New and Improved Watercooling Sticky - Post Your Systems Here

Rev. X :D
I can't even count how many times I've taken this computer apart to change something, to have to change something else. What I have now is the best possible outcome given the cooling equipment, from flow to load temperatures - it can't get any better.

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- specs: 8700k (5Ghz) + gtx1080 gainward, case: fractal R6
- there are 2 radiators: 280 front + 240 bottom
- both radiators as intake, fans in pull configuration for easy radiator cleaning
- swiftech apogee xt cpu block, good old full metal and high quality, used $15
- universal gpu block (ek-vga supremacy), upgradeable, vrm cooled directly by 120mm fan, no heatsinks
- zmt tubing (7/16'') for no maintenance, no angled fittings needed
- fatboy barb fittings 1/2'', clamps are not needed, tubing sits very tight whilst remaining removable without cutting
- barrow SPG40A-X pump combo "d5", got it cheap used, no complains, works well
- reservoir covered with carbon cover (removable) to hide liquid and maintain black color scheme
- specifically opted for no top radiator and solid top cover as stable platform for cat
- parallel loop works fine, used it mostly for aesthetics
- almost whole cooling setup built with used parts, total cost ~170$
 
I'm glad to see people are slowing getting over the idea that parallel loops don't work.

Also nice to see someone not spending a ton of cash for an effective setup
 
I'm glad to see people are slowing getting over the idea that parallel loops don't work.

Also nice to see someone not spending a ton of cash for an effective setup
YES! I did this, for example:
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It's showing that a single loop can serve two systems, one Threadripper 3960X + Radeon RX 5700 XT and, in series, one Ryzen 2 3900X + GeForce RTX 2080 ti.
In this case, a double series (not paraleel), but showing that things can be done despite what the "experts" say.
About the low costs... this was insanely expensive!
 
Threadripper 3960x CPU to Radiator to Pump/Reservoir Setup Complete

Been awhile since I posted here. Posts from old systems go back more than 15 years. Crazy. I just got done with my new water cooled setup. Moved from an AIO Thermaltake setup to a total custom EKwb setup. Pics and specs below. Old setup CPU block did not cover entire Threadripper CPU heatsink area. Temps were high 40c range at idle with full load temps in excess of 85c. I did not feel safe pushing this CPU or taxing it for any length of time. New EK build has resulted however in avg idle temps of high 30c (roughly 38c idle on avg with absolute minimum temp being 35c) and an avg of 66c at full load with 68c being the absolute top temp (as reported by HWiNFO64) during stress tests with Prime95. My setup is geared more toward silence than performance. All fans are at their lowest speed/noise setting.

I feel the EK-Velocity sTR4 RGB - Full Nickel is not as efficient as it could. Thinking about upgrading to the Optimus sTR4 block. Not sure what else could get the avg idle temps down to low 30c, where I think they can go. Still testing to be done.

My old setup:
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My New Setup:
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(Description) All EK Water Cooled build:
  • EK-HD PETG Tube 12/16mm
  • EK-Velocity sTR4 RGB - Full Nickel
  • EK-CryoFuel Solid Fire Orange
  • EK-Quantum Kinetic TBE 300 D5 PWM D-RGB - Acetal
  • EK-CoolStream XE 480 (Quad)
  • EK-Torque HTC-16 (x6) - Black

(Description) PC Parts:
  • AMD Threadripper 3960X 24-Core Processor
  • Gigabyte TRX40 AORUS Master Motherboard
  • NVidia GeForce GTX Titan X video card
  • G.SKILL Flare X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory
  • ThermalTake View 91 Tempered Glass RGB Edition Desktop PC Case
  • Corsair Force Series Gen.4 PCIe MP600 500GB NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Samsung 950 PRO 256GB SSD (MZ-V5P256BW) V-NAND, M.2 NVM Express
  • Samsung 850 PRO - 256GB - 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD
  • Antec TruePower TPQ-1200 GB ATX12V & EPS12V PSU
 
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Yeah, I swear Tempered glass only looks good in pictures if you clean it carefully and then take the pic in .5 seconds. Great looking build!
 
Yeah, I swear Tempered glass only looks good in pictures if you clean it carefully and then take the pic in .5 seconds. Great looking build!

The trick is to use a car spray sealant and a microfiber towel. Extra pop and protection from your mt. dew / cheeto puffs.
 
i usually just use screen cleaner and the microfiber that it came with. Never thought about using car product on it. Gonna try some Adams H2O Guard and Gloss on mine.
 
Alc and ammonia are harmful to lcd displays, so any real monitor cleaner wont contain any. It's also harmful to some plastics, so good automotive headlight lens (or motorcycle windscreen/visor) cleaner shouldn't have it either.
 
Some changes to my setup went to a x570 and moved my rads around my setup is not as pretty and clean as i wanted better cooling and ease of removing parts so my psu got moved up and its ugly wires can be seen now but i did just nab a cable mods rgb/uv kit for 10 bucks its kinda cool.
 

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Building system 2, getting ready to measure and cut... Have about 4 pieces to spare.
Edit: Slight progress, already hate working with copper tubing.
 

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Current update on my MO-RA3 build, everything now integrated at the external MO-RA3 radiator:


- Watercool MO-RA3 420 LT radiator
- 4 Noctua NF-A20 PWM
- Watercool Heatkiller Tube 150
- Watercool D5 Vario
- Aquacomputer Quadro
- Aquacomputer High Flow sensor
- 2 Inline temperature sensors
- 1 external temperature sensor
- 4 pairs CPC NS6 QDCs
- Soft tubing external @ EK ZMT 16/10
- Soft tubing internal @ Tygon Norprene 15,9/9,6
- Selfmade power cable for PC PSU with 4-Pin Neutrik XLR connector
- Watercool Heatkiller IV block for GPU
- Watercool Heatkiller IV block for CPU



The target was: strong cooling and very quiet operation = mission complete. (y)


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Next update in a couple of months a GPU upgrade, I'll guess I will stick with Nvidia and of course a new Watercool Heatkiller IV GPU block for the new generation cards.

Cheers
 
Current update on my MO-RA3 build, everything now integrated at the external MO-RA3 radiator:


- Watercool MO-RA3 420 LT radiator
- 4 Noctua NF-A20 PWM
- Watercool Heatkiller Tube 150
- Watercool D5 Vario
- Aquacomputer Quadro
- Aquacomputer High Flow sensor
- 2 Inline temperature sensors
- 1 external temperature sensor
- 4 pairs CPC NS6 QDCs
- Soft tubing external @ EK ZMT 16/10
- Soft tubing internal @ Tygon Norprene 15,9/9,6
- Selfmade power cable for PC PSU with 4-Pin Neutrik XLR connector
- Watercool Heatkiller IV block for GPU
- Watercool Heatkiller IV block for CPU



The target was: strong cooling and very quiet operation = mission complete. (y)


Next update in a couple of months a GPU upgrade, I'll guess I will stick with Nvidia and of course a new Watercool Heatkiller IV GPU block for the new generation cards.

Cheers

Really nice. I'm loving my MO-RA 3 420 build as well.

Question: how much water do you lose? I'm running clear tubing, and I have zero leaks...but my setup drinks water. I have to keep topping it off, probably once a month. I do use my rig like insane though. I'm going to change to black tubing next go around.
 
Every build is different, but I know the last loop I had that used water I found a pair of fittings that were not screwed in tight enough when I pulled it apart. I figured it out when they unscrewed from the block loosening the collar to pull the tube. When I put it back together I tightened finger tight +1/8 turn or so, and have not filled anything in three months (absolutely zero evap).
 
Every build is different, but I know the last loop I had that used water I found a pair of fittings that were not screwed in tight enough when I pulled it apart. I figured it out when they unscrewed from the block loosening the collar to pull the tube. When I put it back together I tightened finger tight +1/8 turn or so, and have not filled anything in three months (absolutely zero evap).

Yeah, I definitely don't have anything loose. Everything is super tight, triple/quadruple checked.

I'm chalking it up to the fact that I'm running super hot components (literally), 2 reservoirs, and meters of clear tubing.
 
Really nice. I'm loving my MO-RA 3 420 build as well.

Question: how much water do you lose? I'm running clear tubing, and I have zero leaks...but my setup drinks water. I have to keep topping it off, probably once a month. I do use my rig like insane though. I'm going to change to black tubing next go around.

After one year of use, I had almost zero water lose, my build has a total 8m of soft tubing. I only use to 100% Aqua Computer Double Protect Clear in my loop.

Cheers
 
Yeah, I could see a huge amount of tube sweating off some liquid- my new setup (using the same loop) has a grand total of about 2.5 feet of tube... What type of tube?
 
Yeah, I could see a huge amount of tube sweating off some liquid- my new setup (using the same loop) has a grand total of about 2.5 feet of tube... What type of tube?

I'm using about 40 feet total (20 feet each going to and return) of the Mayhems Ultra Clear Tubing. This one to be exact.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01546EMOY

After one year of use, I had almost zero water lose, my build has a total 8m of soft tubing. I only use to 100% Aqua Computer Double Protect Clear in my loop.

Cheers

Whoa, I've never seen/heard of this! Better than distilled water? Need any extra protectant like biocide?
 
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No addtional biocide required, the glycol prevents anything no worries. After years of use, I highly recommend it, I have only this coolent in my loops, all my water blocks look inside like day one, so like brand new.

Cheers
 
Man im tempting to get my feet wet with a custom loop when i get my RTX3080
 

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So many nice rigs in here, I would love to WC another rig, I have not done one since benching my Pres"hot" to 4Ghz for a record run.....

Now I see all these awesome set ups and think deum....there goes another $1k or more for one of these custom loops...
 
Yeah, it can be, but shopping carefully and using 'second tier' stuffcan keep the cost down. Like: EK D5 pump/res- $200. Barrow D5- $55. FIttings are another area where you can spend $10 a fitting or about $3 (I think I have Phobya..?). Soft tube is pretty cheap, and so on.
 
Here is the finished product for the time being. While I still intend to go with metal tubing (post 1744), I had issues chamfering the tubes correctly and ended up destroying a few inner o-rings. Additionally, I only have one cross fitting on hand (used to straighten out the runs). While packages generally take 4-6 weeks to get here, I figure why not use the ZMT I had laying around.

I will tackle the metal tubes again once the next GPU comes in.

O11 Dynamic XL
Asus X570 Tuf Gaming
3900X
32GB Trident Z
EVGA 1080 Ti FE w/EKWB water block
Rads - EKWB Coolstream PE/XE w/NF A12x25 (both set to intake)


Idle temps are
CPU 34C
GPU 24C

25 min full load w/Prime 95 (small ffts) & MSI Kombustor (burn-in)
CPU 71C
GPU 41C






25M Stresstest.pngFront.jpgSide.jpg
 
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Here is the finished product for the time being. While I still intend to go with metal tubing (post 1744), I had issues chamfering the tubes correctly and ended up destroying a few inner o-rings. Additionally, I only have one cross fitting on hand (used to straighten out the runs). While packages generally take 4-6 weeks to get here, I figure why not use the ZMT I had laying around.

I will tackle the metal tubes again once the next GPU comes in.

O11 Dynamic XL
Asus X570 Tuf Gaming
3900X
32GB Trident Z
EVGA 1080 Ti FE w/EKWB water block
Rads - EKWB Coolstream PE/XE w/NF A12x25 (both set to intake)


Idle temps are
CPU 34C
GPU 24C

25 min full load w/Prime 95 (small ffts) & MSI Kombustor (burn-in)
CPU 71C
GPU 41C






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I like it. It is industrial, to the point, and obviously about business. Cool Battletech stein.
 
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