Help with a new setup

Draxwyn

Draxwyn

Draxwyn

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Joined
20 Jan 2016
Posts
9
Hi all,

Well its time for a major overhaul of my gaming rig, the last one is still going strong but alas doesn't hold up well to the latest games being 9 years old. I have selected a spec below and wish to water cool the processor and graphics card. I have not played around with water cooling in the past sadly, and looking around there are a lot of option these days for different parts. I have put together a list of things I think I need but could really do with someone looking this over before I part with any cash. I also have a few questions that I wasn't sure on.

Build;

Asus Z170-DELUXE Intel
Intel Core i7-6700K Unlocked 4.00GHz 6th Gen Skylake
Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz
GeForce GTX 980Ti
Thermaltake Core P5

I wish to water cooling the processor and graphic card, being a bit new to water cooling I wanted to check if I have this list complete for everything I need and if it fits the spec above;

RayStorm Pro WaterBlock (Intel) Black
EK-FC980 GTX - Acetal
EK-FC980 GTX Backplate

EK-XTOP Revo Dual D5 PWM Serial - (incl. 2x pump)
RAI-R20 Reservoir, 250mm - Black
EK-CoolStream XE 480 (Quad) Radiator
Fans 140mm - x4

XSPC G1/4" to 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD Compression Fitting x13
XSPC 7/16" ID [16/11mm] High Flex Hose - Clear [1m Length] x2
Bitspower - Rotary Fitting "T" - 180 Degree Water Cooling Accessory - shiny silver x1 for attaching drain
EK-AF Ball Valve (10mm) G14 - Nickel
Bitspower - G1/4" Low-Profile Stop Fitting with O-ring - shiny silver

Mayhems - Fine Silver Kill Coil
Mayhems - Pure H2O Coolant
Mayhems - Biocide Extreme

How much coolant will I need?

The case can take up to a 480mm radiator so I was thinking of just having 1 rad, and have the loop go to the pump/res, then CPU and then graphics card, and back to the rad to complete the loop, does that sound ok or would it be better to have 2x 240 rads and put one between the CPU and graphics card?

I also wasn't sure what was the best size tubing/fittings to get, is 16/11mm suitable?

Is there anything else that I have missed or need to consider?

-D
 
Nice looking spec you've got there mate, but pretty sure if you're going with a 980Ti you'll need Titan blocks for it rather than 980 blocks as the Ti uses the Titan PCB. 16/11 is fine but I am wondering why you want 2 pumps? The D5's are awesome and you'd be able to run that loop with one pump on a very low setting without issues, so could save a bit of cash there. When it comes to order of the loop it doesn't really make any difference what order the components are in as long as the reservoir is immediately before the pump, so guessing a 480mm would be just as good as 2 x 240mm's. At a guess I'd say that system would use just over 1l of fluid, but sure someone else would be able to give a better estimate. Hope this helps and good luck on the build, look forward to seeing pictures of it finished :)
 
Thanks for the fast reply OJ46!

Hmm ok I wasn't sure on the graphics card block as none I found on overclockers specifically said that they were compatible for the exact model, and that one was the only one to say 980 series. So thought it would be ok. Good thing I decided to check!

I was looking at the D5 pump but they seemed to be out of stock, I was trying to buy everything from one place for the loop if possible, but I'll see if I can source one elsewhere. I also take a look and see if I can find a graphics block for the card.

Out of curiosity how do you like the EVGA 980ti Hydro in your setup? I noticed that there were a few AIO units while looking just wondered if that was any good?

-D
 
The best place to check block compatibility is the EK website, they've got a really good configurator that will tell you exactly what blocks will fit your make / model of card. Have you thought about using a reservoir / pump combo? This is what I went with on mine. They might not look quite so brilliant but they definitely make it simpler! I don't like AIO units personally, think they're too much of a halfway house and don't really offer much of a step up from a decent air cooler. This is the card I'm using in mine and absolutely love it, core clock is maxing out at 1530MHz on standard settings so would definitely recommend it. Not cheap I know but with it pre-blocked it did eliminate the risk of damaging the card, so thought it was worth it for my first ever watercooled build :)
 
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Yeah I tried the configurator on EK website before Christmas but it wasn't working, seems to be working now so I'll give that a go.

Yes that EK D5 was the first one I was looking at getting but seems to be out of stock here and a few other places, might end up placing an order directly with EK for the parts that I can't get elsewhere.

Ooo thats a nice pre-fitted block, I'd totally go for that if I could justify an extra £100 more than getting a card and block. I've manage to pretty much max out my budget on this build already. :P

After some tinkering on the EK website I that these are the parts that I need and it will be better to grab these on their site;

EK-FC980 GTX Ti WF3 - Acetal+Nickel
EK-FC980 GTX Ti WF3 Backplate - Black
EK-XRES 140 Revo D5 PWM (incl. pump)
TUBE PrimoChill PrimoFlex™ Advanced LRT™ 15,9 / 11,1mm - Brilliant UV Blue RETAIL 3m
EK-ACF Fitting 12/16mm - Black x14 and their 9mm allen key ;)

Now to find some silent 140mm fans...
 
If your getting a 480mm rad your gonna need 120mm fans not 140mm's m8

Varders,Gentle typhoons and Noctua F12's are all good rad fans.Also try and get a vario D5 rather than a PWM one,will cause you less hassle
 
That's true mate, the EVGA card is overpriced when compared to the competition but it is also a seriously good card. Advertised clocks are Base 1140MHz & Boost 1228MHz, but mines happy boosting at 1530MHz using completely standard settings... MAD. Bear in mind those blocks are only for the Gigabyte G1 card and not the standard 980Ti though, easy to forget then grab a different card quickly on the OcUK deal of the day or something :p And don't even mention the bloody allen key!! :D

Oh yes, and what MrMD said with his far faster than mine maths brain... Top spotting MD! Didn't have an issue with the PWM though tbh, just remember not to plug it into the motherboard until after the loop has been filled and it's all good. After that it's easy, just bang it onto 20 or 30% speed in BIOS settings and never think about it again :)
 
MrMD - my original plans was a 420 rad so my list of parts to get had 3x140mm fans, but I did realise last night when I went to look for fans that I need 4x120mm's. Thanks for the list of good ones to run, after something silent so will check them out and see. If I went with the vario D5 (like this one) what res would I need?

OJ46 - yup the card I had pretty much settled on is the; Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980Ti OC 6GB GDDR5 PCIe3.0 WINDFORCE 3X

The plan is the test the card as it is to make sure it works before taking the whole thing apart and putting the block on there. It will be a mega pain as I'll have to hook up the water loop for the processor first, then drain the loop and hook it up. But I'd rather make sure the card works first for the cost of the thing.

Thanks guys the help so far has been great.
 
If you've got a stock cooler for the CPU just test it all on a cardboard box before you build it in the case, then you can do the loop in one go :)
 
Ive got evga 980ti sc and i ordered the titan x blocks direct from EK along with fittings . tubing (hardline) and the pump as it was cheaper direct . im getting 46-51c on full load and thats overclocked . im using the EK dual DDC 3.2 pump . very powerul pump even on 20%. take a look at my build thread in my sig for pointers if you wish .
 
killswitch73 - thanks I'll take a look it is always fun reading and seeing other people's builds. Might try and document this build myself.
 
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