Spec me a loop

uksoldierboy

uksoldierboy

uksoldierboy

Soldato
Joined
6 Aug 2009
Posts
4,505
Location
Wales
Hiya guys,

After ordering my 290X today i've decided that for noise and cooling performance, i'm best off water cooling the lot.

I''ve done it before last year on a previous build but that was only the cpu, for which i used a slightly modified version of the Ocuk V6 kit.

Worked great and had no problems during in the install, just took my time.

Could i get some help in putting a loop together for my new system, is there a kit that i could buy that would do it, or would i need to order the lot separate?

I'd like to keep cost down to as low as possible really.

My system as it stands now is:

Asus Maximus Hero VI
I7 4770K @4.6 cooled by a H100
Asus R9 290X
Case i'm using is a BitFenix Ronin.

Any advice or info would be great.

Thanks guys,

David
 
Rad space is pretty limited in there and you're running a couple of toasty components.
At best, you've got room for a slim 240 up top and a 240 in the front if you remove the drive bays. A little modding may still be required and they may not be enough to cool them properly anyway :(

Would you consider an external rad?
 
Hi

Looking at your build I see it is similar to mine, however you have much bigger case.
Mine is just a mini itx and both rads are outside.
I see Ronin have opening for water tubes so you could put 1 rad in a stand behind the case and other one inside on top, you probably have that h100 there anyway.
Are you planing a complete new loop or prefer to keep that h100?
If you are planing to keep itt and have 2 5.25" bays free, you could use an XSPC 750 v4 pump/res combo to cool the gpu and have a XSPC EX240 rad sitting outside the case in a stand ( stand costs 10£ ).
And If you are planing a loop for both cpu and gpu, then you could go for 2 EX240 rads and XSPC Photon 170/D5 pump/res combo. D5 is strong enough to cool both cpu and gpu, also Photon have nice led inside and would fit the case perfectly.
As for costs, loop for gpu only, excluding gpu block, would cost you around 150£ ( add around 100£ for block and fittings ).
If you want the entire new loop, it would cost around 450£, all included.
I know, expensive :-)
 
Cheers for the info and advice guys,

Got a lot to think about it seems, My initial idea was to use a 240 rad in to top of the case, and a 120 rad on the back.

The h100 I'm using now is doing a sterling job of keeping the cpu cool tbh.

Max temps I see while gaming is 65c, but if I was to use watercooling, I'd much rather put the lot under water.

Would a 240 up top and a 120 on the back not be enough you think?
 
No mate. Sorry :)

Edit: Then again, a GT Extreme 120mm and a high fpi slim 240 rad like a GT stealth could work well enough if they fit. You'll have to run your fans pretty fast on there though for best results.

Personally, I'd upgrade case or lose the drive bays for an additional front 240 rad or I'd run a juicy external rad. It really depends on how low you want your temps and how little noise you want it to make.
 
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A 240 rad is minimum requirement to cool a 290X from what I heard, I think it was a quote from one of the ocuk staff or some manufacturer. 290x runs very hot, so I wouldn't risk a 120 rad.
Better to use bigger external one.
 
Ah damn it,

The cost of a full loop for both the cpu and gpu is a just too much for me at the moment, especially after buying this 290X.

Would it be alright to just keep using my H100, and get a loop together for the 290X, i'll upgrade to include the cpu then after Christmas.
 
Do you have 2 free 5.25" bays?
There are a few pump/res combo which use 2 bays.
Some have the XSPC X20 750 v4 pump and some have D5.
D5 would be probably better if you are planing to expand the loop in the future.
So:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-140-XS&groupid=962&catid=2133&subcat=2134
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-461-EK&groupid=962&catid=1520&subcat=2327
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-084-XS&groupid=962&catid=1523&subcat=1525
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-064-XS&groupid=962&catid=1523&subcat=1545
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-126-XS&groupid=962&catid=1530&subcat=1548
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-013-MH&groupid=962&catid=1531&subcat=2415
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-034-MO&groupid=962&catid=2531&subcat=2533
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-073-AK&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=4

Fans, cooling fluid, hose and fittings is your choice really.
I chose those based on the motherboard/gpu colors being black and red.
Fans is basically your choice, but I wasn't sure if you want to put LED fans on outside rad or prefer to keep it hidden, that's why Akasa. Some prefer Gentle Typhoon fans, but they are weaker that these. I chose fans based on comments about 290X being very hot card - so you need strong fans.
I am not sure if you need those, but you may include some stop fittings to add CPU to the loop more easily (I didn't use those yet so can't really advice on that and how to use them, I only know they exist and some people use them :P ).

Hope this helps a bit
 
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