Pump survey
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
Pump survey
For those of you who are into water cooling:
what pumps have you used, and what do you think of them?
How loud are they, and are they louder when in-line or submersed?
what pumps have you used, and what do you think of them?
How loud are they, and are they louder when in-line or submersed?
I use a MaxiJet 1000 inside a BeCooling aluminium res and I can't hear it all.
I also have an Eheim 1250 running in-line which is also silent but since it is in the base of my machine and that rests on the floor, if I put my ear to the floor six feet away, I can feel the vibrations! (Can't feel them through the desk, BTW.)
Any pump in a properly bled system will be silent.
I also have an Eheim 1250 running in-line which is also silent but since it is in the base of my machine and that rests on the floor, if I put my ear to the floor six feet away, I can feel the vibrations! (Can't feel them through the desk, BTW.)
Any pump in a properly bled system will be silent.
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Don't have it in a system yet, but when I was doing flow testing, I had my Iwaki MD20RT setting on the concrete pool apron with no damping or fastenings. I could hear a faint humming or buzzing if I got within 3-4 feet, but the wind in the trees (and the tree-rats ) made more noise.
I expect that by the time I get it mounted properly inside my sound absorbent / dampener lined case it will be silent for all practical purposes.
FWIW, This is one of the bigger pumps in common WC use - 8 GPM / ~30 LPM into a 14' / ~4.25M head rating. My flow testing suggests I'll get a little over 5 GPM at about 9' of head in actual practice.
Gooserider
I expect that by the time I get it mounted properly inside my sound absorbent / dampener lined case it will be silent for all practical purposes.
FWIW, This is one of the bigger pumps in common WC use - 8 GPM / ~30 LPM into a 14' / ~4.25M head rating. My flow testing suggests I'll get a little over 5 GPM at about 9' of head in actual practice.
Gooserider
I'm using a Eheim 1046 in one of my systems and it is practically silent when submerged. Together with a maze 3 and an actively cooled radiator i get approx a C/W of 2.0.
In another system I use a crappy small (5x3x3cm) aquarium pump with is absolutely silent submerged. On the other hand with a small passive radiator I just get a C/W of 3.2.
In another system I use a crappy small (5x3x3cm) aquarium pump with is absolutely silent submerged. On the other hand with a small passive radiator I just get a C/W of 3.2.
Not many of them produce much sound, the only battle is against the vibrations they give out which are quite a fair bit.
I have an eheim 1048 (not to be mistaken for the 1046 (weaker one) or the 1250 - more powerful one), Its very quiet but does have a little vibration, suspending it elastically easily solves the problem.
Seal (read the siggy )
I have an eheim 1048 (not to be mistaken for the 1046 (weaker one) or the 1250 - more powerful one), Its very quiet but does have a little vibration, suspending it elastically easily solves the problem.
Seal (read the siggy )
The Eheim pumps have good reputation. Not much sound but LOTS of vibrations. Dampening materials just won´t do. You´ll need to hang the pump in elastic cords. I´ve been through this, totalled over 3 cm of foamy stuff under the pump before I realized soft elastic cords is the way to go.
Even so, the pump CAN be heard especially if you don´t sound isolate the case.
(Used 1046, now 1048, the bigger the more vibrations)
Even so, the pump CAN be heard especially if you don´t sound isolate the case.
(Used 1046, now 1048, the bigger the more vibrations)
The most commonly used pumps are the Eheim, for one major reason - their reliability. I tried to find alternatives but a major importer of small aquarium pumps refused to sell me anything else!
The 1046 should handle any system and Innovatek have a 12 volt version (and you can get a conversion kit for existing mains pumps). People get too hung up on larger pumps. The back pressure results in the pump burning out.
There are two mounting kits for the Eheim pump; one simple grommets and the other a bobbin type isolator. The latter is excellent.
The mains Eheim pumps are submersible but the 12 volt version is not.
The 1046 should handle any system and Innovatek have a 12 volt version (and you can get a conversion kit for existing mains pumps). People get too hung up on larger pumps. The back pressure results in the pump burning out.
There are two mounting kits for the Eheim pump; one simple grommets and the other a bobbin type isolator. The latter is excellent.
The mains Eheim pumps are submersible but the 12 volt version is not.
Where would i get them from? Its very very difficult to suspend a wc pump because of its akward size/shape/weight... and its attached to a big pipe. also most pump locations make it akward to elastically suspend.supastar wrote:There are two mounting kits for the Eheim pump; one simple grommets and the other a bobbin type isolator. The latter is excellent.
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Anyone have any experience with the Swiftech MCP600 pump?? It's a 12VDC pump, which is nice. According the Swiftech's website, it says
Superior real world performance versus any aquarium pump we have tested to this date (MCP300, Eheim 1250, Eheim 1048, Hydor L30), due to the closed impeller design.
Quiet Operation thanks to brushless motor.
Yeah you can isolate vibrations by simply wrapping the pump in foam or suspending it with rubberbands in your 5 1/2" bays which is what i did for a friend with his 1250. This however isnt an option for me as i simply dont have the space in my already very crammed case.
Hum noise of the pumps are usually VERY low, they are inaudible at about 15cm, the rest of the hum noise is probably due to vibration.
I also am worried about temps switching from the 1048, i have a reasonably low restriction setup so im hoping it wont have too much of an effect but theres only one way to find out. try it! atm for my silence setup with a 5v 120mm fan on my heatercore i get full load temps of 40-45 deg C and no load temps of 37-42 deg C. Im also heavily overclocked.
Hum noise of the pumps are usually VERY low, they are inaudible at about 15cm, the rest of the hum noise is probably due to vibration.
I also am worried about temps switching from the 1048, i have a reasonably low restriction setup so im hoping it wont have too much of an effect but theres only one way to find out. try it! atm for my silence setup with a 5v 120mm fan on my heatercore i get full load temps of 40-45 deg C and no load temps of 37-42 deg C. Im also heavily overclocked.
As a rule, yes. I have a couple of large pumps running in aquariums (900+ gph). They make noise & vibrate but they're hard to hear over the sound of the moving water - lol.Do the bigger pumps generate more of a hum noise too, or just more vibrations?
I have a maxi-jet running in the comp & it's pretty quiet. It does vibrate a bit, but I'm working on that. The only time I can hear the pump is early in the morning when the house is DEAD quiet (even rolling the mouse button drowns it out).
Eheim's are fine pumps. They're very quiet because they have a big case around the pump, as with all pumps they vibrate.
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So tell me if I have this correct. All DC pumps are inline (non submersible). AC pumps can be either or. Does the Eiheim 1250 come in both flavors?Yeah you can isolate vibrations by simply wrapping the pump in foam or suspending it with rubberbands in your 5 1/2" bays which is what i did for a friend with his 1250.
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Iwaki MD15
A more powerfull pump than most listed here except the Iwaki MD20 posted above. If you are within a couple feet it makes a hum you can hear, but not loud by any means.
Inside a case lined with sound deadening foam I very much doubt you'd hear it at all.
I'd like to point out that noise in a water cooling rig isn't from the water pump, it's from the rad's fans and air turbulence aginst the rad & the air flowing through the rad. This is a much greater noise issue than the pump you use. Care in selection of both the rad & it's fans is VERY important to having a quiet water rig.
The larger the rad is, the greater the cooling area it offers and also a greater area for air passage. A large rad does not have nearly the turbulence noise of smaller rads as the same volume of air has a much easier passage. And the larger the rad, which gives greater cooling surface area, the lower volume the fans can be and still give great temps.
A more powerfull pump than most listed here except the Iwaki MD20 posted above. If you are within a couple feet it makes a hum you can hear, but not loud by any means.
Inside a case lined with sound deadening foam I very much doubt you'd hear it at all.
I'd like to point out that noise in a water cooling rig isn't from the water pump, it's from the rad's fans and air turbulence aginst the rad & the air flowing through the rad. This is a much greater noise issue than the pump you use. Care in selection of both the rad & it's fans is VERY important to having a quiet water rig.
The larger the rad is, the greater the cooling area it offers and also a greater area for air passage. A large rad does not have nearly the turbulence noise of smaller rads as the same volume of air has a much easier passage. And the larger the rad, which gives greater cooling surface area, the lower volume the fans can be and still give great temps.
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I use a Hydor L20.
Pretty low flow, but very small and super-quiet. I use 80 durometer Sorbothane to stick it to the bottom of my case. It works perfectly for me in my application (just CPU and GPU blocks). I don't overclock much so I am not looking to blow seals with flow and I just run a 120mm fan at very low speeds to dissipate heat.
Pretty low flow, but very small and super-quiet. I use 80 durometer Sorbothane to stick it to the bottom of my case. It works perfectly for me in my application (just CPU and GPU blocks). I don't overclock much so I am not looking to blow seals with flow and I just run a 120mm fan at very low speeds to dissipate heat.
I use an eheim 1048. i love this pump. the only thing i'd change to would be a 1250, but that's totally unnecessary given my current setup.
it doesn't make any noise but it does produce a lot of vibration. i bolted it to a wooden box though which is sitting on carpet, so that isn't a problem anymore
it doesn't make any noise but it does produce a lot of vibration. i bolted it to a wooden box though which is sitting on carpet, so that isn't a problem anymore
I started with a Quiet One 1200 pump. It's a good pump with specs comparable to a Hydor L30 or Ehiem 1250 for less than $30 shipped, but it's not a quiet pump. Many (at overclockers.com forums) who have tried the pump complain of a clicking sound that never goes away. I didn't really notice it much before starting to quiet my computers. Don't even think about it for a quiet rig. That's why I have the Ehiem 1250 now, but it's huge compared to similar pumps. If noise isn't an issue, it's a versatile, durable pump for cheap. I'm saving mine for a backyard fountain project where it will run submerged.
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I'm using an Eheim 1250 , sitting in a cradle of 3cm thick foam to absorb vibrations and it's actually inaudible at 20 cm (the pump is inside the case).
One fact I don't see mentioned is that pump vibrations also move through the tubing to the rest of the loop.
My pump's inlet is connected to the radiator and the exhaust is connected to the cpu block.
The rad is mounted with rubber gromets so I can't feel any vibrations.
However touching the case , right behind the cpu , I can feel some vibrations (very little , but still).
And that is even using Tygon tubing (probably the best and most flexible tubing in existense).
One fact I don't see mentioned is that pump vibrations also move through the tubing to the rest of the loop.
My pump's inlet is connected to the radiator and the exhaust is connected to the cpu block.
The rad is mounted with rubber gromets so I can't feel any vibrations.
However touching the case , right behind the cpu , I can feel some vibrations (very little , but still).
And that is even using Tygon tubing (probably the best and most flexible tubing in existense).