First post, first project, Silverstone FT02

Murlin · 27 Feb 2013 at 22:30

Hello,

This is my first post in the forum and also my first water cooling project. I’m planning on cooling my Silverstone FT02 as others on this forum have. I’m looking for some guidance on a number of questions (likely basic stuff) and a sanity check on the components I'm planning on using; make sure I've not missed anything etc.

Components to cool:
Silverstone FT02
i7-3770K @4.5
GTX 690

I’m planning on cooling the processer and the graphics card in one loop using products similar to this, although the actual products are not set in stone at this point:

Magicool 3x180 Radiator
EK-Supremacy Full Copper CPU Block
Copper GPU Block (Heatkiller / XSPC / EK)
XSPC Single Bay Res
D5 Pump with top
Tube, Water, Fittings etc.

Some questions:

1. Have I missed anything or made a mistake in planning?

2. Will one D5 pump be sufficient for this loop?
3. I’m planning for the end result to be as quiet as possible, this is the reason I had planned to run the pump separate from the res so I could mount it on foam to cut down resonating noise. Is this a problem with combined res and pumps or is the separate pump not necessary?

Thanks in advance for any help and guidance; I know many members in this forum are highly experienced.

That’s all for now but I’m sure it won’t be the last of my questions.

Baron C · 28 Feb 2013 at 14:18

Hello, great case (myself and a few have the Ft02)

1) fan controller
2) D5 excellent choice
3)It depends on where your intending to stick the pump/top combo. You could grab a shoggy sandwhich pump and sit the pump on it .As long as the Res is above the pump so gravity feeds it is the main priority.
There is comment on bay res causing vibration, you can affix rubber/sponge around the edges of the res to negate this.
Have you looked on google for watercooled FT02,

Baron C · 28 Feb 2013 at 14:21

Hi again,

This is the most recent build log for the Ft02 watercooled.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1348459/build-log-silverstone-ft02-watercooling-build-name-my-build

note, he is attempting to fit the rad without removing the hdd cage.
Enjoy

OptimaLnrg · 28 Feb 2013 at 17:35

I'm doing an rv02 internal build log on overclock3d.net

the rad I've chosen is the 3x180mm alphacool all copper rad. better quality and 10mm thicker.

Baron C · 28 Feb 2013 at 18:07

OptimaLnrg said:
I'm doing an rv02 internal build log on overclock3d.net

the rad I've chosen is the 3x180mm alphacool all copper rad. better quality and 10mm thicker.

And you didn't tell me!!! ...sniff, I thought we had something special!

Link?

Murlin · 1 Mar 2013 at 20:33

• Hi Guys,

Thanks very much for the replies. Baron C your project is great, I’ve searched Google many times over the past weeks for information and inspiration, some fantastic builds out there.

I’ve been inspired by lvl8hackers build (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM0LXxsmRYk) and Khemist’s lovely build (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17305236&page=50)

So, I pulled the trigger today with one change, I went for a combined res and pump as you have Baron_C:

• XSPC 5.25" D5 Dual Bay Reservoir and Pump Combination
• Alphacool NexXxoS ST45 180mm Triple Radiator : Full Copper
• EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy CSQ - Acetal INTEL & AMD
• Watercool HEATKILLER ® GPU-X ³ GTX 690 "Hole Edition"
• Masterkleer Hose Pack PVC 19/13mm (1/2ID) UV-Reactive White 3.3m
• Mainly Monsoon (black) fittings with a Bitspower (black) T fitting

So I just need some coolant, I think I’m going with Mayhems distilled water and some Biocide, again Mayhems. I’m also going to use the idea of quick disconnects on the radiator from Khemist’s loop, awesome idea.

The radiator and the pump arrived today but it’s like going to be a couple of weeks before I can start the build, even if I’m itching to start as soon as possible. Planning to remove the HDD trays completely, remove the fan holders and mount the filters using the magnet strips.

So that leads me to my next question.. do you have any tips on flushing my new radiator and blocks? how do you do yours? Also tips for bleeding at all?

Thanks again for the reply.

Murlin

OptimaLnrg · 1 Mar 2013 at 22:50

Mate I had Demciflex make me a custom filter to fit along the bottom of the case, cost 17.50 iirc for the filter itself and was airmailed from south africa.

My build log (nt much progress) is here:http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=51263

When I say Internal I mean It could be internal. My res and pump will be in the folding rig.

Baron C · 2 Mar 2013 at 00:35

OptimaLnrg said:
Mate I had Demciflex make me a custom filter to fit along the bottom of the case, cost 17.50 iirc for the filter itself and was airmailed from south africa.

My build log (nt much progress) is here:http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=51263

When I say Internal I mean It could be internal. My res and pump will be in the folding rig.

God as my witness, I planned on getting rid of the 5.25 bays also. The whole case opens up. I planned a Aquacomuter aqualis res/d5 combo.

Diagro · 2 Mar 2013 at 01:49

To fit that rad you may need to mod the case

OLDPHART · 2 Mar 2013 at 15:53

Diagro said:
To fit that rad you may need to mod the case

For me l would mount the rad externally on a stand with quick connectors, it would make the build very easy, as l plan to use over size rad on my next build.

OptimaLnrg · 3 Mar 2013 at 15:24

Diagro said:
To fit that rad you may need to mod the case

*will*

To get it to fit you need to dremel away the overhangs at the bottom of the mobo tray.

Murlin · 4 Mar 2013 at 13:48

Cheers for the heads up, I didn't think I would need to modify the case more than just removing the HDD trays so thanks for the info.

I'm not sure exactly which part you are speaking of that I will need to remove, I'm sure I'll see it when I start the project next week but if you could give me some more information that would be superb.

Murlin · 5 Mar 2013 at 11:00

Hi Guys,

I have another couple of questions that hopefully you can help with:

1. What is your preferred TIM for the CPU and GPU blocks?

2. Do you know of a good guide to help me with the pin outs for the power supply so I can run it without connecting the motherboard to help fill and leak test the loop?

Thanks

OptimaLnrg · 5 Mar 2013 at 18:38

I use Mx-4, any good one is ok they're all roughly similar.

to short it just connect the green to a black, or buy one of those shorting plugs.

By overhangs I mean if you looks at the mobo tray on the right hand side (looking into window side of case), below the 'made in china' stamp, the mobo tray bends and protrudes into the case. (Sam on left hand side). This makes the case internals too narrow for this rad.

Murlin · 6 Mar 2013 at 13:31

Awesome OptimaLnrg, thank you very much for the help.

I have some Arctic Silver 5 left over from installing my previous heat sink, I take it that would be fine to use?

Murlin · 11 Mar 2013 at 13:54

Hi All,

Build will be starting tonight. Some slight changes due to availability of products, is it normally so difficult to find all the watercooling products you require in the same place?

I've swapped out the Heatkiller GPU block for the XSPC Razor 690 as its the only one I could get my hands on. I also went for the MX-4, don't fancy spreading the AS 5 on the GPU.

Looking forward to starting on the case tonight, rad and fans are the target for this evening, I'll keep you posted.

Murlin · 25 Mar 2013 at 16:19

Hi,

It’s been a busy couple of weeks so I thought I would update you on my progress. Thanks for all the help and guidance so far, the remarks about modding the case were spot on and it was a little more difficult than I first planned. Anyway, here is my project… I ended up doing twice

1. System shelled ready for installation and modding:

2. First task was to install the RAD and Fans, this required cutting out sections of the motherboard tray. I wasn’t very happy with the neatness of the job due to lack of correct tools (workman and tools, I know!):

3. I then put in all the blocks:

4. And finally plumbed it all up, filled and leak tested:

5. Problem is… I wasn’t happy with the result. I found the tubing difficult to route, difficult to keep straight, motherboard tray with untidy cuts and the pump and fan noise was more than I expected. So I started again with a load more experience under my belt. I first made all the cuts neater:

6. I then made some ‘feet’ from anti vibration pads for the fans to decouple them from the steel case:

7. I trimmed the res front so it didn’t touch the aluminium shell to try and eliminate some resonating pump noise. I also drilled out the mounting holes so I could fit rubber screw mounts to hold the res in place. I opted for clear tubing this time so I could see air bubbles. I also bought a piece of clear acrylic tube 20mm ID. I threaded the bottom piece of tube through this acrylic to keep it nice and straight.

8. I changed the flow direction which allowed me to keep the lines straight and not have them crossing. Here it is, finished:

Additional notes on second attempt:

- Fitted a Fractal Design 120mm fan with rubber mounting screws.
- Fitted an anti-vibration mount for the PSU.

Again, thanks to the OcUK community for helping me out.

Baron C · 26 Mar 2013 at 23:12

Congrats on a lovely build.

What are your temps like for your loop?

Murlin · 2 Apr 2013 at 10:41

Hi Baron,

Thank you. I'm quite pleased with the temps, I need to check my ambient but here are some initial figures, I need to run some folding for a few hours for more accurate temps but I'm pleased so far, I run the fans very low for acoustic reasons:

i7-3770K @4.5 1.2v HT enabled - 30-34 Idle / 62-70 Load
GTX 690 Stock - 24-26 Idle / 36-45 Load.

I've had to change my loop again. I really wish I had gone with my original idea and bought a separate pump and res. The XSPC combination is very, very noisy in my case, even with all the modifications I have done.Perhaps its because of the aluminium shell, I'm not sure but the resonating noise was terrible.

I can't afford a new res and top at the moment so I've had to improvise. I used the rad mounts that come with the FT-02 and some Draper anti vibration mat for power tools and moved everything inside my case.

Its not ideal but the pump is now almost silent, I can't tell you how much improved the pump noise now is. I'll change the loop when I can buy a new res and top but for proof of concept, decoupling a D5 really makes the pumps acoustic levels shine.

Here is the anti-vibration pad I made from the radiator mounts and some anti-vibration mat. I wanted to make it this way so it would rest on the edge of the rad and not the fins:

Heres how the loop looks now. It was proof of concepts for decoupling the pump from the case and its worked wonders. I'll sort it all out in due course.

I hope people find this useful.

Baron C · 2 Apr 2013 at 12:26

It looks lovely mate, you have every right to be proud

That's healthy temps

Option regarding noise;

The xspc bay res combo is a vibration nightmare. Try isolating it in the same way you did with fans by placing anti-vibration material around its edges in the bay.

Does your D5 have the speed adjust, if so set it to '3' which will also help.