First time wc setup need help and suggestions.

[chef7734]

I am not new to computers by any means but I am new to water cooling. I could use some help in this setup. Here are my specs.

corsair 800d case
asus rampage 3 extreme
core i7 950- eventually a 980x
3 4gb patriot ddr3 1600
2 xfx 6970's will be 3 eventually
2tb wd black, 1tb black
corsair 1200 watt psu
lite on blue ray burner

I am looking on frozencpu to configure parts for the system. I am wondering if I can get away with one closed loop going through one 360 rad and one 140 rad. I think I will go with 3/8 id tubing and not sure about the rads. Looking at black ice. I also dont know aobut the res. Should i go with a bay res or a cylinder?How about pump? Here is what I have so far.

Part # Product Description Qty Price Total
ex-blc-772

EK ASUS Rampage III Extreme Full Board Cooling Block Kit - Nickel (EK-FB RE3 - Nickel) Hot Item!

Select G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 3/8 x 1/2 Compression Fittings ($13.98)
$153.97 $153.97
ex-blc-861

EK Radeon HD 6970 VGA Liquid Cooling Block - Nickel (EK-FC6970-Nickel)

Select G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 3/8 x 1/2 Compression Fittings ($13.98)
Select an Optional Backplate!: EK-FC6970 Backplate - Black) ($27.95)
$148.88 $297.76
ex-tub-448

Feser Crossfire / SLI Multi Spacing Fittings $12.95 $12.95
ex-blc-719

EK Supreme HF Universal CPU Liquid Cooling Block - Rev 2 - Nickel (Sockets 775 / 1156 / 1366 / 939 / 940 / 754 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3)

Select G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 3/8 x 1/2 Compression Fittings ($13.98)
$93.93 $93.93
ex-rad-156

Black Ice GT Xtreme 140 Radiator - Black

Select G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 3/8 x 1/2 Compression Fittings-Black ($17.90)
$97.85 $97.85
ex-rad-109

Black Ice GTX Xtreme 360 Radiator - Black

Select G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 3/8 x 1/2 Compression Fittings-Black ($17.90)
$132.89 $132.89

 

[aphasia]

i'm confused, you want 1 loop with 2 rads (360 & 140) or 2 loops with 1 rad on each.
if it's 1 loop (with 2 rads) why not 2 x240's or 2x360's in parallel.

3/8ID may be a little restrictive. 7/16ID on 1/2 fittings (just as easy to manage tube wise as 3/8) or 1/2ID on 1/2 fittings.

res not sure it makes a big deal. buy whatever fits in your case the easiest. personally i have a double 5 1/4 bay res in mine. served me well for years.

pump is fairly easy, swiftech MCP655/Laing D5 (same pump rebadged, purchase whatever is cheaper). generally considered the best WC pump for flow rate & head.

rad wise i'd go with a thick low FPI (Fins Per Inch) rads with low rpm fans for quite operation. if performace is the game, chose high FPI with high rpm fans. course this will be very loud. shouldn't really mix high FPI rads with low rpm fans. not enough static pressure to cool dense fin structure.

as long as you aren't mixing metals from block/rads/fittings (Al & Cu). i believe copper and nickel is ok.

 

[chef7734]

i'm confused, you want 1 loop with 2 rads (360 & 140) or 2 loops with 1 rad on each.
if it's 1 loop (with 2 rads) why not 2 x240's or 2x360's in parallel.

3/8ID may be a little restrictive. 7/16ID on 1/2 fittings (just as easy to manage tube wise as 3/8) or 1/2ID on 1/2 fittings.

res not sure it makes a big deal. buy whatever fits in your case the easiest. personally i have a double 5 1/4 bay res in mine. served me well for years.

pump is fairly easy, swiftech MCP655/Laing D5 (same pump rebadged, purchase whatever is cheaper). generally considered the best WC pump for flow rate & head.

rad wise i'd go with a thick low FPI (Fins Per Inch) rads with low rpm fans for quite operation. if performace is the game, chose high FPI with high rpm fans. course this will be very loud. shouldn't really mix high FPI rads with low rpm fans. not enough static pressure to cool dense fin structure.

as long as you aren't mixing metals from block/rads/fittings (Al & Cu). i believe copper and nickel is ok.

I am now thinking of running 1 360 rad and 2 120 rads or 1 120 and 1 140 all on one loop. Reason for this is i dont want to mod the case. I can put a 140 on the back fan and a 120 on the bottom fan and a 3x120 on top. This should be able to cool all the items in the loop.

So you think 1/16" id really makes that much difference?

 

[aphasia]

chef7734;
So you think 1/16" id really makes that much difference?

it won't make a huge difference no. however if you're using a lot of water blocks (cpu, chipset, video) on top of 2 or more rads, it's better to use tubing larger than 3/8ID. if the price difference between 3/8ID and larger tubing is not much, why not use larger tubing.

the reason i went with 1/2ID in my loop over 3/8 in my old loop was hose kinking. 1/2 is fairly difficult to kink. the drawback is that its more difficult to bend and can place strain on your blocks that are close together with short hose lengths. 7/16 on 1/2 barbs alleviates much of the issues of 1/2ID tubing while retaining the performance.

having said that you can probably get thicker OD walls on your 3/8ID hose now (rather than use those stupid plastic springs that wrap around the hose preventing kinking).

if aesthetics matter, thicker 1/2 tubing looks better than 3/8 imho.

would suggest you fit a 'T' fitting at bottom of loop for draining though. its a pain in the arse having to tip the case this way and that to change fluid or change / add blocks to loop.

 

[War Zone]

imho anything with acrylic top WaterBlock = garbage .

Just give it some time and it will crack.mine has like for 6 cracks in it .
Fixed it with hot glue

Acrylic anything for water-cooling is the worse idea of all time and is only done because
"A" wow i can see green stuff moving around.
"B" its dirt cheap

Really the only way to go is all copper

Other dirt cheap item on the list is vinyl tubing .
Vinyl Tubing 3/8" Dia x 100 ft $19.95
Meaning 0.20c foot and if you buy in bulk from china guess how much it will cost you then.
Theirs a feu cases of that cracking or spiting down the middle given time and its used a lot because
"A" wow i can see green stuff moving around.
"B" its dirt cheap

If you want the good stuff try something like this

Industrial high presser Fuel Line

Well that's my 2 cents worth
Ps if you junk leaks your computer dies and water cooling owns air cooling so bad once you use it you can never go back

 

[theseeker]

You should check out http://skinneelabs.com/ for block and rad reviews. I typically only use EK for my VC's and MB but I went with Koolance this time over the EK for the MB. The Koolance outperforms it a little and it has a higher flow rate. You might also look at Aqua Kyros for the CPU. There is a review for all of these on Skinnies site.
HTH