Well, I'm finishing the last details for water cooling my PC, which is more to silence the CPU and the GPU, than for overclocking or anything else...
the CPU is a 920 d0, undervolted to 1.000v.
the GPU is a 5870, no overclock on it.
the rad is a GTX240
the fans are two gt at 800rpm 7v.
the question is if this pump and reservoir is quiet enough, or am I quieting everything else to introduce a loud pump into the mix...
http://www.xspc.biz/baypump750a.php
thanks in advance for the help

I don't have this pump, nor have I heard it, so I can't say...


however, I would be concerned about 2 things. Given the pump is inside the res it might be hard to de-couple it from the case, which I find is a huge problem with pump noise.

Secondly, from what little I can find about it on the net, it wont run with at low voltages, so you may be limited with how much adjustment you can do, if you find it loud at 12 volts.

If you do get it, please let me know how loud it is! The review I read said -- 2000 rpm sounds like an airplane to me!

EDIT: Review here: http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=889&page=8

The Liang DDC/Swiftech MCP350 is reported to by a pretty quiet pump. I haven't heard one myself, though it's supposed to be quieter than a D5/MCP655. Swiftech reports it to be ~25dBa @ 12v, and it can be undervolted to 8 or 9v.

Your radiator isn't really a good choice for low fan speed operation, too many fins per inch. The GTX series is best with fans that are faster than 1800RPM. A Swiftech MCR220 would be an inexpensive (~$60US) replacement. A better radiator will let you turn the fans OR the pump even lower.

+1 to everything he said!

I too am interested in this, as I am looking at the XSPC X2O 750 Dual Complete WaterCooling Kit which includes the pump/reservoir.

I would have to mount the pump/reservoir somewhere other than a 5.25" drive bay though as all of mine are full (Optical Drive, Kaze Server fan controller, 2 x Scythe QuietDrives) - possibly mounting external to the case.

It would be used for cooling a Phenom 965 C2 and a 4870 or 5850 in near future.

I wouldn't recommend it. The pump isn't as powerful as a MCP655/D5, and is audible alongside 2000RPM fans. Also, the radiator looks pretty restrictive with it's tight fin layout. One of the Swiftech kits would be better if you absolutly had to have a kit. You'll still do better with a custom rig though, and it's about the same difficulty.

I have looked at the cost of a decent custom loop, and it has put me off a little. This kit looked reasonable value for money though.

I would use s-flex e fans instead of the ones in the kit.

I need to be sure a wc kit/loop would be worth it over my air setup. Am after silence over performance really.

The real problem with the XSPC kit is the loud pump. You'll have to replace it with a quieter one, and that will make the end cost higher than just buying custom.

A D5/MCP655 is about $70 Cad. Primochill tube is about $20 Cad for 10'. An MCR220 radiator costs about $60 to Cad (don't know if it's available in the UK though). EKBlocks and Swiftech are the current top performers in CPU blocks, both have a $50 model and an $80 model.

That's about £155 (or £130), add about £5 for fittings and clamps, and you'd need to get some distilled water (which you'd need to get anyways) and you're good to go. The XSPC X2O 750 Dual Complete is about £110 £120 depending on where you get it.

A full coverage VGA block is about $110 Cad, but the XSPC kit doesn't have one, so I didn't add it to the comparison.

EDIT: I've found that S-Flex-D fans are more than fast enough for my WC setup, and the E series is a bit loud.

With regard to the E's I usually run them at 660rpm so nice and quiet

How would you compare the sound level of the pump to an S-Flex to give me some kind of idea of how quiet the system could be.

My D5 in stock config (I bought an aftermarket mod) at about half power was about as loud as an 600RPM - 800RPM S-Flex, but lower, more midrange, with a faint very high pitched hiss. At full power it had a grumbling noise and a lot of vibration, but at half power it wasn't too bad. The aftermarket mod I got was an EKBlocks X-Top, it replaced the part with the fittings. It made the pump totally silent, all I can hear is water moving through the system, and I have to get close to hear it.

Still, I recommend soft mounting whatever pump you get. Don't bolt it down, pad it with some foam, etc.

I prefer the D's because there's a wider range of useful dial settings. By that I mean the speed control at the front can be moved a little more and still be quiet. I've almost never put them at full power except for temperature testing.

If you have space for one, you may consider getting a triple fan radiator. They tend to be only slightly more expensive than the dual fan radiators, and provide 50% more surface area. More area means lower fan and/or pump speeds.

My case has room for 2 240 rads = one at the top, one at the bottom.

I am currently re-considering a Zalman reserator as well though...

I don't recommend getting two 240 radiators unless you really need them, it's just too expensive for the gains.

One issue with the various Reserator systems is the combination of aluminium and copper. In a system with both metals an inhibitor becomes necessary. Zalman provides an inhibitor, but if you need to replace your coolant (which you do have to replace every so often) you'll need to get some more.

Buying components separately instead of in a kit isn't anything to be afraid of, it just means that they don't all come in one big box. If you really want to get a kit though, I recommend Swiftech. Many of the parts I recommend are made or sold by them, and are included in their kits.

I have looked in great detail at the swiftech kits - biggest issue is they include the 655B pump which is non-adjustable rather than the 655 - if there was a way to get the kit with the adjustable pump it would be high up on my list.

Buying a mix of bits does add up, and am concerned I may get the wrong bits...

Currently liking the idea of the Reserator for CPU only, and then adding radiator / GPU block when I understand it all a bit more. (plus the reserator looks nice )

Oh yes, I'd forgotten that the swiftech kits only had the 655B. Well, from what I've heard, the reserator can cool a CPU/GPU combo, but I don't know how well.

One issue with the reserator is that the tube that it is designed for is 3/8"ID. It's not a deal breaker, but it means that you'll have to make sure that your GPU block and radiator fittings match.

It's not actually that easy to mess up getting parts. If you want, you can post your list here and make sure that it's good.

I have owned mcp 350&xspc res top + phobya DDC12-400 and that MCP 350 combo was really quiet (especially inside the case)

Some tips

D5 pump:
I got an EK water blocks replacement top for the MCP655, it's much quieter.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=53938

Bundymania youtube videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_BHuqkmddc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArywGIq2uzk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCrMhIp8qV4

XSPC X2O 750 Dual 5.25 Bay Reservoir Pump
http://www.youtube.com/user/hwluxxbundy ... _pKfSqV66g

DDC pump tops:
http://www.hardwareluxx.de/community/f137/alle-s-auf-die-laing-666411.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIu6Ewdxb0I
http://translate.google.fi/translate?hl=fi&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hardwareluxx.de%2Fcommunity%2Ff137%2Falle-s-auf-die-laing-666411.html

Little review about pump noises:
http://www.xpert-oc-team.de/forum/index.php?area=vbcmsarea_content&contentid=71&page=7
http://translate.google.fi/translate?hl=fi&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xpert-oc-team.de%2Fforum%2Findex.php%3Farea%3Dvbcmsarea_content%26contentid%3D71%26page%3D7[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info, but I made my decision in the early hours of the morning to order the reserator - it may work - it may not, but I am gonna give it a try and go from there

This is news to me... wonder how the pump top changes the motor noise? Not that I don't believe you (in fact I am ordering my EK top because of this), just seems odd that the top would affect the noise caused by the motor.

Can you quantify at all? ie is setting 5 with top the same as say 3 with out?

When I used the stock top at level 1 there would be some vibration and midrange, which got to the level of an 800RPM 120mm S-Flex at level 3. Level 5 was unusable.

The new pump top is inaudible at any power setting. The only sound is a very slight hiss that can only be heard with the rest of the system off. Slight as in I have to put my head within 1' of the pump to hear it.

I'm hoping that someone else who tried it will post their experience for confirmation, but that's what happened.

TL;DR Setting 5 with new top is silent. Setting 1 with old top mildly audible.

Thats awesome! I agree 5 is loud and unusable (mines on 3, wish it was quieter). I will be getting the EK top soon, and will (hopefully!) achieve the same reduction in sound!

When you do get it, post your results in the Reviewed Pumps thread, especially if it doesn't work out. I'm slightly concerned that I my results are a fluke.

Sure, I'll definitely do that. I don't think you should be worried, you should be HAPPY! Sounds like an awesome outcome.


That said... can you tell that the settings are actually changing? Is it possible the potentiometer is busted?

I am happy that it worked for me, but I'm concerned that it won't work for you. It is $50.

I tested it at level 3 and level 5 in windows, temps went down a bit, though I don't remember the results off hand.