New Build: Watercooling take 2!

[jayenh]

I'm a bit new to using these forums but a long time overclockers customer. I'm building a new rig so I thought I'd make a project post for anyone interested.

I bought an MSI 290X gaming about 2 weeks ago because I felt like I just needed to upgrade my 2x 6950 crossfire setup, unfortunately I caught the bug and decided its time for a new build, it's been a while. I don't really need a new build, but I want one

I was originally just going to add a second 290X, put my existing build in to a new case, and watercool it all, but I decided to go all out. The only thing's being recycled will be my 850W Corsair modular power supply (should be sufficient) and my 120GB and 500GB SSD's.

This will be only my second venture in to watercooling, my first being about 8 years ago when I bought a kit. Compression fittings etc appear to have made it easier and more accessible so I'm looking forward to giving it another try.

Here's my basket:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 290X Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £449.99
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £269.99
1 x Asus Z87 MAXIMUS VI FORMULA Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £249.95
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower Case £199.99
1 x Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-22400C12 2800MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3UH28001204G-2BZ1) £179.99
1 x XSPC D5 Photon 270 Reservoir/Pump Combo £139.99
1 x XSPC RX480 Quad Fan Radiator V3 £105.95
2 x XSPC Razor R9 290X / 290 VGA Waterblock £94.99 (£189.98)
1 x XSPC RX240 Dual Fan Radiator V3 £64.99
1 x XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) £51.98
1 x Akasa 5.25" FC Six Channel Brushed Aluminium Fan Controller (AK-FC-08BKV2) £24.98
2 x XSPC Razor R9 290X / 290 Backplate £24.95 (£49.90)
3 x Corsair SP120 Performance Series High Pressure - Dual Pack (CO-9050008-WW) £23.99 (£71.97)
1 x XSPC LCD Temperature Sensor (White) V2 + G1/4" Inline Sensor £8.99
2 x Mayhems X1 Clear Premixed Watercooling Fluid 1L £7.99 (£15.98)
10 x EK Water Blocks EK-CSQ Adapter 90° G1/4 Black Nickel £6.95 (£69.50)
2 x EK Water Blocks EK-CSQ Adapter 45° G1/4 Black Nickel £6.95 (£13.90)
2 x XSPC HighFlex Hose 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD, 15.9/11.1mm, 2m, Black £5.99 (£11.98)
18 x XSPC G1/4" to 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD Compression Fitting (Black Chrome) £3.19 (£57.42)
Total : £2,247.65 (includes shipping : £16.85).



I bought a few spare fittings and a couple of 45 degrees just in case, but I think 90's will work best. The only thing missing is a few white LED's which I'll order later. The res comes with white, but the blocks come with blue which I won't be fitting as I want these to be white as well.

My plan is to mount the res/pump on the braket in the case, 480 at the top pushing out, 240 at the front pushing out, and the 140mm fans that come with the case will go in the bottom pulling air in. loop will be:

res/pump - GPUs - 480 - motherboard - CPU - 240 - res/pump

Delivery will hopefully be tomorrow, when the build starts, so expect pictures then

 

[jayenh]

This looks quite similar to the build I was considering. I was also looking at this reservoir; where we're you thinking of mounting it? The mounting position at the back or the bracket to the right of the GPUs?

I look forward with interest to see how your build progresses.

I plan on mounting it to the right of the cards on the mounting plate. I think for the XSPC stuff I might need to drill a hole or two from what I've read, but it should fit.

 

[jayenh]

It feels a bit daunting now that it's all here.

 

[jayenh]

A bit of mid build tube work.

 

[jayenh]

Testing the fans while waiting for the last bit of air to work it's way to the res.

 

[jayenh]

aaaaand the res/pump has a leak. I'll get a photo up shortly, but it's not my fittings or the tubing. It's really low down and on the actual pump.

 

[jayenh]

 

[jayenh]

Shame about the leak. Is that a crack between the "splines" (or is it just the photo)?

I presume you've checked the O-ring between the pump & the res?

Setup looks good though, look forward to seeing it completed

Just the photo. Not a crack but it is leaking from underneath those "fins" and trickling down ever so slowly, barely a drip per minute. I'll have to get it back off, it doesn't leak powered off so I've left it like that for the night. The note in the box said that it's a factory sealed unit and not to try separating the res from the pump, so I'm assuming I shouldn't need to check anything. Already put in the RMA web note so I'll see what happens tomorrow.

Edit: the part of the pic that looks like a white dot is a reflection, that's where the leak is. It's then running down and dripping from the very bottom of the pump.

 

[jayenh]

It doesn't say it breaks the warranty, just that it is sealed in the factory and that opening it up runs the risk of not being able to reseal it.

 

[jayenh]

So here the pump (with the factory note) about to head back to Overclockers.



Edit: also, I found it had leaked over night while switched off. Nothing as bad as the puddle it had made last night while left running, but a small amount of water in the bottom of the case.

 

[jayenh]

The new Photon 270 arrived after a bit of last minute arranging to have someone available to sign for it (I wanted it to come RM so I could collect from my local post office after work, it was sent DPD), so for anyone interested expect this to resume possibly tonight, or in the next few days. I'll try and get more pictures. I got a bit carried away with the build, especially the plumbing, and didn't take too many pictures while i was "in the zone".

 

[jayenh]

Haha, don't worry.
We all know how it is.
Building a new rig is always an exciting experience.
I usually conpletely forget what time it is and how long I've been sitting, trying to fix this or that

That's exactly what happened as I was finishing it off and filling it with water to get the pump running (leaky pump, new one hasn't been installed yet). 3 hours felt like 30 minutes.

 

[jayenh]

I fitted the fan controller and ran the cables for that, as well as fitted the new pump last night. I've left it on a 24 hour test at the moment after a lot of stopping and starting and rocking the PC side to side to try and get all the air out of the system.

a quick pic for those that like that



I filled it right to the top before going to bed last night and woke up to it at the same level, so at least there are no leaks it seems, but I think there's still a little bit of air trapped. No bubbling noises any more as the air moves around but tilting the case from side to side still seems to free up some air.

 

[jayenh]

Not fully up and running yet, but figured I should post a better pic of the build so far since I'm home and there's still some daylight.



Not sure where to mount the temp display yet.