Case and WaterCooling

[jellymonster]

Hi,
I'm going to get a new case for my computer, I'm pretty set on the NZXT Lexa S.

I also want to get a water cooling kit but I'm not sure which one. I found a good review on a Alphacool Xtreme 240 one, but found nowhere in England that sells it or any Alphacool products.

Does anyone have any recommendations for me?

Thanks

 

[just a noob]

kits suck, piece your own watercooling setup out

 

[jellymonster]

kits suck, piece your own watercooling setup out

Okie dokie, I expect I will have loads of questions whilst I do this.
What is a good website to use to browse water cooling pieces?

 

[just a noob]

sidewindercomputers.com is one place(if you're not in the U.S., they do ship internationally) if you live in the uk, aqua-tuning is another place, and so is watercoolinguk

 

[bomberboysk]

www.jab-tech.com is my preferred US site for watercooling.


Second, the Lexa is a piece of crap for watercooling, and the case itself isnt that great as far as quality. You may at most be able to fit a double 120 up top.

 

[ScottALot]

If you can't find a part, heatsinkfactory.com is also pretty good

 

[jellymonster]

I don't think the size of the Lexa s should be a problem because I was planning on fitting the radiators externally. But what case would you recomend? It must look awesome! =P

 

[ScottALot]

Hm... external on a Lexa? That could actually work pretty well, but you'd have to do some drilling, etc...

 

[jellymonster]

Thanks, I got the idea from the scans jellyfish.

 

[ScottALot]

hee hee, that thing is EPIC

Have you seen last year's Great White? Now, THAT is some awesome casework!

 

[jellymonster]

ok, I'm more of a noob at this than I thought.
What components do I actually need? Atm, I'm going start with the CPU and work up to cooling the rest of my computer.

What do I need to look for? does brand matter?

What I need is a tick list

 

[ScottALot]

One "word": BomberBoySK

 

[diduknowthat]

You'll need a pump, heatblocks for whatever you're planning to cool, tubing, clamps, a reservoir and some other small parts. Brands do matter, I can't give you much suggestion on that though.

 

[just a noob]

i have no idea what socket you're running, so i'm going to assume you're using lga 1366:
heatkiller 3.0
backplate
pump
pump top
thermochill pa120.3
reservoir
tubing
fittings(2 per block/object)
oh, and you're going to need hose clamps

 

[bomberboysk]

i have no idea what socket you're running, so i'm going to assume you're using lga 1366:
heatkiller 3.0
backplate
pump
pump top
thermochill pa120.3
reservoir
tubing
fittings(2 per block/object)
oh, and you're going to need hose clamps

Does sidewinders even ship to the UK? If they do, with the size of that stuff it will prolly be a bit costly.

Also, you can do internal if you go for a 120.2 or feser 240 radiator.

 

[jellymonster]

oooo, it's bomberboysk himself =P, how exciting.
And sorry just a noob, I should have told you my socket, even I know that =P. It's actually a 775, back when I bought it 1366 was megabucks.
And that setup looks good, £240 though =( my budget has just been going up and up and up, first £100 then £150 now £200 and thinking of £250 now =S. But if that's what it takes to get a quiet, cool and awesome looking rig, I'll pay the price (Y).

 

[jellymonster]

Does sidewinders even ship to the UK? If they do, with the size of that stuff it will prolly be a bit costly.

Also, you can do internal if you go for a 120.2 or feser 240 radiator.

ok, that pump does look really good actually, I will probably go for that one.
http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?products_id=181

Silly question now, what is the pump top? is it essential? what does it do?

 

[ScOuT]

If you live in the UK...might want to consider XSPC liquid cooling gear. Not only is it some of the best liquid cooling hardware made, they have retailers and shops in the UK. Very good stuff here.

http://www.xspc.biz/

I would look at 1/2 inch tubing and barbs with compression fittings with 7/16 hose. It can be hard to get the smaller tubing on the bigger barbs, just put the end in hot water for about 10 seconds and it slides right on.

Compression fittings are a bit more money but they are rock solid and look much better than hose clamps. Many top end liquid cooling builds do just that.

We really need to know what case? What CPU? What graphics card? What budget? These will determine actually helping you choose parts.


***EDIT***
To get some ideas for builds...
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=233842

 

[funkysnair]

xspc stuff is ok, some stuff is good but other stuff is rubish!!!

they have a decent midrange radiator, good acrylic top for ther laing ddc pumps but i wouldnt touch them for there water blocks-no way!!!!

 

[bomberboysk]

xspc stuff is ok, some stuff is good but other stuff is rubish!!!

they have a decent midrange radiator, good acrylic top for ther laing ddc pumps but i wouldnt touch them for there water blocks-no way!!!!

Actually the higher end radiator(RX) competes directly with the feser and thermochill models while the RS series are midrange. Their tops for the Laing DDC are unparalleled however.

Waterblocks:
I personally run a midrange block, the apogee GTZ which is an excellent block for the price. Another good block is the Dtek Fuzion V2, but i personally prefer the GTZ as it has a great finish and good flow rate.

Pump/Res:
I highly recommend the XSPC Resorvoir Top for the MCP355/Laing DDC, it has been tested multiple times to have the best flow rate of any top, eliminates the need for a seperate resorvoir as well(less fittings to deal with, less tubing in the loop, more flow as well)

Radiator:
Most hassle free way to mount a rad in that case would be getting an RX240, Thermochill PA 120.2, or Feser 240.

Fittings:
Cheaper than compressions, barbs are usually the way to go on a budget setup. Bitspower or Dangerden Fatboy barbs have the best flow rate of barbs for 1/2"

Tubing:
Tygon, Feser, Or Clearflex 60 for tubing, and get 1/2" ID by 3/4" OD.

Fans:
Honestly 120x38mm will give you the best results, however most are louder than 120x25mm fans. For 120x25mm fans i recommend the Coolermaster R4's, thats what i run and have decent results. For better cooling though, the medium speed ultra kaze, or the 120x38mm SilenX fans work pretty well.(SilenX fans are pretty pricey though)