Looking for help on build

R

RedShifty

n00b
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Jul 21, 2011
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Working on my first water cooling build and looking for a critique on my parts or helpful suggestions. My goal is quiet operation, decent cooling performance and some overclocking potential. My case is the Corsair 500r. I plan on upper and front mounting the radiators in a single loop. They'll fit with a little work and a size less than 36mm.

I know for sure I'll have:

crossfire 5870's
Can figure a 2500k range CPU/mobo combo
2x hdd's
5x 120mm fans and will probably remove the big side fan.
I have a Seasonic x750 gold but don't believe it will be powerful enough for everything

My cooling list...

2 - 240mm radiator, looking at xspc ex240, black ice stealth gt, or Swiftech QP. The black ice is the thinnest but I think will require more of a high speed fan setup.
xspc razor's on the 5870
xspc raystorm

I need some suggestions for compression fittings, fans, and a res/pump setup. I was leaning toward the Swiftech MCP655 and a Aquacomputer aqua tube res. Small and easy to mount toward the top.
 
Personally I would do 2 separate loops. Having 2 GPUs and 1 CPU on a single loop with 2 rads is a lot of restriction. You would be better off with 2 separate loops and 2 pumps. That swiftech pump is good. There are also some Res tops for the pump which are good. Here is a decent option:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._Blue_LED_Light_-_Acrylic.html?tl=g30c107s152

For quiet fans maybe something like these:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...mm_High_Air_Pressure_Fan.html?tl=g36c437s1127

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...eed_Fan_-_SY1225SL12LM-P.html?tl=g36c437s1127

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...-_Medium_Speed_D12SM-12C.html?tl=g36c437s1127
 
Run the GPU blocks in parallel, and that will cut down a lot on restriction. You can run the radiators in parallel also if you feel the need to. The Raystorm is an extremely low restriction block, so I would say just stick with a single loop.

That X750 is enough for upgrading to an overclocked 2600k and stock SLI 580s, probably mildly overclocked 580s as well.

The GT Stealth will perform well with low-speed fans if you do push/pull. However, it is a high restriction radiator, so you would probably better off going for the EX240.

Bitspower is everyone's favorite brand of fittings when it comes to aesthetics, but are very pricey. XSPC fittings are a fair bit cheaper.

The 655 should be just fine for your setup.
 
Awesome, thank you both for the help. Good to know my PSU is enough, I've had it since last year's black Friday sales. The EX240 will probably be the radiators I go with and then I'll figure out the fittings at the same time.

Thanks for the varying prices on the fan selection. Hopefully I'll be ordering a group of parts here soon. Just shopping around for the best prices currently.
 
Tsumi said:
The GT Stealth will perform well with low-speed fans if you do push/pull. However, it is a high restriction radiator, so you would probably better off going for the EX240.
Click to expand...

I had 2 BIGTX 3609s, and they are restrictive, but they do perform very well if you had a good pump and high CFM fans. I put mine on separate loops because of the restrictive flow through the rads.

The BIGT 360 is also a 2 pass system so it also will be restrictive. If you get the BIGTS 360 it is a one pass system and will be less restrictive.

That said, I would also go with the the ex240 if you are looking for a quieter build. While I liked the Black Ice rads, I think I would rather have less restriction in my loops.
 
I have some changes I've been contemplating, are they overkill possibly?

I want to get the koolance rp-452x2 reservoir and run it with dual pumps for redundancy and it will help with cable management in the size of case I'm using.

Also as for the loop setup.
Would I want to go:

Pump/Res > Rad > Cpu > NB > GPU > Rad
Pump/Res > Rad > GPU > NB > Rad > Cpu

My radiators will be top and front mounted so I only have so many options. I added in the NB option, is this more a cosmetic cooling option or is it worth it?

I actually acquired an Asus Crosshair V and a FX-8120 to play with for a super cheap price, so my parts are pretty much set.

Thanks for anymore input.
 
This is [H], there's no such thing as overkill when it comes to massive overclocks and extreme cooling!!

NB is mostly cosmetic unless you're going for maximum overclocks on your CPU.

Loop order doesn't really matter, since the water temperature stays mostly in equilibrium, and with two pumps you have more than enough water flow. Just go with whatever is easiest to route your tubing.
 
The NB should be cooled, especially when OCing, but doesn't need to be cooled by water. I was just talking to my friend about this the other day, his NB severely hampers his flow rates. He dived up his loops because of it. Now he is doing 3 loops, which is a little ridiculous, he could just take the NB out and put a heatsink/fan on it. I think it is better to put a good heatsink/fan on the NB than to use a waterblock, but that is just my opinion.

For the loop order I usually like to put the Rads right after my pumps because they tend to be the most restrictive. But really it doesn't matter all that much. Personally I really like dual pumps, some think it is overkill, but I like the redundancy, plus it helps provide better consistent flow rate in my opinion.
 
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