First Water Cooling Build, advice needed!

[sullamander]

Hi everyone,

I just joined the forum and I am excited to get some expert advice on my first WC build! While my temps aren't too bad right now, I have something like 11 fans running in my Antex 1200 and that thing is loud. So, I have decided to take the leap into water cooling. The specs on my current rig are:

CPU: Core i7 920 at 4.0ghz
MOBO: Asus P6T
Ram: Patriot Viper 1600mhz DDR3 3x2GB
GPU: EVGA GTX295 Co-Op edition, Quad SLI
PSU: Zalman 1000w modular PSU (SLI ready)
HDD: 3x Seagate 1TB 7200RPM
SSD: Zalman N Series 64GB
Case: Antec 1200

And now a list of parts I am looking at for my loop:

CPU Block: EK Supreme HF Full Copper Edition (http:///8xf2twm)
GPU Blocks: EK-FC295 GTX Single PCB (Already acquired) (http:///7k23fgd)
Radiator: Coolgate Quad 140mm Ultimate Heat Exchanger Radiator (CG560) (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...nger_Radiator_CG560.html?tl=g30c95s1148#blank)
Pump: MCP 650 or 655. (Need suggestions)
Res: ? Any suggestions?
Fans: Akasa 140mm x 25mm Viper PWM Fan (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...ynamic_Bearings_AK-FN063.html?tl=g36c365s1507)

Right now I am thinking about building an external enclosure for the rad because I don't really feel like modding the crap out of my current case. I'm also planning a single loop, as I don't anticipate temps being hot enough to justify a dual with such a massive radiator.

Do you think that a 560 rad is overkill for the parts I am cooling? Should I run this in a single or dual loop? If I go for a dual loop, is it possible to run this with just one pump? or would I have to get two? Does anyone have a similar build that can give me some pointers?

Any suggestions, questions, or comments are very welcome. I will try to post some pictures of my rig and any new components I get as this project progresses, as well as some CPUID shots and info on resting and load temps. Thank you all in advance for your feedback!

 

[Wingless92]

Links are all broken

 

[semiconductorslave]

I don't think that radiator is overkill at all, better to have more radiator, you can always turn the fans down

I do think the dual loop would be overkill, the water in the loop will still be able to cool the CPU adequately and will not ruin your OC.

 

[|-Goku-|]

Looks good so far. If you are going for a quiet setup, I would suggest a radiator along the lines of an RX360, or MCR320-QP, as they work very well with fans at low RPM's.

Also, I personally would go with the MCP-655 Variable speed pump, set it at 3 for now, and if you decide to add anything else to the loop, IE; another radiator, chipset/Mobo waterblock, you can turn the speed of the pump to 4.

Good luck

 

[sullamander]

Thanks for the feedback guys. So here's a status report and a new set of questions:

I have gotten an old Mac G5 watercooling unit that has 2 DDC pumps attached. After I swap out the PCBs i'm going to daisy chain them together with a 2x XSPC top, so the pump issue is resolved. I've been taking photos of the process and I plan on posting a build log somewhere sometime.

My main question is about the radiator. Now I am considering a 3x180 magicool radiator http:///bp5tkjt as I think that might be the best bang for the buck at only $110. Then maybe I can build an enclosure that I can put in the window and really drop the temps down from ambient.

Anyone else have rads in the 180mm-200mm range on an i7 and quad sli?

 

[Tsumi]

This would be the guy to ask. Not quite quad-SLI, but the heat output of two 6950s isn't that much less than 2 295s.