Kayin
12-06-2008, 12:19 PM
Seriously, if you're new to WC, there's a lot of information to assimilate. We here are glad to help you along the way, and here's some light reading that governs what we're doing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_cooling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cooling
That's really just a taste of what it means. THere's a lot more to it than just assembling some tubes, a radiator and pump, and looking for a piece of copper (normally) to strap to a CPU. That's a likely recipe for tears and disaster.
First and foremost, you need to determine what your goals are. If you're going for silence, your choices will normally be different than if you're going for top performance (though honestly, at the apex, both get to be pretty similar.) Sit down with a clear goal in mind, as well as a pen and paper or something like Sketchup. Google Sketchup (http://sketchup.google.com/) is a free tool that you can use to lay out your case build beforehand, fitting blocks and components in a number of ready-made cases, or you can design your own from scratch, with inch-perfect components to help you do so. The Sketchup Components Collection (http://scc.jezmckean.com/) is a great resource for people trying to lay out that monster case.
Once you have a goal, there's part selection. We have a link to Martin's Liquid Lab, as well as a mirror of the site. Contained there is a ton of great information about quite a bit of the best hardware our hobby has to offer, from pump pressure to thermal efficiency. Another great place to head to is Skinnee Labs (http://www.skinneelabs.com/) a fine testing site in the same vein as Martin.
At this point, do some more searching for answers. There are plenty of review sites out there, and many of them are actually quite good. I tend to read:
www.bit-tech.net
(more to come)
At this point, you're ready to start ordering. We proudly support Sidewinder Computers (links all over the site), Mountain Mods, BitsPower, and Petra's Tech Shop. If you're international, please PM me with what works for you guys. We're not all American here, we know. A short list of suppliers: (more forthcoming)
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/
http://www.mountainmods.com/
http://www.bitspower.com/
http://www.petrastechshop.com/
This sticky is a WIP, mostly as I'm without all my links here on a work PC, but this will get us started and hold some place while other content is generated.
If you have helpful links, please PM them or add them to the thread, and we'll get them gathered up here.
THIS IS STILL A WORK-IN-PROGRESS.... CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_cooling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cooling
That's really just a taste of what it means. THere's a lot more to it than just assembling some tubes, a radiator and pump, and looking for a piece of copper (normally) to strap to a CPU. That's a likely recipe for tears and disaster.
First and foremost, you need to determine what your goals are. If you're going for silence, your choices will normally be different than if you're going for top performance (though honestly, at the apex, both get to be pretty similar.) Sit down with a clear goal in mind, as well as a pen and paper or something like Sketchup. Google Sketchup (http://sketchup.google.com/) is a free tool that you can use to lay out your case build beforehand, fitting blocks and components in a number of ready-made cases, or you can design your own from scratch, with inch-perfect components to help you do so. The Sketchup Components Collection (http://scc.jezmckean.com/) is a great resource for people trying to lay out that monster case.
Once you have a goal, there's part selection. We have a link to Martin's Liquid Lab, as well as a mirror of the site. Contained there is a ton of great information about quite a bit of the best hardware our hobby has to offer, from pump pressure to thermal efficiency. Another great place to head to is Skinnee Labs (http://www.skinneelabs.com/) a fine testing site in the same vein as Martin.
At this point, do some more searching for answers. There are plenty of review sites out there, and many of them are actually quite good. I tend to read:
www.bit-tech.net
(more to come)
At this point, you're ready to start ordering. We proudly support Sidewinder Computers (links all over the site), Mountain Mods, BitsPower, and Petra's Tech Shop. If you're international, please PM me with what works for you guys. We're not all American here, we know. A short list of suppliers: (more forthcoming)
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/
http://www.mountainmods.com/
http://www.bitspower.com/
http://www.petrastechshop.com/
This sticky is a WIP, mostly as I'm without all my links here on a work PC, but this will get us started and hold some place while other content is generated.
If you have helpful links, please PM them or add them to the thread, and we'll get them gathered up here.
THIS IS STILL A WORK-IN-PROGRESS.... CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED....