gets me

a couple of days ago its was running at a solid 900 RPM not its running at 2700 RPM!!

all my fans are 120mm

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

Has it come lose or clogged up with dust ?