Water cooling CF 290s?

A

///AMG

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
3,835
I just got 2 R9-290s and I want to try out Water cooling them, might as well since 2 Accelero Xtreme IIIs cost $150. I have never done WC outside of the H50 and H80i which I use right now.

I want to spend around $400-$500 on a loop and I need some help and suggestions on it. I have a FT-02 so I wanted to get a 540mm Radiator. But other than that I dont know what to get. I am actually looking to expand to 3 290s later as well and I am not sure the 540mm rad can take 3 of them. If not I would actually be wiling to buy the Corsair 900D to expand the WC setup.

So in short I have 2 290s right now and want to spend up to $500 on a WC loop that will support 3 290s in the future.
 
Maaaaaaaaan, I just wrote this lengthy reply and it vanished! haha

But in essence, $500 is not realistic for a 3 GPU setup.

If you want decent quality products, expect closer to $900
 
Karder said:
Maaaaaaaaan, I just wrote this lengthy reply and it vanished! haha

But in essence, $500 is not realistic for a 3 GPU setup.

If you want decent quality products, expect closer to $900
Click to expand...

How about just 2 gpus right now?
 
With a 540 mm rad, I would say around $500 for a cheap setup (look for cheapest components).

$650 for a more quality setup.

pump 80
res 75
rad 110
GPU blocks 240
cpu block 50
fittings 80
tubing 25
 
Karder said:
With a 540 mm rad, I would say around $500 for a cheap setup (look for cheapest components).

$650 for a more quality setup.

pump 80
res 75
rad 110
GPU blocks 240
cpu block 50
fittings 80
tubing 25
Click to expand...

Fittings look expensive. $80 for fittings? Wouldnt it be better for me to just cool the 2 GPUs and leave my CPU to the H80i I have currently? Can you point me to a pump, res and the fittings? Also Koolance or EK right now for the 290s?
 
I've got an ft02, IMO there's not room for that style of res unless you're running a matx mobo. I went with a bay res. I'm using this one:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_318_665&products_id=34300

BUT, it doesn't fit flush, somehow the ft02's 5.25 bays are about 1/8in too narrow. But it's the cheapest bay res for the D5 pumps I've found that isn't made of plexi. A belt sander trimmed it down a bit and it fit better. Otherwise the monsoon bay res's look pretty nice.

As for the rad, if you're feeling adventurous, this is your choice:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_457_912&products_id=32880

OR

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_457_912&products_id=36995

There are some builds here and other sites with the magicool, but i've not seen anyone build an ft02 with the alphacool. It is 10mm taller, card clearance could become a concern. Those 2 rads will give you MASSIVE surface area for cooling but require some mods of the case to fit well. I might tackle one of them next year as i'm still rolling with 2 240mm rads from my previous case.

Lastly, unless the koolance's are like 140+ per block, i'd go with them over the EK's.
 
Imitation said:
I've got an ft02, IMO there's not room for that style of res unless you're running a matx mobo. I went with a bay res. I'm using this one:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_318_665&products_id=34300

BUT, it doesn't fit flush, somehow the ft02's 5.25 bays are about 1/8in too narrow. But it's the cheapest bay res for the D5 pumps I've found that isn't made of plexi. A belt sander trimmed it down a bit and it fit better. Otherwise the monsoon bay res's look pretty nice.

As for the rad, if you're feeling adventurous, this is your choice:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_457_912&products_id=32880

OR

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_457_912&products_id=36995

There are some builds here and other sites with the magicool, but i've not seen anyone build an ft02 with the alphacool. It is 10mm taller, card clearance could become a concern. Those 2 rads will give you MASSIVE surface area for cooling but require some mods of the case to fit well. I might tackle one of them next year as i'm still rolling with 2 240mm rads from my previous case.

Lastly, unless the koolance's are like 140+ per block, i'd go with them over the EK's.
Click to expand...

Thanks, good to see a FT-02 owner post some suggestions.

so something like this from monsoon?
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=37667

I dont want to sand down anything. I was wondering about EK vs Koolance as well. I think I will go koolance. Might as well go for good fittings now, so can anyone give me suggestions on good quality fittings and how many would I need? Also tubing what should I get? I am thinking about putting an order in at the end of the week.
 
///AMG said:
Thanks, good to see a FT-02 owner post some suggestions.

so something like this from monsoon?
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=37667

I dont want to sand down anything. I was wondering about EK vs Koolance as well. I think I will go koolance. Might as well go for good fittings now, so can anyone give me suggestions on good quality fittings and how many would I need? Also tubing what should I get? I am thinking about putting an order in at the end of the week.
Click to expand...

That one is just a res, this one allows you to mount the pump to the back of it, which I think its a better use of space, esp in the ft-02.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_318_1235&products_id=37663

As for fittings, going compression is pretty much standard these days. Bitspower makes very high quality fittings but are also top dollar. Other companies such as monsoon, swiftech, and a few others make good quality ones too. It really boils down to preference and price at that point I think.
 
Imitation said:
That one is just a res, this one allows you to mount the pump to the back of it, which I think its a better use of space, esp in the ft-02.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_318_1235&products_id=37663

As for fittings, going compression is pretty much standard these days. Bitspower makes very high quality fittings but are also top dollar. Other companies such as monsoon, swiftech, and a few others make good quality ones too. It really boils down to preference and price at that point I think.
Click to expand...

Oh ok. I didnt realize those had places to mount the pump. I guess I will go with bitspower. How many do you think I will need?
 
If you have 1 res, 1 rad and 2 gpu blocks, you will need 8 fittings (pumps usually come with barbs). If you want a separate mount for the pump, that is another 2 fittings.

Buy some spare plugs, as some rads and reservoirs have extra holes that will require plugs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top