Water Cooling. Nervous.

[TheDiscPriest]

Hey guys, im looking into water cooling after it has been suggested to me quite a few times. Im a bit nervous about a few things, so hopefully you can clear a few things up for me.

-What is the chance of it leaking?
-if i was to make a curved plastic cover to go above the gpu, so that if any water gets on it, it would flow off to the side and drop onto the bottom. Would this effect anything? (it wont touch any parts)
-if it was to leak, how much water would it loose? Enough to start a fire or just a little bit?

Hopefully you can answer these for me. If you can also suggest a decent watercooler, would be appreciated

Thanks

[Deleted]

long gone are the times of leaking coolers. If you get a decent one from corsair or another big brand, there's almost no chance of a leak.

[fangless]

I had the first kit that Koolance ever put out. Came with non-hi tech metal clamps on the hoses, shoddy fans, horrible water solution which lead to crap growing inside of it.

Ran that sucker for like 5 years non-stop, never had any issues. Not sure why people think water cooling systems leak.

[ispano]

Honestly, at that price range, just get a high end air cooler. The "closed loop" coolers like Corsair's don't really compete til the A100, and a proper WCing setup will cost you more.

[TheDiscPriest]

long gone are the times of leaking coolers. If you get a decent one from corsair or another big brand, there's almost no chance of a leak.

should i be looking at a closed loop or custom?

I would not do this.
It will definitely leak enough water to start a fire.

The amount of oxygen released will suffocate you.

Do not do this.

why waste your time.

I had the first kit that Koolance ever put out. Came with non-hi tech metal clamps on the hoses, shoddy fans, horrible water solution which lead to crap growing inside of it.

Ran that sucker for like 5 years non-stop, never had any issues. Not sure why people think water cooling systems leak.

well i heard a couple stories of people saying it has leaked, losing hardware is not my main concern, easily replaceable. Just still don't want it to leak to much

[BicycleMafioso]

AU$150? Eh. I'm not sure you can get more than a pre-filled loop for your CPU and perhaps one for your GPU, but you'd be hard pressed for the latter.
Assuming you just go pre-filled loop (not to be confused with watercooling, which you can't afford), chances of leakage are slim to none.

[TheDiscPriest]

i can go well over $150. That was just an estimate on what they cost when i googled it :/

[ispano]

Well with a custom loop, you leak test it for a day or so while bleeding to make sure it doesn't leak. This is done with the system off. Plus it's like several times more for the loop. Need the Block, the radiator, tubing, pump, res if you use one, fittings(and clamps if you use barbs) the water and a biocide.

[TheDiscPriest]

Well with a custom loop, you leak test it for a day or so while bleeding to make sure it doesn't leak. This is done with the system off. Plus it's like several times more for the loop. Need the Block, the radiator, tubing, pump, res if you use one, fittings(and clamps if you use barbs) the water and a biocide.

I was thinking about getting this one.
i read a few reviews saying that it was better then most high end fans.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12..._Hot_Item.html

[Deleted]

I was thinking about getting this one.
i read a few reviews saying that it was better then most high end fans.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12..._Hot_Item.html

That actually looks RELATIVELY respectable for the price. Without googling the parts I can't tell you how good the pump is etc etc but that's at least a proper kit rather than a closed loop. With barbs, tubing etc included (looked a little harder and yup, all there) that's quite respectable. Again, not sure on the pump but that all looks pretty decent.

[Deleted]

I was thinking about getting this one.
i read a few reviews saying that it was better then most high end fans.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12..._Hot_Item.html

That looks to be a pretty decent entry-level watercooling kit for sure. Things to take note of though:
- Kit specifically states that no fluid is included.
- It doesn't look to have any tubing either.
- The parts are probably not the best quality, and I would assume a lot of it is plastic (just look at the CPU block).
- Weak pump, almost 100% sure on this. Don't think that pump will be strong enough to power that loop if you were to add 1-2 GPU blocks later.

A good entry level kit, no doubt. Probably cools a bit better than a NH-D14.

[TheDiscPriest]

That actually looks RELATIVELY respectable for the price. Without googling the parts I can't tell you how good the pump is etc etc but that's at least a proper kit rather than a closed loop. With barbs, tubing etc included (looked a little harder and yup, all there) that's quite respectable. Again, not sure on the pump but that all looks pretty decent.

this is the specs for the pump.
X2O 750 Dual 5.25” Bay Reservoir Pump
- G1/4" threads
- High quality acrylic
- Removable brushed aluminum faceplates
- Brass screw threads
- Low noise, low vibration
- Pump performance: 750 lph
- Delivery head: 1.8m
- Voltage: 12V (4pin)
- Dimensions: 149 x 100 x 85mm (WxDxH)
- Two 5mm LED holes
- Individually pressure tested

---------- Post added 2011-09-06 at 01:32 PM ----------

That looks to be a pretty decent entry-level watercooling kit for sure. Things to take note of though:
- Kit specifically states that no fluid is included.
- It doesn't look to have any tubing either.
- The parts are probably not the best quality, and I would assume a lot of it is plastic (just look at the CPU block).
- Weak pump, almost 100% sure on this. Don't think that pump will be strong enough to power that loop if you were to add 1-2 GPU blocks later.

A good entry level kit, no doubt. Probably cools a bit better than a NH-D14.

Yeah, it does have tubing "2 Meters of Clear 7/16"ID Hose"
I didn't notice the 'no fluid is added' Would you be able to recommend one?

[shoebox]

here are two examples of a custom water-cooling build im doing in the coming months.

[Thaendra]

I don't mean to be an alarmist, but anyone saying leaks don't happen anymore.. it's not true. They do. My brother had a liquid cooling system in his PC and the tubing leaked and ruined the entire inside of his PC (luckily I was away at college at the time so he could use my desktop PC that I left at home). From my understanding it was an Asetek system, and no, he didn't install it incorrectly. The PC was constructed (and therefore, cooling system was installed by them) by a PC customization company known as iBuyPower, which most people (including MMO-Champ) believe to be "legit".

It wasn't even 2 years old from my recollection, and was not moved more than a few times to make sure the outsides of the fans were clean from dust.

Just be sure if you get one of these systems, they are installed correctly, and very carefully, since as I've learned even "professionally" (or so I believe anyway) installed ones can leak. Maybe it's the brand. Do a lot of research on this thing and it should be ok.

[ispano]

I don't mean to be an alarmist, but anyone saying leaks don't happen anymore.. it's not true. They do. My brother had a liquid cooling system in his PC and the tubing leaked and ruined the entire inside of his PC (luckily I was away at college at the time so he could use my desktop PC that I left at home). From my understanding it was an Asetek system, and no, he didn't install it incorrectly. The PC was constructed (and therefore, cooling system was installed by them) by a PC customization company known as iBuyPower, which most people (including MMO-Champ) believe to be "legit".

It wasn't even 2 years old from my recollection, and was not moved more than a few times to make sure the outsides of the fans were clean from dust.

Just be sure if you get one of these systems, they are installed correctly, and very carefully, since as I've learned even "professionally" (or so I believe anyway) installed ones can leak. Maybe it's the brand. Do a lot of research on this thing and it should be ok.

You're also supposed to take the loop apart every 6 months, clean it and put it back together again, checking for leaks and bleeding every time.

[hotsdots]

You're also supposed to take the loop apart every 6 months, clean it and put it back together again, checking for leaks and bleeding every time.

seems like a hassle to me, whats wrong with just getting fans haha

[ispano]

Hassle to you, worth it to others.

[shoebox]

seems like a hassle to me, whats wrong with just getting fans haha

why cook a meal that requires preparation, cooking, cleaning. when you can eat a tin of tuna. Because good things take effort. Same reason enthusiasts will spend lots of money, prepare and plan their loop, set it up, test it, clean it regularly, and in turn they can get the best possible experience from their computers.

[Chronius]

Hassle to you, worth it to others.

Well every 6months for a total checkup is perhaps slightly overkill, with quality hoses and other components, a slight checkup every now and then should be sufficient.

[shoebox]

Well every 6months for a total checkup is perhaps slightly overkill, with quality hoses and other components, a slight checkup every now and then should be sufficient.

iv heard of really bad tubing that dries out and cracks :S.

whats peoples opinion on actel, the plastic water-cooling blocks, iv seen video's and pics of cracks and leaks forming on the threads. personally i see allot of people using actel so it cant be that bad.