Water Cooling an 800D

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ex0du5

Gawd
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
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Alright, so I'm planning out my next build. I finally decided that I would go with the Corsair 800D. So now, I'm entertaining the notion of trying my first water cooled build.

Now, since this is my first water cooled build, I want to keep it relatively simple. Also, since this is such an expensive case, I'd like to keep it intact, which means I won't be installing a second radiator. So that leaves me with having to make due with a 360mm rad.

Now, I would like to go for overclocks, but nothing major. If I were to build a computer today, I'd want to get an i7 930 running at 4.0GHz, and a single GTX 580 (with possible support for an SLI setup) with mild overclocks.

My main question is this: can I make due with a single loop? This approach looks much cleaner to me, and would obviously be far simpler as opposed to a dual loop system. Here's a shot of a setup that looks awesome to me:

BloodRed_corsair2.jpg


I'm also looking to make a relatively quiet rig. That means having 120mm fans spinning no faster than 1200rpm, if possible. I have a feeling I may be expecting too much.

Any help/advice is appreciated. Thanks.
 
Well yes you can run one loop. You dont need to worry about wc'ing the ram or mobo tho. And if you get a koolance pmp 450 pup reservoir combo you can even clean up the tubing more then the picture above. With that pump setup all you have is a tube running to the cpu, the gpu, rad and pump, its a very clean look. As far as the 1200 rpm it can be done with the right equipment. You will need a radiator geared towards low rpm fans. Not sure what you consider to loud?
 
I don't mind a gentle whooshing of air, but I get annoyed at the buzzing of most fans running at higher RPM. 2000RPM is quite loud to me. Then again, maybe I just haven't been using the right fans.

CustomModAddict said:
Well yes you can run one loop. You dont need to worry about wc'ing the ram or mobo tho. And if you get a koolance pmp 450 pup reservoir combo you can even clean up the tubing more then the picture above. With that pump setup all you have is a tube running to the cpu, the gpu, rad and pump, its a very clean look. As far as the 1200 rpm it can be done with the right equipment. You will need a radiator geared towards low rpm fans. Not sure what you consider to loud?
Click to expand...

I was wondering about WC'ing the mobo. I mean, I know having a cool motherboard is important to overclocks, but I figured with the rest of the system watercooled, it wouldn't be getting too hot without the massive heat that usually comes off the GPU and CPU.
 
Well don't go by fan RPM, use there dBa rating. For example I use Aerocool Shark fans, because I get 80 CFM out of a 25 dBa fan, which is really good, and there is others out there like that. And when you use fans on radiators the pressure the push or pull is most important. Typically if you use thicker fans such as 120x38mm you can get lower dBa with higher pressure. So if you have the room in the radiator then use thicker fans.

As far as the mobo is concerned unless your gonna do some series overclocking, you don't need blocks for the motherboard. I mean there nice, they have bling factor, and removing the bridge fans helps quiet the case. But after you spend all the money on the mobo blocks its really not worth it.

Whatever rad you go with, just email the manufacturer and ask what fans they recommend.
 
I think I may be shying away from this. My goal is a highly overclockable silent rig, and I think I'm getting the impression I could do better with air. Maybe I'll just suck it up and get the HAF X or the FT02.
 
ex0du5 said:
I think I may be shying away from this. My goal is a highly overclockable silent rig, and I think I'm getting the impression I could do better with air. Maybe I'll just suck it up and get the HAF X or the FT02.
Click to expand...

Not sure how you're ending up with this impression. While you can find a massive CPU cooler on air that's relatively quiet and high performance, there is no substitute for water cooling a GPU. Don't mistake "quieter" for "quiet": yes, the 580 is quieter than the 480, but there is no high-end video card that is quiet under load, period. The squirrel cage and exhaust fan design is the exact opposite of quiet.

On the other hand, if you slap a giant Accelero triple-fan type cooler on your 580, that would be less hassle and cost than water cooling, and still pretty quiet. The downside is that it will probably take up three slots and thus prevent SLI down the line. And the cooler doesn't exist yet, either.
 
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I'm definitely planning on slapping on an after market cooler. I never buy reference cooling designs or stick with them. Currently using a Twin Frozr MSI GTX 275. Not the hottest card, I know, but it runs at 85C at 30% fan speed, which is completely inaudible over my 800rpm 120mm fans. Of course, if I'm getting a GTX 580, I'll definitely be getting something a little better than that.

So anyways, I think I might have to abandon my search for an elegant case. The HAF X is becoming too hard to avoid. It's not as nice...but functionally, it's really damned hard to beat. I'm avoiding the FT02 for 2 reasons: the window would not face me under my desk, and the cable management and installation look like absolute hell in that case.

I still wish there was an FT01 with decent cable management and a CPU cutout, or a Lian-Li V1020 with a black interior...I'd definitely consider one of those.

I suppose I could just suck it up and go through a slightly more painful installation and get the FT01.

sscase.jpg


Thoughts?

I'm not 100% sure about its suitability for a quiet SLI system...though it's not even sure I'll go SLI anyways.
 
ex0du5 said:
I'm definitely planning on slapping on an after market cooler. I never buy reference cooling designs or stick with them. Currently using a Twin Frozr MSI GTX 275. Not the hottest card, I know, but it runs at 85C at 30% fan speed, which is completely inaudible over my 800rpm 120mm fans. Of course, if I'm getting a GTX 580, I'll definitely be getting something a little better than that.

So anyways, I think I might have to abandon my search for an elegant case. The HAF X is becoming too hard to avoid. It's not as nice...but functionally, it's really damned hard to beat. I'm avoiding the FT02 for 2 reasons: the window would not face me under my desk, and the cable management and installation look like absolute hell in that case.

I still wish there was an FT01 with decent cable management and a CPU cutout, or a Lian-Li V1020 with a black interior...I'd definitely consider one of those.

I suppose I could just suck it up and go through a slightly more painful installation and get the FT01.

sscase.jpg


Thoughts?

I'm not 100% sure about its suitability for a quiet SLI system...though it's not even sure I'll go SLI anyways.
Click to expand...

If you like the FT01 get it.. dont be afraid to cut a couple of holes on a motherboard tray..
 
I just posted a thread about trying to find a new case, and many people suggested the Fractal Design Define R3. After a lot of research, I decided it would be replacing my cooler master 590. It seems pretty slick and I've heard it's quite nice and silent. Only problem is they don't have a us distributor yet. Should only be about month, Fractal is saying.

Just a thought b
 
I had actually heavily considered the Fractal. I just figured I wanted to try to go something a little higher end in this case, and I would kind of like to try aluminum if I go for a mid tower. I have to admit...the window is a big selling factor.
 
Alright, so my alternative to the FT01 is the Antec P193

P193_side.jpg


Doesn't look as cool, and would be ridiculously heavy, but I'm wondering if it would really be that much quieter. If the difference in noise is huge, then I may consider it.
 
Listen, don't be afraid to go water cooling, if thats what you mean. If you want the best possible set-up for overclocking then there is no substitute, well there is if you have a $1000.00 and wanna do phase change.Case wise, go with whatever you think is good, they all have advantages, and they all have disadvantages. But chances are whatever since you think you need, always go bigger then what you think...:)
 
Well after I think of it, I'd probably rather put the $300-400 towards a good pair of SSDs, and get smaller, though well performing case for air cooling.

I'm not striking water cooling off, but since I do want to go 120x3 RAD with a single loop, I'm doubting if it would be worth the effort. The PC wouldn't be very LAN friendly with such a massive setup.
 
I don't like this thread
Wait..no maybe I do
Then again probably not


fuck it Im just gona buy an SSD

...

or should I? :p
 
I have even been entertaining the thoughts of a Lian-Li PC-X900 or PC-X2000F.

I have 2 months to decide!
 
Which is what I'm going to be using the case for. ;)

Guess I left that bit out of the OP. I put those specs there just to gauge relative thermal performance.
 
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