First Watercooling Build - Need Help! :)

sbeanie · 1 Jan 2014 at 12:44

Hey guys,

so this is my first watercooling build and I figured I better ask around and do some intense research before I end up buying incompatible parts and such. My budget is £1400 maximum, and I intend to watercool both the CPU and GPU. I'm open to any case suggestions as I read that two radiators are recommended. I have only the following requirements:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290 "BF4 Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £329.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard - FREE Gigabyte M8000x Gaming Mouse £143.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 1000W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £139.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Acetal £79.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
Total : £1,019.50 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Memory I have from my old build. I need help with the watercooling parts and a case only.

Thanks in advance guys!

Captain · 1 Jan 2014 at 13:01

I can't recommend this case enough.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-157-CS&groupid=2362&catid=1489

This has a 5 star review, there is also a thread on here about build logs

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-143-CS&groupid=2362&catid=1489

sbeanie · 1 Jan 2014 at 13:45

Yea, the 750D was my original choice but I wanted to get a few suggestions. Guess it will be fine for what I need.

Would anyone reccomend getting the pre-installed watercooled version of the 750D over buying the parts separately?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-046-TL

Captain · 1 Jan 2014 at 14:02

Well i have just put everything into a basket and the total with delivery was just over £380.

So getting it pre built will save you the effort and around £70.

sbeanie · 1 Jan 2014 at 14:23

I think I'd have to disassemble the loop and drain it though in that case whereas if I buy the parts separately I can do it how I'd like it? How does this seem?

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290 "BF4 Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £329.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
1 x OcUK Tech Lab - V12 Watercooling Kit 360 £172.12
1 x XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) £51.98
1 x XSPC EX360 120mm Radiator - Black £47.99
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 750D Full Tower Case - Black (CC-9011035-WW) £160
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard - FREE Gigabyte M8000x Gaming Mouse £143.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 1000W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £139.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Acetal £79.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
2 x XSPC G1/4" to 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD Compression Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.19 (£6.38)
1 x XSPC 7/16" ID [16/11mm] High Flex Hose - Clear [1m Length] £2.99
Total : £1,479.04 (includes shipping : £14.75).

Thanks, Tom

ChrisD. · 1 Jan 2014 at 14:25

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-000-PT

Phanteks Enthoo Primo any day over the 750D if watercooling. Supports two quad rads with no modding and plenty more, no contest really.

sbeanie · 1 Jan 2014 at 14:33

How about this?

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290 "BF4 Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £329.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower Case £199.99
1 x OcUK Tech Lab - W16 Watercooling Kit 480 £184.12
1 x XSPC EX480 120mm Radiator - Black £66.95
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
1 x XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) £51.98
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard - FREE Gigabyte M8000x Gaming Mouse £143.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 1000W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £139.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Acetal £79.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
2 x XSPC G1/4" to 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD Compression Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.19 (£6.38)
1 x XSPC 7/16" ID [16/11mm] High Flex Hose - Clear [1m Length] £2.99
Total : £1,602.52 (includes shipping : £58.52).

Upgraded to the 4-rad kit (extra £40 due to shipping costs)

ChrisD. · 1 Jan 2014 at 14:36

I would personally build my own loop rather than buying a preconfigured one, that's just my preference. For example, I prefer the look and reviews of EK blocks for GPU and CPU over others.

How many components are you cooling in total? If just the two then a quad rad will be enough, no need for the second rad. And have you thought about drain solution at all? Also are you planning on using clear liquid in clear tubing?

sbeanie · 1 Jan 2014 at 16:31

Does this sound ok then?

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290 "BF4 Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £329.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower Case £199.99
1 x OcUK Tech Lab - W16 Watercooling Kit 480 £184.12
1 x XSPC EX480 120mm Radiator - Black £66.95
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
1 x XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) £51.98
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard - FREE Gigabyte M8000x Gaming Mouse £143.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 1000W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £139.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Acetal £79.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
2 x XSPC G1/4" to 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD Compression Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.19 (£6.38)
1 x XSPC 7/16" ID [16/11mm] High Flex Hose - Clear [1m Length] £2.99
Total : £1,602.52 (includes shipping : £58.52).

ChrisD. · 1 Jan 2014 at 16:51

You need two barb or compression fittings per component. And you will more than likely need more tubing and more fluid. Don't forget a drain solution.

sbeanie · 1 Jan 2014 at 18:11

The water kit comes with 1L of fluid, 6 compression fittings, and 1M of tubing so I think I'm ok with those. Thanks for the reminder of the draining solution though, I've figured that out now. In total, this will cost me an extra £50

Anyway, here it is:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290 "BF4 Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £329.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower Case £199.99
1 x OcUK Tech Lab - W16 Watercooling Kit 480 £184.12
1 x XSPC EX480 120mm Radiator - Black £66.95
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
1 x XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) £51.98
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard - FREE Gigabyte M8000x Gaming Mouse £143.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 1000W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £139.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Acetal £79.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
6 x EK Water Blocks EK-CSQ Fitting 12/16mm G1/4 - Black £5.99 (£35.94)
1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H20 Watercooling Fluid 1L £4.99
3 x Bitspower G1/4" Stop Fitting - shiny black £3.98 (£11.94)
1 x XSPC G1/4" T Fitting (Chrome) £3.95
2 x XSPC 7/16" ID [16/11mm] High Flex Hose - Clear [1m Length] £2.99 (£5.98)
Total : £1,650.95 (includes shipping : £58.52).

ChrisD. · 1 Jan 2014 at 18:54

Why three stops? You could use some compression fittings onto an LCD monitor, then take it off come drain time.

systemerror · 2 Jan 2014 at 00:57

Here is a basic loop for GPU and CPU, I have not included water or fans as you have not specified your colour scheme, what I would suggest is change the clear hose for a coloured hose of you choice and buy distilled water from halfords or a gas station. I have included biocides for this choice. I would look at get high pressured fans like corsair SP120 or gentle typhoons you need at least 4 for the rad but if you want push pull you you need 8 IMO push pull will not make a huge difference to the cooling so personally would just go 4 you can always get more later if you feel it's necessary. Hope this is some what of a help. First loop can be daunting but it's a real fun project to do.

Sorry not normal way of doing basic as I am on iPad.

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Acetal £79.99
(£66.66) £79.99
(£66.66)
XSPC EX480 120mm Radiator - Black £66.95
(£55.79) £66.95
(£55.79)
XSPC X2O 750 Dual Bayres/Pump (Black) V4 £59.98
(£49.98) £59.98
(£49.98)
EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy - Acetal £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
Bitspower Mini-Valve - Black Sparkle £16.98
(£14.15) £16.98
(£14.15)
Bitspower (Tri-Rotary) Y-Splitter Fitting 3 x G1/4" - Black Sparkle (BP-BSYB) £8.99
(£7.49) £8.99
(£7.49)
Mayhems Biocide 10ml With PH Testing Kit £5.99
(£4.99) £5.99
(£4.99)
XSPC G1/4" 45° Rotary Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.49
(£2.91) £13.96
(£11.64)
XSPC G1/4" to 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD Compression Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.19
(£2.66) £38.28
(£31.92)
XSPC 7/16" ID [16/11mm] High Flex Hose - Clear [1m Length] £2.99
(£2.49) £14.95
(£12.45)
XSPC M20 Fillcap for Reservoirs and Pumps (Black Chrome) £1.49
(£1.24) £2.98
(£2.48)
XSPC PSU Bridging Connector (24 Pin) £1.30
(£1.08) £1.30
(£1.08)
Sub Total : £300.29
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
UPS Access Point
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £61.66

Ps. You will notice 12 compression fitting this is to incorporate the drain port and 1 is a spare for the £3 it's worth it to have spare incase.