So now with many, many different water cooling solutions to handle the heat of our CPUs, where does one start?

We have All-In-One (AIO) Solutions, all locally available:

Antec Kuhler series
Cooler Master Seidon series
Corsair's H-series
Enermax ELC-series
NZXT's Kraken series
Silverstone's Tundra series
Swiftech's H-series
Thermaltake's Water series

We have a wide range of water cooling kits from XSPC.

And we have custom built solutions, made with various brands and parts.

The difference? Price, performance, availability, maintenance, aesthetics.

So what do you choose?


Example of an AIO, Swiftech H220

AIO solutions are easy to use; install and run, no mess, no fuss. Just don't mess up the install. They are maintenance free because of a sealed loop making it inaccessible to the user, meaning you never have to refill the fluid within. Exception to a few AIOs which allow for loop expansions.

AIOs are readily available locally in stores and online resellers starting from RM 2xx and up. They generally outperform stock coolers especially in terms of noise.


Example of an XSPC kit, EX360, 750 kit

Water Cooling Kits are half way to custom set ups, where you would purchase a kit containing everything you need to get a basic loop running. Available locally in some stores and online resellers, price starts from RM5xx and up.

These kits require self assembly; from the installation of individual parts of the loop to the leak testing. Once assembled, these will do better than any AIO solution and allow for much better expansion if you ever require it.

Kits give you flexibility on where you'd like to put each part, how you'd like your tubing to be placed and what colour of fluid/coolant you want, among others. Your call. Maintenance will be required, frequency totally up to you. Just remember to keep your fluid/coolant filled up, radiators dust free and fans running and you'll be fine

Full custom solutions? They can cost RM9xx and up, depending on what you choose and how far you're willing to go.


Example of a fully customised water cooled rig, credits to APES.my for an exemplary piece

Custom solutions require you to ensure compatibility and choose every part that's going into your water cooling loop, even the smallest item like fittings. Custom loops can be from any brand, mix and matched. Availability and price will depend on what brands you choose, some brands are more premium than others, some more readily available. Performance differs from brand as well.

So pick your poison, it's essentially the same thing; some just perform better, some are just cheaper. Aesthetically, it's your call.

Custom loops share similarity with kits in the sense that the parts are the same! With custom loops, the difference is you get to choose what each part is.
You will need:

Reservoir
Pump
Water block
Radiator
Fans
Tubing
Fittings

We'll cover the components in the following sections.

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:36 PM

Reservoir/Res

Simply put, it holds all your water/fluid/coolant. Highly advisable to use one, so your pump will never run dry which is a bad thing.

Reservoirs come in many shapes, sizes and types.
Some are made of acrylic, some delrin/POM/acetal and some are glass.
Some are combined with the pump, some separate.
Some are mounted into your case 5.25" bay area, some you just have to be creative.


Bitspower's full acrylic reservoir, Water Tank-Z 250


Swiftech's acrylic reservoir, MCRES V2


Aquacomputer's full delrin reservoir with acrylic window


Aquacomputer's glass reservoir, Aqualis


XSPC's 5.25" bay reservoir pump combo


XSPC's DDC pump top reservoir

Of course these are just examples of what's available. There are other brands which may appeal to you better, or have more to it's looks.

Reservoirs not only hold your loop's fluid and keep your pump from running dry, it also allows a place for the air bubbles to escape and lets you fill/refill your loop easily.

Each brand, each model has different features, dimensions and quality differences. Some acrylic reservoirs have better quality acrylic than others, for example.

When choosing a reservoir, a good point to keep in mind is where you'll be placing it and whether or not it'll fit.

Prices for reservoirs vary according to brand and the features they have, not forgetting build material. Some are pricier than others, some cheaper.

Brands of reservoirs in the market, some not available locally:

Alphacool
Aquacomputer
Bitspower - locally available
EK - locally available
FrozenQ
Koolance - locally available
Monsoon
Phobya
Primochill
Swiftech - locally available
XSPC - locally available

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:37 PM

Pump

The heart of your cooling system, without it you're better off using a stock cooler.

There are a few types of pumps in the market currently, though people who opt for full custom solutions juggle between two main types, the DDC and the D5.

DDCs from Swiftech, the MCP355 and the MCP35X




D5 from Swiftech, the MCP655


Now there are other types of pumps in the market, like XSPC's X2O 750 and EK's DCP-series, but the DDC and the D5 are pretty much the pump to get if you're going for a custom loop. Why?

The D5 and DDC are more reliable pumps and are able to give better head pressure (DDC) or better flow rate (D5). Also, the company (Xylem/Laing) that design the pumps specialises in this kind of thing (pumps). Pretty much any D5 or DDC out there is a rebadge or redesign of the original Laing pump. Some are just more capable than others, having modifications of some sort, but essentially the same thing; a DDC or a D5.

D5s and DDCs are also highly customisable, having aftermarket parts that can be bought from various third party companies like Bitspower, XSPC, EK, etc. The D5 in particular can be modified to look completely different from the photo above.

Pump tops improve flow rates and head pressures of the pump, reservoir tops combines your pump with a reservoir, potentially saving you some space.

How do you choose a pump? Better flow or better pressure?

My opinion - doesn't matter; just pick whichever you can afford and fit in your case! Why? Because the components made for water cooling systems today have been designed to encourage good flow in a loop, so unless you're planning on pumping water really high, really far or through a lot of water cooling components, you'll be fine with either.

General opinion - DDC if you're using a lot of water cooling components, especially if the components are flow restrictive. D5 for better flow.

Single pump or dual pump? One pump is typically enough for any regular user. If you demand more from your system, have more parts to cool, want better rates or just have money to burn and space to fill, why not dual? Though please bear in mind that two pumps does not mean you get double head pressure or double the flow rate.

A feature to take note of when choosing your pump is speed control(!). Not all DDCs or D5s come with speed control;
The MCP35X has PWM control while the MCP355 does not have PWM control or manual speed control.
The MCP655 has three variants, one without speed control, one with a manual speed controller on the back of the unit and one which has PWM control.

The speed control feature of the pump will allow you to adjust how hard you want the pump to work. The PWM control will allow you to adjust how hard your pump will work according to the loads of your computer.

Protip, never let your pump run dry and always have your reservoir before your pump. Running a pump dry will kill it's bearings and render your pump retarded.

Companies that make pumps for water cooling systems, some not available locally:

Alphacool
Aquacomputer
Eheim
EK - locally available
Iwaki
Koolance - locally available
Laing
Swiftech - locally available
XSPC - locally available

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:37 PM

Water Blocks/WB

Instead of using the typical heatsink and fan array mounted on your CPU or graphic cards, in water cooled loops, we use water blocks!

Water blocks come in various designs, built out of different things, perform differently and most importantly, fit differently.

Different water blocks have compatibility with different sockets and in the case of graphic cards, different PCB layout. More often than not, CPU water blocks are compatible with any socket, but occasionally there will be some which are socket specific, like Koolance's 380I and 380A which are Intel and AMD only out of the box. Some, like EK's Supremacy water block, is compatible with AMD and Intel out of the box. You just need to change the mounting hardware.

Koolance 380I, Intel only water block


Koolance 380A, AMD only water block


EK's Supremacy waterblock


Water blocks typically have either a copper or nickel plated base. The top section of the block is fancied up by either using copper, nickel plated copper, stainless steel, acrylic, delrin/POM/acetal, etc. Different brands do it differently.

Mounting mechanisms and methods of each brand vary, some are easier than others and work better while some are difficult.

Performance varies from model to model, so do your homework and read reviews and see which you can live with. Though some water blocks like the Supremacy allows the user to change an internal plate which affects the performance of the block.

Example of a full cover water block for graphic cards, Watercool Heatkiller GTX 680 Ni-Bl


Water blocks for graphic cards are trickier. There is no clear cut socket you can use as a reference. Instead, you need to know what the layout of your card is like to be able to choose a water block that will fit properly.

General rule of thumb is that if you want to water cool your graphic card with no fuss, get a graphic card with a reference pcb. This will let you choose nearly any water block with guaranteed compatibility.

Some graphic cards like Asus' DCUii series have their own water blocks, specially made by the people from EK. Of course if you look harder, you can find compatible blocks for your card somewhere, but if you know you're going to water cool the card, save yourself the trouble, get a graphic card you're sure there's a water block for.

What if you didn't think you'd be water cooling and you have a graphic card with a weird PCB? There's always universal water blocks, like these two from EK.





They will cool your graphic card core, so you will need to buy heat sinks for everything else on the card if you don't want something to fry.

An excellent tool to help you find a compatible water block for your graphic card can be found here: Cooling Configurator It will even show you the PCB of your card, so you can find out if it's a reference layout or a custom one and from there you can even decide to buy a different brand water block, no problem.

You can opt to purchase a backplate for graphic card water blocks. These backplates help add rigidity to the card and prevent bending or any unwanted damage from weight.

Example of a full cover water block for motherboards


Another water block you can add into your loop is for your motherboard. Some motherboards have third party water blocks made specifically for them. They usually cover the mosfet, north and south bridge either separately or together, depending on design. Today, some motherboards have water cooling ready mosfet heatsinks right out of the box so you don't have to buy a water block.

What if you want to water cool your motherboard but there's no full block for it? There are universal blocks for your mosfets, north bridge and south bridge/PCH as well, so those will work, just check compatibility. May not look as awesome as the full cover blocks for motherboards, but they work just the same.

There are water blocks for RAM modules as well, though some will argue that they're rather pointless.

Companies that make water blocks, some not available locally:

Alphacool
Aquacomputer
Bitspower - locally available
EK - locally available
EVGA (Essentially Swiftech technology)
Koolance - locally available
Phobya
Swiftech
Watercool Heatkiller
XSPC - locally available

No longer manufacturing, but still available for purchase online:
Danger Den
MIPS

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:38 PM

Radiator

Where regular coolers have stacks of heat sink of various patterns, in a water cooled system, we use radiators to dissipate the heat.

You can find radiators that will take fans ranging from 40mm to 200mm in the market, though the more common ones will be of the 120 and 140mm type. In each size segment, you'll have a choice of how large you want your radiator to be. Radiators can accommodate anywhere from 1x to 9x fans on each side, giving you a wide selection of radiator sizes from 120mm - 1080mm.

Like the other components, there are many radiator manufacturers out there and some are better than others in their own ways.

Two general types of radiators in the market, high fin per inch (FPI) types and low FPI types. The difference?


XSPC's AX240 radiator, with high FPI

High FPI radiators:
Restrict air flow with high density of fins per inch, so you will definitely need high static pressure fans. This also means you get more cooling area per radiator, giving you better temperatures than low FPI radiators, provided your fans can perform.
Usually labelled as 'High Performance'.


Alphacool's ST30 240mm radiator, with low FPI

Low FPI radiators:
Allows air to flow easily through the fins, so you can opt for high air flow fans with decent static pressure and you should be fine.
Low FPI radiators tend to be quieter than high FPI radiators since the restriction of air flow is less.

How do you choose what size and how many radiators you will need?

Personal opinion - Get whatever fits your budget, fits your case and sounds good to you. The more radiators you have, the merrier.

Though realistically, if you're just gonna cool a CPU, more often than not, a thick 120mm or a 240mm radiator will be enough, just like AIO solutions. More radiators does not mean your parts will be cooler. The most you'll get is the ambient temperature your system is in. If you have a graphic card to cool, generally people opt for two radiators or a large one.

Radiators come in various thickness, some as thin as 30mm to as thick as 86mm. As the radiator gets thicker, you will need fans that will be able to push more air through.

Fun fact. Alphacool are the manufacturers of the thinnest and thickest radiators in the market. They are also the only company that claim their radiators to be full copper.

Wherever it is you plan on mounting your radiator, do check the measurements and see if it will block any of your other components. More often than not, some cases will not allow a radiator to be installed on the top without interfering with the 8-pin EPS connector on the motherboard. Don't forget to take into count the fans you'll be using.

Radiators require fans to work at their peak, and fans can be mounted in 'push' - pushing air through the radiator, 'pull' - pulling air through the radiator or in 'push-pull' - sets of fans on both side of the radiator, one set pushing air through and the other set pulling the air through the radiator.

Depending on how you want things to be, the differences between the fan mounting method is minimal. People who go for just single side mount radiators opt for either push or pull, some recommending pull just because it's easier to clean during maintenance.

Push-pull is usually recommended for high FPI radiators, to further promote the air flow through the radiator fins.

Radiators from different companies will perform differently and have different features, so read reviews and do your homework before making a purchase. Also, not all radiators are made the same, they're not all of the same size. The length, width and thickness vary from company to company and model to model.

Protip, be careful when mounting radiators to your case, or fans to your radiators. Not all screws are compatible with your radiator as some will be longer than others. If not careful, long scrwes will punch the chambers and will render your radiator useless as it will leak. To prevent this, some companies such as Alphacool and Hardware Labs have designed their radiators with a guard so you'll never need to worry about damaging you radiator with screws.

Another very small detail to take note is fan spacing. Manufacturers today design their radiators with 15mm fan spacing, however not all cases will accommodate the radiator. So do check your case before buying a radiator. There are some radiators, though rare, that have 17mm fan spacing.

Companies that manufacture radiators, not all available locally:

Alphacool
Aquacomputer
Black Ice/Hardware Labs/HWLabs - locally available
Coolgate
EK - locally available
Koolance - locally available
Magicool
Phobya
Swiftech
Watercool Heatkiller
XSPC - locally available

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:40 PM

Fans

A complement to the radiator, without it the radiator will no be able to perform to it's best.

Fans are a very touchy subject, with people constantly debating on which is quieter, which is better and which you should use. The only thing nearly everyone can agree on is that the Scythe GT is the best fan to use on a radiator.

Scythe Gentle Typhoon (SGT)


Although the Corsair SP120 beats the GT on paper in terms of static pressure, 3.1mmH2O to 2.06mmH2O, the Scythe GT is able to operate at a quieter level than the Corsair SP120.

Corsair Air series of fans, from left to right, AF120, AF140, SP120


But undoubtedly the SP120 looks much better than the SGT.

If you're looking for all out performance, maybe you can consider Panaflos or Delta fans, but those go really loud.

People have been known to use various fans on their radiators; there isn't a hard fast rules saying you can't. Just make sure you're using a fan that works for your radiator; high air flow for low FPI, high static pressure for high FPI.

A good point to note about fans is that paper specifications are never completely real. Some overrate their fans while some underrate them. So it's a good habit to check multiple reviews on fans and radiators to see which matches up well.

Also, some fans although rated to be quiet, can produce weird noises when mounted on radiators. For example the eLoop fan from Noiseblocker/Blacknoise. When pulling air through radiators creates an audible hum but does not when pushing air through.

Noiseblocker/Blacknoise's eLoop fan


Fans generally have a thickness of 25mm, thicker ones at 32 or 38mm, usually the Deltas or Panaflos.

Typical brands used with water cooled systems, some not available locally:

Arctic - locally available
BitFenix - locally available
Corsair - locally available
Delta - locally available
Enermax - locally available
Noctua - locally available
Noiseblocker/Blacknoise - locally available
Panaflo
Phobya
Scythe - locally available
Silverstone - locally available
Swiftech - locally available
XSPC - locally available
Yate Loon

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:35 PM

Tubing

The range of tubing available in the market is very wide, having many different sizes, brands and colours.

Clear tubing from Primochill


UV Blue tubing from Primochill


The basics of tubing is the size. Two things to keep in mind, Inner Diameter (ID) and Outer Diameter (OD)

Typical sizes:

1/2" ID 3/4" OD - 12.7mm/19.05mm
3/8" ID 5/8" OD - 9.6mm/15.875mm
3/8" ID 1/2" OD - 9.6mm/12.7mm
7/16" ID 5/8" OD - 11.1mm/15.875mm

Why so many different sizes?

Varying wall thickness, tolerance to kinking, overall size of tube, and aesthetics.

Does it matter what size you pick?

People used to say that a larger ID will allow for better flow rates. I would say it doesn't matter. If you want better flow rates, use a better pump. So again, what size?

Doesn't matter! pick whichever that appeals to your fancy. Please take note that the outer diameter is the complete size of the tubing, making 3/4" OD the largest tubing. Not all cases will be able to accommodate 3/4" OD tubing.

Size difference illustration by Primochill


Different ID and OD combinations give a different kink tolerance because of the thickness of the wall. The thicker the wall, the better the tolerance the tube has to kinking.

The best tubing you can buy? Hard to be 100% certain as there have been mixed reviews on tubing and water sources and quality varies from country to country. However, here's a list of reputable tubing brands.

Clear Flex - locally available
Duralene
Masterkleer
Primochill - locally available
Tygon - locally available
XSPC - locally available

Use of coloured dye will stain tube, though UV reactive dyes will stain faster than non-UV ones.

On occasion, you will find white powder/dust on the inner walls of your tubing. This is know as plasticiser and can you can read up on that here. Mainly occurs because of the reaction between hot water and the tube itself. Because of this, many builders have switched over to acrylic tubing.

EK's acrylic tube used with their HD push fittings


Acrylic tubing, hard clear as glass tubes which can be bent with heat are immune to plasticiser and discolouration will remain clear through it's lifetime.

Acrylic tube have different sizes than regular tube, and each manufacturer uses different sizes.

Bitspower makes 10mm ID 12mm OD acrylic tubes
E22 manufactures 12mm ID 16mm OD and 10mm ID 12mm OD acrylic tubes
EK makes 10mm ID 12mm OD and 12mm ID 16mm OD acrylic tubes
Primochill manufactures 3/8" ID 1/2" OD acyrlic tubes (9.6mm ID 12.7mm OD)

Primochill's Rigid Acrylic range


Of these four companies, only Primochill has compression style fittings for their acrylic tubes. The other companies use push-in style fittings.

This post has been edited by pristine: Dec 5 2013, 03:25 AM

Fittings pt1

Without fittings, you can't use your tubing or acrylic tube.

So, what is it you will need? Well, metal chunks, pretty much.

Ok. Two general types of fittings:

Barbs





They have regular barbs, high flow barbs, perfect seal barbs, stubby barbs and fat boys. Pictured are high flow barbs and the stubby barb.
Essentially: Barb Fittings. Don't trouble yourself too much because once you really get your hands wet with all this water cooling stuff, you'll probably just switch over to compressions.

Compression fittings



Most common style of a compression fitting. Consists of a what is essentially a barb and a compressing ring.

What's the difference? One requires you to screw down the compression ring to press down on the tube and keep it in place while the other just requires you to plug the tubing in.

People usually opt for compression fittings because they tend to look better and are safer. I put it that way because it is harder for a tubing to come out of a compression fitting than a barb fitting.

Unless of course you use one of these on your barb fitting, then it's a different story.


Any advantages of compressions over barbs? Performance wise no. They're just there to hold your tubing. Aesthetic wise, plenty. Price wise, barbs win hands down.

Barbs all tend to look the same from manufacturer to manufacturer except for height of the fitting and the number of ridges or teeth on the fitting.

Compressions on the other hand.

Primochill 'Ghost' Compression Fittings


XSPC Black Chrome Compression Fittings


Swiftech Black Compression Fittings


Bitspower Deep Blood Red Compression Fittings


Monsoon Free Center Compression Fittings


ModMyToys Carbon Fiber Compression Fittings


As you can see, there are many, many styles of compression fittings to choose from.

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:44 PM

Fittings pt2

For acrylic tubing, push fittings are used instead of compression fittings(exception for Primochill).

Bitspower Matte Black C47 adapter


E22 Push Fitting


EK HD Tube adapter


Primochill Rigid Ghost Compression Fitting


How to choose fitting size? Well, just match it to your tube size! Whether acrylic of flexible tube, it's the same, match it. It's that easy. If you're using 1/2" ID 3/4" OD, get 1/2" ID 3/4" OD barbs or compressions. If you're using 3/8" ID 1/2" OD acrylic, get 3/8" ID 1/2" OD push fittings.

There are also other kinds of adapter fittings you can purchase, most importantly angle adapters which allow you to construct your loop easier. For example these two kinds of adapters: 45 degree and 90 degree adapters.

Bitspower Deluxe White 45 degree rotary adapter


Bitspower Black Sparkle 90 degree adapter


Some of these adapters have a rotary ring, allowing it to rotate so you will be able to point the fitting in any direction you desire.

One small detail to note is that G1/4" will be mentioned on nearly all the fittings you purchase. This refers to the screw thread on most radiators, fittings and water blocks. However, on occasion you will find a G3/8" thread. The G3/8" thread is rarely used in water cooling systems unless there is a specific reason for it.

There are a lot(!!), and I cannot emphasise it any more, of fittings out there. It's just a matter of whether or not you have use for them.

Companies that manufacture fittings:

Alphacool
Bitspower - locally available
E22
EK - locally available
Enzotech - locally available
Feser
Koolance - locally available
ModMyToys
Monsoon
Phobya
Primochill - locally available
Swiftech - locally available
XSPC - locally available

This post has been edited by pristine: Dec 24 2013, 10:10 PM

Water/Fluids/Additives

What's water cooling without water? I don't want to find out.

Rule #1: Never, ever use tap water. Ever. Exception when you want to clean stuff, but then rinse with distilled!

Rule#2: Refer Rule#1.

So what do you use?

Distilled water! Not mineral water, not RO water, not deionised water but DISTILLED WATER.

Why?
Tap water has minerals and bio material.
Deionised water has no minerals, but still contains bio material.
Distilled is dead water. Has no minerals or bio material.

Distilled water is the cheapest option to fill you loop with.

Other than distilled water, your other option is to use coolants or nano-fluids which are not exactly cheap.

EK cooling fluid


Mayhems cooling fluid


Cooling fluids or coolants are premixed and require no additional distilled water or additives. It has everything you should need as a cooling fluid.

Mayhems also has concentrates which require you to add distilled water to get cooling fluid you can actually use.

Why use cooling fluids over distilled water?
Cooling fluids are designed and manufactured specially for water cooling systems and most of them come complete with chemicals to prevent corrosion and keep stuff from growing in your loop.
These fluids are also usually coloured or made UV reactive so they add colour or glow in your tube.

Not all coolants are made equal, some have additives to enhance performance at extreme temperatures or performance in general. Some dyes lose colour at high temperatures while others stain tubing easily.

If coolants are not your thing, you can always use dyes and additives to 'make' your own cooling fluid. Additives change the property of distilled water, depending on what you use.

Mayhems dye


Mayhems dye is currently the most popular coloured dye for water cooled systems. Available locally too. You can mix colours and create your own shade of colour and even adjust how deep of a colour you want.

Silver Kill Coil


Monsoon Silver Bullet


Mayhems Biocide


Silver and biocide. The things you add into your loop to prevent stuff (algae) from growing. Biocide starts working the moment you add it to your loop. Silver however will take time to start working as it needs to react with water. They both do the same thing and usually you would use one or the other, though sometimes using both isn't too bad either. However, do not put too much silver in your loop as then your water will be saturated with silver ions. When buying silver coils, be sure that it is not silver plated (Monsoon's silver bullet is silver plated and not an chunk of silver). Silver kill coils will work as long as they do not tarnish while biocide needs to be topped up every few months or so as it wears off in the water.

These are the more normal additives. There are others as well, like corrosion inhibitors, anti freeze, ethylene glycol additives and stuff like that though that really isn't necessary in our climate.

As for corrosion inhibitors, Just keep aluminium out of your loop, try to use same metals throughout your entire system (all copper blocks or all nickel plated blocks. You don't have to, but try) and you'll be fine.

Companies that manufacture cooling fluids/additives:

Alphacool
EK - locally available
FluidXP
Feser
IandH
Ice Dragon
Koolance
Mayhems - locally available
Nanoxia
Phobya
Primochill
XSPC - locally available

This post has been edited by pristine: Dec 24 2013, 10:09 PM

Monitoring and Control

You've got all the parts you need to start building your loop. You can go ahead and skip this section if you've got no interest in knowing what is happening in your new water cooled system.

What's there to monitor and control?

If you've got a PWM enabled pump and fans, you can control those. If you've got a reservoir you can observe with your case closed, you can monitor that.

So what else is there to "monitor and control"?

Monitoring water levels with your reservoir is one thing, but knowing whether or not the water is actually flowing in your loop is another. There are many things you can monitor in your system. For starters, flow indicators will show that there is actual water movement in your tubes, showing that there is not blockages and that your pump is working fine.

Bitspower Flow Indicator


Primochill Vortex Flow Indicator


These are simple indicators which require no interaction with your motherboard or any controller. Great to show you that your loop is working without issue.

Koolance's latest flow sensor with display


This allows you to see the flow rate your pump is able to deliver in litres/minute.

You can add a controller to your system, giving your water cooling loop a brain of it's own.

Aquacomputer's Aquaero 5 LT


Currently there is a new model in production, the Aquaero 6, which only comes in Pro or XT versions.

Lamptron's CW611


The latest from Lamptron, made with water cooling in mind.

mCubed Tbalancer


Works like the Aquaero, but has rather difficult UI.

All three of the above allow full control over nearly everything in your water cooling loop. You will be able to control your pumps and multiple fans (the Aquaero 6 has been demonstrated to be able to control 40 fans and 2 D5 pumps simultaneously), monitor temperature with temperature probes, check flow rates, install leak sensors, and whatever else it is the controller allows.

Having a controller will give you the power to automate your water cooling system, increasing fan speeds and pump speeds when your computer is loaded, decreasing them when idling and a lot more fancy stuff.

You don't have to get one, in fact it doesn't need to be any of those three, you can get a regular fan controller from Bitfenix or NZXT and you'll be able to control your fans too. Just don't expect to be able to fully control your pump or monitor other things as well as the ones I mentioned.

Notable companies that manufacture fan controllers and water cooling system brains:

Aquacomputer
Bitfenix - locally available
Koolance - locally available
Lamptron - locally available
mCubed
NZXT - locally available
Phobya
Sunbeamtech

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 5 2013, 12:00 AM

Assembly and Maintenance

soon

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:57 PM

Extras

If your're looking for a place with good reviews, I highly recommend these two places. There are other sites, but these two are the best in my books.

Skinnee Labs
Martin's'Liquid Lab

If you need places to shop for parts,

Cyntrix Technologies
Facebook
LYN Profile

A.P.E.S Malaysia
Facebook
LYN Profile

niclasteoh
LYN Profile

If there's anything anyone feels I should post up or missed, shoot me a PM and I'll work on it!

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 4 2013, 11:57 PM

Good job bro. Keep it up.

Awesome ..parking my nick in legendary thread

gona love this guide, hope the recommended item will be updated from time to time so people will know the latest item to spend on when building on new wc rig

Thanks for the support you guys. Do let me know if there's anything I should add!

damn double post. should fix my mouse.

This post has been edited by pristine: Sep 5 2013, 12:02 AM

good job sifu of W/C

this is imba thread!