Pump capability/one or two loops?

[Jeroen01]

Hi all,

I am setting up a new watercooling rig (my third), but for this computer, I am cooling a QX9650 (which I intend to overclock mildly), 3 x XFX GTX8800 XXX (already factory overclocked, don't intend to overclock it further), NB and SB of the Asus Striker II Extreme.

I'm not cooling the memory which I'll run at stock 1066, 'cause there's 8GB (4 sticks). I'm just concentrating on tight timings.

There is a single 120mm intake fan on the Lian Li case, and a single 120mm exhaust fan.

I am umming and ahhing about a single loop:

res0 -> pump0 -> rad0 -> CPU -> NB -> SB -> rad1 -> GPU0 -> GPU1 -> GPU2 -> res0

or two loops (if I can fit them in my case)

L0: res0 -> pump0 -> rad0 -> GPU0 -> GPU1 -> GPU2 -> res
L1: res1 -> pump1 -> rad1 -> CPU -> NB -> SB -> res

The res0, pump0 and rad0 are part of the Koolance PC4-1000 in the Lian Li PC-V1200 case.

The rad1 will be the ThermoChill PA120.2 with relevant shroud and highest CFM fans I can get my hands on. I don't want to be deafened, but I don't care so much about low "server room" noise either, I just usually crank up the Xi-Fi audio when playing games!

The CPU block is an EK-Supreme, and the NB and SB are both EK blocks for the Asus board. The GPU blocks are EKs too, for the 8800 GTX.

My question, really, aside from whether I can get two loops in (I'd have to mount res1 in the floppy bay, and find somewhere to put pump1) in the case is whether the single pump, "PMP-400" I believe, can push through that long loop of option 1.

Any thougths anyone?

 

[Kuyt]

For PA I'd suggest some Yate-Loons, they're designed for low CFM fans. If you enjoy noise then grab the 120.2 HE.

 

[Arcygenical]

Single loop, and yate loons for sure... But I have no idea whether the pmp-400 (Koolance?) can power through it all...

An MCP655 would have no problems handling that huge loop though.

 

[Jeroen01]

So perhaps its better to go, with the recommended MCP655:

res0 -> pump0 -> rad0 -> CPU -> NB -> SB -> pump1 -> rad1 -> GPU0 -> GPU1 -> GPU2 -> res0

i.e. putting in the pump 1 before entering rad1?

 

[heydo6]

well i have to say ... split the loops up if you have to have more then one ......no need to cool nb or sb just put a nice fan over your ram and nb . use fan on sb if your really hitting some fbs's . even with ln2 most people just use a fan to cool the nb .

first off NO res (use fill ports)...imho ...pump1-rad1(pa120.3)-cpu-gpu3 .
then pump2 -rad2(pa120.3)-gpu1-gpu2 . in that order (put a t-line to the fill port before pump intake)

fans yate loons mids ... very nice fans quite enough and look well
mcp655 pump is the best bang for the buck ...other wise see petra's for 355 and top ... about $105 verus $75 with no real world change . gooluck

 

[schoenda]

I am certainly no physicist but isnt the question of one or two loops really a quastion of how to deliver the largest and coolest amount of water to your components waterblocks? I mean I believe, all else being equal, that water at any giev en temp will absorb heat at a constant rate per volume unit per time unit...and I think this depends on the temp gradient..so wouldn't you want to deliver the water as cool as possible to your hottest components first? In other words in a single loop cpu then gpu(s) then nb/sb/mem etc...and just as stated in a double loop 1 to cpu first and 2 to gpu first...or not...

I am sure somebody out there is a physics buf...Gordon? Anyone?

 

[heydo6]

the order past pump rad does really matter because the flow is so great the loop becomes all the same temp everywhere in the loop .

 

[Jeroen01]

One question that crops up: the nVidia 780i, like the 680i before it, can reach nasty temps on the NB (my current WC rig gets to 60C and above easy), can this really be effectively cooled on air?

And secondly, with two rads in the loop, is it really worth splitting the loop? Space is a little bit of a premium, but perhaps less so if I ditch the reservoir - but is there really a big big difference between using a T-line or a res?

I don't have space for two PA120.3; I have the standard Koolance rad (PC4-1000) and intend to put a PA120.2 at the bottom of the case.

Is the Koolance rad fine, or is it worth the money to upgrade it to a PA120.3?

Thanks for the advice thus far, keep it coming