Project- 350D Custom Watercooled Loop - Help Please

indyjones

indyjones

indyjones

Associate
Joined
11 Nov 2008
Posts
8
Hi all,

I am an fairly experienced builder/Modder and have had a lot of fun with my last project which was a Mini-ITX build with the excellent BitFenix Prodigy. I modded this with a 'N7' Theme from Mass Effect, with extra gauges and my old coolermaster musketeer gauges which I had to design and 3D print new housings for, the lights (including the led fans) could also be turned on and off.

ngf52e.jpg

6od3fa.jpg

w5mo0.jpg


Now the problem with that build was my new GTX780Ti was running much hotter than I was comfortable with and now I have got into gaming again I would like to Sli in the future. I also don't like PC noise having spent some time on the silentpc forums with previous builds. This meant it was time for a new machine, and for the first time watercooling.
So waffling done now :rolleyes: this is what I have from my last machine/just purchased for the project:

  • Case: Corsair 350D - New
  • PSU: AX760 - New (will fit pretty braided cables when the budget allows)
  • MB: ASUS Maximus V Gene - New (found somewhere with stock)
  • GFX: MSI NVIDIA GTX780Ti Gamer
  • CPU: Intel i7 3770K
  • Ram: 16GB Corsair (Vengeance I think)
Now for the bits I need advice for please, watercooling setup:
  • I really like the aquacomputer aquaero 5 on OCUK site, does anybody have any experience with these? Are they any good or is there better ways to control pumps? Also can you control any pumps with them or just their own brand?
  • CPU Water Block: What do people recommend here please? I don't mind paying for a good one especially if it support the new sockets as well, looks wise I like the XSPC RayStorm are these any good?
  • GPU Water Block: Again help please, I would like a full cooler really with a back plate what about the XSPC again so I can illuminate it?
  • Radiators: I like the look of the Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 240 for the front (or similar) and slimmer 240 for the top (help with that please)
  • Fans: No idea would be great if they were Red LED though
  • Pump/Res: Here is where I need the most help please, would be great if it was a compact unit here, the single bay ones looks really nice tidy but are these any good?
  • Tubing: I will go Acrylic and heat bend these for neatness, any recommended brands and what diameter should I look for please?
  • Fittings: No idea really...
  • Fluid: Something Red :D
  • Anything else I missed? If I get the aquacomputer there will be flow and temperature probes I guess to fit :)

Final thing, I will mod the case again hopefully will be able to fit my CM Musketeer in somewhere :D but should I go N7 again or this time do an Asus ROG theme ?

Sorry for all the questions but I want to get this right as possible first time, if there are any threads I should read other than the sickies please let me know. I will be happy to post the as a project build if there is interest.
Thank you.
 
  • I really like the aquacomputer aquaero 5 on OCUK site, does anybody have any experience with these? Are they any good or is there better ways to control pumps? Also can you control any pumps with them or just their own brand?
I haven't used them personally, but from what I've heard/read they are the best solution for monitoring and controlling your loop.
​
  • CPU Water Block: What do people recommend here please? I don't mind paying for a good one especially if it support the new sockets as well, looks wise I like the XSPC RayStorm are these any good?
Raystorm is a good block, I prefer the aesthetics of EK's blocks myself, and they perform marginally better.​

  • GPU Water Block: Again help please, I would like a full cooler really with a back plate what about the XSPC again so I can illuminate it?
XSPC blocks are fine, again I prefer EK. XSPC ones can be quite easy to strip/cross the threads too.​

  • Radiators: I like the look of the Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 240 for the front (or similar) and slimmer 240 for the top (help with that please)
Great rad choice, the extra ports on them come in very useful for filling/draining/bleeding the loop.​

  • Fans: No idea would be great if they were Red LED though
I'd go with NoiseBlockers - they're silent and perform pretty good too.​

  • Pump/Res: Here is where I need the most help please, would be great if it was a compact unit here, the single bay ones looks really nice tidy but are these any good?
I'd advise against bay mounted pumps - you can't decouple them from the case so the vibrations they produce will be amplified = more noise. The best pump out there is a D5 vario, it's not particularly loud in a bay res if you lower the speed.​

  • Tubing: I will go Acrylic and heat bend these for neatness, any recommended brands and what diameter should I look for please?
Haven't used it, yet. Most fittings are for 10/12mm though there are some 12/16mm coming to market from EK, Primochill and Monsoon - so keep an eye out for those when they land in shops.​

  • Fittings: No idea really...
As above.​

  • Fluid: Something Red
Mayhems Pastel red.​
 
I've only watercooled once, that being on my current system so haven't tried all the different brands but my aqua computer gpu block is really good quality.

I'm a CNC machinist and the block is a great piece of machining.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom