New Custom Loop using external Radiators & Fans

[Chinez]

Hi Overclockers UK,


I am looking to build a custom water cooling loop for my existing PC, which includes the following components:

• MSI X870E Carbon WiFi
• Gainward Phantom 5090
• Delidded 7950X3D

I'm currently renovating an external outhouse, and due to the heat generated by my PC, I'm interested in setting up a complete custom loop. However, I'd like to utilize external radiators mounted outside and cladded over for discretion.

A few questions:

• What fans would be best suited for this setup?
• What radiators have people used successfully in similar external configurations?
• Will I need extra pumps to handle the longer runs?

I'm considering using insulated copper pipework for the outdoor sections, then switching to quick connects once inside the property.


Additionally, would it be possible to use antifreeze in the coolant? If so, do you have any recommendations for types or mixtures that others have used effectively?


To combat condensation during the winter months, I'm thinking of incorporating some form of pipe heating system to slightly raise the pipe temperature and reduce moisture buildup.


Any help, advice, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

What fans?
Shouldn't really matter as long as the wiring
Isn't exposed to the elements

What radiator ?
Mo-ra very expensive
Alphacool much cheaper
DIY option use a car radiator

Pumps
Yes wouldn't just use one pump
Minimum of 2 depending on how long
The tube runs are maybe 3
Plus gives redundancy if a pump fails

Antifreeze?
Yes you absolutely can put Antifreeze in
The coolant
Recently put some in mine
As had no biocide or anti corrosion stuff handy
What ratio water to Antifreeze you would have
To Google for someone who has done it
I only used a little as not external radiator

Condensation
Not actually sure it's an issue
Pretty sure one of the guys in here put
His radiator outside in Scottish winter
But had no Condensation issues
Got a bad memory but will tag who I think
It is to see if they can answer that part
@pastymuncher

Apologies if that's not who it was

 

[pastymuncher]

They weren't outside but fitted in a radiator box on a windowsill sucking outside air through them. I wouldn't put them outside, especially up here as we can be below zero for weeks and they would freeze. This gave me ultra low temps in the winter even with the window only opened a crack. I got down to 4-5 degrees C water temp and did not have any condensation in the pc at all. It was amazing playing a demanding game yet only having cpu and gpu temps in the low 20's with all fans running at a silent 750rpm. I had a pair of Hardware Labs Black Ice GTX280 rads with 8x Arctic P14's fitted to them in push/pull with Mayhems X1 as the coolant. Pumps were a pair of Alphacool VP655's (D5 Vario's) because I had a tubing run of around 15m made up of a mix of 12mm copper pipe, Mayhems 12/16mm ultra clear soft tubing and 14mm Monsoon hardline tubing inside the case. In the end I packed it in after over 17 years of watercooling for a number of reasons. It was getting stupidly expensive back then and has only got even more ridiculously expensive now, hardline tubing was a pain when I needed to swap anything in the pc out and I realised I could have perfectly acceptable temps going back to air cooling without spending a fortune on overpriced coolers.

I bought a Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE120 ARGB for the cpu (a i5 12600 non k at first then my 7800x3d) and stuck a third fan on it and set all fans to run on my motherboards silent profile and temps were maxxing out in the 60's. I originally had a Gigabyte RTX 3070 Vision OC which was under water cooling so that had it's stock cooler fitted which turned out to be very good especially after I refitted it with Gelid Extreme pads and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut on the core. I was running out of vram with that card on a couple of games at 1440p sao swapped to the 7900GRE I have now. Foolishly I tried improving cooling performance on it by changing pads and a phase change pad on the core and fell down the rabbit hole of chasing temps. I changed things on this card 6 times before I was happy and it turned out that Asrock use high quality pads and paste straight from the factory!!