Please help me water cool my rig.

K

KillaSer

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All right, this time around I figured its time to go H2O cooling all the way and not just only CPU, but both video cards as well...
I am looking for everything, I need the whole nine yards. I want it to be flashy, with chrome fittings, luminescent tubings, visible lighted reservoirs, pumps, etc, I don't know what else is out there, what's needed. I am total noob when it comes to good looking, extremely well performing liquid cooling solution. I am sure there are a lot of people here that into this kinda thing and prolly could help me, so I was hoping to get some help.... I don't know anything, not even where to go to look for it, or WHAT i actually need. My price range is under a grand preferably.

My Rig is:


I got HAF case, full ATX tower, plenty of room to work with I think. I am looking for a complete list of parts I need to order to get this going, connectors, tubings, pumps, reservoirs, etc...all the shebang. So please please help
 
When I was building my water cooling, about 2010 ;-) , this was the situation:

Swiftech rads didn't significantly underperform compared to others, even significantly thicker ones, so for radiators I'd recommend go series of these: Swiftech MCRX20-QP-RADIATOR SERIES - PC Liquid Cooling Systems CPU Cooler VGA Water Block Heatsink Pump Radiator Heat Exchanger Kit . I'd buy as many as your case will fit in places (needs some research, I had to dremel a square hole for one of them in my case at the bottom because it wouldn't clear for 2 mm)... I wouldn't go over 3 on 1 pump because 3 blocks (cpu+2cards+3blocks+reservoir) is kinda getting up there. A MCP-355 should be fine driving the above though, that's what I have except only 2 blocks (GPU+CPU).

They were cheap as fuck and perform almost as good as anything else.

For fans, after extensive research, I went with Scythe Gentle Typhoon (on a fan controller so you can control the speed). I don't really regret the decision, although one of them (out of 6 total installed) very quietly vibrates occasionally after about 2+ years of 24/7 uptime. I think if I oil it it might be fine, the bearings are probably getting worn out slowly, but it hasn't bothered me enough yet.

For waterblocks, EK dominated at the time, I went copper/acetal because I liked the look. Personal preference imo.

Pump was Swiftech MCP-355 without question. Price/performance was pretty much unbeatable at the time. Smaller pumps were less reliable or whiny or less powerful. I've been really impressed by the MCP-355. I think there's a version with and without a speed control knob (5 positions), I think I have the one without, but I'm not sure. They're the same pump anyway, and IMO you should be running it at full power regardless. Your fans, even the PSU fan will be MUCH louder than the pump.

For fittings and tubes, that's where the bling comes out. I went with blue primochill tubing and some clamp fittings (you squeeze them on with pliers). I'm 100% satisfied.

IMO you should plan on running distilled water with a silver coil and probably some biocide (This is what I use: Petra'sTech PT Nuke PHN Concentrated Biocide (10mL) - PC Coolant & Dyes) along with a silver coil in my 5.25" reservoir. The silver coil has lost its silver after 2+ years and needs replacement, I'll have to do that soon :-S ... Dye in the water introduces shit and problems which you don't need. If you want color, IMO just go with colored tubing.

As far as chrome fittings and bling, I don't know... I'd rather go for performance if I were you, rather than looks.

My entire setup probably cost about $400-500, everything included... can't remember anymore.

Oh, thermal paste, I got this which was the best at the time Shin-Etsu X23-7783D Silicone Thermal Compound - .5 Gram - FrozenCPU.com . I think there's an even "better" one out there nowadays. We're talking 1-2 degrees difference at maximum OCd load at most :) ... like from 39 to 37... if you're running the fans on full blast. I actually have them dialed down, I got my setup for quietness, not performance per se. Nevertheless that hasn't prevented me from running an i7-920 at 4.1GHz (was crashing once every week at 4.2) and GTX 480 at 840MHz 24/7, stable.

Maybe things have changed, IDK. There was a really REALLY good website with all kinds of water-related tech reviews, I think it was different in design, maybe they've changed it over the last two years, looks like maybe this one: martinsliquidlab.org | Busting out the science behind liquid cooling!

I'd spend a few hours sifting through reviews, and thinking about what you want, looking at the new things that have come out recently, and whether it's really worth shelling out a LOT more cash for potentially 1-2 degrees difference...

Oh, by the way, don't mix aluminum with copper. It introduces corrosion, the danger is there even with extra care or if it's coated. I'd just avoid aluminum altogether. By the way, most radiators are copper on the inside (they're usually painted black on the outside though).

Oh, for size, I think 1/2 inch is best :p .

P.S. Installation was pretty easy, cut tubing, connect to fittings, clamp. The only thing which was a bitch was the pump because I had to drill 2 holes and I actually bought this jelly pad from petras tech shop (it felt really really cool, like a feel right inbetween a sponge and a gel) otherwise the pump vibrates against your case screwed in and it'll create vibration noise. Oh, and taking off the cooler from the GPU and installing the new one was annoying. 12 screws IIRC... not looking forward to doing that again on the new card that I buy. You can buy a card with a preinstalled block, but they're more expensive rather than doing it yourself and may even underperform... not by much probably.

P.P.S. IMO plan your loop so that the pump sucks out of the reservoir. The reservoir should be the last thing before the pump in the loop. Helps with clearing air out of the pump tube when you first start it or after refilling if the system has been emptied.

P.P.P.S. If you want an "angled" look, I think that looks really really cool, see here: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/guru3d_rig_of_the_month_october_2013,1.html Unfortunately, it's not so easy to achieve, but if you want to tinker, I think that's the coolest thing in watercooling nowadays :)

How to here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1770761
 
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