First watercooling questions

iwasinnamuknow

iwasinnamuknow

iwasinnamuknow

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Wiltshire
Hi folks, long time computer builder but first time watercooler here.

My old case is held together with duct tape at the moment so it's time for a new one. I'm itching to try watercooling and I'm looking at one of the prebuilt cases, specifically:

V12 Watercooled Case - BitFenix Shinobi XL Full Tower

The case itself looks great but I've got just one or two questions regarding the w/c side.

How much internal room will all the w/c stuff take up? I've got two looong HD6950s in there currently and I've got no room to get to the hdds with them installed. The new case looks much roomier but will I run into any space issues once the w/c is in there?

I see the kit is only cooling the CPU, how difficult would it be for a newbie to adapt the system to cool both GPUs? I understand I would need 2 blocks, but I'm not sure about rads etc.

Any other tips would be appreciated, I'm curious as to how much quieter I could get the system compared to this ole case with 4x120mm, bits rattiling around and possibly the holy grail lodged in it somewhere. Can the above kit be adapted for remote rad etc?
 
iwasinnamuknow said:
Hi folks, long time computer builder but first time watercooler here.

My old case is held together with duct tape at the moment so it's time for a new one. I'm itching to try watercooling and I'm looking at one of the prebuilt cases, specifically:

V12 Watercooled Case - BitFenix Shinobi XL Full Tower

The case itself looks great but I've got just one or two questions regarding the w/c side.

How much internal room will all the w/c stuff take up? I've got two looong HD6950s in there currently and I've got no room to get to the hdds with them installed. The new case looks much roomier but will I run into any space issues once the w/c is in there?
the radiaor is at the top and shouldn't interfere with anything else

I see the kit is only cooling the CPU, how difficult would it be for an albeit practical newbie to adapt the system to cool both GPUs? I understand I would need 2 blocks, but I'm not sure about rads etc.
for the V12 kit, easy :D
for 2 GPUs, another 120 rad would be ideal though

Any other tips would be appreciated, I'm curious as to how much quieter I could get the system compared to this ole case with 4x120mm, bits rattiling around and possibly the holy grail lodged in it somewhere. Can the above kit be adapted for remote rad etc?
Click to expand...

It will be silent :D:p
 
Thanks for the quick reply :)

That sounds great, I'll probably go for that kit now, and maybe in a little while get 2 GPU blocks and another rad (I'm sure I'll find somewhere for it when I get used to the case), I guess I'll need some more piping. I'm guessing also that running it all in series is the way to go, including the radiators?

I'm not into flashy lights and neon etc...I like things nice and classy but I am wondering if I need some sort of monitoring to make sure everything is working efficiently. I had a quick look that the monitoring section but not sure if any of it's actually too important. I guess if the pump dies and the coolant gets too hot, I'll get a temperature alarm from the CPU etc just as normal.
 
iwasinnamuknow said:
Thanks for the quick reply :)

That sounds great, I'll probably go for that kit now, and maybe in a little while get 2 GPU blocks and another rad (I'm sure I'll find somewhere for it when I get used to the case), I guess I'll need some more piping. I'm guessing also that running it all in series is the way to go, including the radiators?

I'm not into flashy lights and neon etc...I like things nice and classy but I am wondering if I need some sort of monitoring to make sure everything is working efficiently. I had a quick look that the monitoring section but not sure if any of it's actually too important. I guess if the pump dies and the coolant gets too hot, I'll get a temperature alarm from the CPU etc just as normal.
Click to expand...

I'd recommend going for a custom loop in a xigmatek elysium or bitfenix shinobi XL as that way you can have a thivk rad which will be better.

Monitoring isn't necessary, but it's nice to have :)

A fan controller is a must though
 
So it is recommended to manually adjust the fans depending on the load? I guess I was hoping there would be some goblin that'd do that for me :p

By custom loop, do you mean going from scratch myself? I've considered it and I know I'd get more flexibility, but I'm too newbie to know that I'm getting the right things :rolleyes:

I get what you say about the bigger rad though, it would make sense to buy a big one from the start instead of having two later on.

Thanks
 
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You can get a controller that does everything automatically, but they start at £50

With regards to a custom loop, if you do your reading and know your stuff, ie what goes where etc, I'll be more than happy to spec you a loop :)
 
Just been looking at fan controllers, I don't mind spending a little extra if it means I don't have to watch it constantly. I liked a couple of the fan controllers/temperature displays but I can't be sure what connections the fans will have, so I don't know which one to look at.

I'm quite happy to read up on things if you could perhaps provide a link to some solid info. Thanks for the offer, I'd be very interested in seeing what you would suggest.

I'm a little torn between the bitfenix and the 800d cases, both would fit what I've got already. Just in case:

Phenom 1100T BE
2x HD6950 (Sapphire I think, can't remember)

I don't think motherboard or hdd cooling is necessary, I might overclock a little but not that far.

Thanks again for your help
 
The aquaero 5 controllers are by far the best. :D

Read through shatters guide which is stickies at the top of this forum.

Also, beginners guide to watercooling on clunk.org :)
 
Ok I read the custom loop guide, couldn't find anything on clunk.org, appears to be a placeholder domain now. Also I've gone through some video guides and feel that I know the basics of the system. The fun comes from choosing the best components now that fit the case. I'll have a quick look over them tomorrow but appreciate a list of your recommendations when you've got a second :)

Thanks
 
Well, seeing as I'm having trouble finding full blocks for non-reference hd6950s (they turned out to be HSI), and the case I really want (shinobi XT) can only support a 360 rad without taking the hdd enclosure out, I might just go with the v12 kit. I'm really not sure though. I guess actual budget is around £600.

thanks again
 
I've been through quite a few guides and videos and they all seemed to say that the universal blocks aren't as good, mainly because you have to add secondary cooling for all the other parts, and sometimes that can fall off :eek: etc etc. I don't really know though.

thanks
 
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I know that with full gpu blocks that its screwed onto the pcb, im sure its the same for universal blocks so i cant see how the block can fall off unless it wasnt put on properly!
 
iwasinnamuknow said:
I've been through quite a few guides and videos and they all seemed to say that the universal blocks aren't as good, mainly because you have to add secondary cooling for all the other parts, and sometimes that can fall off :eek: etc etc. I don't really know though.

thanks
Click to expand...

It's fine :p

Nothing's going to fall off!

Many people do it :)
 
Slightly over budget:, but that's because of the fans :p
YOUR BASKET
1 x Xigmatek Elysium Full Tower Windowed Case - Black £149.99
1 x OcUK Tech Lab - D5 Vario Pump & Alphacool Clear HF D5 Top Value Combo £84.98
1 x Phobya G-Changer 360 Ver. 1.2 Black £62.99
1 x EK Supreme HF CPU Waterblock - Nickel Plexi £56.99
1 x EK Dual Bay Spin Reservoir - Acetal £46.99
1 x XSPC EX240 120mm Radiator - Black £39.98
2 x EK-VGA Supreme HF - EN Nickel Plexi £38.99 (£77.98)
1 x Mayhems Pastel - Blueberry Blue Coolant 1L £14.99
5 x Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm 1450 RPM - 3 Pin £12.98 (£64.90)
1 x Masterkleer Hose Pack PVC 15,9/11mm (7/16ID) Clear 3.3m £10.88
1 x OcUK Tube Cutter Aluminum 3-14mm £8.50
14 x OcUK 1/2" G1/4 - FatBoy Style - Black Nickel - Barb Fitting £1.68 (£23.52)
1 x OcUK Value PSU Bridging Connector (24 Pin) £1.30
Total : £664.22 (includes shipping : £16.85).

 
Excellent, thanks for putting that together. I might have to get the bulk now and the extra rad/gpu blocks later but I don't see why that would cause a massive problem.

Just one last thing, can you recommend a monitor/controller to go with that? Something automatic would be great.

Many thanks for your help :)
 
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