Looking at watercooling (first time WC build)

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refraxion

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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mainly gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Around $500 CAD
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Canada
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Looking to cool my Titans in SLI as well as CPU and Mobo and whatever else I can fit in my budget.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will be using everything I have in my sig "Main Rig"
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, I have full intentions of doing so.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
2560x1440, though I'm not sure how relevant that is, haha.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I already have a built PC, just wan't to get into the WC business for cooler operation.


Any help would be much appreciated guys! I am really new and green to Water cooling but I want to get into it, 80c cards is not what I'm looking for.. what is the absolute best cooling solution I can get for a Coolermaster Cosmos Ultra II Case for roughly 500 CAD?

Thanks! :)
 
Well, I can tell you that if you are planning on cooling SLI Titans, MB, and CPU then most people will suggest running two separate loops. That is a lot of heat for one loop and typically the shorter the loop the better.

After looking at other water cooled Cosmos cases it looks like its going to be a tougher build. That case just doesnt seem all that watercooling friendly to me. I would start with a 360 (3x120mm) radiator of the top for the CPU alone, and maybe a couple of 240s (2x120mm) in the bottom of the case for everything else. Problem is your budget will disappear quickly.

If is was me I would do two loops and start with your gfx cards first if that is what you are more concerned with. Then save up some more cash and do the CPU loop later. WCing is a strange beast once you start you wont want to stop.

There are tons of build logs using that case so research and find something that looks achievable to you.
 
It looks like you could fit a slim 360mm rad at the top and a 240mm rad in the bottom. It should be more than enough for your loop.

I'm not too sure on water cooling shops in canada. I know that Dazmode is pretty popular but most of their parts look a little pricey. There is also NCIX but their selection is pretty limited.

He doesn't need two loops. I don't really see the point of two loops personally. I'm not so sure that he's going to be able to get the mobo cooled in budget. Thats another thing that I don't see much point in.
 
This might be true, but there will be a lot of people that suggest it. I have never ran two loops myself, but I have always had more room for radiators. That just seems like lot of blocks for one pump/loop/ with only a 360 and a 240 rad. I tend to over build though so I am not disappointed with the results.

This stuff gets expensive fast, that we can all agree on.
 
Even if you do have two pumps why not just run them in series? It would be the most efficient use of radiator space imo. In most games the gpus are going to be going full bore unlike the cpu and mobo. Why not put the rads meant for those loops to good use? Then there is the benefit of redundancy from having two pumps. What happens if the pump on your gpu loop fails with two separate loops?

I can say for sure that without chipset blocks he'll be more than good with a single pump. I ran three full cover 7950 blocks and a cpu block with two large rads on a single mcp355.
 
Single loop is fine, no need for dual loop. As long as flow rates are kept high enough, there is no practical difference between a dual-loop setup and a single loop setup.
 
I was never afraid of running a big loop. Its funny that everyone always suggested splitting my loop so I guess I just bought into the hype.

This is my old setup as one loop and it did fine even with stacked rads and under powered fans.




Sorry, didnt mean to hijack and get off topic.

So for the OP's sake, running one loop would definitely be cheaper, but I still dont know if it will happen for 500CAD.
 
Thanks for the input guys. Here's another question. If I am fine with my CPU temps as it stands right now, what would I need to just cool my titans? Or is that not a good idea at all?
 
Thats up to you. I was considering the same thing but watercooling the cpu really only cost me an extra $60 so why not?

I've always heard that if you do have the gpus on a separate loop its a good idea to set up a warning if the pump fails. Not that it happens often but you've got 2 grand worth of cards in that loop, its worth considering.
 
Tsumi said:
Single loop is fine, no need for dual loop. As long as flow rates are kept high enough, there is no practical difference between a dual-loop setup and a single loop setup.
Click to expand...

I agree with this as well that single loop is better. But there actually is practical differences in single vs dual as Gabe explains in this thread. The pics are borked but the text gives you most of the details. http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?254683-Dual-Loop-versus-Single-the-facts&highlight=dual+loop+vs+single

I do think alot of people suggest dual loops but haven't seen that post. I don't think they're worth the effort or extra expense. Maybe if it was a no budget build i'd go bad shit crazy with 2 loops but most people can't do that.

I don't know the US to CAD conversion and what prices are there, but if noise is a concern i'd try to cool the gpu's first, then add the cpu later. taking those high speed fans out will quiet your machine a great deal.
 
How much rad you'll need will depend on how much fan noise you can tolerate. My 480 GTX's are pretty irrelevant nowadays, except when it comes to power consumption and heat, where they remain industry leaders. 2 titans should be fine on a 360, with some decent fans.

Same should be true for a 240 and your CPU. Motherboard stuff may be a bit ambitious for your budget.

Dazmode is pretty much the only place in Canada that specializes in watercooling. NCIX carries some stuff, swiftech makes good stuff for the price I think. If your going for higher RPM fans (1800rpm or thereabouts) the swiftech XP series rads are a good affordable choice, and are pretty slim for ease of install.

So; 65 for a 320xp, 55 for a 220xp. 70 bucks for pump. 40 bucks for a res (pump mounted or bay). 60 bucks for a CPU block. 30 bucks in fittings, clamps. 20 for 1/2 tube. You'll need between 5 and 10 fans, at 10 to 20 bucks a piece. Lets say 10 at 10, and 50 for a good fan controller. That puts us at an even 500, no gpu blocks yet. GPU blocks for Titan are around 120 each. Universal blocks like the mcw82 are 50 bucks each. So my guess is around 600 to 800 to do this, before tax, depending on the type of blocks and fans you choose.

Good luck!

Oh and don't forget some water additive, like Dazmode Protector.

(also the usd and cad are almost on par again)
 
You can cool those two titans and a cpu on one loop with no problem.

I think you'll need more money than 500 dollars, just because the GPU blocks alone are going to cost 125-150 each if you want something good.
CPU block around 100.
Two radiators and fans 150 guesstimate
pump and reservoir 130-150 (mcp655)

then tubes and connectors.

I have two 7970s and my 3930K running on one loop.
GPUs never see 40C nor does the CPU and it's clocked as high as the MB will take it.

I use an MCP 655, two Heatkiller GPU blocks and a Heatkiller 3.0 CPU block. Two radiators, one 120x3 and one 120x2 housed in a Corsair 800D.

You can put all that stuff in a Cosmos, easily.:D
My advice, order your stuff from Sidewindercomputers.com.................he ships to Canada..and he has the best prices anywhere, period.
 
That sounds like a nice setup and the fact his temps are proven makes it better. I am still using a hot i7 930@4ghz so it is a bit more toasty than the newer chips. I would save up a bit more cash and follow the advice of Magoo. I have used Sidewinder a lot and never had any problems either.
 
So some prices off Sidewinder:

Heatkiller Titan Blocks + backplates: 148 each (the kit comes with all thermal pads pre-cut)
Heatkiller Nickle 3.0 CPU block: 80

MCP 655 variable speed pump:79
XSPC pump front + reservoir:46 or Bitspower pumpfront 50........with a pump front you can use any G1/4 fitting you want. With the stock front, you cant. Honestly the XSPC front + Reservoir is awesome, no need to buy an extra reservoir. I wouldn't use a bay reservoir unless they were the only ones left on earth. Hard to fill and clean, hard to bleed......just my experience speaking. If I had to buy a separate reservoir, I'd use a Swiftech MicroRes, version 2.0

Radiators: XSPC EX versions......thin and efficient......2x120:46, 3x 120: 56

Now you will need tube, connectors, and fans. Sidewinder sells nice Sythe Slipstreams for 8 bucks each, buy the "M" for medium. Barbs are cheap, compressions are expensive. Tube diameter is choice. You DO NOT need water additive. Just run distilled water and use one silver KillCoil. I have a loop going on 12 months with no evidence of contamination using a coil. I generally clean my systems about every 12-18 months unless I upgrade.
You can see, the GPU blocks are the expensive part.;)
 
Last edited:
magoo said:
So some prices off Sidewinder:

Heatkiller Titan Blocks + backplates: 148 each (the kit comes with all thermal pads pre-cut)
Heatkiller Nickle 3.0 CPU block: 80

MCP 655 variable speed pump:79
XSPC pump front + reservoir:46 or Bitspower pumpfront 50........with a pump front you can use any G1/4 fitting you want. With the stock front, you cant. Honestly the XSPC front + Reservoir is awesome, no need to buy an extra reservoir. I wouldn't use a bay reservoir unless they were the only ones left on earth. Hard to fill and clean, hard to bleed......just my experience speaking. If I had to buy a separate reservoir, I'd use a Swiftech MicroRes, version 2.0

Radiators: XSPC EX versions......thin and efficient......2x120:46, 3x 120: 56

Now you will need tube, connectors, and fans. Sidewinder sells nice Sythe Slipstreams for 8 bucks each, buy the "M" for medium. Barbs are cheap, compressions are expensive. Tube diameter is choice. You DO NOT need water additive. Just run distilled water and use one silver KillCoil. I have a loop going on 12 months with no evidence of contamination using a coil. I generally clean my systems about every 12-18 months unless I upgrade.
You can see, the GPU blocks are the expensive part.;)
Click to expand...

One other thing is that you can reuse most of the parts from build to build. So up front its a ton of money, but the pumps generally last a long time, rads never really fail either. there's a chance your cpu block's life can be extended to a new socket if they release a new bracket for it if for instance it doesn't fit the new haswell socket 1150 later this year.

Only thing that is build specific and not reusable if you change gpu's are those gpu blocks which also are the majority of your cost sadly :(
 
Imitation said:
One other thing is that you can reuse most of the parts from build to build. So up front its a ton of money, but the pumps generally last a long time, rads never really fail either. there's a chance your cpu block's life can be extended to a new socket if they release a new bracket for it if for instance it doesn't fit the new haswell socket 1150 later this year.

Only thing that is build specific and not reusable if you change gpu's are those gpu blocks which also are the majority of your cost sadly :(
Click to expand...

Goes without saying.
If you buy a Heatkiller CPU block, it will last forever with just a small investment in a conversion kit.
My current Heatkiller has gone S775>S1366>S2011, same for my pump,rads and compressions.
Reservoirs tend to get water staining, so I usually buy a new one each build, but that's 20 bucks, so meh.
 
Awesome. Thanks for the replies guys. And thanks magoo for the breakdown! I may just take a look at that!! :)
 
I'm pretty sure watercooling your rig for under $500 is impossible, as Titan waterblocks alone will cost $120 each, and you need two of them.

Basically, the cost of a loop is tied down to the fundamental components. It's a high initial start-up price, but as you add more and more components to it it's not as expensive.

A breakdown, in US prices (multiply by 1.2 or something for your silly Canadian toonies)

Block: XSPC Raystorm, Heatkiller, Koolance 380i: $60 - 80
GPU Block: EK Titan, Heatkiller, XSPC: $120 - $140
GPU Multi-link: EK, Heatkiller: $30-50
Radiator: Alphacool UT60 360mm (top): $100
Radiator: Alphacool UT60 240mm (bottom): $75
Pump: Any D5 ~$75
Pump Top: XSPC, Bitspower, EK: $40-50
Pump 2 (if you want): $125
Reservoir: Any: $30-50
Tubing: Primochill, Duralene, Tygon, 3m: $15-30
Fittings (cheaper <<< >>> expensive: XSPC, Enzotech, Koolance; Swiftech, Monsoon; Bitspower) $100-300
Clamps (if barb fittings): $10-25
Fans: Noiseblockers, GTs, Yates: $4-18 each

Realistic projected total cost: $1200+

Remember, a single 360 rad isn't really adequate enough to cool two Titans plus a SB-E. You'll need to get a dremel or jigsaw and cut some holes on your Cosmos. It's a bulky case, but it's engineered in such a way to fit the least possible inside. To cut down on cost you may opt for DDC 3.2 pump variants such as MCP355 / 35X ($60-100), have a res/pump combo (less fittings used), or bay res/pump combo. Having a second pump gives you extra redundancy and pump strength in case a pump fails, because it's $3k of hardware. Fittings are two fittings per independent component. To ease installation you may want to have rotary fittings, or angled fittings. Those will be additional cost at ~$8 to $20 a pop. Additional costs are:

Fan Controllers
Fan wire splitters
Anti-microbial (Kill coil, PT Nuke)
Fan filters
Fan grilles
GPU backplates
Spare test tubing

I think Canada's biggest site is Dazmode. The USA big shops like FCPU and PPC also hip up north, but shipping and customs may be frightening.
 
sakerfalcon said:
I'm pretty sure watercooling your rig for under $500 is impossible, as Titan waterblocks alone will cost $120 each, and you need two of them.

Basically, the cost of a loop is tied down to the fundamental components. It's a high initial start-up price, but as you add more and more components to it it's not as expensive.

A breakdown, in US prices (multiply by 1.2 or something for your silly Canadian toonies)

Block: XSPC Raystorm, Heatkiller, Koolance 380i: $60 - 80
GPU Block: EK Titan, Heatkiller, XSPC: $120 - $140
GPU Multi-link: EK, Heatkiller: $30-50
Radiator: Alphacool UT60 360mm (top): $100
Radiator: Alphacool UT60 240mm (bottom): $75
Pump: Any D5 ~$75
Pump Top: XSPC, Bitspower, EK: $40-50
Pump 2 (if you want): $125
Reservoir: Any: $30-50
Tubing: Primochill, Duralene, Tygon, 3m: $15-30
Fittings (cheaper <<< >>> expensive: XSPC, Enzotech, Koolance; Swiftech, Monsoon; Bitspower) $100-300
Clamps (if barb fittings): $10-25
Fans: Noiseblockers, GTs, Yates: $4-18 each

Realistic projected total cost: $1200+

Remember, a single 360 rad isn't really adequate enough to cool two Titans plus a SB-E. You'll need to get a dremel or jigsaw and cut some holes on your Cosmos. It's a bulky case, but it's engineered in such a way to fit the least possible inside. To cut down on cost you may opt for DDC 3.2 pump variants such as MCP355 / 35X ($60-100), have a res/pump combo (less fittings used), or bay res/pump combo. Having a second pump gives you extra redundancy and pump strength in case a pump fails, because it's $3k of hardware. Fittings are two fittings per independent component. To ease installation you may want to have rotary fittings, or angled fittings. Those will be additional cost at ~$8 to $20 a pop. Additional costs are:

Fan Controllers
Fan wire splitters
Anti-microbial (Kill coil, PT Nuke)
Fan filters
Fan grilles
GPU backplates
Spare test tubing

I think Canada's biggest site is Dazmode. The USA big shops like FCPU and PPC also hip up north, but shipping and customs may be frightening.
Click to expand...

A wee bit high on the red items.

You can get metal worm gear clamps from the local hardware store for $0.25 each and you won't need 40 of them....and simple barb fittings are $2-3 USD per shot. Almost no WCing system on earth needs 30-35 of them.

Presuming worst case scenario...$800 before fittings and fans.
 
Number of fittings:

Minimum: 10: 2 for CPU, 2 for GPUs (with multi-gpu connector), 4 for Rads, 2 for Pump/Res

$3 / barb x 10 = $30
$0.25 / clamp x 10 = 2.50

So cheapest is $32.50 for barbs.

-------

Average: 14: 2 CPU, 2 GPUs, 4 Rads, 4 Pumps, 2 Res

Compression fittings: $7 ea x 14 = $98

--------

Bitspower: $10 ea x 14: $140

---------

So you are indeed right. $1000 would be my estimate then. Angled and rotary fittings do help a lot though. Rotary ones can be $15 a pop and usually you need them in 2s.
 
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