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Help me building a liquid cooling system

Z

zmhaha

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
1,244
Hi every1,
I am about to upgrade my rig to a liquid cooled. Since this is my first time building one, there are a lot of stuff i do not know or sure about.
Here is my current system spec:
Cosmos 1000
i7 920 D0 @ 4.0 1.22vcore with HT on, 48-50C idle, 58-61C loaded, on air.
( The AC vent is on the floor in my room, in the corner, so I put the case right on it. The 920 at 4.0 runs 28-32C idle. 40-43C on load, LOL.)
rampage 2 extreme, i7
2x GTX285 vanila (will be cooled with koolance full coverage blocks)
cooler master real power pro 750w
4x Noctua NF-P12 120mm fans. 54CMF (1300RPM)

I will be liquid cooling the cpu and vid cards.
I have bought all the water blocks for them. (swiftech apogee GTZ i7, Koolance GTX285 block)

My question:
1. Will a MCP355(DDC3.2) w/ XSPC reservoir top + Thermochill PA120.3 + 1/2'' ID tubing handle this setup, namely an OCed i7 920, 2xGTX285. If no, which one might be the bottleneck? the pump or the rad. If yes, can I add an NB/SB block into the loop? That makes the system 4 blocks, which is highly restrictive. ( My case is a cosmos 1000, the biggest rad i can put inside is a 3x120mm on the roof. And the case's top is not flat, so i cant really put another rad on it, plus its gonna ruin the looking)

2. Will my PSU enough for this whole system? (cooler master real power pro 750w continous, 900w peak. 76A on the 12v rail) How much watts does a WC system usually need? The MCP355 is about 18w. is that it?

3. Can I fill car coolant into the WC system??

Thank you for everyone for answering


Updates:
I have mount the PA120.3 on the inside roof. But it really does not fit well. Only 4 screw holes on the rad match the case, which is only 1/3 of the rad. But it seems steady.
The PA120.3 is too thick. After adding the fans, its already touching part of the mobo but seems to be fine.
 
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Well the only thing I can tell you for sure is that if you plan on cooling both vid cards and the CPU then your going to need more than a 2x120 radiator, it's going to take at least a 3x120 to handle that much heat.
 
oh man, I am using a cosmos 1000. there is no way to mount the rad inside the case unless i cut another 120mm hole on the top.
the GTX285s are evga vanila. You sure it wont be enough?
 
Ok. I guess I will just have to use a 3x120mm rad. A swiftech MCR320 or thermochill PA120.3.
Now, biggest question is that will 1 loop be enough???? If I have to do 2 loops, I rather quit.
 
So, your running 3xGTX285 on a loop with a swiftech MCR320. Will a 920 D0 at 4.0 be a equavilent to a GTX285 cos i will be running 2xGTX285 and the 920. If yes, I can just get a really good 3x120mm rad instead of having 2 loops.
 
I'd be interested to see how you mount/plumb that. Post pics if you do it.
 
yea. i think it will be too thick and part of the mobo will be covered if i mount it inside top.
 
zmhaha said:
What about I stack 2x240mm rad together and with 2 fans?
Click to expand...

Stacking radiators generally isn't a great idea. The Swiftech stacking system works, because if I understand them correctly, both radiators share input and output ports, so the stacked config behaves like one large radiator.

Stacking independent radiators, however, would require having hot liquid travel through one radiator, and then travelling through another radiator, but here's the catch, they're sharing the same air, so the air was already warmed up by the first heat exchange. That's why I see alot of the watercooling gurus, put separate radiators in separate areas of their PCs to give each radiator fresh air.

Stacked vs. Double thickness radiators = Huge difference.

I went with a double thickness radiator, the XSPC RX360. It was cheap and got good reviews. There's alot of good feedback as well as bad on this radiator. I just completed my leak testing and few rinse/cleaning cycles on my loop, so no temp results yet. Currently this rad is cooling the CPU only, but I went larger, so I can add things to the loop later.

With regards to quality of the XSPC rad, I've seen better... Thicker tubing (although it's a bitch to work with) can make a difference too, if you can get your water to cycle faster, your radiator and blocks can remove heat faster too.
 
Stacking radiators generally isn't a great idea.
Click to expand...

From personal experience - I'm going to have to disagree with that... Idle temps 6c over ambient with dual triple XSPC rads in stacked parallel.
 
Flexion said:
Stacking radiators generally isn't a great idea. The Swiftech stacking system works, because if I understand them correctly, both radiators share input and output ports, so the stacked config behaves like one large radiator.

Stacking independent radiators, however, would require having hot liquid travel through one radiator, and then travelling through another radiator, but here's the catch, they're sharing the same air, so the air was already warmed up by the first heat exchange. That's why I see alot of the watercooling gurus, put separate radiators in separate areas of their PCs to give each radiator fresh air.

Stacked vs. Double thickness radiators = Huge difference.

I went with a double thickness radiator, the XSPC RX360. It was cheap and got good reviews. There's alot of good feedback as well as bad on this radiator. I just completed my leak testing and few rinse/cleaning cycles on my loop, so no temp results yet. Currently this rad is cooling the CPU only, but I went larger, so I can add things to the loop later.

With regards to quality of the XSPC rad, I've seen better... Thicker tubing (although it's a bitch to work with) can make a difference too, if you can get your water to cycle faster, your radiator and blocks can remove heat faster too.
Click to expand...


I don't think its true that there is a huge difference in the temperature between the water coming into radiator and the water going out. I would be surprised if it was more than a degree or two. I agree that the air coming out of the first radiator would be very warm.
 
If I put 2 rad in a single loop, meaning only 1 pump, 1 res. Whats a good pump to do that? Will a MCP655 be sufficient?
 
Arcygenical said:
From personal experience - I'm going to have to disagree with that... Idle temps 6c over ambient with dual triple XSPC rads in stacked parallel.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but you can't deny that to get optimum performance it is best to separate those two radiators and draw fresh air into both. That's my point, if I wasn't clear. You're still blowing warmed air from the first radiator into the second.
 
Oh man... if you were limited to just 1 radiator, and you wanted to watercool SLI gtx285 + OC'ed i7, then I wish you would have just stayed with aircooling to be honest.

You could get by if you use high RPM fans on the radiator, but that's really the only solution.

If you're willing to use 2 triple radiators, or a double and a triple, then that would be ideal.

Look at the PrimoChill Typhoon 3 threads in this section for ideas on the pump / reservoir combo. That is the current best (and most cost-effective) method to split a setup into 2 loops using a single pump and reservoir.

"Skinnee" has posted his review here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1437509

You could also consider aircooling your i7 (since it's already running 4.0 @ 1.23v) and running your GPUs in a water loop. 1 radiator will handle that fine.

I made a post that might be useful to you here: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034379066&postcount=9 - lookup radiator performance, fans, etc... however I'd just look at Skinnee's review for info on the primochill typhoon 3.
 
The larggest rad i can put inside of the case is a triple 120mm. if i have to use another one, it will be hanging the back of the case, which is not pretty.
If I do go with 2 rad, can a single MCP655 handle a loop that long??
 
Yes, a 655 can probably handle that pretty well, but make sure you use 1/2" ID tube or 3/8" at the very least. Every time you add a new component (block/rad/elbow/etc.) you add resistance to the flow in your loop.
 
I'm copy/pasting this retraction of mine:

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=...4&postcount=47 - I'm retracting my recommendation for the Typhoon 3 due to manufacturing quality and defects, some other small issues, and possible pump-life issues (in a setup such as yours). If you add more components to your loop then the pump itself would be fine.
That is from this thread: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1437509

I can still recommend the DDC 3.2 + EK rev2 top (there are other comparable tops) because I have personal experience with that, and it is manufactured well. The performance will be very similar anyway.
-----------------------------------
The mcp 655 should be able to handle your loop. It would handle it better with an aftermarket pump top.

The DDC 3.2 + aftermarket pump top is a little more powerful, but it's usually slightly louder and doesn't have the variable setting.
 
You may be able to put two more 120.1 rads in that Cooler Master 1000. And that Laing D5 (aka MCP655) will have no trouble handle multiple rads and blocks.
 
man, there is really no more room to mount another rad, even a single 120mm. unless i cut some the metal plates
 
Please check out the list below, by nalfjhy of OCN (overclock.net),
IMO, it answers just about any question you have about component suitability (price and which pump goes with which rad, tube, rez, etc :D)

Originally Posted by nafljhy View Post
Here is my list as a reference:


CPU: (Note 7)

* Apogee GTZ $61.95
* D-tek fuzion v2 $59.95
* HeatKiller LT 775/1366 $59.95 (Note 8)
* XSPC Delta V3 $44.95


Rad:
360

* Med/High CFM Fans (Loud):
o BI GTX 360 $99.95
* Low/Med CFM Fans (Quiet):
o XSPC RX360 $94.95
o Swiftech 320 $49.95 (Note 2)

240 (Note 1)

* Med/High CFM Fans (Loud):
o BI GTX 240 $89.95
* Low/Med CFM Fans (Quiet):
o XSPC RX240 $71.95
o Swiftech 220 $37.95


Pump (Note 4) + Res: (Note 3)
Option 1:

* MCP-655 $74.95
* Microres v2 $22.95

Option 2:

* MCP-355 $65.95
* XSPC Res-Top $39.95


Tubing:

* 7/16"ID Durelene $0.45/ft


Fans: (Note 6)
Med/High (Loud)

* 114CFM Scythe $8.95/each

Low/Med (Quiet)

* 88CFM Yate Loons $3.30/each (Pricing for 3-9 fans)


Barbs:

* DD/BP 1/2" Fatboys $2.50/each


Coolant:

* Distilled water from local supermarket. (Price will vary on your store)


Misc:

* PT-Nuke $2.50



Reference 360 Setup: (All totals have 15ft of tubing, 8 barbs, and 3x fans.)
Med/High CFM (Loud)

* Option 1 - GTX360+pumpres1+Scythes= $313.90
* Option 2 - GTX360+pumpres2+Scythes= $321.90

Low/Med CFM (Quiet)

* Option 3 - RX360 +pumpres1+Y-L= $291.95
* Option 4 - RX360 +pumpres2+Y-L= $299.95

If you are lacking in space, Options 2 and 4 would be best. If you want silence w/o a fan controller, Option 3 and 4 are for you (1 and 2 if you have fan controller). If you have extra space and want a separate res then Options 1 and 3.


Cheapest CPU Only Option:
CPU*: XSPC Delta V3 - $44.95
Pump*: DD Db-1 - $42.95
Rad*: Swiftech 220 Rad - $37.95 - Choose your barbs here. (It will save you $1)
Barbs: 2x Fatboys - Select BP G1/4 1/2" Fittings - $4
T-block*: ½” Nylon T -$1.35
Tubing: 10ft durelene - $4.50
Fans: 3x Yate Loons - $9.90
Misc: PT-Nuke $2.50

Total: $149.10



NOTES:

1. If this is for CPU loop only and you have no plans on expanding to GPUs then I would recommend a 240 rad instead.
2. If you want a 360 rad but you are on a really tight budget then this rad is for you. For fans, I would use the Yate Loons mentioned before.
3. If you are on a really tight budget, cut out the reservoirs and use a T-line. You'll have to buy a T-fitting in its place though. I would recommend the...
* 1/2” Nylon T $1.35
4. If the D5 or DDC3.2 is too expensive, then a cheaper alternative would be:
* DangerDen Db-1 $43.95
5. You may or may not want to add GPUs to your loop down the road so here are some GPU only block recommendations(If you want fullcover blocks, they are much more expensive and much more specialized.):
* D-Tek Fuzion GFX v2 $46.95
* Swiftech MCW-60 Rev.2 $40.95
6. If you have a fan controller, then any of the above options are good.
7. If you are going for i7, then you'll need 1366 adapters:
* D-tek Fuzion 1366 $13.95
* Apogee GTZ 1366 $8.95
8. If you do go with the HeatKiller, it would be best to get a backplate:
* 775 Backplate $7.70
* 1366 Backplate $7.70

:)

Good luck and keep em' sloshin' (of course only in the loop :rolleyes:)
 
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Just some quick advice for the OP and those interested. I was testing a setup in an open case for about 5 weeks. Unfortunately I've got lots of sunlight, so with the sunlight shining on my system I started noticing my water was getting cloudy, (I was using 10% Hydrix), so I bought some 16GA .999 silver wire and basically made a grille like weave to put in my EK res. After 2 days of the silver being in my loop I can see it get clearer and clearer.

I originally wanted to use iodine or PT nuke, but wanted to try silver and so far so good!
 
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