W/C Challenge +/- $400 - 3 GPUs/1 Core i7 - can it be done?

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The1stCAV

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OK $400 is too low - what about $700 or less?
Is there a way to water cool 3 GTX 285's (P891 boards) and one Core i7 LGA 1366 Bloomfield CPU for an approx $600 budget (I can slide over a bit if necessary, but not much).

Anyone want to help? I know nothing about water cooling, all I know is that I want it to reduce this massive fan noise I listen to currently with this Antec P190 case and the many fans it has. The GPU fans run loudest as they are stock fans on stock cases, in 3 Way SLI.

I am upgrading to the Core i7 and Overclocking is certain. Though not extreme OC'ing, but kicking it up a bit faster than stock. Like this Q9650 I run now, I run daily at 3.8Ghz on air and it runs just fine and has for over a year w/o issue - I plan on doing the same but hoping for closer to 4.4Ghz with the 960 Core i7.

The GTX 285's will nto be OC'd - they do not need to in 3 Way SLI, not much stresses them any way.

The case I have has plenty of roon in the bottom, I removed the dual PSU's this case came with and use a single Xigmatech 1200w PSU.

So would any of you fine folks care to pitch in your thoughts on what hardware woudl do the trick for around that budget or am I not going to get there from here?

Thanks for all the help anyone can provide - much appreciated!
 
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I'd be interested to see if this is possible, hard to find GPU blocks for the 285 under $100 themselves, so there's half the budget right away. Two (?) swiftech 120.3 for cooling would be $100, and the CPU block is almost $100, tack on the pump (2 loops or one?) about $70, getting new fans? all the connectors are even more $$ -- This will be tough!
 
I'm new to water cooling but I'll take a stab on it. Others can check my work.
Based on this review you can run 2 loops with one D5 pump very well. http://www.skinneelabs.com/primochill-typhooniii.html
Primochill Typhoon III Reservoir System - PEC: $63.95 http://www.jab-tech.com/Primochill-Typhoon-III-Reservoir-System-PEC-pr-4497.html
Swiftech H20-22-Ultima-XT Liquid Cooling Kit: $239.95 http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-H20-22-Ultima-XT-Liquid-Cooling-Kit-pr-4324.html
The kit comes with the D5 pump, a rad w/rad box, CPU block, 1 GPU block and some tubing.
Add 2 more Swiftech MCW60-R VGA cooler - Rev 2's ($39.95 x 2 = $79.90) http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCW60-R-VGA-cooler-Rev-2-pr-4271.html
Cover the rest of the GTX 285 cards with 3 Swiftech GTX285 Heatsink's ($23.95 x 3 = $71.85) http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-GTX285-Heatsink-pr-4456.html
A second rad for the other loop. XSPC RS240 is $43.95 with 2 Dangerden Fatboy 1/2" metal barbs. http://www.jab-tech.com/XSPC-RS240-BLACK-High-Performance-Copper-Fin-Radiator-pr-4203.html
Replace all the plastic barbs with DTEK HI-Flow 1/2" Barbs ($2.40 x 12 = $28.80)
Some additional tubing, maybe 12 feet ($.049 x 12 = $5.88) http://www.jab-tech.com/Masterkleer-Tubing-7-16-ID-5-8-OD-pr-3079.html
Some quiet fans with good airflow for the rads. 4 Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1450RPM ($13.99 x 4 = $55.96) http://www.jab-tech.com/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-D1225C12B3AP-14-1450rpm-pr-4500.html
An Antimicrobial Silver Strip $3.95 http://www.jab-tech.com/Antimicrobial-Silver-Strip-pr-4530.html

That comes to a grand total of $594.19 plus shipping. Like I said, I am brand new to water cooling. My first setup should be arriving tomorrow. I have been doing a lot of research on the topic, but have no first hand experience. I have herd that if you use that Primochill Typhoon III Reservoir System with the plastic barbs it could leak. You also want to make sure you don't use cooling fluids that contain Ethylene Glycol or any other harsh chemicals in it. Anyway, that's the best I could come up with for under $600 and still include everything I could think of that you would need.
 
A few things that should be known - do you have fans for this, or do the fans need to be ordered with all this? Also, where do you have space for radiators? Will they have to be external?
Sometimes the 140mm fans can be replaced by 120's (which will allow you to fit a radiator up there), but not sure if that's the case with the antec 190.
One thing to really note is that with 3 gpu's and a high OC'd cpu (you might be aiming high with 4.4 even with DO stepping), the heat dissipation needed is very high. It's hard to say you can get the radiator heat dissipation and flow power on the budget, so you might need to adjust the system after you purchase (if you find you need more cooling power, pumping power, etc.).
Also, is it possible to buy a i-7 920 or 930 instead, and put the extra into cooling? The reason I ask is because I think cooling is going to be your limitation more then the chip itself. I think you're more likely to hit that 4.4 with a 920 DO or 930 then with a 960 and a less robust cooling system.
Here's some of the prices I found, and suggestions, and maybe with some other suggestions you might be able to meet your price point:

GPU Blocks:
The swiftech combo listed by robot hunter is probably the cheapest route to go.
Alternately, you can get full coverage bitspower black freezer blocks for 109.95 each at sidewinder:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/gpbl.html

CPU Block:
Here it's very important, since you're aiming for such a high 24/7 clock.
You've probably seen the skinnee labs i7 cpu roundup. I'd suggest midway on the list for best bang for the buck.
Apogee GTZ extreme priced at 50. Not the best, but reasonable at a budget.
http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-Apogee-GTZ-Extreme-Performance-CPU-Waterblock-Core-i7-pr-4467.html

Pump:
Head pressure is going to be an issue with all those blocks. I think a swiftech mcp355 will be able to handle it. I'd be better with a top, but even without I think it's reasonable.
Sidewinder sell them for 65
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/pumps.html

Radiators
Here it gets tricky, you really need a lot here, but it also has to work with your case. Hopefully there'll be some more suggestions for this.
I'd suggest one of the radiators be mounted externally, perhaps a 3x120 swiftech with reservoir (one less thing to worry about).
Jabtech sells one for 60
http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCR-320-QP-Res-Triple-Rad-with-integrated-reservoir-pr-4357.html
You'll likely need another radiator as well, maybe a double inside if you can fit it.

Fans
Since noise is an issue the gentle typhoon recommended above is probably one of your better bets.

Hose
I personally prefer 3/8 to 1/2. Tygon is the king, but clearflex and masterkleer are cheap. Buy the hose at the end with what you can afford.

Additives
+1 for the antimicrobial silver strip listed above.

Reservoir
I'd suggest none. You're on a budget, and you can get a radiator with one built in. Not the best performance wise, but in the realm of sacrifices, reservoir is first on my list (I'd go T-line with fillport if you get a rad without a res).

Other Things
You might need a mounting bracket to mount that radiator to the outside. If you are hardware inclined you can use brackets from the hardware store for a couple of bucks. If not, they sell them for $15 (I think jabtech has it listed).
Fittings - as long as one end is G1/4 (standard pipe size) and the other the inner diameter of the hose you are ordering, you should be able to shop primarily on price.
The primochill typhoon system - looks cool, but hasn't been in stock for months.

Adding it all together
If you add it altogether for a build you get:
3 sets of swiftech MCW60's + 3 sets of matching heatsinks
(39.95+23.95 = 63.90) x 3 = 191.70
Apogee GTZ Extreme 49.95
Swiftech MCP 355 65.95
Swiftech MCR 320 with res 59.95
3 Gentle typhoon fans 14.95 x x = 44.85
So far, the total is 412.40 leaving 187.60 for fittings, hoses, and probably another radiator with fans.
 
Man that is a great list, I will have to dig deeper into it. I was able to come in a bit over, so I will check your solution as well - thanks so much for the reply.

NOTE: I just found out I have the P891 GTX 285's - not the P892 newer boards.
Here is what I have come up with:

I am using an Excel sheet to sort my pricing and do formulas etc so I know what, how many, cost, etc.

The Swiftech H2O-220 Ultima XT Liquid Cooling Kit comes with:
• Swiftech H20-220 Ultima XT Liquid Cooling Kit
• Apogee XT universal CPU waterblock
• Compatible with the LGA775, 1156, & 1366 processors.
• MCP655-B 12Volt 317 GPH In-Line Water Pump. Reliability of the kits is guaranteed by the new MCP650 pump featuring a 5 year lifetime.
• MCRES-Micro REV 2 Reservoir
• MCB120 RADBOX radiator mounting kit and assembly
• MCR220 Radiator with 2 x 120mm cooling fans pre-installed
• 2 Oz bottle HydrX extreme duty coolant
• Blue Coolsleeves 40" length
• Industrial grade PVC tubing
• Complete instructions
• Thermal Compound included


The following format is: Description | Quantity | Price Per | Total Line Item Cost (The bottom is total over all cost)


Swiftech H2O-220 Ultima XT Liquid Cooling Kit $249.99 1 249.99 $249.99
http://www.crazypc.com/products/h2o-220-xt-9378.html
Black Ice GTX240 Dual Radiator 1 $79.99 $79.99
http://www.crazypc.com/products/93094BK.html
Feser One Non-Conductive Cooling Fluid - UV Red F1-0002 33.8 2 $18.99 $37.98
http://www.crazypc.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=feser-red-93570UR&Category_Code=
Radiator Mounting Kit 6 $4.99 $29.94
http://www.crazypc.com/products/93421.html
Swiftech Clear SmartCoils 1/2 inch 4 $4.99 $19.96
http://www.crazypc.com/products/93270C.html
Swiftech MCW60-R2 Extreme Duty VGA Water Block Revision 2 3 $39.99 $119.97
http://www.crazypc.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=9363R&Category_Code=
Swiftech GTX285 heatsink compliment to the MCW60 3 $29.95 $89.85
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swgthecotomc1.html

TOTAL: $627.68

So we are in about the same ballpark - I will see from your list what I can substitute and combine with mine and see if I can do a bit better over all - thanks again for taking the time to help - this is tough trying to make sure you have everything you need at the time of build - does anyone see anything I missed?

Am I missing any connectors? Angles? clamps? Anything?

This is what I have decided I will be upgrading with (If it helps)
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 998798
Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
EVGA E760 CLASSIFIED "Overclocker's Pick" 3-Way SLI + PhysX 1366 Intel X58 EATX Intel Motherboard

Then I will reuse the rest of my current items in this PC complete the rebuild.
DUAL WD 300GB VelociRaptors (OS + the new one will do RAID 1+0)
WD 1TB Caviar Black x 2 (Storage)
Creative X-FI Fatal1ty Titanium PCI-Express 1
DVD & BD Players
Xigmatek 1200W PSU
Antec P190+1200 Mid-Tower Case (minus the 1200W dual PSU's)


I had to step back on the processor to have some extra $$ for water cooling - sucks having a budget.................



..
 
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Shiny:

I do have a ton of 120mm fans in my closet from the many years of upgrades, so fans are not an issue here, I have plenty high CFM/Low dba 120mm fans to chose from.

Man what a list - that is great - thanks so very much for the pointers as every suggestion is really helping a lot. I am hoping to gather some options here and ultimately make that decision.

As I stated in the previous post - I had to face reality and drop the the 930 i7 so I had the budget for the cooling. By doing this, I allowed myself about a $700 window to do it all with. ($400 initial + $300 saving by going 930 i7 = $700 w/c budget)

I am not sure, but I think I can stick a dual radiator inside up top where I have the dual 140mm top fans at, then a second externally on the back side of the case.

I have also realized I probably need to run tubing from the first radiator to the CPU, to the first GPU, then out to a second Radiator, then back in to the other two GPU's - because by the time the water goes through the CPU and the first GPU it will be cooking and need to chill before going back into the other two GPU's - right?
 
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I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the 930. Much of the time, the higher end cpu's, especially without the unlocked multiplier, are essentially the same as their "lower" counterparts only binned to run slightly higher. When there is high demand, they can't even really cherry pick them as much.
That extra $100 will actually give you some pretty good leeway.

If you end up with one internal 2x120 radiator and another one external, you can probably go pump => cpu waterblock => internal radiator => gpu's => external radiator => back to pump. Cooling is a much a product of flow rate as raw cooling power, getting the water through the quickest, most efficient path will do a good deal towards the overall cooling of the system. Each block might add 2~3 degrees at most, which is negligible.

I'd also avoid kits. Most modders piece together everything, and it's more then a pride thing. Sometimes you might get lucky and a kit has the exact parts you need/want, but most often it doesn't. In that one kit, while it implies it has a gpu block and heatsinks, it actually doesn't (look at the kit components at the end). They come in the "plus" version of said kit.

Edit* :
Also I see above you listed a GTX 240 radiator. I personally have two, but you should definitely see this:
http://www.skinneelabs.com/triplesv2.html?page=4
The dual radiators work the same as the triple. The GTX requires very high RPM fans which ends up being very loud. Since you said that noise is an issue, I figured you'd want to be more in the 1000 - 1800 rpm range. There the swiftech has pretty much the same performance as the others (but it's a bit cheaper). If you want an upgrade the swiftech at that rpm, you'd really want to look at the thermochill pa's.
 
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For a cheap solution for the 285's, I'd buy the heatkiller blocks from PPC. They are only $80 and fit rev1 gtx 285's. Shipping is a little high, but not too much. If you buy the entire set up from them, I'm sure you can email them and he'd probably give you a 10% off code. Also keep in mind that you will need the 3-way sli adapter as the blocks come with a piece that allows for only 1 out let and 1 inlet.
 
So many great suggestions - thanks so much for your assistance.

Shiny:
Agreed- this Q9650 is one well used powerhouse, that imo is nothing but the extreme chip with a locked multi, it flat kicks some tail. I am expecting the Core i7 930 to be similar, which is why I made that choice to do that and use the extra for better cooling options.

So now that I am basically set with a semi-roadmap on what I need, I will have to agree with you on the "kit" thing. I never have been much of a fan of them because you get crap you do not want (that piles in your goodies drawers and never used), and items in the kits may not be the best anyway - so I understand your comment. I will then go forth with the $700 I now have to spend on water cooling and do the custom thing.

Mikecdm:
Thanks so much for that, it solves a lot of wiggle room I was trying to figure out - I will most certainly take that suggestion - best price for best coverage on a GPU water block I have yet found - awesome man, thanks so much.
 
How does this list look?

DESCRIPTION | QTY | PRICE | TOTAL
Swiftech MCP655 Water Pump 1 $79.99 $79.99
http://www.crazypc.com/products/9336.html
Black Ice Xtreme 120mm Cooling Radiator - BLACK 1 $39.99 $39.99
http://www.crazypc.com/products/black-ice-xtreme-93090BK.html
Koolance Dual 140mm Copper High Flow Radiator - Black (No Nozzles) (HX-CU1402V) 1 $67.95 $67.95
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...lack_No_Nozzles_HX-CU1402V.html?tl=g30c95s930
Chrome 1/2" Compression Fittings for Koolance Dual 140mm Radiator 1 $13.98 $13.98
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...lack_No_Nozzles_HX-CU1402V.html?tl=g30c95s930
Watercool HEATKILLER® GPU-X² GTX285 Water Block for Nvidia 285GTX 3 $83.94 $251.82
http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...t_info&manufacturers_id=174&products_id=25219
Swiftech Apogee XT Extreme Performance CPU Waterblock 1 $87.98 $87.98
http://www.crazypc.com/products/apogee-xt-93930.html
Feser One Non-Conductive Cooling Fluid - UV Red F1-0002 33.8 2 $18.99 $37.98
http://www.crazypc.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=feser-red-93570UR&Category_Code=
Radiator Mounting Kit 6 $4.99 $29.94
http://www.crazypc.com/products/93421.html
Swiftech Clear SmartCoils 1/2 inch 4 $4.99 $19.96
http://www.crazypc.com/products/93270C.html
DTEK HI-Flow Hose Barb - 1/2" G-1/4" Thread 12 $2.40 $28.80
http://jab-tech.com/DTEK-HI-Flow-Hose-Barb-1-2-G-1-4-Thread-pr-4492.html
Acrylic Dual 5.25” Reservoir for Laing DDC - BayRes One 1 55.95 $55.95
http://jab-tech.com/Acrylic-Dual-5.25-Reservoir-for-Laing-DDC-BayRes-One-pr-4549.html

Did I miss anything? I seem to have gone to $714.34 without shipping - any better modifications/choices to get the pricing down a bit more?

Again thanks for your help on my first W/C build!
 
that dual reservoir is for the smaller 350/355 pumps, wont work with the 655.....

also i wouldn't feel too comfortable with just a 280mm rad and a single 120 for all of that, the temps wouldn't be that great, if it was me i would go with 2 x 360mm swiftech rads, get at the least a 480mm rad or more... that's a lot of heat to dump out.
 
nightwalker said:
that dual reservoir is for the smaller 350/355 pumps, wont work with the 655.....

also i wouldn't feel too comfortable with just a 280mm rad and a single 120 for all of that, the temps wouldn't be that great, if it was me i would go with 2 x 360mm swiftech rads, get at the least a 480mm rad or more... that's a lot of heat to dump out.
Click to expand...

OK - thanks for checking the selections - Will this work out better?
32201070256am.png


I removed both previous radiators and replaced with two of the the Black Ice 360mm rads. I then removed that reservoir and put in that high capacity Thermaltake. It actually reduced my price, so I am happy with the change - anything else I need to adjust in this list? Did I miss any hardware?

I am going to pull the trigger today, hope to have everything in by Friday to do the build this weekend, so feedback is appreciated.Just checking once more to make sure I have all I need to put this together without an "Oh crap I missed X" because I cannot afford to be without a PC come Monday - seriously, this is not just my upgrade, this is also my business PC :D
 
Just a quick note. You don't have any tubing listed. You realize that Swiftech clear SmartCoils you have listed goes around your tubing. It doesn't include the tubing they show in the picture. You should also use distilled water and a piece of silver instead of that Feser coolant.
 
robothunter said:
Just a quick note. You don't have any tubing listed. You realize that Swiftech clear SmartCoils you have listed goes around your tubing. It doesn't include the tubing they show in the picture. You should also use distilled water and a piece of silver instead of that Feser coolant.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for checking the list. Do I have it right now? All diameters correct? Everything will plug and play nice with each other? Thanks again - really, thank you all for your help.
59845424.png


Distilled water I can buy at the grocery store (or ask my wife to get it when she goes) - so I am good to go there - thanks for that suggestion. I have several tubes of Artic Silver 5 laying around, so thermal paste is not an issue. Can anyone think of anything else I am missing? I am so nervous...................
 
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A couple of suggestions:
I'm not sure you need 6 mounting kits. Those are for external mounting, and one holds a full dual rad. Those stealth rads are pretty thin, you can probably get away with one kit each, or if you really want to be safe, 2 each.
I think you can cut out crazy pc altogether from your buy list, pricing it out, jabtech beats them or matches them in all the parts.
That reservoir - that might be a pain to mount. Can I suggest looking for a pump top with a built in reservoir? You get the benefit of the top, while getting an easy to mount res.
As I mentioned before, despite the 655 being listed as having more flow rate, the 355 is actually the more powerful. This was pointed out to me a while back on this forum, and upon trying them out, I can see what they mean. One of the combinations that is well liked is:
http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCP-355-12v-DC-Pump-pr-3510.html
with this top:
http://www.jab-tech.com/XSPC-Acrylic-Reservoir-for-Laing-DDC-pr-4123.html

However I understand if you're going with the 655 because you can control the speed (I just wanted to make sure you know that it isn't really the most powerful pump).

Also, 20 feet is pretty generous? Did you plan to play around with the configuration? If not, most computers won't use close to that amount.

As for the rest, it all looks pretty good. The apogee XT tests very well, and I'm personally very pleased with the look of it (that's what i got on my own). The heatkillers were an amazing find. They make good gear all around, and at that price...
If you have a little room to play around, I found this alternative to a kill coil that I found to be pretty cool:
http://www.jab-tech.com/Bitspower-True-Silver-G1-4-High-Flow-1-2-Barb-BP-SLWP-C01-pr-4397.html

One set of those is about equal to a kill coil.

Don't forget to put up pics when it is all built.
 
Shiny,
Thanks for the input, I have modified the list again with the adjusted items you put up. I have basically all but eliminated CrazyPC from most items, the Radiators are the ones I could not locate at jab-tech and these I think are a good price and should do the trick - right? Tubing - yeah it may be overkill, but I know me and I would rather have too much than not enough and its cheap enough to do the overkill.

This is the list of everything I am going to begin procurring today. Paired with my existing list - I think I am good to go. A second/third set of eyes always helps, so thank you all for your input and assistance. Please if you see anything else I am missing or could tweak I am open for suggestions for about another hour then off I go to buy it all...........Pictures are a given, once this bad boy is running and happy, I will be taking pics - thanks so much again for all the help.

The beauty of it all was I had a $2,500 budget for this upgrade. I think I hit my mark - AWESOME!!!!

EXISTING:
XFX GTX 285 P891 v.1 GPU's QTY-3
ANTEC P190 MID-Tower Case
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB QTY -2
DVD & BD R/W DRIVES
7-n-1 MEDIA READER w/Floppy
Xigmatech 1200w PSU
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional PCI Express x1
MULTIPLE 120mm fans (If needed)
WD 1TB Caviar Black Qty -2
WD 640GB Caviar Black Qty -1
OCZ RAM HEAT SINK COOLER
HANNS-G 27.5" HDMI 1080P 3ms GTG Monitor
Saitek II Keyboard
Razer Lachesis 4000dpi mouse
Razer eXactMat Mouse Pad
Multiple tubes of Artic Silver 5
Fan extension cables
Multiple sizes of black tie wraps
Band-Aids for the blood letting and sacrifice to the PC gods


THE BUY LIST:
95816044.png
 
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Trigger pulled - its all over but the bloodletting and sacrifices to the PC gods now - thanks again to everyone who helped!
 
Oh, had to do actual work for a bit. Um, the radiator is here:
http://www.jab-tech.com/Black-Ice-GT-stealth-360-Black-pr-3418.html

Doh! Too late. No biggie, was only saving on shipping and handling, you won't be too far off. Everything looks good.

Anyhow, good luck on the build - remember to just take your time, and be methodical.

*edit - just saw you grabbed 12 pairs of the silver barbs - you're definitely not going to have problems with anything living in that loop. It is also safe from Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, and that's a plus too.
 
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Shiny:

Thanks, yeah I did it, its all over now. I just could not help myself - I got the 960 CPU instead, dropped the 3rd WD VelociRaptor to help make up the difference. I back up nightly on my server anyway, so RAID 1+0 wasn't going to change my life, I will still live with RAID 0 like I have for a few years now.

I also ended up purchasing some L connectors as well for "just in case" I need to bend a 90 like I know I will from the bottom GPU, so I wanted to make sure I had what I needed. Another thing that took me over budget was shipping. I probably could have saved about $50+ if I did not have to do 3 day shipping on it all to be sure I had everything by Friday. Weekends are the time I can tear down this PC as I need it for business M-F and cannot be without it for a second. So I had to ensure I was going to have it all no later than Friday - dang shipping companies love 3 day shipping, it shows how proud they are in their charges.

Total damages ended up being $2,697 (only $200 over budget, not bad for me actually, kind of expected) but in the end I am sure the PC will do everything I want it to and more and one hell of a cooling system in it I think. Always room for improvement, but for now this will do the trick for the upgrade and hold its own for a while I suspect. Now when is Crysis 2 finally going to be released - I am ready for it this time!

Shiny said:
just saw you grabbed 12 pairs of the silver barbs - you're definitely not going to have problems with anything living in that loop. It is also safe from Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, and that's a plus too.
Click to expand...
LMAO - nice to know I did good there :D
 
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Don't forget you need to leak test that beast for a decent amount of time. Watercooling is not something best done in a rush environment.
 
Leak test? I no need to leak test! LMAO - For sure you can bet on that one - it will be ran overnight to check for leaks, then installed the next day, fire it up and let her roar..............

Yeah, with the $$ invested here, you can bet the leak test is a MUST! Thanks for the pointer though - to some it may not have been common sense - it is well received here though.
 
Do the leak test with the components in the loop, just no power applied to anything but the pump (jump the PSU with a paperclip or wire from green to any black on the ATX connection). This way you don't need to worry about bumping anything lose when you install components after the leak test. If you have a leak during the leak test nothing will get damaged because there is no power running through everything. Let everything dry thoroughly before applying power if you get a leak.
 
Much appreciated on the advice. I have a psu I have modified for these kinds of things I use for just powering things I am testing without having to fire the mobo up, so good advice as well, one I will take into consideration in this situation.

I did a lot of "mental configurations" and I could not come up with how I was going to route the entire system within my Antec P190 Case. Granted that case is no slouch and I love it, but for the two rad's and everything else, I bit the bullet and destroyed my budget with the last purchase of a full tower case.

I went with the Corsair Obsidian 800D to house it all - now I hope my Xigmatek power cables are long enough - lol, one thing leads to 20 other "Oh crap I need adapters/extenders" - just like I realized these are 120mm radiators, but the case has 140mm fans (in my Antec as well), so now I have to figure out if I can get adapters locally as I will not pay 2 day shipping for adapters. I may try Fry's when I pick up the case............

Anyway, this should be fun and now look good at the same time! I am glad I went with the red theme with the tubing and fans, it will work well with the EVGA Classfied mobo and the Obsidian case.
 
filthysanchez said:
Ditch the silen-x fans, waste of money
Click to expand...

Trigger pulled - Fans Ordered.

I am not sure why you say these are a waste of money - I have several of these in my Antec case's (Both P190 and P180B) currently and they have run just fine for almost two years. They do what they say they do - so not sure why the opinion. Did you have a bad experience? Mine so far has been as expected, they spin, move air, and are low dba - they are a fan, nothing special, just a fan.
 
Items are already arriving - WOW for Jab-Tech! Faster than NewEgg, and exactly what I ordered - FANTASTIC! I would most certainly suggest anyone check them out. I cannot believe I got this so fast without overnight charges. Thanks for suggesting them to me - they shipped fast and accurate!

ITEMS ARRIVED:
XSPC - Acrylic Reservoir for Laing DDC
Swiftech MCP 355 12v DC Pump
Swiftech Apogee XT Extreme Performance CPU Waterblock
Bitspower True Silver G1/4 High Flow 1/2" Barb - BP-SLWP-C01
PrimoFlex Pro LRT UV Red Tubing - 1/2in. ID X 3/4in. OD
(3rd XFX GTX 285 Card sitting waiting for build, was not included in Jab-Tech Order)
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It's a thing of beauty. Jab-tech is a good company. What's that in the top right hand corner? A free Jab-tech coffee cup? LOL That would be awesome.
 
Nah its the remains of a plant I killed - the container is all that survived.

Yeah a coffee mug would have been awesome - I drink 2 pots of it a day, so it would have been well used, but hey, fast shipping and great prices like that is worth more than a coffe cup to me. I am very happy with my first shopping experience with Jab-Tech - no doubt. However if they randomly sent me one out of the blue, I am sure it would make it into my future photo updates........... :cool:
 
QUESTION:

OK, so I went ahead and purchased the Corsair Obsidian 800D so now I should have plenty of room to put everything inside right?

Well I am confused now............

If I have dual Black Ice GT stealth 360 Radiators to install, I know for sure one will go horizontal under the top 140mm fans (and I connect them by using a 120mm to 140mm fan adapter) - right?

Where does the other go?

Do you install it externally on the back of the case? Is this why there are water cooling holes on the back? I am confused as to how to mount the second radiator so it too has proper airflow. The one below the 140mm fans at top will suck case air through the rad and out the top of the case, but the second one has me baffled now where to put it that it will work right.

Any suggestions?

Also, loop options - which option is better with this configuration of gear?

OPTION #1
PUMP > CPU > RADIATOR #1 > GPU #1 (Straight IN/ SLI Connector OUT) > GPU #2 (SLI Connector IN/ SLI Connector OUT) > (SLI connector IN/ "L" Connector OUT) GPU #3 > RADIATOR #2 > RESERVOIR > PUMP

OPTION #2
PUMP > CPU > GPU #1 (Straight IN/ "L" connector OUT) > RADIATOR #1 > GPU #2 ("L" Connector IN/ SLI Connector OUT) > (SLI connector IN/ "L" Connector OUT) GPU #3 > RADIATOR #2 > RESERVOIR > PUMP
 
First off The Corsair Obsidian 800D is a great case. I am thinking about getting one. I think the top holes are 120mm so you can just use 120mm fans for that. It is really designed for a 3x120 radiator in the top. Since you have two 2x120 radiators you will have to mount on in the top and the other externally. You could also cut a hole in the bottom of your case like this guy did: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=81684

It kind of seems like you would have been better off with a case like the Cooler Master CM690 II. Which is designed for two 2x120 radiators. One in the top and one in the bottom. At around $100 it is considerably less then the Corsair. The Cooler Master is only a mid tower so you would have less room. It also doesn't have a window to show off all your gear. I only mention this option because in reading your posts it seems like you picked it up on a whim to better fit your water cooling setup. I mean no offense if I am out of line. The Corsair is a great case.
 
Robothunter:
You are correct, I did "pick it up on a whim" and no offense taken. I have eyed that case many times and really wanted it anyway.

You are also correct that it takes 3-120mm top fans (I thought they were 140mm's - thanks for pointing that out), With that in mind - Can I stack the radiators? from top down FAN > RADIATOR > FAN > RADIATOR?

I liked what that guy did but I do not have the time this weekend to modify the case and do everything else much less the tools or patience at this point - lol, it's gonna be tough enough to set up the loops and let them run over night for leak testing.

I really wanted a full tower case anyway for the room and I loved how the Obsidian is laid out for hiding cables and keeping things tidy. I could be wrong but it looks like the stacked radiator thing would still leave plenty of access to the motherboard from that article you referenced. I just wonder how the fan noise would be and how effective it all would be. I need the drive bays below anyway as I have mutiple drives I use and need in this case.
 
If you stack your radiators like that you are going to need some higher CFM fans to account for the extra resistance. You would be doing kind of a Swiftech MCR320 stacker setup. Just not in parallel. If you set it up and feel like you need better cooling you could even add a 3rd set of fans. Fan>Rad>Fan>Rad>Fan. That would probably be overkill though unless you have low RPM fans.

Like I said, I am thinking about getting that case myself. I have been contemplating Fan>Shroud>Rad>Shroud>Fan. I am unsure of the distance from the top of the case to the motherboard. I like how the top fan holes are recessed in the case. I was envisioning the first set of fans on the outside of the case with black fan grills. That way I would only have Shroud>Rad>Shroud>Fan between the top of my case and my motherboard.
 
I was thinking of something like this. I will need to get the fan guards to put on top of the 140mm outside the case, I may even mount one rad out side as well, then sitck the fans inside then the rad #2 - not sure, will see how deep it goes inside and if it covers my gear. If it goes too low, then I will, otherwise I will stick as much inside as I can - glad I bought 15' of tubing though.............


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There was an article I read about stacking radiators a few weeks back. I can't recall it exactly, but I think you lose 40% efficiency on the second radiator, even with multiple sets of fans, due to the restriction of air coming in, and the additional heat of that air (although that should probably be fairly minor).
That said, you got to do what you can. If you can, I'd probably mount the second radiator on the outside.
As far as configurations, I'd probably go with #2. You might be to get slightly cooler water to the cpu, which will help with your overclock (as that second radiator is cooling 2 and not 3 gpu's sequentially). It'll still likely even out over the cycles, but that might place your cpu in a slightly cooler part of the loop.
 
shiny:

Thanks for the option choice, that helps and makes sense.

I wonder if this is an option? Obviously when all the parts are here and I can play with potential ideas I will know better, but, here was another thought:
obsidianoption.png


Is it better to push or pull air with radiators given the option?
 
Push works better then pull according to everything I've seen tested.
 
Thanks, I will keep that in mind when figuring out where and how things will go. I am already seriously considering the mod for the case and putting the second rad in the bottom. I just have a thing about cutting into a brand new case, but I just may do it if I want to keep things inside and clean. We shall see what the next 48 hours hold.
 
I am really pressed for time and need to get everything installed and email back online for work and get it where I can do work, but here are a couple fast pics in the meantime to show the build - OMG these pictures simply do nto do it justice. It is a Red/Black theme and in these pic's it almost looks orange, but whatever.

I will post baseline benchmarks this week, next weekend I hope to sit and OC this baby and see what she can do. I ended up going to MicroCenter and buying like 10 fans for push/pull on all radiators, ditched the second stealth and went with an external 240. THis was quite the challenge as I will get into later, but for now here are a coupel pics for those of you who helped and thanks again so much.

Loop = Pump > CPU > 360 Stealth Rad at top w/6-120mm fans (3 push/3 pull) > GPU 2 > GPU 3 > GPU 1 > 240 rear rad w/4-120mm fans (2 push/2 pull)>back to pump/reservoir

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It's a nice looking build. In the end, I don't think you met your budget, but I bet you got a heck of a cooling system out of it.
 
I destroyed my budget - completly! Yes I think I did, though not sure if the CPU is seated well or something as I only get around 39c temps and expected better (my uncle runs a 2.6Ghz vesion on air and he gets 43c). My video cards are much lower though, so I know those babies asre staying nice and cool (around 32c).

To top it off, my 27.5" monitor died - not something I expected or wanted - so I am "limping along" on a 19" 4:3 monitor now until I can go buy a new one.

Slight OC VANTAGE Score:
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