Cooling noob

[Aerook]

Hi. I'm interested in water cooling my system, the current setup I have right now runs hot, and I just purchased a new GPU. I've never stuck my foot into this kind of thing before, and I'm worried that I'm going to mess something up. Because of that, the kits are appealing to me, but I still don't know where to start. I've been looking for tutorials online, but haven't really found one that has been clear on how to get things done. If someone could point my in the right direction for that, that would be great.

Also.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what specific parts/kits might be good for my system, I'd love to hear it. This is my setup:

Processor: AMD Athlon X2 +4200
Motherboard: DFI Lanparty UT SLI Expert
Ram: 2gb (2 x 1) OCZ Platinum
***Graphics: eVga GeForce 7900 (256mb)
PSU: Rosewill 550w
HDD: 2 x Seagate Barracuda 320gb
Case: Antec P180

***The new gpu I purchases will arrive tomorrow, and it is an eVga GeForce 8800 GTS (640mb).

Any response is appreciated. Thanks!

[whubbard]

If you want to get a water cooling system, go custom. Kits are a bad idea. I've been setting up the system I would like to buy, so I have fresh knowedge of the parts.
Whats you budget (ill try and keep it under)

[Aerook]

Ok, scratch kits.

I'd like to keep the budget < 200$. Thanks for responding!

[Mr.Ferrari]

Would you like to watercool the 8800 too? Because its not gonna be possible under <200 when you combine the block and the memory sinks.

Also check out THIS (http://forum.pcmech.com/showpost.php?p=1143288&postcount=8) post, and the guide linked in it for more info.

[whubbard]

yeah under $200 will get you the CPU loop, not much more. And your CPU doesn't really need to be cooled.

Do you have a heat problem...or do you just want to watercool?

[Aerook]

Nice link.

Well, I'd like to keep it under 200, but I won't complain if I spend more. The more it costs, the longer I have to save my money...poor college student :(

The cheaper, the better, but I'm less worried about the amount I pay than how well my computer is cooled, and how reliable it is (I dont want my comp to fry because a valve breaks or something).

What I'm worried about is that it already runs hot, the case doesn't vent as well as the reviews claimed. The 8800 runs hot from what I've read, so it's only going to get worse. My 7900 is malfunctioning, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's due to heat. It works fine for awhile after I boot up, but after that while, spots start showing up and graphics decline.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Will you be running a heavily volted overclock on the CPU? If so I would put priority on that. As volted overclocks on nvidia cards require to you to physically mod it. So an average overclock on the 8800 shouldn't raise the heat level all that much.

As long as you follow the instructions on that link I posted and buy quality parts, reliability shouldn't be an issue with a proper custom loop.

So before I give any suggestions, do you want to cool both the cpu and gpu or just one or the other?

Is air in your case coming in and being exausted efficiently?

[Aerook]

I don't intend to overclock. I think that I'd like to cool both of them if possible...I know that eVga released an 8800 model specifically for liquid cooling, but I didn't purchase that one. I got the standard 640 mb GTS.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071

As far as my case...its the Antec p180. It's got two exhale fans, one at the top rear and one at the back rear. Also, it has an intake fan down in the PSU duct (it's a pretty backwards case). Its got slots for optional intake fans at the front, but I haven't been taking advantage of those.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Thats fine. I'll try to cut down on unnecessary costs, but if it becomes out of your budget I would consider taking out the cpu block. And take attention of my note in the radiator part.

CPU Block: Aquaxtreme MP-1 (http://www.petrastechshop.com/aqmpuncpuwab.html) $48

GPU Block: Swiftech MCW60-R (http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCW60-R-VGA-cooler-pr-3777.html) $44.90
*You might want to find some ramsinks to cover the ram on the card.

Radiator: Swiftech MCR-220 (http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCR-220-Radiator-Black-pr-3199.html) $40
*This is where it can get tricky. You'll have to find a place where the radiator can get fresh air. If not inside the case, you must mount it outside. This can help out: Swiftech Radbox (http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-RadBox-MCB-120-Revision-2-Black-pr-3337.html). This is probably going to be necessary for the P180.
*If you want some better performance, the MCR320 (http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCR320-QP-K-Triple-120mm-Radiator-pr-3320.html) would be a highly suggested choice if you can fit it. Only a few dollars more.

Pump: MCP 655 (http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCP655-12-VDC-Pump-pr-2982.html) $80

Reservoir: Swiftech MCRES (http://www.petrastechshop.com/swmchire.html) $20
*I would personally get 2 additional high flow barbs just because the stock ones are a pain.

Tubing: MasterKleer 7/16'' (http://www.petrastechshop.com/7id5odmagepu.html) AND 1/2'' (http://www.petrastechshop.com/1id3odmagepu.html)
*I personally prefer the 7/16'', but its harder to get on. Looks better and has tighter grip. I would suggest you get 8ft of each to see which one suits you better.

Clamps: Worm Drive Clamps (http://www.petrastechshop.com/ststwohocl.html)

Additives:
IF you want some color get this and follow the instructions: Pentosin G11 (http://www.petrastechshop.com/peg11coadb4o.html) $4.50
IF you just want some anti-algae colorless substance, use this and follow instructions: PT Nuke (http://www.petrastechshop.com/pepcobi1.html) $2.50
*ALWAYS use distilled water to dilute!

FANS: This is a personal choice, But I would go with the Yate Loon D12-SL or SM from Petras (http://www.petrastechshop.com/120x25mmfans.html). Choose SL for quiet.

[Aerook]

Wow, awesome! This is really going to be helpful. I was looking through some of the product specs, and I realized that I probably should have mentioned that my CPU is a socket 939. Thats not listed under the compatible types for the cpu block you listed. I looked around on that site and couldn't find any similiar AquaExtreme model listed with 939.

[Mr.Ferrari]

The block is universal. (with the exception of AM2).

Socket Compatibility: Universal compatibility (Socket 478/423/603/604/462/754/939/940/LGA 775)

;)