So how does this sound..

Soldato
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18 Oct 2002
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Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
Been out of the water cooling loop ;) for a while and toying with the idea of getting back into it so I've priced up the following:-

EK-CoolStream RAD XTX (360)
EK Supreme HF CPU Waterblock - Nickel Plexi
EK DCP 4.0 Pump (12v)
EK Multioption Reservoir X2 150 Basic
EK PSC Compression Fitting 7/16 [16/12mm] - G1/4 - Black x 8
XSPC 7/16" ID [16/11mm] High Flex Hose - Clear
Mayhems Pastel - Ice White Coolant 1L

I doubt i'll get round to putting the motherboard or GFX card under water so this is going to be solely for improving the 2500k performance and to keep temps and noise down. With that said is the TXT overkill and would I be just as fine with a thinner radiator?

I've reached the limits of my budget really with the above but anything I can swap to get the as much performance as possible? Or if there's anything that's not worth it and I could go with a cheaper item, even better!
 
360 is overkill for a single CPU yes... but it does give you the option to add the GPU's later

you case can fit a 360?
 
Yes in theory it can..

I've got a Fractal XL and I've already cut a space in the top of it for a dual rad so with a bit more cutting a 360 will fit. Yes a dual 240 would be the easiest option but if the 360 offers that much more in terms of performance then I'm happy to do the work.

I presume with the radiator being at the top I'm going to have to take into account the heat from the rest of the system going through the radiator too.

The chances are I won't ever water cool the graphics card so it sounds like the double thickness radiator is overkill.
 
Mayhems Pastel - Ice White Coolant 1L

I would drop this and just use de-ionised kill coil/PT nuke and use white tube instead

just my preference (i flush sys every 6-8 months and blocks stay nice and clean )
 
I know i'd probably get better performance from just de-ionised water but for ease of use and with me wanting a simple life I went with the Mayhems in the end, it's just easier for me :p
 
All the above has been ordered but went with the XT360 instead :)

Have also ordered a third Apache Black 120mm fan to match the other two I currently have on my H50.

OcUK when are you going to get some more radiator grills in stock? Had to order a 360 grill from a competitor because you only have one 360 style in stock and it's silver :(
 
Probably but it was pushing my limit slightly and I'm not sure I'd have much room between the motherboard and the bottom of the rad. In fact I think I'm pushing it with the XT with it being 47mm thick, fingers crossed it will fit! haha
 
Yeah defo :)

Any tips before fitting the whole lot Cleeecooo?

Will the Apaches be good enough as they are raved about for the all in one set-ups like the H50, etc.

Best way to clean the radiator, just using some distilled water from Halfords?
 
Yeah defo :)

Any tips before fitting the whole lot Cleeecooo?
Blocks first, then rads, then tubing :D

Will the Apaches be good enough as they are raved about for the all in one set-ups like the H50, etc.
apaches are one of the best :)

Best way to clean the radiator, just using some distilled water from Halfords?
hot water, then a final flush with deionised
 
Cheers buddy, stuff has just arrived and getting the itch to fit it already.

Need to wait till the 3rd Apache black arrives as well as the radiator grill so I can begin cutting the case a bit more to fit the larger rad.

Should be a fun weekend I feel :)
 
Ok now that I've received the stuff I popped home just to get my mind around the loop and i'm after a few ideas.

The radiator is going at the top as there is already the cut out for it so i'm left with where to put the pump and res, plus how to sort out the tubing.

Note that in the picture below, the top 180mm fan has been removed and the HDD bays in the middle have been removed. I also have no DVD drives however I'd like to get a fan controller at some point.

This is what I've quickly come up with in paint and the areas in question are the tubing from the res into the pump, looks like it may kink at that angle and the tubing from the radiator into the res. The res is the basic so I've got one top inlet and three bottom inlets (2 in the bottom and 1 in the side)

wc-plan.jpg


Does this look like the easiest way? Suggestions?

The other option I have is to mount the res in the DVD drive bays hidden and to turn the radiator around as below but again the tubing from the res into the pump may be awkward unless I start cutting away at the bottom of the DVD drive bay.

wc-plan2.jpg
 
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Right so after being home and having a second look I've decided on the second one with a little twist, will post an update once I get stuck in :)

Good news is that my grill has been posted so once I receive that I can get cutting!
 
Ok so how does this look so far, everything has been fitted and plumbed in. After reading and re-reading the booklets, I'm sure the pump is the correct way around in the loop, can anyone confirm this?

407874_10150607195015801_612855800_11399366_2113111808_n.jpg


395020_10150607196540801_612855800_11399374_653219007_n.jpg


Currently running at 4.8GHz with a vcore of 1.48 (this needs tweaking as i'm using offset) and after a good few hours under LinX temps are 68-76-72-67 which is a darn sight better than the H50 I had before.

I've got the fans sucking cold air into the case through the rad and overall i'm very pleased with the whole thing although compression fittings, what a royal PITA.

I used the thermal paste that came with the block, am I better off swapping this for some AS5?

The res is currently cable tied on while I make sure nothings leaking, etc..
 
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