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Help me build a CPU loop,WC n00b here

S

StewieTheGreat

Gawd
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
Messages
571
First of all I have never done any sort of water cooling,but I would really like to give it a try.

I had thought about going with the H series of coolers from corsair,but I want something better than high end air/AIO water.I don't really have a set budget,but cheaper is better as long as quality is not sacrificed.

So I have been doing some looking around trying to come up with a decent loop for my CPU (specs in sig),right now I am at 3.9ghz and maxing out at around 58C with my current air cooler.

So far I have come up with a block and rad.

Raystorm block
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsracpuwaaso.html

EX240 rad
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsexdu12ra.html

And this is the pump/res that I was looking at,since I am only going to be running a CPU loop,I was thinking this may work,but was looking for some input about it or maybe a different one that's not too overkill.

x20-450
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsx2puwiacre.html


Additionally,I would like some thought about other set ups if this one is lacking or if there are better options out there,like I said,I have no water cooling experience.I have not gotten into looking at tubing sizes and types/fittings,but I figured I might as well get some input on the core components before going any farther.
 
Based on the choices you have chosen, and the fact that you use the same case I do, which has a 360mm rad support, I would rethink things..I know you mentioned cooling the cpu only for now, but I would recommend stepping up to the XSPC Rasa 750 kit...It has a larger pump and res combo, a better cpu block, and as mentioned, an excellent 360mm rad...The price is $25-$30 more then what you listed, and I think it is the best deal for the money.. You will have the option of adding a gpu into the loop later, with little hassle, should you choose...Based on my own experience with a 1055T and water, I would expect to see 4.1-4.2Ghz, with much lower temps, assuming you don't have a dud of a cpu..
 
ccityinstaller said:
Based on the choices you have chosen, and the fact that you use the same case I do, which has a 360mm rad support, I would rethink things..I know you mentioned cooling the cpu only for now, but I would recommend stepping up to the XSPC Rasa 750 kit...It has a larger pump and res combo, a better cpu block, and as mentioned, an excellent 360mm rad...The price is $25-$30 more then what you listed, and I think it is the best deal for the money.. You will have the option of adding a gpu into the loop later, with little hassle, should you choose...Based on my own experience with a 1055T and water, I would expect to see 4.1-4.2Ghz, with much lower temps, assuming you don't have a dud of a cpu..
Click to expand...
Yeah, I would definitely look at a 3x120mm radiator. I am currently in the process of receiving my first WC parts and exercised the option of getting a 2x120mm but decided to pay a tad more for a 3x120mm rad. Same HAF932 as well.

I'm not sure if the AMD Raystorm outperforms the Rasa's block but from everything I've read, the Intel Raystorm is a step or two above the Rasa block. It seems that pump is spec wise very similar to the MCP355.

Personally, I was in the mindset of getting a kit (ie: Swiftech H20-320 Edge HD or XSPC Raystorm/Rasa 360) but figured I should check out the prices of the components themselves. I spent a few dollars more but I thought why not as it'll be more fun to get each part separately and do even more reading on the topic before making any decisions. Definitely research as much as possible as this can get pretty expensive. I ordered most of my parts from Jab-Tech (5% off with coupon code "facebook") and some from Performance-PCs as they provided the best prices when I was comparison shopping.

Also, before you make a decision on components, think about where you are going to place each object (ie: pump on bottom; res near drive bays; radiator up top; etc). Drawing a diagram helps tremendously. One thing I gathered from reading is, stay away from additives other than PT Nuke or a silver coil with distilled water only.

I know I don't have much experience with water cooling outside of what I've read at http://skinneelabs.com/ and http://martinsliquidlab.org/ along with various forums but I hope this helps. Sadly, it looks like Martin is no longer going to review hardware, the information on the site is pricelss.
 
Oh dear lord, do not get any of the x20 pumps from XSPC. They are complete garbage with very high failure rates. Spend an extra $20 or whatever the difference is and get a D5 or DDC variant (Swiftech MCP655 or MCP355/MCP35X, respectively). Yes the Raystorm is better than the Rasa; in fact it is hands down the best block for the money. XSPC actually sells some nice kits with the Raystorm block and D5 pump. Just know that if you get a pump/bay res combo that you likely cannot silence the pump as well as you could if it were separate. Here are the kits:

EX240 http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsrad5exwaki.html
EX360 http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsrad5exwaki1.html

Do you have a max budget in mind? Cost is usually the limiting factor for water cooling systems!
 
Cruiza said:
Oh dear lord, do not get any of the x20 pumps from XSPC. They are complete garbage with very high failure rates. Spend an extra $20 or whatever the difference is and get a D5 or DDC variant (Swiftech MCP655 or MCP355/MCP35X, respectively). Yes the Raystorm is better than the Rasa; in fact it is hands down the best block for the money. XSPC actually sells some nice kits with the Raystorm block and D5 pump. Just know that if you get a pump/bay res combo that you likely cannot silence the pump as well as you could if it were separate. Here are the kits:

EX240 http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsrad5exwaki.html
EX360 http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsrad5exwaki1.html

Do you have a max budget in mind? Cost is usually the limiting factor for water cooling systems!
Click to expand...

All of this.
 
Excellent Information,this is exactly what I was looking for,I think ill be going for the one of the combos from sidewinder,mainly because this is my first time and I don't want to goof up.

As for budget,I was thinking around $200-$250,that is not set in stone either,obviously lower is better if quality doesn't suffer but I would probably go a bit higher if quality and performance warrant it.
 
Those kits are right around your upper budget then. If you're just going to cool your CPU and never plan on adding a GPU block, you could get the EX240 and save $20. The EX360 would just allow for future expansion and/or lower RPM rans.
 
as far as temps go, tubing size doesn't really matter. but when you're talking about being able to bend the tubing at specific angles, the thicker tubing is harder to work with (1/2" tubing can be pretty hard to bend in short lengths without kinks)
 
just stick with the 7/16, it's well more then big enough to keep restrictions down and this coming from someone with a pretty advanced 1/2" loop.
 
Thanks,guys,you've all been great,still got some reading and planning to do,but I sincerely appreciate the your feedback!
 
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