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New Watercooling Project

C

ckozlowski

n00b
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Messages
18
Hi [H]'ers!

Long time [H] member here. Haven't spent much time on the boards I'm afraid, but I knew guys would be the best ones to go to regarding a water cooling project.

I'm putting together a new Core i7 system that I would really like to get back into overclocking with. Here's the basics:

Core i7-920
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-
12GB of Corsair Dominator DDR-1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-
Corsair 1000w PSU
ASUS (ATI) Radeon 4890 512MB

Chassis is a Silverstone TJ10.

I'm going to have the parts in soon and will run on air cooling until I get the watercooling components together.

I was looking at a partictular setup here for inspiration

My questions:

-Do my waterblocks/reservoirs need to all be made out of the same metal? Is there a perferred type?
Edit: Read the FAQ. All one type it is.

-Is there any guidelines for the amount of water volume circulating in the system in relation to the number of components being cooled?

-What specs are important to examine when considering a pump?

-How does the system power-on and off in relation to the computer itself? Does the pump need to be started before the CPU turns on, or can they be connected together? Is that even reccomended?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
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I went ahead and broke down, got a second 4890 on the way.

Looking at some other threads around here, I saw that a 120.3 rad is just adequate for a CPU and two graphics cards. I'm thinking a 120.3 in the top and then a 120.1 rad in the rear. I'd like to keep as much of the setup internal as possible, but I'm thinking the external 120.1 in the back might be a necesary evil (I don't think I'll have room for it inside as well?)

Silverstone has a radiator bracket for the TJ10, but it seems to be for a dual 120. Some of the reviews on the TJ10 seemed to indicate that it will take a 120.3, and I've seen this one recommended around here:
http://www.petrastechshop.com/ptsulracomce.html

So currently I'm thinking:
reservoir --> Pump --> Radiator(120.3) --> CPU --> Radiator (120.1) --> GPU --> reservoir

Is the extra 120.1 overkill if I want to do a bit of overclocking? the GPUs should be speedy enough for me as is, (I'm mainly looking to keep them quiet.) but I plan on pushing the CPU quite a bit.

Also, is there any benefit to do with different sized tubing other than 1/4? I'm planning on using the compression fittings wherever possible, is it difficult to find parts and fittings all in one size?
Edit: nm, 3/8 ID/ 1/4 OD seems to be the standard.
 
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a couple things:

first, 1/4=2/8. if you have 3/8ID and 1/4OD then your OD is bigger than your ID. therefore your tubing is nonexistant and therefore its going to leak! :eek: but seriously, theres no such thing. theres 3/8ID and 1/2ID for the most part. id recommend going with 1/2 since most fittings seem to come in 1/2" and because you have a pretty demanding setup and the extra coolant flow would be recommended. the only reason to go with 3/8" tubing is if you need to make some pretty sharp bends that 1/2" wont do. with a tj10 you shouldnt have a problem, so use 1/2".

second, you should def go with another rad. a 120.3 is barely/not enough for an i7 and 2 4890s. if you found a 120.2 mounting bracket for the tj10, do it. 120.4 might be enough, but id say go for 120.5 just to give yourself a more effective cooling solution. the order of the loop doesnt matter at all except for putting the pump right after the res to make filling easier. other than that just do whatever makes the tubing easiest to work with.

finally, make sure you secure the tubing on the barbs well and test run it out of the case for a few hours or a day before putting it in with components. read the faq sticky as well if you havent already.
 
Thanks for the follow-up!

I meant to write 1/2 instead of 3/8. Sorry about that. =)

I've been trying to figure out how much cooling to use, and I went through the FAQ to find the "How to pick the right radiator size" section. Checking the referenced link, I went to the PSU Calculator. I tossed in a 1.4v vCore to anticipate some CPU overclocking (the graphics cards will remain at stock) and came out with 340w (minus the 38w they recommend for tare).

Intel's own documents list a 130w TDP for the i7-920. I cannot find any specific documentation on the 4890, but looking at the [H] review on the 4890 shows 238w on the card (minus the 125w of their base system)

So by my calculations, I have a worse case scenario of 606w to dissipate, whereas the recommended site says 340w.

I'm currently looking at a 120.3 or 120.4 setup. Going just by the rough estimate (not including water flow rate, fan speed, etc) 120.1 will dissipate 150w worth of heat.

120.3 = 450w
120.4 = 600w

So the question is, which numbers do I believe? I'm inclined to go with the worse case, but I'd prefer to keep as much of this internal to the case as possible. I can bolt the 4th unit radiator to the rear of the chassis, but keeping it all internal would definitely be prefered.

I'll try and work out the flow rate and fan speed to see how much I can wring out of 120.3. I do agree, the large hose would be best. =)

Thanks again!
 
Well I've been looking around a lot at various parts, and here's what I think I've settled on:

Parts:

GPU Waterblocks

Dual Video Connector, 2 slot spacing
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=434
2x VID-487 Full Coverage GPU Waterblocks
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=706



CPU Waterblock

Swifttech Apogee GTX
http://www.petrastechshop.com/swapgtzcpuwa.html
Mounting kit
http://www.petrastechshop.com/swapgtzlgmok.html
(Can I put 1/2OD compression fittings on the GTX?)


Pump

Swiftech MCP655 12v DC Pump - with Speed Controller
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swmc12vdcpu.html

Compression Nozzles

Feser - Fitting G1/4" Thread - 3/8" ID - 1/2" OD - High Flow
http://www.feser-one.com/site/product_info.php?products_id=287

Tubing

Tygon R3603 3/8in. ID 1/2in. OD Laboratory Tubing # AAC00027
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ty3id1odlatu.html
Tubing Spring Wrap
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=560

Coolant

Feser One Cooling Liquid
http://www.feser-one.com/site/product_info.php?cPath=68&products_id=255


Reservoir

Swiftech MCRES Micro Revision 2
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swmcmire2re.html

Radiators

Swiftech MCR320-QP Quiet Power 3X120mm
http://www.sidewidercomputers.com/swmcqupo3xbl.html

Swiftech MCR120-QP Quiet Power 120mm
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swmcqpo12bl.html



Currently I'm thinking of doing a large single loop. Diagram below:
Link


Questions I have:

- I plan on using compression fittings whereever possible. Can these be used on the Apogee GTX? How about the MCRES?

- There's a lot of components along this path, and I'm wondering if the flow will be fast enough to cool everything adequately. Is there a good place that describes how to calculate this?

- I placed a 120.1 radiator after the CPU to cool the water some before it hits the GPUs. Is this a recommended solution? I suspect it will cut down on tube clutter.

- I noticed the MCRES reservoir is rather small, but I've read that it doesn't need to be very large as the entire line should be full of water. Still, is there a minimium recommended capacity as compared to the number of waterblocks or inches of tube in the system?


Thanks for the help!
 
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I'll let others answer the questions regarding compression fittings, I haven't used them before.

By the way, you mean GTZ, not GTX, the GTX was an older block that Swiftech made. Just a heads up.

Loop order doesn't really matter much aside from having the reservoir directly before the pump to prevent the pump from running dry and burning up. Ideally, set it up for shortest tubing runs and the least restrictive bends. After 10 or 15 minutes, loop temperatures will reach equilibrium and there's almost no difference in the order of the components temperature wise.

No real minimum capacity for reservoirs, it doesn't matter much. You'll be bumping your pump to fill it up anyways. To do that, you'll fill the res up, flip the pump on briefly, then shut it off when the res gets low, then rinse and repeat until the loop is full and the water level in the res stays constant.

One last thing - don't buy Feser One coolant unless you absolutely have to have the color. You'd be better served (especially with the GTZ block) by colored tubing and just using straight distilled water with some PT-Nuke to prevent growth in the loop. I've read numerous posts from people with GTZ's totally clogged up with dye particles, plus that stuff is insanely expensive. Distilled water is $1/gallon or so and you won't have to worry about it clogging anything up. Also, don't believe Feser about their coolant being "nonconductive" - it's a bunch of crap, if it leaks on your components, they'll die.
 
Thanks for the help! I've heard people go back and forth on the Feser One coolant, and the distilled water does look like the safer bet. I was hoping to have a UV reactive fluid in there as the Koolance blocks have an acrylic window, but I may go with EK blocks and just get UV tubing instead.

I'm thinking of running a line from the reservoir to the top of the case as a fill port, and then maybe a splitter/valve at the bottom for a drain. Are there any complications with using these?
 
Nope, I've seen it done in lots of other loops and it should ease your filling/draining process. Good ideas there!
 
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