Water Cooled Build - P500a, 3090 - Please help!

[Jaydog]

Hi,
I am doing a build to reduce the temps on my 3090. The 3090 will be the only thing on the loop.
Parts list:

Rad - 420mm going at front
Fans - 3 x 140mm going at front
Distro plate - Phanteks D140 rear 140mm mounted (distro plate is actually 2 mini separate reservoirs)
Pump - EK Quantum Inertia D5 (no reservoir) mounted via 140mm bracket to rad/fans
Block - Bykski 3090 Block and Active Backplate (horizontal mounted)

My original flow loop plan was:

Pump>Distro plate>GPU>Distro plate>Rad>Pump going clockwise around the case.

I am not sure this is right for the following reasons:

1. Filling - If I fill the distro plate and let it drain through GPU and then into Pump (anti-clockwise due to gravity), then when I turn on the pump to move fluid around the system it would run dry immediately as the rad is empty and the flow is clockwise. Or should I being filling the rad instead to match the flow direction? Or perhaps both Distro and Rad?

2. Emptying - I have a t-splitter and a ball valve. This should be placed in the lowest point in my system in order to drain? With this in mind, should my front 420mm rad be placed with the inlet/outlet at the top or bottom? Top make sense when thinking about point 1 and filling the rad but again I am a little unsure.

3. The GPU block is recommended to be bottom in, top out. This currently matches my planned clockwise flow.

Looking for help and advise.

Thanks!

 

[LuckyBenski]

So for point 1, this is why the commonly accepted need is for the pump to be fed by a reservoir. You'll have a bad time trying to fill the loop if there's no way to supply liquid to the pump other than "it got returned because it was pumped round the loop". It's unable to supply itself until it's been... Supplied. Recommend you find a way to get the reservoir above and before the pump.

That said... Why do you need the distro? For such a simple loop, surely you would just have a pump/res combo, radiator and block? Save money on fittings, less tubing, neater...

Point 2 is ok. It would be nice to route the radiator upside down but most people don't. One option is to try a crossflow radiator (Alphacool make some). Again though with your small loop, maybe it would work well to keep the fittings at the bottom of the radiator anyway.

Point 3 sounds valid and I don't see why you won't be able to follow this.

 

[Jaydog]

Hi,

Thanks. I am now possibly thinking of going anti-clockwise.

Also, I have an AIO already on the cpu.

Point 1 - Distro looked good and saved a lot on space as its directly on an empty 140mm slot on the back of my case.

 

[Jay85]

Res or distro should always feed the pump, the order of any other components is not really relevant other than for convenience.

Drain port from the res and drain port at the lowest point of the loop is always advised. This usually can be easily done by fitting a T piece on the inlet or outlet of your radiator IF it is the lowest point. Saves you rocking the case about to try and get the fluid back into the res to drain it.