New to custom loop

Hey guys and gals! I am looking to upgrade from my H60 push pull setup,

I am running a

Intel 4820k i7, on a Asus P9X79 E WS board, inside of a Silverstone RV04 case.

This H60 is fine for stock clocks, but trying to push occt at even 4.6ghz or 4.5ghz is pushing the temps high!! Really high

My 4820k will go much further around 4.85ghz. But I need better cooling.

I am actually dead set on a custom loop now. : )

So after doing a little research, I have selected a few water cooling parts to finish the loop. This is what I have put together so far. I am still running a amd 7770 so no video card block yet. I am in the market for a gtx 780ti, or titan. But I am waiting to see what prices do when the Titan Z comes out next month. Anyways here is what I have looked in to. All help is much appreciated!!

EK Supremacy Universal CPU Liquid Cooling Block - Full Copper $90

Alphacool NexXxoS UT80 Full Copper Single 120mm Radiator 80mm thick$75

EK D5 X-RES Top 100 w/ D5 Vario Pump (EK-D5 Vario X-RES 100 (incl. pump))$140

XSPC FLX Premium Grade PVC Tubing - 1/2" ID (3/4"OD) - 2 Meter (6.5 Feet) Retail Pack - UV Green$15

And this is with all 1/4 thread, compressions to 1/2 ID to 3/4 OD tubing.

The radiator is very big, 4" thick. And I was going to use a push pull setup on it with adjustable Silverstone ap122 fans, they push 100 cfm each. I do not mind noise, I like low temps. But again, I will always be adjusting them depending on load, vs noise, vs heat. My RV04 case is some what limited in holding rads inside. But I really like the case so far!

I am wondering if this setup will be decent? From what I have read the D5 is great, and that ek block is in the top 3 blocks , of lowest temps on a lga 2011 system.

I will add another 120mm 60mm thick radiator in the future if needed once I get a titan or 780 in the mix. I am not sure where I will mount it, maybe just let it hang about somewhere in the rv04 lol.

But, this seems like a very solid setup right? It has got to kill the H60? Or am I crazy? Lol

I want to run my 4820K at its highest possible clocks. I think this one may be a gem. It's Definitely fast as hell!

If you can fit it (take measurements), I would choose a 180mm radiator to put on one of your front 180mm fans. When it comes to radiators, surface area trumps thickness every single time in terms of cooling capacity. The Alphacool Monsta 180mm would be a good choice.

I do not recommend anything EK, nor can I really recommend XSPC, both for reasons of poor customer service. Use Swiftech's Apogee HD for the CPU block, and Primochill for the tubing. I would recommend an Alphacool or Monsoon reservoir for the D5.

Now, for some watercooling basics when it comes to fan choice:

Low FPI radiators (like the Alphacool Monsta, UT60, and Black Ice SR1) do well with low speed fans, but do not scale particularly well with increased fan speed and additional fans (push+pull). High FPI radiators (like the Black Ice GTX) scale well with increased fan speed, and push+pull, but tend to do poorly at low fan speeds.

CFM does not mean anything (it actually means nearly absolutely nothing) when it comes to radiators. Static pressure ratings are more important. Additionally, fan manufacturers have different standards for testing (some even outright lie), so specs aren't directly comparable. The best metric for comparing fans is the RPM rating. 90% of fans perform within 5% of each other. One of the few outliers is the Gentle Typhoon fans.

However, if you do get a 180mm radiator, your fan choices will be rather limited. I believe the 180mm fans already on your case is one of the best 180mm fans there is for radiators.

True watercooling may not outperform the H60 by much (maybe 10 C reduction on load temps), but it will almost definitely be quieter.

What temps load does your 3820 reach? With your setup? And what about going 360mm up front instead of 180 or 120.

Is 360mm enough for say, 2 video cards and cpu? And the water pump is enough power, just one D5?

I just found a possible better radiator.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...eme_Performance_Modular_Radiator_-_Black.html


The Feser Admiral 360mm radiator! It is modular, and similiar thickness of that of a Monsta! With a single 360mm feser admiral, And a D5 pump, running a GTX 690, and a 4770k. There video card was running 50c load and cpu was 50c load W/ 50% fan speed.

This is amazing, plus this rad is only $125!!

Is this a good move? I think I am going to go with the Feser admiral, plus it uses M4 heavy hardware!

Feser had been out of the radiator business for a while, and there aren't really any good reviews on them at the moment.

My 3820 peaks around 65 C at 4.3 ghz. That is with a rather dated XSPC Rasa. My 3820 basically has a loop all to itself (my system is a dual-loop system with a shared reservoir).

Stainless steel tubing with aluminum fins just seems cheap. Alphacool uses copper tubing with copper fins, which will dissipate heat better. I would choose the Alphacool over the Feser, based on construction materials alone.