Please spec me some watercooling bits

[Minibiker]

Hi all

So I'm doing a new build/project and I've decided I'm going for watercooling for the first time ever, I've watched a lot of videos and think I'll be more than capable of doing a soft tube loop. I am buying a new case this week as my current one is black and I want a white one

I'm only looking to cool the CPU in this loop at first but if I get the hang of it quickly then I'll consider the GPU soon after, I was thinking a 240mm Radiator, Pump/Res combo but I need help selecting these parts.

Case: Corsair Carbide 275r Airflow

System specs:

Ryzen 3600
MSI B450 MORTAR MAX
16gb 3000mhz Corsair Vengence RAM
RX5700 8gb
Evga 500w PSU
480gb Kingston SSD
120gb Kingston SSD

At first I will be using the Air cooler I have but I want to gather the Watercooling bits over the next couple of months so not looking to spend all the money ASAP..

If anyone could spec me some bits that would be much appreciated

Cheers

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Ek xres 140mm or 100mm is a solid choice for pump res combo
Radiators I always get ones with more than 2 ports
Gives you greater flexibility /options
Also x flow/Cross flow radiators are great
For making your build neater
As you go in one end out the other
So less tubing runs

 

[paradigm]

Custom WC isn’t difficult (even bending hardline isn’t particularly difficult, I only wasted one 9” piece during my first hardline build), so I’d just jump straight in with the GPU as well (not least of all because as we see the next gen of cards hit, finding GPU blocks starts to prove more difficult!).

 

[Minibiker]

Ek xres 140mm or 100mm is a solid choice for pump res combo
Radiators I always get ones with more than 2 ports
Gives you greater flexibility /options
Also x flow/Cross flow radiators are great
For making your build neater
As you go in one end out the other
So less tubing runs

Do you have any recommendations on the OCUK website for radiators bud, to me a radiator is a radiator but to you guys that have done it know exactly what to look for

Custom WC isn’t difficult (even bending hardline isn’t particularly difficult, I only wasted one 9” piece during my first hardline build), so I’d just jump straight in with the GPU as well (not least of all because as we see the next gen of cards hit, finding GPU blocks starts to prove more difficult!).

Ohh really I though it would be another level doing a full hard-line loop... Are there multiple blocks for one GPU or is it one block only per GPU?

 

[paradigm]

Ohh really I though it would be another level doing a full hard-line loop... Are there multiple blocks for one GPU or is it one block only per GPU?

You can get universal GPU blocks but the problem with them is they tend to only cool the GPU itself and none of the VRMs, RAM or ancillary componentry that gets super hot on modern Graphics Cards. As you’ll be removing the heatsink and fans, there won’t even be any residual airflow. I personally wouldn’t run a universal block on a modern video card.

There are multiple manufacturers of GPU blocks (whole card) but they tend to be designed for reference cards only (or occasionally higher selling custom cards, like STRIX cards).

 

[Vince]

Ohh i did a hardline in this case over the weekend. Nice case, I also did white as it is for the wife. Not much help as i got everything (all the watercooling kit) from a dude in china for next to no monies. Was fun to build though.

 

[Minibiker]

You can get universal GPU blocks but the problem with them is they tend to only cool the GPU itself and none of the VRMs, RAM or ancillary componentry that gets super hot on modern Graphics Cards. As you’ll be removing the heatsink and fans, there won’t even be any residual airflow. I personally wouldn’t run a universal block on a modern video card.

There are multiple manufacturers of GPU blocks (whole card) but they tend to be designed for reference cards only (or occasionally higher selling custom cards, like STRIX cards).

Thanks this is all useful information, my GPU is a reference blower type of the RX5700, I will have a look at the blocks that I can get for that GPU

Ohh i did a hardline in this case over the weekend. Nice case, I also did white as it is for the wife. Not much help as i got everything (all the watercooling kit) from a dude in china for next to no monies. Was fun to build though.

Good to know its a nice case to work in and Watercooling will be smooth in it... Ohhh was it all nice kit you got from them?

 

[Vince]

Thanks this is all useful information, my GPU is a reference blower type of the RX5700, I will have a look at the blocks that I can get for that GPU



Good to know its a nice case to work in and Watercooling will be smooth in it... Ohhh was it all nice kit you got from them?

Total system cost was 400 without the psu and ssd so i was chuffed. The basic premise was building something awesome for cheap. The case is also not the airflow version.



I spent 75 quid on the cooling kit minus the stuff to bend the pipes and for that money its all bykski kit and seems to be perfectly good. I did wait a lifetime for somebody I know to ship it to me though. There are a million downsides to 75 quids worth of watercooling as you can imagine. I do need to re-bend the top tube as its got some kinks but thats as it stands right now.

A lot of this build was imported from china. Even the memory there is a build thread on here if you are interested.

 

[Minibiker]

@Vince Wow that's a bargain mate, Build looks great, £75 that's a bargain for what you got... What coolant do you use in the loop? Did you have to buy distilled water?

I like the way the case is lit up.. Good work

 

[Vince]

@Vince Wow that's a bargain mate, Build looks great, £75 that's a bargain for what you got... What coolant do you use in the loop? Did you have to buy distilled water?

I like the way the case is lit up.. Good work

It's got mayhems purple pastel with about 10 drops of red dye to get the right purple for the build. This was the first time ive ever gone hardline and it wasn't too difficult as somebody else in here said. The case is a bit tight and you can't fit a rad at the top and clear the ram with my board The picture below shows that so if your planning a rad at the top you might be disappointed depending on board. The ram only clears a slimish fan by about 1cm



I have a rad at the front with a further 3 fans at the front. If you plan the loop out it works pretty well in the case. I didn't do that so thats what I got

If I was doing it again and had a budget (I put this together for the wife) I think I would go with the corsair white stuff and a d5 as I think that would look awesome in this case.

 

[Minibiker]

It's got mayhems purple pastel with about 10 drops of red dye to get the right purple for the build. This was the first time ive ever gone hardline and it wasn't too difficult as somebody else in here said. The case is a bit tight and you can't fit a rad at the top and clear the ram with my board The picture below shows that so if your planning a rad at the top you might be disappointed depending on board. The ram only clears a slimish fan by about 1cm



I have a rad at the front with a further 3 fans at the front. If you plan the loop out it works pretty well in the case. I didn't do that so thats what I got

If I was doing it again and had a budget (I put this together for the wife) I think I would go with the corsair white stuff and a d5 as I think that would look awesome in this case.

It does look good mate you got the colours going together well... I was planning on a front radiator with 1 or 2 extra fans at the top for exhaust... So overall you found it OK to do this watercool build?, was this your first ever time watercooling or just first time hard line?

 

[Vince]

It does look good mate you got the colours going together well... I was planning on a front radiator with 1 or 2 extra fans at the top for exhaust... So overall you found it OK to do this watercool build?, was this your first ever time watercooling or just first time hard line?

I did a soft tube build when I was 15 if that counts? I'm 35 now and this was my first attempt at a watercooled build since then. If you have a look you are going for then go for it No reason not to. I did waste a bit more petg than @paradigm though and it's still not how I had it looking in my mind. I just want to change that top tube. I did go a bit mad respraying parts of the case, the gpu, the memory, heatsinks, res etc (I was bored waiting for parts), even some cables got some acrylic.

 

[paradigm]

@Vince, that top tube just looks like it needs straightening up a touch?

This was my first hardline build, like Vince I had previously done a single flexible tubing build many years prior, but found working with hardline was fine so long as you measure twice, cut once!

 

[Minibiker]

I did a soft tube build when I was 15 if that counts? I'm 35 now and this was my first attempt at a watercooled build since then. If you have a look you are going for then go for it No reason not to. I did waste a bit more petg than @paradigm though and it's still not how I had it looking in my mind. I just want to change that top tube. I did go a bit mad respraying parts of the case, the gpu, the memory, heatsinks, res etc (I was bored waiting for parts), even some cables got some acrylic.

Not to long ago then I've been wanting to give it ago for years now.. It almost never turns out the way you imagine it what tools are needed for hard line builds?

It does look great and it's a good idea to spray some parts to give the build a cleaner look

@Vince, that top tube just looks like it needs straightening up a touch?

This was my first hardline build, like Vince I had previously done a single flexible tubing build many years prior, but found working with hardline was fine so long as you measure twice, cut once!

Very nice mate, What case is that? Seems very spacious... You've done a great job there.

 

[paradigm]

Very nice mate, What case is that? Seems very spacious... You've done a great job there.

It's an NZXT H440, not the most "premium" of cases but I wanted something black and orange to fit the theme. It is pretty spacious though, I've got a 360 rad in both the front and the top as well as enough room for that reservoir that you can see in the 2nd pic.

It's actually more spacious than my Raijntek Asterion Classic (that's far more premium), which was the case in my 2nd hardline build (CPU only), only had room for a single 360 in this (and the front has no airflow, so pointless having a front-mount anyway:

 

[Minibiker]

@paradigm Ahh yeah I remember the H440, very nice case!

Your Raijentek build looks very tody mate, good colour choice aswell, how were the temps in that case?