watercooling newb needs advice

darkBytes · 15 Oct 2021 at 13:46

Hi I am aiming to watercool my gigabyte rtx 3090 gaming OC and have a Bykski Full Coverage GPU Water Block w/ Integrated Active Backplate on its way (N-GV3090GMOC-TC) im looking for advice on a radiator, pump , block fans , tubes , connectors etc ( basically everything else I would need !

Im thinking of buying the O11 DYNAMIC MINI-S MIDI-TOWER TEMPERED GLASS - WHITE from OC and maybe a 360 rad on the top , I dont need to connect to CPU as well , as I am going to pull the CPU AIO from my NZXT H1 and use that for my CPU.

any advice would be very welcome as I say I am a newb at DIY watercooling , but fairly profficiant and PC building / modding etc

TT158 · 15 Oct 2021 at 15:31

I'd search for "O11D Mini custom loop", as a first port of call. See what others have been able to fit in in terms of rad thickness and how they've laid it all out.

Pump / res combo. I went EK D5 which is quiet and powerful enough, but about £150. You might be able to go cheaper since you're only cooling the GPU in a very simple loop.

Radiator. Loads to choose from. The Corsair XR5/7 seem decent value, aren't too wide, and are apparently made by HWLabs who make good stuff (I've got their GTX 360 rad)

Tubing. I went soft tubing for my first loop. I'm happy with that choice considering I ended up pulling it apart, adding new parts, changing parts, etc, and it seems easier doing that with soft tubing than hard.

Fittings (basically 2 for each component in the loop). Don't forget a drain port! Also, 45 / 90 degree fittings can make life much easier in some cases (tight spots).

But yeah, number one bit of advice: see what others with your case have done before you

Mcnumpty2323 · 15 Oct 2021 at 15:36

Seems a lot to spend but not do the CPU
Personally I wouldn't spend all that
Then just put an AIO on the CPU
Unless its one like swiftech that allows expanding it
To include the GPU
Which is how I first started watercooling

im4gine3 · 15 Oct 2021 at 16:29

hmm since you have an AIO.. assuming its a 240/280mm rad, that will fit the side radiator slot.

If you are running an ATX mobo, then radiator won't fit to the top without a bit of modding to the case, or using brackets to offset the radiator so it is closer to the glass side panel... otherwise a 360mm rad can slot to the bottom of the case.

Pumps/res are plenty. Most people go for the flat res by EK, others will mount one to the rad.

Hard/Soft tubing as well as fittings subjective.

darkBytes · 15 Oct 2021 at 18:22

thanks all

I'm running a i5 10600k on a mini ITX board z490I aurorus ultra, as I currently have all this all in a modded NZT H1 (modded to fit the gigabyte height).

As mentioned I can just pull the CPU AIO from the H1 and use that for the CPU , but it did get me thinking would a 360 rad be enough for both the 3090 and the i5 10600k, Im not looking to overclock its more about noise, I suspect the fact that the GPU block has an active back plate means I'm effectively cooling 3 components rather then two and a single 360 rad wont cut it . If it was I could just flog the H1 with the AIO in, hmm maybe I will do that anyway and get a 2nd rad for the CPU ?

im4gine3 · 15 Oct 2021 at 18:40

hmm.. 45mm rad bottom.. 30mm rad top will be fine. Probs the most common setup in a Mini.

Would go for 60mm for bottom but not sure how much space you would have for the GPU with active backplate

darkBytes · 15 Oct 2021 at 20:00

thanks again, regarding pumps I have been reading ( and forgive me if I am wrong) that the D5 can offer bigger flow rates at a lower pressure, while the DDC has higher pressure but lower flow rates. ( also that the DDC's run a bit loader and warmer. Assume for my 2 rad GPU and CPU cooling that the D5 types with pwn are probably a better choice

im4gine3 · 16 Oct 2021 at 13:00

darkBytes said:
thanks again, regarding pumps I have been reading ( and forgive me if I am wrong) that the D5 can offer bigger flow rates at a lower pressure, while the DDC has higher pressure but lower flow rates. ( also that the DDC's run a bit loader and warmer. Assume for my 2 rad GPU and CPU cooling that the D5 types with pwn are probably a better choice

Each have their pros and cons.

Reading this sums it up best
https://www.ekwb.com/blog/which-pump-should-you-use-d5-or-ddc/

D1craig · 16 Oct 2021 at 14:34

Go D5 if you can. The noise from DDC is different but really distracting unless at less than 50% speed.

You might struggle cooling cpunand gpu with 1 360mm rad as your gpu is one of the most power hungry parts I have ever seen in PCs. But your cpu shouldn't be an electricity eating monster so it could work.

Also really give the distro plates a good look, they are really good and can make the whole build process a lot easier and look better imo. You can get them with pumps attached aswell.

The drain needs to be at the lowest part of the loop and you also need a place near the top of the loop for air to come in while you are draining.

Haz123 · 16 Oct 2021 at 17:09

I would also say you should go for D5 if possible. I have DDC and run it at 10% whilst doing standard work and turn it upto 30% when gaming and it is an annoying hum at anything over 20%.

Go on Youtube and do a search for O11 Mini watercooled builds and you will quickly see what is possible in that case. I used the GGF events Simply Bliss build as inspiration for my own build in my O11 Dynamic. Mine did not turn out as nice as his but he is a pro and he uses certain mobos purely for aestetics that are sub optimal and not what you would want to use everyday for long term use

darkBytes · 17 Oct 2021 at 14:08

cool, thanks all, I have been looking , some of those distro plate builds look amazing

my case arrived today which as awsome as its a sunday , however it has clearly been used as a display or returned by someone, as its got a few screws missing as are cable ties , few points with dust in corners, and the protective film has been removed from the front.

bit miffed tbh, i raised a web note about it..

SirConfused · 17 Oct 2021 at 15:33

darkBytes said:
cool, thanks all, I have been looking , some of those distro plate builds look amazing

my case arrived today which as awsome as its a sunday , however it has clearly been used as a display or returned by someone, as its got a few screws missing as are cable ties , few points with dust in corners, and the protective film has been removed from the front.

bit miffed tbh, i raised a web note about it..

I assume you didn't order it from OcUK? Unless you ordered a b-grade, in which case that's just the luck of the draw. They're great cases though so once you get it sorted you should have a great build.

darkBytes · 17 Oct 2021 at 15:59

yer from OC , not marked as B Grade , from stock

SirConfused · 17 Oct 2021 at 21:23

darkBytes said:
yer from OC , not marked as B Grade , from stock

That's very surprising then. I'm sure they'll get you a replacement soon enough though, good luck with it.

Mcnumpty2323 · 17 Oct 2021 at 21:29

No actual damage?
Wear and tear?
Assuming you have a few screws you can use
Try to get the discount. You could. Have haggled for
If it was B grade
Be quicker than arranging return and replacement too

darkBytes · 18 Oct 2021 at 19:37

Mcnumpty2323 said:
No actual damage?
Wear and tear?
Assuming you have a few screws you can use
Try to get the discount. You could. Have haggled for
If it was B grade
Be quicker than arranging return and replacement too

aye , all good , no damage , what's a few cable ties an screws , just took the lustre off a bit

Ross Thomson · 18 Oct 2021 at 22:03

TT158 said:
The Corsair XR5/7 seem decent value, aren't too wide, and are apparently made by HWLabs who make good stuff

crap value as they are the same as the OEM HWlabs rads but with the corsair mark up.

Mcnumpty2323 · 18 Oct 2021 at 22:13

darkBytes said:
aye , all good , no damage , what's a few cable ties an screws , just took the lustre off a bit

Yeah when you pay for new
You expect it to be nice and shiny and new
Can't say have had it with ocuk
Argos have had plenty things which had clearly been opened
Hopefully ocuk give you a discount

darkBytes · 19 Oct 2021 at 16:40

Ross Thomson said:
crap value as they are the same as the OEM HWlabs rads but with the corsair mark up.

Do you get anything for the extra £20 on the NEXXXOS ST30 FULL COPPER 360MM TRIPLE FAN WATER COOLING RADIATOR V2 ?
Also is the corsair rad the same as the BLACK ICE NEMESIS RADIATOR GTS 360 ?

Ross Thomson · 19 Oct 2021 at 17:25

darkBytes said:
Also is the corsair rad the same as the BLACK ICE NEMESIS RADIATOR GTS 360 ?

no - the corsair rads are the same as the LS OEM black is radiators. the GTS etc are slightly wider.