Unified Info Thread for water cooled Bitburner owners (and owners to be). I have listed some parts and costs to help people decide if water cooling is worth it or not. I personally have order my Bitburners with water blocks and plan to see how far I can push the Avalon chips.
Waterblock from Anfi-tec:- up to 40 chips per waterblock
- Standard G 1/4 threads for fittings
- Wetted Materials: Aluminum <-- need anti corrosion
Additional Components Needed:- Pump(s)
- Radiator(s)
- Fans
- Reservoir
- Tubing
- Fittings/Barbs
- Hose Clamps
- Kill coil or Biocide/PT-Nuke
- Anti corrosive
TL;DR Did not expect to type so much stuff so the TLDR is at the top.
Pump $80
Radiator $60
3x Fans $15
Reservoir $25
10 feet tubing $5
6x barbs $20
PT-Nuke $5
Anti corrosive $10
Total $220 (+$70 per additional 2-4 Bitburner boards - estimate)
I think one 360 rad should be able to cool 2-4 Bitburner boards (1-2 Anfi-tec blocks) but I have no idea what real world temps are gonna be and it also depends on the choice of fans and radiators. Also I have no idea how restrictive the water blocks are gonna be and how many boards one pump can push. Will post when I receive the boards and do a little experimentation.
More Detailed InfoBelow are some candidates for each component. I picked parts that are popular and well received in the PC water cooling community. Several options for each component exist to fulfill different budget needs. Of course you are free to pick your own favorite brands or use any existing equipment.
PumpsAlmost all these pumps are made by the OEM Company Laing. The two series of interest are the Laing D5 and DDC series. Several companies (Swiftech, Koolance, Danger Den) rebadge these pumps.
Swiftech MCP655 (Laing D5) ~$80-100 - reliable workhorse pump, been around for a while
Swiftech MCP35X/MCP355 (Laing DDC) ~$80-100 - Newer redesigned pump, runs a bit hot, more pressure for restrictive loops
Multiple pumps: Run them in series (In -> pump 1 -> pump 2 -> Out) for extra pumping power (more pressure for restrictive blocks) and reliability (if 1 pump fails water will still circulate with almost no loss aside from the failed pump). See
http://martinsliquidlab.org/2011/04/26/pump-setup-series-vs-parallel/ for more info.
Swiftech MCP35X2 ~$200 - two MCP35X pumps connected in series with a custom top (top also available separately).
RadiatorsMost standard radiators are measured in the number of 120mm fans it takes. For example a triple size radiator needs three 120mm fans. Other names include 360 radiator or 3x120 radiator.
The big question: What size radiator and how many should I get?Well it's complicated. According to some lab tests a triple rad will dissipate between 50-175 watts depending on how fast the fans are spinning. See
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n494/machin3r/Computer%20Forum%20Guides/triples-v2_heatdiss-2dT.jpgIt can get even more complicated depending on the radiators fin density (how closely the fins are spaced - measured in fins per inch - FPI). Higher fin density cools better with high static pressure fans while lower fin density is designed for fans with lower speeds. If noise is important (I mean that's why you went water anyways right?
) you should research as this topic is quite beaten to death on forums. Also see
https://i.imgur.com/QTrlI.jpgSwiftech MCR320 QP ~$60 - triple rad, lower fin density (12 FPI) for slower fans
Swiftech MCR320 XP ~$75 - triple rad, high fin density (20 FPI) performs better with high speed fans
XSPC RS360 ~$50 - budget version? XSPC doens't make the difference in series clear except for the RX high end
XSPC RX360 ~$90 - low fin count but its twice as thick to make up
HW Labs Black Ice GTX360 ~$120 - a top of the line model, does significantly better at 2000+ rpm fans
FansAnother much debated category with lots of options.
My general fan speed ratings.
Low speeds: 600-1000 RPM
Medium speeds: 1400-1800 RPM
High speeds: 2300-2800 RPM
Yate Loon D12SH-12 ~$5 - a popular fan because its nice and cheap and performs well. This is the high speed version (2200 RPM). There are also medium speed (D12SM-12 - 1600 RPM) and low speed (D12SL-12 - 1200 RPM) versions available. These fans (especially the high speed one) are rather loud but for the price one can't complain.
Scythe Gentle Typhoon ~$15 - quiet yet moves a lot of air, medium prices, several speed options
Corsair SP120 Series ~$15 (two pack $30) - Theres a quiet series and a high performance series.
ReservoirHolds water. You generally want one to hold extra water above the pump to keep it from running dry and so you don't have to refill the loop every time some water evaporates. You can get by without one by using a T splitter as a fill port, just need to carefully monitor the loop.
Ghetto Tupperware ~$5 - buy a tupperware container, put two barbs in it, call it a day. The most "budget" you can get.
Swiftech MCRES ~$25 - well regarded, cheap, gets the job done. A bit small.
Swiftech MCP35X-RES PUMP RESERVOIR ~$30 - turns your MCP35X pump into a pump/res combo. Replaces the pump top.
DIY with PVC pipe and barbs ~$?? - make a container that holds water and doesn't leak. Can't be that hard right?
TubingCheaper tubing will be able to bend less without restricting flow and will be more flexible. Also quality tubing will not leach plasticizer into the water and make everything cloudy. Home Depot PVC tubing (Watts brand) is not recommended. It gets cloudy overnight.
Standard sizes are 3/8 ID and 1/2 ID.
Masterkleer PVC tubing ~$0.50/foot - great budget choice
Tygon R-3603 ~$2/foot - "better" tubing, better bend radius, more flexible
Tygon E-1000 ~$4/foot - plasticizer free, ideally won't cloud at all
Fittings/BarbsThese screw onto the component and connects to the tube. The standard thread is G 1/4 and the Anfi-tec waterblock follows this standard as well. Straight barbs are the cheapest, then angled rotary fittings and then compression fittings. In a PC you're trying to show off you might get some cool looking compression fittings but here I suggest go with one of the cheaper options. The exception is on the Anfi-tec water block. Since the Bitburners are most likely to be stacked together, I suggest the 90 degree elbow fittings as this provides the lowest flow restriction.
You will need two fittings per waterblock, radiator, reservoir, and pump. The Anfi-tec
does not come with two 90 degree fittings shown in the renders.
Bitspower G1/4 Barb ~$3-4 - Several brands in this price range, I don't really think brands matter here. I mean as long as it doesn't leak right?
Bitspower G1/4 90 degree rotary fitting ~$6-8 - these turn the flow 90 degrees, best way to do it as tubing can get kinked
Hose ClampsDon't want to spring a leak! Sometimes these are not needed. Also don't clamp down too hard or you will rip the tubing and cause a leak.
Zip ties ~$0.10 - not reusable
Plastic reusable hose clamp/Steel spring clamps ~$1 - these get the job done, reusable. More here:
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g30/c289/s720/list/p1/Liquid_Cooling-Tubing_Accessories-Reusable_Clamps_-_38_OD-Page1.htmlKill coil or Biocide/PT-NukeYou don't want algae to grow inside the loop and gum up the works. Get some biocide or a silver kill coil.
PT-Nuke ~$5 - couple drops per liter should do the trick
Antimicrobial .999 Fine Silver Strip ~$10 - drop it in your res and let the natural silver antimicrobial properties work its magic.
Anti CorrosionSince the anfi-tec blocks are aluminum we need anti corrosion additives or else the blocks are going to slowly dissolve away. Yes they are anodized but it won't completely stop the corrosion, just slow it down. Anti corrosives deplete and need to be replenished by flushing the loop and refilling it.
Car anti freeze ~$? - 30% concentration is what typical PC water coolers use however it decreases cooling performance as concentrations increase. In automotive applications it is used at 50% concentration.
Swiftech HydrX ~$2.50 - One bottle is good for 1 liter of water for up to 1 year or 0.5 liters for up to 3 years.
More information:
http://martinsliquidlab.org/2012/01/24/corrosion-explored/http://www.overclockers.com/pc-water-coolant-chemistry-part-ii/Damn...didn't expect to type this much stuff.
Additional Reading on water cooling:
http://martinsliquidlab.org/http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-stickyhttp://www.computerforum.com/206174-how-liquid-cooling-101-a.htmlhttp://www.techspot.com/community/topics/the-watercooling-guide-from-a-to-z.180876/EDIT 1: Material updated as aluminum, no fittings come with the block, added anti corrosion section.
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