looking advice for first time water cooling

garymcq23

garymcq23

garymcq23

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16 Nov 2011
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hi im looking some advice on which parts to buy so I can water cool my pc. I wont be looking for any crazy over clocks the main reason I want to water cool is to have a quiet pc and of course the cool factor lol.

my case is a corsair r500 I know its not a great case for water cooling but I haven't got the budget to go and buy another case. I've been doing some research online and it is possible with a bit of modding to fit 2 ex 240 radiators into the case

the only parts that I know that I want is the xspc d5 dual res/pump because ill need a bay reservoir for my case and the pump seems to be quiet going by reviews

so can anyone spec me the rest of the parts I need for my loop? im looking to cool my cpu and gpu also im going with a blue theme

my pc spec is:
i7 2600k
780 classified
msi z68 gd55
corsair tx 850 psu

also would 2 ex240 radiators be enough to cool the gpu and cpu?
 
Basic idea is you need 1 240 rad per high end component, so the answer to your question will be yes, that's enough.
I would swap the EX rads for ek pe 240s, they are better and similar in price.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-487-EK&groupid=962&catid=1523&subcat=1525

The bay/res combo is fine and you can have it run at speed 3 and it will be perfectly quiet.
Also I can recommend you cheap and quiet fans for those ek pe rads.
I use these:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-022-EN&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=4

You can use push/pull on rads if you think you need more airflow.
As for tubing and fittings, I use primochill 10/13mm tubing and ek 10/13 fittings.
Cheap and good looking. Primochill tube is a bit tight so put one end into warm water for a few seconds before installing or use any other method to warm them up.
About the 780 Classy, make sure you buy the correct waterblock as its non-reference card.
And take your time when assembling the loop, test it properly, make sure there is no air anywhere.
Pretty much all I can tell you :-)
 
I would avoid a bay combo if you want quiet. Yes the D5 is a quiet pump, but attach it to a bay reservoir which is not snugly in the case and itl be louder than a DCC.

Why not use a bay reservoir and a separate pump, if you have no space to fit a tube reservoir?
 
Avenged7Fold said:
I would avoid a bay combo if you want quiet. Yes the D5 is a quiet pump, but attach it to a bay reservoir which is not snugly in the case and itl be louder than a DCC.

Why not use a bay reservoir and a separate pump, if you have no space to fit a tube reservoir?
Click to expand...

+1

A bay reservoir will be a lot harder to fill and bleed than a tube one.

I have already done 3 w/c projects, and I have never chose bay rez over tube rez :D

Also, as for the number of rads, you are about right in terms of radiator area.

240 for CPU + 240 for high end display card is about right (you can even go 120 for a lower end display card)

BUT I want to stress is the EX series is optimized for high fan speed, so you will need to invest in some high rpm but low noise fans (i.e. NB eLoop B12-3/4) to use on these. OR you can try fitting the AX series (40mm thick vs 30mm thick but cost a lot more) and use lower rpm fans.

As of pumps, I would say go for EK ECP4.0 to get the flow rate up to 1.0+gpm, plus you can get it in a tube rez combo.

Blocks, to be honest, get whichever you want.
 
Bart_Hunt said:
Basic idea is you need 1 240 rad per high end component, so the answer to your question will be yes, that's enough.
I would swap the EX rads for ek pe 240s, they are better and similar in price.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-487-EK&groupid=962&catid=1523&subcat=1525

The bay/res combo is fine and you can have it run at speed 3 and it will be perfectly quiet.
Also I can recommend you cheap and quiet fans for those ek pe rads.
I use these:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-022-EN&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=4

You can use push/pull on rads if you think you need more airflow.
As for tubing and fittings, I use primochill 10/13mm tubing and ek 10/13 fittings.
Cheap and good looking. Primochill tube is a bit tight so put one end into warm water for a few seconds before installing or use any other method to warm them up.
About the 780 Classy, make sure you buy the correct waterblock as its non-reference card.
And take your time when assembling the loop, test it properly, make sure there is no air anywhere.
Pretty much all I can tell you :-)
Click to expand...

thanks for the advice but I already have corsair sp 120 fans would they be ok with that rad? also could u recommend me some fittings?
 
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