New Watercooling Setup Check

P

praetorian

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 9, 2003
Messages
84
Hey guys,

I'm planning to water cool my entire system and move away from air cooling completely in my White Raven RV02-E. However, since I'm a n00b to this, I wanted to check a spec check on the following components to see if I've got this right as well as the number of connectors and also not mixed components.

1x Koolance RP-452X2 Dual 5.25in Reservoir for 1-2 PMP-450/S Pumps, Rev.2.0 + 2x PMP-450 Pumps + 4 Single (1/4in x 3/8in)
1x Magicool Triple 180mm Radiator G1/4"
1x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy EVO - Nickel
2x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Nickel CSQ (REV 2.0)
1x EK Water Blocks HD Tube 10/12mm 3-Slot (2 pcs)
2x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X Backplate - Black
1x QD2 Female Quick Disconnect No-Spill Coupling, Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in)
1x QD2 Male Quick Disconnect No-Spill Coupling, Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in)
10xFitting Single, *Black* Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
2x Fitting Single, *Black* Swivel Angled for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
3x Fitting Single, *Black* Swiveling 45-Degree, G 1/4 BSPP
4x Koolance LIQ-702 Liquid Coolant Bottle, High-Performance, 700mL (UV Yellow)
6x Koolance Tubing, Clear UV-Reactive PVC, 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in)

I'm going to be drilling out the rivets on the 3.5" hotswap bay to make room for the Magicool radiator and I've also gone for a bay mounted Koolance dual pump solution in serial to give me as much flow rate as possible.

I'll be hooking in the two GPUs, rad, CPU + res so I believe I'll need 8 connectors (but gone for 10 anyway) etc etc.

Any input would be extremely helpful as its not something that I've done before. The tubing is also an area where I'm not exactly sure as I think the sizes that I've chosen will allow a good, clean flow without any bottle necks but also long lasting.

Cheers all
 
Your tubing looks really thin. 1/4" ID (inner diameter) is rare and we usually see this where modding is the main objective. If that's deliberate, fair enough, but then I see you're considering a dual pump option for your res. If you picked thin tubing because of references to G1/4", be aware that this describes the thread type, a difference concept to tube diameter.

I recommend you increase to a more standard size, for example 3/8" ID (inner diameter) and 5/8" OD (outer diameter). You can also consider thinner wall tubing such as 3/8" ID, 4/8" OD, but if you're just starting off I'd recommend the thicker wall tubing option as it's stronger and less open to problems. Up to you.

And you don't need that much fluid. 2 bottles should do it, 3 if you want to be sure of having extra fluid.
 
WOAH! Massive image :D

Yeah I've set that setup and was going to add in a 120mm up the top as well to give it even more cooling ability especially as the 290s are furnaces!! :) :)
 
praetorian said:
WOAH! Massive image :D

Yeah I've set that setup and was going to add in a 120mm up the top as well to give it even more cooling ability especially as the 290s are furnaces!! :) :)
Click to expand...

Yea, my bad. I just grabbed one from google and didn't realize it was massive until I posted. I changed to a link so it's a little less aggressive. :)
 
I watercool two R9 290X overclocked, and a Core i7 4770K overclocked using three 120 x 2 XSPC rads just fine.

I don't know if you have a thing for Koollance, or maybe its all you can get, but I think their quality is suspect. XSPC, Watercool and even EK make way better stuff. I strongly endorse the watercool heatkiller products....simply the best blocks you can buy.

You also should think about that bay reservoir. I tried one for a while and it was a pain in the ass to fill and drain. They also don't bleed easily.
 
Im with magoo, never been a fan of Koolance (however they are pretty much the only game in town last i saw for QDC's), but want to add Alpha Cool. I have several of their products and nothing but good thigns to say about them (In comparison to the XSPC and even HW Labs stuff I have owned, the ALpha Cool stuff was just nicer for me).
 
If this review is credible, it seems Swiftech's Lok-Seal may have higher flow restriction than the Koolance QDC4 (QDC3 is about the same)

HCJjwOE.png
 
Thanks for all the replies :) Nah don't have a thing for Koolance particularly. I did go back through and removed a lot of the stuff to be other makes, such as EK, as the products looked a lot better.

The only area where I'm struggling is the bay res with dual pumps. The Koolance one is good but then I've found others like Alphacool as W.Feather mentioned. The only area that I can't seem to be beat are the Koolance connectors as everything else is more expensive :(

New spec is like this now:

1x Alphacool Repack - Dual Laing D5 Station inkl. 2x Alphacool VPP655
1x Magicool Triple 180mm Radiator G1/4"
1x Magicool SLIM SINGLE 120 Radiator
1x Alphacool NexXxoS XP³ Light - Acetal Edition - Intel/AMD
2x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290(X) - Acetal+Nickel Rev.2.0
1x EK Water Blocks EK-FC terminal DUAL Serial 3-Slot
2x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X Backplate - Black
1x QD2 Female Quick Disconnect No-Spill Coupling, Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in)
1x QD2 Male Quick Disconnect No-Spill Coupling, Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in)
12xFitting Single, *Black* Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
4x Fitting Single, *Black* Swivel Angled for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
4x Fitting Single, *Black* Swiveling 45-Degree, G 1/4 BSPP
2x Mayhems Pastel - Sunset Yellow Coolant 1L
2x Masterkleer tubing PVC 16/10mm (3/8ID) Clear

To me that seems to actually work now with thicker tubing and an additional 120mm rad for up the top of the machine. Most of that will come from WatercoolingUK
 
Last edited:
1/4" ID tubing is going to be very restrictive. You want at least 3/8" ID tubing.

Magicool I have always seen to be budget offerings.

Aquacomputer or Watercool Heatkiller over EK for GPU and CPU. Swiftech over EK for the CPU block.

I have the Alphacool Repack dual D5, are you planning on running dual loop? It is a bit of a pain to fill. It also cannot be run in series.
 
Changed the spec to be a single Alphacool pump on a bay res and changed the blocks to Alphacool as well

With the changed piping to Masterkleer tubing PVC 16/10mm (3/8ID) Clear, will the existing compression fittings still work? That's the bit that's confusing me mostly at the moment :( So far I have the following which is unchanged:

12xFitting Single, *Black* Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
4x Fitting Single, *Black* Swivel Angled for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
4x Fitting Single, *Black* Swiveling 45-Degree, G 1/4 BSPP

If not, what is the recommended size?
 
Last edited:
praetorian said:
Changed the spec to be a single Alphacool pump on a bay res and changed the blocks to Alphacool as well

With the changed piping to Masterkleer tubing PVC 16/10mm (3/8ID) Clear, will the existing compression fittings still work? That's the bit that's confusing me mostly at the moment :( So far I have the following which is unchanged:

12xFitting Single, *Black* Compression for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
4x Fitting Single, *Black* Swivel Angled for 06mm x 10mm (1/4in x 3/8in), G 1/4 BSPP
4x Fitting Single, *Black* Swiveling 45-Degree, G 1/4 BSPP

If not, what is the recommended size considering that all of the blocks are G 1/4
Click to expand...

You'll need different fittings.
The G 1/4 is the spec for the block connection....wipe that out of your head.....nearly ALL fittings now-a-days are G 1/4.
As for the other end of the fitting it needs to conform to the ID/OD of the tubing, or vice-versa.

For example....you plan to use MasterClear tubing......3/8" ID and what....5/8 or 1/2 OD?
In that case the fitting needs to be 3/8-5/8 or 3/8-1/2 just like the tubing.....IF you are using compression fittings.
If you just use barb fittings the only dimension you need worry about is the ID.
Do you have your heart set on "Quick-Disconnects" ?
If you don't, BitsPower makes very high quality compressions in all shapes and sizes. I have many, many and reuse them over and over.
XSPC is also making quality compressions and they tend to be a little cheaper than BitsPower.
 
Thanks magoo! It's literally just clicked in my head after I rechecked the tube sizes :) Tube size is 3/8-5/8 so I've chosen the appropriate fittings from XSPC. I think 3/8-5/8 is going to be better than 3/8-1/2 giving me a better flow.

I don't have my heart set on QD's, more only having 1 set in there, similar to the picture above, so I can have a flow meter as well as a way to drain the loop if necessary.
 
praetorian said:
Thanks magoo! It's literally just clicked in my head after I rechecked the tube sizes :) Tube size is 3/8-5/8 so I've chosen the appropriate fittings from XSPC. I think 3/8-5/8 is going to be better than 3/8-1/2 giving me a better flow.

I don't have my heart set on QD's, more only having 1 set in there, similar to the picture above, so I can have a flow meter as well as a way to drain the loop if necessary.
Click to expand...

No problem.
I use 3/8 x 1/2 and always have.
The only advantage you'll gain with 5/8 (and it's a good one) is the tubes may have less opportunity to kink or bend.

You might want to pick up a length of Primochill's anti-kink coil......example.....http://www.performance-pcs.com/primochill-anti-kink-coils-clear.html
stuff is easy to use, keeps tubes from kinking in tight radius curves.....comes in a bunch of colors and OD sizes.
 
Good with me :)

Final spec which I think should work and give me a nice cool running system....

1x Alphacool Repack - Dual Laing D5 Station inkl. 1x Alphacool VPP655
1x Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 180mm
1x Alphacool NexXxoS ST30 Full Copper 120mm
1x Alphacool NexXxoS XP³ Light - Acetal Edition
2x Watercool HEATKILLER ® GPU-X ³ R9 290X
1x Watercool GPU-X Dual-Link
2x Alphacool Ultra Pure Water 1000ml - Clear
1x Masterkleer Hose Pack PVC 16/10mm (3/8ID) UV-Reactive Yellow 3.3m
3x Silverstone 180mm Fan Grill & Filter
14xXSPC Coin Fit G1/4 to 3/8 ID 5/8 OD Compression Fitting V2 - Black Chrome
4x XSPC G1/4, 45 Degree Rotary Fitting - Black Chrome
4x XSPC G1/4, 90 Degree Rotary Fitting - Black Chrome
1x QD3 Female Quick Disconnect No-Spill Coupling, Compression for 10mm x 16mm (3/8in x 5/8in) *Black*
1x QD3 Male Quick Disconnect No-Spill Coupling, Compression for 10mm x 16mm (3/8in x 5/8in) *Black*
1x flow indicator with filter G1/4'
 
Last edited:
You'll love the Watercool blocks.
I'd suggest you buy the stainless steel backplates too.:D
They add a level of bling you can't get otherwise. and make the GPU look complete.
 
Hehe, gotta be all about the bling especially since there are hardly any lights inside the machine :) So duly added :)

List looks a lot better than being overrun with Koolance stuff especially some of the horrors I'm reading! :eek:
 
magoo said:
You'll love the Watercool blocks.
I'd suggest you buy the stainless steel backplates too.:D
They add a level of bling you can't get otherwise. and make the GPU look complete.
Click to expand...

I agree on back plates (regardless of color choice). they're not much more and really do add to the look.
 
The difference between 3/8" ID 1/2" OD and 3/8" ID 5/8" OD is wall thickness. Since the inner diameter is the same (where the water goes through), flow rates will be the exact same between the two tubes. What will be different is that the thicker walled tubing can bend tighter without kinking.

Don't buy that water. Get a one gallon bottle of distilled water from the grocery store.

Have you looked into the quick-disconnects I linked to? Koolance is not the only supplier of QDCs nowadays.
 
Koolance QDC's are amongst the most proven and reliable.

As for waterblocks, brand is subjective. Some would pick EK over Alphacool and Swiftech. Some would reject EK for 'ethical' reasons due to their customer support encouraging the use of watercooling fluids with anti-corrosives and, along with Koolance, recommending against the use of pure distilled water. All will work, so it doesn't really matter much - just do your research.

You may wish to consider watercooling fluid from an established WC supplier rather than pure distilled. The downside is people will have a go at you for not being 'hardcore' but it's your hard earned money you're spending on all that expensive WC'ing equipment so why take the chance? But it's your cash so up to you.
 
EK I've heard some horror stuff about like cheap plating etc :( Re water, I'm going for Mayhems Pre-Mix X1 clear as it gets pretty good reviews, lots of people use it and also there is a Mayhems rep on another forum that I read (OCUK).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top