Moving from AIO to custom - suggestions?

T

The Donut

2[H]4U
Joined
Jan 28, 2003
Messages
3,121
Hello everyone,

I am currently running this system:
  • i7 6700k
  • 2x 980Ti Reference Cards
Everything at the moment is being cooled by 3 separate AIO coolers and this is not only inefficient but can be quite loud.

I'd like to move to a custom loop but beyond AIO's I'm fairly clueless. Everyone has recommended EK gear but some suggest having two rads and some not.

Would anyone have the time to help me orgnaise what I might need and perhaps guide me through some of it? There are things I know I like, white tubing or water and the silver joints - my case and internal colour scheme is all white/black at the moment. I also like the hard tubing setups I have seen, though I am told they are more difficult.

Ideally I'd like to cool the CPU and both GPUs on the same system - but do so effectively.

Thank you for your time,

L
 
What is your budget?

You're looking at:
$60-70 for a CPU block
$100-150x2 for GPU blocks
$50+ for a pump
$20+ for a reservoir
$5 per fitting....which you need a minimum of 10 fittings...possibly hose clamps depending on if you use barb fittings
$30-50+ per radiator depending on size

Plus consumables like hose, thermal paste, and thermal tape, and killcoil, and ofc distilled water.
 
Not too concerned with budget, I don't want the cheapest stuff but I'd prefer not to spend thousands, too.

An example of what I quite like (not the colour):
10.JPG
 
Last edited:
Hard tube is very nice looking, but hella expensive and higher difficulty, flex tube is much easier and you can get kits (XSPC and EK) that will have everything you need to get a basic setup running. The video card is going to require time and money, so make sure you have a card you can live with for a while. That said, it's been really nice, my 7970 used to have bad coil whine and was unable to OC at all. Now it's quiet and has mild overclocks, and the CPU is running almost a Ghz overclocked 24/7 (because F' cancer ~ Folding@[H]ome).
 
I recommend Alphacool, Aquacomputer, and Watercool Heatkiller blocks for the GPUs, and Heatkiller blocks for the CPU. I cannot recommend EK due to their continuously poor business practices. XSPC and Swiftech get an iffy "eh" also due to some poor business practices, but EK takes the cake in my book.
I would highly recommend some variant of the PWM D5 pump. If you want to go all out, you can make a very nice integrated and controlled system with Aquacomputer Aquaero parts. It is very pricey though.
What is your case? This would affect the size of the radiators you can use. I'm a fan of the Black Ice Nemesis radiators, and the Alphacool XT45, UT60, and Monsta radiators are very good. When it comes to choosing radiators, I always recommend to go the path of maxing out what your case can support, with the exception of the rear exhaust fan.
A reservoir is basically up to your own personal aesthetic preferences and how much you're willing to spend. Almost all of them will do the job equally well.
You can get a fairly clean look with just regular tubing and a bunch of 90s and 45s. Just be prepared to spend at least $150 on fittings alone. Pre-planning really helps here in determining what you need and where.
Fans. I would highly recommend investing in PWM Gentle Typhoons for the 120mm size. The Blacknoise NB-eLoop B14 appear to be the best 140mm radiator fans at the moment.
 
Tsumi said:
I recommend Alphacool, Aquacomputer, and Watercool Heatkiller blocks for the GPUs, and Heatkiller blocks for the CPU. I cannot recommend EK due to their continuously poor business practices. XSPC and Swiftech get an iffy "eh" also due to some poor business practices, but EK takes the cake in my book.
I would highly recommend some variant of the PWM D5 pump. If you want to go all out, you can make a very nice integrated and controlled system with Aquacomputer Aquaero parts. It is very pricey though.
What is your case? This would affect the size of the radiators you can use. I'm a fan of the Black Ice Nemesis radiators, and the Alphacool XT45, UT60, and Monsta radiators are very good. When it comes to choosing radiators, I always recommend to go the path of maxing out what your case can support, with the exception of the rear exhaust fan.
A reservoir is basically up to your own personal aesthetic preferences and how much you're willing to spend. Almost all of them will do the job equally well.
You can get a fairly clean look with just regular tubing and a bunch of 90s and 45s. Just be prepared to spend at least $150 on fittings alone. Pre-planning really helps here in determining what you need and where.
Fans. I would highly recommend investing in PWM Gentle Typhoons for the 120mm size. The Blacknoise NB-eLoop B14 appear to be the best 140mm radiator fans at the moment.
Click to expand...

The case I am using at the moment is an NZXT H440 in white.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top