Wanting to take my 290x for a swim...

S

Sieg

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
Messages
213
Hey all, I wanting to go underwater with my two 290x and cpu and I have around $1000 to spend. Here are some of the parts I've been thinking about without fittings, dye, and Dual Link Bridge

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with this loop layout in mind

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I want to get some input before I take the plunge. What brand of fitting are good and will the pump be enough? Anything would help. Thanks :)
 
Bitspower, period. Widest selection and best build quality out there.

Yes, a D5 is more than enough for your loop. Overkill even.

Any reason you chose the Heatkiller block over the one from Aquacomputer?
 
Gotcha. I've been eyeing bitspower and monsoon/modmytoys fittings. I pick heatkiller since I like the look and trust them. I would prefer a full block but I don't to mess with EK since I heard a lot of bad rep from OCN about corrosion/bad cnc block. My other option is aquacomputer(of course), XSPC, and Swiftech(they said that their Komodo block is coming the end of feb). :)
 
EK had issues with their nickel plating back in 2011 (people were running them with silver kill coils and no corrosion inhibitors and it corroded the finish) but that was rectified when they switched to their electroless plating process. EK is one of the most reliable manufacturers out there, and makes excellent blocks with a variety of options. I've owned around half a dozen of their blocks since they switched the plating process, and have never had an issue with corrosion.

I'd avoid the Swiftech block, it doesn't perform as well as the competition, and it's not built particularly well.
 
failwheeldrive said:
EK had issues with their nickel plating back in 2011 (people were running them with silver kill coils and no corrosion inhibitors and it corroded the finish) but that was rectified when they switched to their electroless plating process. EK is one of the most reliable manufacturers out there, and makes excellent blocks with a variety of options. I've owned around half a dozen of their blocks since they switched the plating process, and have never had an issue with corrosion.

I'd avoid the Swiftech block, it doesn't perform as well as the competition, and it's not built particularly well.
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EK one of the most reliable manufacturers out there.

What a pile of horseshit. They still run their mills too fast, their plating is still mediocre, their customer service is still shitty. Avoid EK. Or drink the Kool-Aid. Your choice.
 
Jorona said:
EK one of the most reliable manufacturers out there.

What a pile of horseshit. They still run their mills too fast, their plating is still mediocre, their customer service is still shitty. Avoid EK. Or drink the Kool-Aid. Your choice.
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You should post that on some of the forums that EK reps are on, they will proceed to troll you, tell you how dumb you are, and post a bunch of misinformation about their blocks and how they are the BEST!!!! Such a quality company. It's actually pretty good entertainment.
 
Jorona said:
EK one of the most reliable manufacturers out there.

What a pile of horseshit. They still run their mills too fast, their plating is still mediocre, their customer service is still shitty. Avoid EK. Or drink the Kool-Aid. Your choice.
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Funny, every one of the 6-8 (edit: it's actually 10: Titan SE wb, 2x 780 Lightning wb, 3x 780 HOF wb, 2x Supremacy, Maximus VI Extreme Full Cover wb, and EK Monarch RAM block) EK blocks I've owned in the last two years has matched the build quality of the Bitspower and Aquacomputer blocks in my collection while offering better cooling performance. Their customer service is excellent from my experience, their reps have a more active presence on OCN than any other wc manufacturer and no one else has a program like thinkcell that actively takes customer ideas into consideration for new products. Not to mention they have the widest variety of blocks on the market.
 
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failwheeldrive said:
I'd avoid the Swiftech block, it doesn't perform as well as the competition, and it's not built particularly well.
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How can you say it doesn't perform as well and not built well when it's not on the market yet? He said its not out till the end of this month.
 
Nice. I went with XSPC blocks for my R9 290x's. I'm thinking of doing one more for tri-fire. I'm getting them this week but probably won't get to installing them until the coming weekend.

I added an additional XSPC RX480 radiator in order to deal with the heat. I can add an additional RX360 radiator but I think it might be a bit overkill.

I may add one more R9 290x but with my current mobo, I'm not sure it's advisable. Might have to upgrade my mobo before doing that. I want to do 4k Eyefinity and make sure I play BF4 at Max.

I had a bunch of driver issues with my SLI GTX 680's 4gb.
 
I realized I didn't supply anything constructive with my previous post. OP, looks like from your screenshot that the heatkiller blocks are on backorder. I'm sure there's other blocks available if you want more instant gratification. And 75 bucks for 2 backplates? ouch, that seems a little salty IMO for 2 pieces of flare. I know they should help keep the card straight and stuff but that still seems like a lot of money, but I'm the type of watercooler than cuts those types of asthetic corners when I can. Ultimately its your money and your choice on it.
 
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Imitation said:
How can you say it doesn't perform as well and not built well when it's not on the market yet? He said its not out till the end of this month.
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Because the Komodo blocks never perform particularly well, especially when it comes to vrm/vram temps. The block is more expensive than the competition despite being poorly designed.

http://www.xtremerigs.net/2013/10/03/nvidia-gtx780titan-water-block-roundup/

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=230772

They could turn it around for the new blocks, but I doubt it.
 
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Okay so EK is back on the table. I'll get whats available when I order between ek, xspc, and heatkiller.
What cpu block would you guys recommend. I'd like to stick to one brand for my system. EK w/ EK, XSPC w/ XSPC etc...
Also what do you make of my loop? What would you change?

First time watercooler here xD
 
Sieg said:
Okay so EK is back on the table. I'll get whats available when I order between ek, xspc, and heatkiller.
What cpu block would you guys recommend. I'd like to stick to one brand for my system. EK w/ EK, XSPC w/ XSPC etc...
Also what do you make of my loop? What would you change?

First time watercooler here xD
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Here's a review, it was cut short when he killed his card testing the XSPC block.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?288109-Stren-s-R9-290-290x-Water-Block-Testing

The aqua computer is the best of those tested with the active backplate. I'm getting similar VRM temps with my used EK nickle block after replacing the Pads with Fujipoly. My VRM's do not seem to get above 40c while mining.

If you want the best it's probably going to be the aquacomputer for now unless another manufacturer comes out with an active backplate. I'm not even sure if the active backplate is available in the US yet though.

There's a lot of EK hate on this forum (and understandably so), but I have been satisfied with my recent purchases, especially the direct die (Nakid Ivy) offering for my haswell that no one else seems to offer.

I really like my EK Pump tops for the D5 as well, I have both the integrated reservoir top and the stand alone.
 
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Sieg said:
Okay so EK is back on the table. I'll get whats available when I order between ek, xspc, and heatkiller.
What cpu block would you guys recommend. I'd like to stick to one brand for my system. EK w/ EK, XSPC w/ XSPC etc...
Also what do you make of my loop? What would you change?

First time watercooler here xD
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Both the raystorm and supremacy perform well, so it's personal preference. The Supremacy offers many different finishes and styles that the raystorm lacks, so it'd be my first choice.
 
Justintoxicated said:
Here's a review, it was cut short when he killed his card testing the XSPC block.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?288109-Stren-s-R9-290-290x-Water-Block-Testing

The aqua computer is the best of those tested with the active backplate. I'm getting similar VRM temps with my used EK nickle block after replacing the Pads with Fujipoly. My VRM's do not seem to get above 40c while mining.

If you want the best it's probably going to be the aquacomputer for now unless another manufacturer comes out with an active backplate. I'm not even sure if the active backplate is available in the US yet though.

There's a lot of EK hate on this forum (and understandably so), but I have been satisfied with my recent purchases, especially the direct die (Nakid Ivy) offering for my haswell that no one else seems to offer.

I really like my EK Pump tops for the D5 as well, I have both the integrated reservoir top and the stand alone.
Click to expand...

To be honest I don't understand all the ek hate. They had issues with nickel plating back in 2011, but most of those instances people were running kill coils or distilled water without anticorrosives. EK rectified the problem with the new EN plating, and now they're extremely reliable blocks with great aesthetics and performance. Over on OCN they're the most popular wc brand out there, and the vast majority of owners are happy with their purchases. Most of the hate I see here is from people that don't even own any of their products and haven't since they switched to en plating.
 
failwheeldrive said:
To be honest I don't understand all the ek hate. They had issues with nickel plating back in 2011, but most of those instances people were running kill coils or distilled water without anticorrosives. EK rectified the problem with the new EN plating, and now they're extremely reliable blocks with great aesthetics and performance. Over on OCN they're the most popular wc brand out there, and the vast majority of owners are happy with their purchases. Most of the hate I see here is from people that don't even own any of their products and haven't since they switched to en plating.
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I think it is because of the way they dealt with their customers, vs having the plating issue to begin with.
 
Justintoxicated said:
The aqua computer is the best of those tested with the active backplate.
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Woah! The active backplate is expensive!
Gotta talk to the gf into letting spend a little more :D

Nexillus said:
What fans do you plan on running on the those rads?
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I'll be running the stock fans. I will do push/pull if that is applicable with the 60mm thick rad on top and monsta on the bottom. I was originally was going with eloop or corsair but I'll save money this way.
 
failwheeldrive said:
It's been years so my memory is a bit hazy, but I don't remember what they did to their customers. Were they not replacing the blocks or something?
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They blamed customers for their shitty nickel plating flaking. I had to replace 4 of the 470 blocks, 3 480 blocks, and a pair of 580 blocks on my own dime because of that shit. So yea, I'm salty. The whole damn thing was a fucking fiasco.
 
Okay I decided on EK. Talked to a friend that have 2 EK blocks on his 680s for a year now and it's good. He said he would pay for a new block if something bad happen :p

This is my cart for now.
2090yrq.jpg


Anybody here mess with FrozenQ res? They look hella cool and I'm thinking about getting one but worries about it cracking.

Feel free to throw in your recommendation. You guys are a great help so far :D
 
I've had a FrozenQ res in my rig that is on 24/7 for about 2 years now with no issues. I've only heard of 1 instance of one cracking, but mine has been perfectly fine.
 
That's a lot of cash just to cool a CPU and 2 GPU's... You could likely knock about $300+ off the price of what you have and get the same performance without all the bling. Not my money though.
 
sok0 said:
That's a lot of cash just to cool a CPU and 2 GPU's... You could likely knock about $300+ off the price of what you have and get the same performance without all the bling. Not my money though.
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What would you change about it. I can do without the look for the same performance :)
 
Well you really only need a Quad 120mm or a Triple 140mm radiator to cool all that imo. And you have about $100+ in fittings when you could get by with the standard barb fittings for a lot less money. You could also save money on a pump/res combo like the mcp355 with xspc res top. And the backplates for the GPU seem pretty ridiculously priced imo. You could probably buy some little ram heatsinks for under $10 and slap em over the vrms if they actually need more cooling than just the airflow from the case.
 
Sieg said:
Okay I decided on EK. Talked to a friend that have 2 EK blocks on his 680s for a year now and it's good. He said he would pay for a new block if something bad happen :p

This is my cart for now.
2090yrq.jpg


Anybody here mess with FrozenQ res? They look hella cool and I'm thinking about getting one but worries about it cracking.

Feel free to throw in your recommendation. You guys are a great help so far :D
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I would go with Aqualis or Photon. I like my EK with integrated pump top as well, but I always like glass if It will mount up easy enough. I enjoy my stuff more when it is aesthetically pleasing, although I typically take performance over aesthetics. An extra $100-200 isn't that bad when you look at the overall cost, and these are usally components that you will keep for some time. I'm still using D5 pumps I bought 8 years ago! Adding copper heatsinks to the VRS is a bad idea because they are permanent, so the backplate would be worth the additional cost IMO.
 
I'm looking for a reservoir that have an inlet on top. I saw that the Bitspower have multiple port on the end. I though I could use that as an inlet and the other for filling without resorting to Y adapter. Sorry I'm a noob :(
 
The Bitspower res is a great choice. It looks great, and it's built and priced well. The multi-port top makes filling and bleeding your loop a breeze, and the aquatube prevents intaking coolant from splashing in the res. Great product.

If you're wanting a bit more bling and don't mind spending a few extra bucks, the BP mod kit and top are great accessories for the D5. PPC's sells a prebuilt unit that saves some cash over buying the parts separately.
 
Alright I finally put in an order for the parts. It's a little bit cheaper than I was expecting. I decided to go with AC for the 290x blocks with a passive backplate(I see no point of spending $20 for a heatpipe). I also went with XSPC to save some money over EK cpu block. Now I gotta wait for one of my 290x to come back from RMA. :)

I still have a little more to spend if I missed anything. So feel free to recommend some stuff! :p

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