First timer water cooling a GPU

slade · 25 Mar 2021 at 10:29

Hi All,

So im looking to water cool my 3080 but i've never done it before (ive always bought AIO's for my cpu's) so i was hoping to get some help.

I have a vanilla Zotac 3080 that I've flashed to the Amp Holo and it runs hot (and loud) 70 - 80c in games with the fan curve set to about upto 90% with no oc... and its damn annoying.

My case is a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv mATX with a 9700K cooled by a Corsair H115i 280mm at the top of my case pulling cold air in with 2 Noctua NF-A14 fans... its runs ok 60 - 65c in games.

I was looking at buying an EK set up like the 'EK Quantum Power DRGB P240 Liquid Cooling kit' but without the cpu block and instead including the EK Quantum Vector Trinity Nickel Plexi and back plate, maybe also the CE 280 Radiator and not the PE 240 Rad... which will be mounted at the front pulling cold air in.

I have a few questions because It all seems so daunting, i thought i'd fish around here before going ahead with any purchase.

Can the pump combo be laid horizontally because I was going to mount it at the back of the case where my 140mm extraction fan is and point it to the front.

Do I need to buy some sort of valve water outlet in case something goes wrong?

Does adding colour to the water affect it in any way?

Is water cooling a 3080 a waste of time and is it hard to do...?! :confused:

Is my case just a bit small?

Or should I just buy some damn headphones?

Thanks

MikeTimbers · 25 Mar 2021 at 13:34

Yes, so long as it's kept full. You might want to ensure you can put the case on its side so that the res is vertical when filling the system.

It's always a good idea to have a drain valve for when you need to amend your loop

It's not a waste of time and it's not hard to do. GPU cooling is highly effective and the best way to improve cooling without increased noise. You can't just buy a NH-D15 bigass heatsink.

Case isn't too small but it might be more challenging. I'm only watercooling a gpu in a Meshify C and it just required buying a small pump res. It helps that I'm using a rear-mounted AIO for the cpu which gives some extra space. I'll try to get a shot up on here today.

Yes. Headphones would be cheaper.

SirConfused · 25 Mar 2021 at 14:58

I think the only question Mike didn't answer is on colour; it depends on whether you're talking about adding food dye

.

Any of the pre-mixed colours are generally fine, I've used a couple of different mayhems offerings with no problems and likewise, you can get dyes with all the right additives to put into DI water etc. Things start to get a bit more dicey if you want to go with one of the fancy pastel type fluids though as they have particulate in them which *can* settle over time and if you want less maintenance in your loop, that's best to avoid.

slade · 26 Mar 2021 at 06:37

Ok thanks.

The colour thing is EK-CryoFuel Dye but i'll just try clear water (EK-CryoFuel Clear Concentrate) at first. I've been measuring the insides of my case so hopefully the EK-Quantum Kinetic TBE 200 D5 fits long ways from the back. Yes, i can tip my case side ways.

This water cooling stuff is a bit of a rabbit hole and its not cheap. Looking at about $1k au just to water cool an overpriced gpu... but i guess its something to do, as like a said the noise of the gpu is very annoying.

i'll keep reading forums and try to understand what it is i want. Looking at bigger cases now too... eek! (face palm)

Cheers

MikeTimbers · 26 Mar 2021 at 08:50

Shouldn't need to be so expensive although I have heard Oz is more expensive for many things. Fullcover blocks are the obvious big expense but you should consider second-hand components for radiator and pump. Unless of course you're happy with the costs of all new. It is a rabbit hole, yes. The options are legion and can be enormously pricey for no obvious reason.

cammmy · 26 Mar 2021 at 09:48

slade said:
Ok thanks.

The colour thing is EK-CryoFuel Dye but i'll just try clear water (EK-CryoFuel Clear Concentrate) at first. I've been measuring the insides of my case so hopefully the EK-Quantum Kinetic TBE 200 D5 fits long ways from the back. Yes, i can tip my case side ways.

This water cooling stuff is a bit of a rabbit hole and its not cheap. Looking at about $1k au just to water cool an overpriced gpu... but i guess its something to do, as like a said the noise of the gpu is very annoying.

i'll keep reading forums and try to understand what it is i want. Looking at bigger cases now too... eek! (face palm)

Cheers

Have a look at the mayhems concentrated biocide and anti corrosion additives. You can just use those with deionised water from Amazon/Halfords etc. The premixed adds up in cost.

You want a pump/Res, GPU block, rad, drain valve and tube/fittings to suit. Imagine your layout in the case and write down the components, number of fittings and rough amount of tube. You may find it cheaper to just get exactly what you need (with maybe a couple extra fittings as you inevitably forget something). Put up pictures and maybe mspaint your imaginary loop in and people will be happy to look it over.

Good luck, and be aware that it's an addictive rabbit hole you will forever be going down

The good thing about watercooling is that while it's expensive, a lot of the pricey parts can move down your builds. I only just replaced my pump from about 2008 because it didn't have threaded fittings.

slade · 28 Mar 2021 at 06:36

Does this look ok, just looking to water cool the GPU for now?!

First time doing this, maybe one day I will try hard tubing. I've gone and bought a new Corsair 5000 Airflow case . I might not buy the list below until the case has been delivered.

Am I missing anything!?
Cheers

EK AF Extender 12mm M-M G1/4 Black x 1

EK Quantum Torque Micro Plug Black Nickel x 2

EK Quantum Vector Trinity RTX 3080/3090 DRGB Nickel Plexi

EK Loop Soft Tube Cutter

EK Quantum Vector Trinity RTX 3080/3090 Backplate Black

EK Quantum Torque 6-Pack STC 10/16 Black x 6

EK CryoFuel Concentrate 100mL Coolant Clear

EK ZMT Matte Black 3/8ID 5/8OD Tubing 3m

EK Quantum Kinetic TBE 300 D5 D-RGB Reservoir Pump Combo Acetal

EK AF 2 Way Ball Valve G1/4 Black

EK CoolStream XE 360 Triple Radiator

SirConfused · 28 Mar 2021 at 11:29

Looks good, but have you considered angled fittings at all? It really helps to try and draw out your loop to see if you might need any.

MikeTimbers · 28 Mar 2021 at 12:29

Assuming you will be mounting the pump/res to the radiator get a radiator bracket. With a res that long, you will need to use the bottom fan space on the rad. Consider a shorter reservoir version to allow the res to go higher in the case on the middle fan space of that rad.

If you're going from the top of the radiator down to the pump/res, you will need a 90 degree on the radiator outlet.

Looks like you've worked out the drain valve but you need an extra fitting for when you plan to use it. i.e. you remove the plug, put in a fitting and some spare tubing into a container before you open the valve.

slim01 · 30 Mar 2021 at 05:13

slade said:
Hi All,

So im looking to water cool my 3080 but i've never done it before (ive always bought AIO's for my cpu's) so i was hoping to get some help.

I have a vanilla Zotac 3080 that I've flashed to the Amp Holo and it runs hot (and loud) 70 - 80c in games with the fan curve set to about upto 90% with no oc... and its damn annoying.

My case is a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv mATX with a 9700K cooled by a Corsair H115i 280mm at the top of my case pulling cold air in with 2 Noctua NF-A14 fans... its runs ok 60 - 65c in games.

I was looking at buying an EK set up like the 'EK Quantum Power DRGB P240 Liquid Cooling kit' but without the cpu block and instead including the EK Quantum Vector Trinity Nickel Plexi and back plate, maybe also the CE 280 Radiator and not the PE 240 Rad... which will be mounted at the front pulling cold air in.

I have a few questions because It all seems so daunting, i thought i'd fish around here before going ahead with any purchase.

Can the pump combo be laid horizontally because I was going to mount it at the back of the case where my 140mm extraction fan is and point it to the front.

Do I need to buy some sort of valve water outlet in case something goes wrong?

Does adding colour to the water affect it in any way?

Is water cooling a 3080 a waste of time and is it hard to do...?!

Is my case just a bit small?

Or should I just buy some damn headphones?

Thanks

I'd maybe play around with your setup more if temps and noise are main concern. Watercooling is a lot of work. Fun, but expensive. You SHOULD be able to bet better temps. Are you running filters on the intakes?

slim01 · 30 Mar 2021 at 05:14

Also try setting your cpu aio to exhaust. Be amazed at the difference that can make. As well as dremel out the fan grilles inside so your chose fan size isn't restricted at all