Custom Water Cooling Setup - What to Buy?

Gumbi

I decided to make a separate thread so as not to go off on a tangent on it.

I am choosing my components, and watercool.de seems to be a good store from which to buy (competitive prices and similar shipping methodology to HWVS). If someone disagrees, I have no problem in changing retailer.

So basically I am looking to do a custom water cooling loop, as much for looks, as for performance (both sound and speed-wise) to cool (and hence overclock) both my 7950 and my 3570k.

As much as I can gather, this is going to be an expensive endeavour. I will need a pump/reservoir, tubing, a waterblock for both my GPU and CPU, thermal compound, a radiator(s? - dual 120/240? not really sure here) and a fan for each 120mm radiator.

This is supposed to be a good 7950 waterblock from what I've read:

http://shop.watercool.de/HEATKILLER-GPU-X-79X0-Ni-Bl/en

Nickel plating to prevent oxidation, and it looks cool. I am not sure if I need a backplate, from what I've read, it's just for looks and maybe a bit of extra support. What would you recommend here? I don't mind if it adds a bit to the cost if it serves a useful purpose.

As for the CPU block, from what I've read they are generally all the same performance-wise, but the varying prices don't have me convinced. Is there any one in particular I should be looking at from this range?

http://shop.watercool.de/epages/WatercooleK.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/WatercooleK/Categories/Wasserk%C3%BChler/%22CPU%20K%C3%BChler%22/Intel_11551156

Pump/resevoirs/accessories I am lost here. Any suggestions?

http://shop.watercool.de/epages/WatercooleK.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/WatercooleK/Categories/Pumpen

Fittings and tubings. AFAIK, I just need to pick the right length of tubing and the right size clips/fittings (must these match both the pump size + tube size?).

Radiators. 2 x 120mm radiators? The water is run through these, which dissipate the heat with the aid of fans (I need to buy 2 120mm ones, right? Or more if more/bigger radiator(s)?).

http://shop.watercool.de/epages/WatercooleK.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/WatercooleK/Categories/Radiatoren

I will probably purchase the case (Nanoxia Deep Silence One) most likely from Hardwareversand; this shipping cost is justified because I will also be purchasing a PSU and 7770 (to sell off a rig made of older parts etc). I can also use this oppurtunity to buy some quality fans for the radiators.

As for thermal compounds, I'm sure I can pick up something from HWVS or watercool.de. Any suggestions?

Must I purchase any thermal tape or anything, or is this all I need? Is it simply water I use in the pumps (plain old tap water?) or am I being very naive? :P

I would greatly appreciate any input. I would like to purchase ASAP so that I may start building by next weekend. As for budget, excluding the HWVS order, would like to keep it below 350 if possible.

Thank you for your time as always.

Serephucus

Right, few basic things:

Radiators - I assume you're going for quiet performance rather than out-and-out performance, in which case you want rads optimised for low speed fans. Alaphacool's NexXxoS (retarded name, but there you are) rads are the best out there for sub-1000RPM speeds (which would probably be where you fall, but I'll leave that one up to you) and XSPC's EX series for anything faster.

You'll want 2x240 rads for your setup. You could get by with a single 240 (2x120) rad, but you'd be spinning the fans faster, not getting quite as good temperatures, etc. I know the Nanoxia will take a 60mm push/pull setup in the front, and possibly an 80mm p/p, but I'm not sure. As for the roof (again, I'm not sure) a 30mm rad will definitely fit, potentially a 45. Alphacool do 30, 45, 60 and 80mm variants of all their rads.

Fans - Gentle Typhoons. Just get these. There are others that are slightly quieter, but they either don't perform quite as well, or cost twice as much (Noctua, I'm looking at you). Best value/performance/quiet fans around. I've tested lots.

Tubing/Fittings - It will have an inner and outer diameter, usually in inches. I use 1/2-3/4, for example. In that case, I'd look for 1/2" barbs, and 3/4" clamps, OR 1/2-3/4 compressions. These are basically a barb and clamp in one. They look quite a bit nicer than clamps, but are a bit more expensive (or a lot more, if you go for something like Bitspower fittings)

Pump - You want a Laing D5. Again, like the fans, it's just best-in-class. It goes by a lot of different names though. The Laing D5 is the OEM pump, third-parties make their own (think Seasonc vs. Corsair/BeQuiet, etc.) Swiftech sells it as the MCP-655, Alphacool as the VP655 (I think). Just search for "D5" or "655" and you'll get it.

Pumps can also be modified with different tops. Basically, these are just interfaces between the barebones pump, and fittings/tubing. By default, the D5 comes with 1/2" barbs, but I bought an EK top for mine that allowed me to use compressions with it because it had standard 1/4" threads (just like any other waterblock). You can also get tops that have reservoirs built-in. Instead of having a plate with 1/4" threads, it's a small tank with 1/4" threads, basically.

Water - Distilled, or deionised is best. Don't use tap unless you're just rinsing stuff out before putting the loop together (you should do this). You'll also want to pick up a silver kill coil (a small piece of silver) to prevent algae build-up. I've seen the price vary wildly unfortunately. There's a place in Maynooth that sells a 5 litre bottle for €6.50, the chemist near my parent's place wanted €17.50 for 2L.

I'd probably order from Specialtech as well. That German site really doesn't seem to have the best selection.


I hope that helps.

Gumbi

Thanks so much for the input. I would like the best ratio between quietness and performance. I imagine it's going to be A LOT quieter than my current setup no matter how performance oriented I tend towards - that being said, not being too loud is a cool feature too! The 7950 VRMs get insanely hot (one of them gets to 100 + deg at 1.14v, 1250mhz core) so good performance is definitely important.

I'll probably get 2 rads. This is going to hurt my wallet but I am viewing it as an investment and a fun project. I will spec a build using your advice above from Specialtech and see what crops up.

Thanks again for your help.

Gumbi

So I want 2 x 240mm rads, correct? How many fans would I need for these?

Any suggestions as to the CPU block?

Serephucus

2x240, yes. As for fans, a minimum of four. If you want to go push/pull, you could, but I'd see how you get on with four first. It's not like it's hard to throw a few more fans in there.

As for water blocks, I'd go with XSPC's Raystorm, personally. It's one of the highest-performing blocks out there at the moment, and also happens to be one of the least restrictive. (Restrictive blocks will perform a little better than less restrictive ones, but they require a lot of pressure and flow from the pump in order to do this. Otherwise other blocks in the loop can suffer, so I usually recommend low-restriction blocks).

Gumbi

Serephucus wrote: »

2x240, yes. As for fans, a minimum of four. If you want to go push/pull, you could, but I'd see how you get on with four first. It's not like it's hard to throw a few more fans in there.

As for water blocks, I'd go with XSPC's Raystorm, personally. It's one of the highest-performing blocks out there at the moment, and also happens to be one of the least restrictive. (Restrictive blocks will perform a little better than less restrictive ones, but they require a lot of pressure and flow from the pump in order to do this. Otherwise other blocks in the loop can suffer, so I usually recommend low-restriction blocks).

Cool, sounds good. I'm on the train now speccing this build . HWVS seems to be out of most Nanoxias which is unfortunate I really want to start this by next weekend.

I imagine SpecialTechs shipping (from Wales I believe) takes about 3 - 4 days from initial order?

game4it70

Gumbi wrote: »

So I want 2 x 240mm rads, correct? How many fans would I need for these?

Any suggestions as to the CPU block?

Yes 2 x 240mm (120.2) rads.

2 fans for each is normal.
http://specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-120mm-Case-Fan-1450-RPM--D1225C12B4AP-14-pid-7556.html
http://specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-120mm-Case-Fan-1850-RPM--D1225C12B5AP-15-pid-10974.html
Best rad fans for noise to performance ratio.
I run my 1450's @ about 650 rpm with a fan controller and there pretty much silent.Pick the one that suit you noise wise.

EK Supremacy are good blocks.

When your picking rads check the "fins per inch/fpi".
Lower means you can run slower.
The more dense fpi means the fan rpms have to be higher to push the air through the rad.

Gumbi

The fans are probably cheaper on HWVS, from which I am buying anyway, so I will probably them from there.

Serephucus

For reference, I use the 1150RPM ones. Were I buying them again, I'd get 800RPM, maybe 500. I don't know why people (particularly those on OCN) always recommend the 1850RPM ones. (not aimed at you, game4it, btw) Sure, GTs undervolt well compared to other fans, but that doesn't mean they won't develop tones or peaks when undervolted.

As game4it said, get the speed that you think would suit best, or the next one up if you're unsure.

Edit: Yeah, they're a couple of Euro cheaper on HWVS.

game4it70

Funny enough my 1450's only run at about 1250-1300 max.They do say +/- 10% so its about right.

Also be very careful what block you get for your gpu as sometimes it can be a nightmare to find one that fits correctly.The pcb designs can be googled though along with the model number to help.

Gumbi

1150 sounded good to me. Are they a tad loud for your liking? What about PWM fans? Or does this involve a fan controller and mess things up a bit? What kind of performance do the 1150s give you Serephecus? I am hoping for decent cooling capability, as I've explained, the VRMs on my 7950 are a bitch when overvolted, and I would like maybe 4.8ghz on my 3570k (am managing 4.6 on a Hyper 212 fairly alright as it stands).

Serephucus

Well, my setup isn't the best indicator at the moment. I have my 240 in the roof with two fans, my 120 in the back with one (and it's completely dust-clogged) all fans running at around 600RPM. My 200mm rad in the front with fans turned off, and the loop was never properly bled of air. :P

I'll be ordering stuff for a Prodigy build next week, and when my stuff gets moved to that, I'll be running just the 240 and the 120, and I can let you know then.

I'm at 4.6 at the moment and get temperatures of around 80°C, for what that's worth (at around 1.29V)

Gumbi

Serephucus wrote: »

Well, my setup isn't the best indicator at the moment. I have my 240 in the roof with two fans, my 120 in the back with one (and it's completely dust-clogged) all fans running at around 600RPM. My 200mm rad in the front with fans turned off, and the loop was never properly bled of air. :P

I'll be ordering stuff for a Prodigy build next week, and when my stuff gets moved to that, I'll be running just the 240 and the 120, and I can let you know then.

I'm at 4.6 at the moment and get temperatures of around 80°C, for what that's worth (at around 1.29V)

Sounds good. I need 1.285 to be stable at 4.6, I am using dynamic vcore right now though (which goes up to 1.32, otherwise it's not stable enough) and that's too hot for the Hyper 212 in synthetic stress testing. But that's fine really, doesn't go above 75 when gaming.
I think I'll get 1150s, I imagine they won't be too loud, espoecially in a Nanoxia Deep Silence 1?

And this is the GPU block I am looking at, which should be fine. http://specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/Watercool-HEATKILLER-GPU-X-Full-Cover-Waterblock-for-AMD-Reference-Design-HD-7970--7950-Graphics-Card--Ni-Bl-pid-16622.html

Any thoughts on a backplate? If I have the budget for one and if they do indeed help prevent PCB warping I might well go for one.

Any particular thermal paste you would recommend for both GPU and CPU? Would I have any need for thermal pads on the VRM components or memory on my 7950 or should I be fine without them?

Serephucus

With regards to fan loudness, really, I couldn't say. It's completely subjective. I find my 1150RPM fans much too loud on full blast, but I never have to run them that fast either.

Yup, GPU block looks fine. You'll need thermal pads for the RAM and VRM, but you'll get all those with the block. Regarding the backplate, it's up to you. The only time it's of any real use is with cards that have RAM chips on the back, as it can help cool them, but we're still talking margin of error type stuff. It's only really for looks (didn't stop me getting one for my 670 though. :P)

For thermal paste I'd recommend a nice big tube of MX-4. It's towards the top somewhere with other pastes (really hard to judge this, as one mount of a heatsink to the next will usually influence temperatures more than the thermal paste used) but most importantly it doesn't expire. :P

Gumbi

Serephucus wrote: »

With regards to fan loudness, really, I couldn't say. It's completely subjective. I find my 1150RPM fans much too loud on full blast, but I never have to run them that fast either.

Yup, GPU block looks fine. You'll need thermal pads for the RAM and VRM, but you'll get all those with the block. Regarding the backplate, it's up to you. The only time it's of any real use is with cards that have RAM chips on the back, as it can help cool them, but we're still talking margin of error type stuff. It's only really for looks (didn't stop me getting one for my 670 though. :P)

For thermal paste I'd recommend a nice big tube of MX-4. It's towards the top somewhere with other pastes (really hard to judge this, as one mount of a heatsink to the next will usually influence temperatures more than the thermal paste used) but most importantly it doesn't expire. :P

That all sounds good. Hmmm. With regard to the fans, I can plug in up to 3 to the Nanoxia fan controller (in addition the the three that already come with the case) and the fourth fan I can have on the one 3 pin fan connector on my board (the rest are 4 pin PWM connectors). If I must, I can tone them down a bit, I think I should be fine with 1150s, but I'll think on it a bit more.

Serephucus

Well with the setup you're going for, you won't be using most of the case fans. The two GTs would take the place of the front fans. There will be two GTs in the top, and you could have one of the stock fans in the back pulling air in if it will fit, maybe one in the bottom as well, pulling in.

Gumbi

Serephucus wrote: »

Well with the setup you're going for, you won't be using most of the case fans. The two GTs would take the place of the front fans. There will be two GTs in the top, and you could have one of the stock fans in the back pulling air in if it will fit, maybe one in the bottom as well, pulling in.

Ah. I had forgotten about that.

What do you mean by GTs? The rads?

Serephucus

Gentle Typhoons.