First post, first project, Silverstone FT02

[Murlin]

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.

 

[Murlin]

• 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 (

) 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

 

[Murlin]

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]

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

 

[Murlin]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Murlin]

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.

 

[Murlin]

I tried all sorts to stop the vibrating of the XSPC bay res combo but nothing worked. I didn't have enough space around the edges to install the foam, I trimmed down the front so it was no longer touching the case edges and even installed rubber screw mounts but the whining of the pump continued!

I also noticed last night a red stain line from my coolant around the top of the res, the classic area that 'bulges' just above the pump. I'm not very impressed with the build quality. I also doubt I'll go back to another combo.

I do like the idea of having a res in a bay so I can see the coolant levels. I'm planning on a bay res with the pump mounted where it is now with a top when I get some extra time / cash

 

[Murlin]

Thanks for the comment Khemist. You'll see in one of my earlier posts, you're Silvestone build is mentioned as an inspiration for taking on this project.

I've noticed you've recently added a second 120 rad to the top of your case, I'm interested if you see much performance increase?

@Baron C - I won't be able to RMA anything, I've been at it with the Dremel

I went for the 1/2"ID x 3/4"OD in the end. I was considering small tubing but at the time the most fittings were available for this size. I took inspiration for the Moonsoon fittings from your build!

 

[Murlin]

Thanks for all the nice comments guys.

@momo56 - I don't have any mechanical drives in the system I only run SSD. I installed a large 2TB mechanical drive but removed it almost instantly due to the noise it produced; I do think this case suffers from resonating noise. I've seen people suspend the drives on the FT02 with 'rubber bands' in the drive trays and have reported good results. Decoupling them from the case is the only help I can offer.

@Baron - Ha! there I was thinking it was your build! I liked the Monsoon fittings as I liked the idea of the tool.. I still suffered the cut fingers and hands of the PC modder and I will say that I likely over tightened the compression with the tool as they were very difficult to remove

 

[Murlin]

Looks great! remember to take time to enjoy the build

Thanks!

It is quite addictive, pleased I gave WC a shot.