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**Darthtanion** · 08-31-2005, 04:57 PM

Re: Best case & kit for water cooling? combo ?

1- Danger Den makes a good kit, but then so does Swiftech and some others. Corsair just recently came out with their own water cooling setup that is nearly identical to the Swiftech line and it cools well too.

2- Clean looking comes down more to how you install the components than anything else. Most kits like you're talking offer pretty slim-line type parts that can be installed in a manner that keeps them from being an eyesore. And if you're planning on getting a water kit that actually works well in a performance setting, don't even think of the all-in-one internal box kits. As a rule they suck for anything more than normal desktop usage. Enthusiast rigs will not get good performance from this type of cooler.

3- I have played with the Thermaltake SHARK enclosure and it works very well. It also has tabs that you can remove if necessary to allow for an external reservoir tubing to be run into the inside of the box. It has lots of drive bays and many features. I recently did a review of this case so you can get my opinion if you like, but get other reviews as well to get a more overall picture of the enclosure.

4- Aluminum came up originally to be a better heat-dissipating material, but airflow has almost made this a moot consideration. They are, however, usually a good deal lighter in weight than their steel counterpart.

**DunpealHunter** · 08-31-2005, 08:25 PM

Re: Best case & kit for water cooling? combo ?

Cool, thanks for the thorough answer. I have read your review on the shark, and I do like the looks of the case. I was told by a gaming friend that I should not buy any kits and that I should just piece one together from different manufactures. Kind of like my computer I guess. He suggested these parts;

CPU Block: Storm G5 / Swiftech Storm
GPU Block: Danger Den Maze4 GPU
Rad: '77 Bonneville Heatercore
Tubing: 1/2" ID
Pump: Swiftech MCP655 / Danger Den D5 [same pump, but both are impossible to find in stock]
Fans: Panaflo 120x38mm High Speed
Clamps: Steel worm clamps from Home Depot / Ace Hardware

What do you think?

I also read in a forum on water cooling that I should not bother with GPU cooling. Yes, no, it depends ?

Thanks for not only this, but all your help Darthtanion.

**Darthtanion** · 08-31-2005, 10:16 PM

Re: Best case & kit for water cooling? combo ?

I don't know that I'd agree with your buddy since kits aren't what they used to be. Like I mentioned before, those all-in-one wonder boxes generally suck for performance systems, but if you look at the Swiftech kits they are comprised of individual components that are all very good. The term "kit" is used only in the sense that it is all inclusive so you don't have to piece together a water system. But the list you give above looks to have the makings of a solid rig as well so you can go either direction for that.

As to GPU cooling, I would again disagree and bring up this point: the video board is one of the biggest heat producing components in your computer. When you have a GPU waterblock in place, it is removing the heat before it has the chance to spread into other parts of your enclosure. The heat produced by the GPU is transferred to the liquid coolant and then dissipated during its route through the reservoir, pump, radiator. With high-end water components like you have listed, the rise in processor temperature (it happens when you add another heat producer like the GPU into the series) will be minimal. I would, however, say that chipset coolers are not too prominent anymore as heat from the chipset hasn't really been an issue of late in terms of either stability or overclockability of a system.

BTW... what is the decibal rating of that fan you chose? All the 38mm fans I've seen so far are terribly loud and you could get yourself a dual 120mm radiator and use a little smaller fan to keep the noise under control. Just a thought but if the noise doesn't bother you then you'll get good results from your choices.

**clocker** · 08-31-2005, 10:24 PM

Re: Best case & kit for water cooling? combo ?

Originally posted by DunpealHunter

3) A big case is good, I like to have room to hide wires and easy access is a must.

The CoolerMaster Stacker has the most options (ATX/BTX, PSU top/bottom) and the greatest flexibility of any case I've tried. Many folks like the Lian-li v-series and the new Antec P180, but I found the inner comparmentalization to be limiting.

Originally posted by DunpealHunter

4)Why get a aluminum case? What is so special about them?

Nothing really.
There is no thermal advantage to be gained and, with few exceptions (Lian-li and CoolerMaster among them), the case structure has not been optimised for use with alloy which results in a structurally unsound design.
Unless you regularly tote your PC around there is no benefit/penalty attached to a case's weight, so aluminum is no big deal.

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Best case & kit for water cooling? combo ?

Best case & kit for water cooling? combo ?

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