Water Cooling Help

nick5466

nick5466

nick5466

Associate
Joined
3 Sep 2010
Posts
396
OK, I currently have an Antec 900 with I7 and GTX 470 inside. I have purchased a Lian Li PC80B and now wish to add watercooling.

What sort of equipment would I need to make this happen? Im not after super high clocks, just a quieter and better looking PC.

I do not wish to mod the case in any way. (Other than the side window)

Thanks

Nick
 
reiyushin said:
You need a garden hose and some duct tape and most importantly you need to read the stickies!
Click to expand...

If you have nothing useful to say don't bother. Great way to get people to keep using the site.

I have read all the stickies and know what parts I need. So I just go out and buy the most expensive piece of kit and all is good?

Would a dual rad be enough to cool the GPU and CPU and fit into the Lian Li case or will a triple rad fit into the case without any mods?

Would it be best to use barbs or compression fittings?

Are there preferred manufactures when it comes to WC?
 
What is your buget - this is first question mate.
Triple rad is minimu, the thick one.I preffer compression fittings, more safe than a barbs.
Any Thermochill, EK, XSPC, Bitspower or Freser will be good quality stuff.
 
Last edited:
The initial budget would be roughly £200. I might have to just cool the CPU to start with and then add in the GPU cooler next month (or Xmas) if this will not be enough?

I checked the barbs vs compression online and from what I saw most people used barbs. What is the actual difference in terms of how they fit together? How are the compression fittings more safe?

Thanks
 
nick5466 said:
I have read all the stickies and know what parts I need. So I just go out and buy the most expensive piece of kit and all is good?
Click to expand...

Many things that contains on the stickies are outdated but basic things may never change. I do understand your point.

nick5466 said:
Would a dual rad be enough to cool the GPU and CPU?
Click to expand...

Yes but at reasonable temps. I would not expect miracles if less than 1500RPM fans are used and if you do get 4 fans that way you can always place at push / pull config for maximum CFM. Also many things are dependent of other things and so on. Even a single rad would do great if used with 252 CFM great inH2O PA delta fans in a push / pull config. It depends vast on your ambient temperature.

nick5466 said:
Would it be best to use barbs or compression fittings?
Click to expand...

It depends, to be safe I recommend barbs with clamps and then compression fittings. I would not use only barbs.

nick5466 said:
Are there preferred manufactures when it comes to WC?
Click to expand...

No but EK is good for most things, however my gaming system is EK free, lol

Gaming System:

CPU: Swiftech - Apogee GTZ
GPU: Koolance GPU-220
Hose: Feser 3/8
Barbs: Bistpower Fatboy Black mate 1/2
Compression fittings: Koolance and Feser
Radiator: Feser 360
Pump: 2 x Swiftech MCP355
Reservoir: Phobya 250
 
I have the following / this is without barbs compression fitting as I'm not too sure on them. Would this be good?

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
EK 470 GTX Full Cover VGA Water Block - Nickel Plexi [3831109830109] £64.99
(£55.31) £64.99
(£55.31)
EK Supreme HF Nickel Plexi (775/1156/1366/AM2/AM3/939/XEON) [3830046990204] £49.98
(£42.54) £49.98
(£42.54)
Swiftech MCP350 10W 12V DC Pump £47.99
(£40.84) £47.99
(£40.84)
EK Multioption Reservoir X2 250 Advanced [3831109840085] £39.99
(£34.03) £39.99
(£34.03)
EK CoolStream Radiator XT 240 (120.2) [3831109860014] £32.99
(£28.08) £32.99
(£28.08)
Fluid XP+ Eco-Earth Clear 944ml (32oz) £17.99
(£15.31) £17.99
(£15.31)
Masterkleer tubing PVC 16/10mm (3/8"ID) UV-active blue £3.98
(£3.39) £7.96
(£6.78)



Sub Total : £222.89
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 17.50% VAT : £40.67
Total : £273.06
 
Use a 360 rad even if you just cool your cpu for now, 240 Rad you would struggle to get good temps for a CPU + GPU. Use compression fittings look far better, easier to use and just as safe as barbs + clamps. You don't have to buy top of the range to get a good custom loop. My intial first build came to £300 for a CPU[i7 920] + GPU[5870] set up, fluids use distilled water + silver coil.

The EK full cover actel+nickel 470 block is very good, using one my self-

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-065-EK

Tubing depending on your case get at least 2m or 3m.
 
Last edited:
nick5466 said:
If you have nothing useful to say don't bother. Great way to get people to keep using the site.
Click to expand...

Your first post may as well have said spec me watercooling... you demonstrated no knowledge on the topic and so I gave the obvious response of reading up on the stickies with a bit of humor thrown in.

My input would be don't underestimate a double rad.

There's a nice post on XS forums showing a dual rad handling dual Xeons and a high end gpu (can't remember which, either a 295 or a 480)

Silence will come easier with a larger rad :)

I used barbs on my loop as I found them to be more secure than compression fittings (though compression fittins look awesome :D)


£200 is the budget I had for my recently completed loop, click the pic in my signature if you want to see the build log in progress.
 
reiyushin said:
Your first post may as well have said spec me watercooling... you demonstrated no knowledge on the topic and so I gave the obvious response of reading up on the stickies with a bit of humor thrown in.
Click to expand...

Fair enough written text can sometime be taken differently to how it was wrote.

Ill take a look when I get home - works fire wall stops most photos from being displayed.

Thanks
 
The stuff in your later posts would have been great to have had int he first one, thus preventing all the hoo-haa. We get way too many posts from people who have done no reading, no investigation and want someone to hand them everything on a plate. Please understand that that gets tedious.

With the pump you've chose I would strongly advise getting an XSPC reservoir/top for that pump. It will do wonders for the flow-rate and simplicity of having pump/res combined in a small space. I have one and it's ace.

I suggest getting ½" barbs with 7/16" Masterkleer tubing if you can. Yuo'll need to soften the tubing in boiling water before fitting over the barbs but once done, the tubing does not come off without cutting it.

I've done barbs and compression and prefer barbs. You'll have to do both really to see whcih one you prefer - it's a personal thinkg after all - but I bet you'll end up with barbs.
 
I know, I was being a little lazy sorry :(

Well once i get home to view the build log of reiyushin with the photos, I will put together a list of the parts I think I will need from the information in this post and the build. Hopefully this will get the once over to confirm its all ok.

Thanks
 
MikeTimbers said:
I've done barbs and compression and prefer barbs. You'll have to do both really to see whcih one you prefer - it's a personal thinkg after all - but I bet you'll end up with barbs.
Click to expand...

totally agree.....barbs and plastic clips for me

if you want it to be quite your better going for a bigger rad with less fans...if you dont mind a gentle hum buy a 240 rad with 4 apaches or noctuas for best results... even better a 360 rad with 6 fans. just depends on what you need how much money you have or are willing to spend and how big your case is......
 
OK, so I pretty much have all the items I need to start the WC setup. All I am missing is the fittings to the GPU block (just about to order). What I need I think is also a T connector with a sealing plug - this would be to drain the system. Is this the best method? Any recomendations?

Edit: OK so just had a look at the price of the 470s and it has me thinking. If I was to buy another one to sli are there any implecations if one of the cards is WC and the other is not?
This would be because if i need to WC the other card I would need to buy another Rad another pump and obviously another block for the card, tis expensive

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Always come back to the why, when getting hardware?

Q: Why are you improving your cooling?
You've said - Im not after super high clocks, just a quieter and better looking PC

Ans: Air cooling
Both the 900 and PC80B are air cooling cases
both are NOT silent build friendly (to many holes)
Adding a rad in the front would massively reduce fuctionality (use all your bays)

An aftermarket cpu HSF - tower type - will result in a cooler and quieter i7
Many of which look really smart - Venomous X black, silver arrow, Mega Shadow

An aftermarket 470 cooler - will also make a world of differance
Shaman, spitfire, Accelero XTREME Plus

We all know what makes the heat but what currently makes the noise?
Stock i7 cooler?
Stock 470 cooler?
Case fans?
PSU?

So your budget may be better spent getting high quality air cooler and new case fans.
Even with a new 'quiet' gold 80plus psu you can have a night out on the change.

Edit: If you've already spent your money, sorry for the late advice.
You can use the second outlet on the base of the res as a drain line.
or the top inlet as a fill line depending on how you use it.

Ideally the drain is the lowest part - but fill and drain lines look mess if you after a 'clean' look.
A value may be better - that way you only add the drain line when you need it.
 
Last edited:
Hi mate, I have the exact same case. I've done a build on it, the build log is in my sig, have a look to see how it's done. If you're wanting to go into watercooling, I think that it's the wrong attitude to say "I don't want to do any modding".

This means that you will consciously try to do everything in a way that avoids any sort of modding, and could mean that you miss out on better ways to assemble your equipment. Don't be so narrow minded ;)

The sticky on this forum is a good place to start, I would also suggest reading a lot of the other guides that are available on the net, google is the place to find them. Once you've done that, you'll have a much better idea about watercooling :)

We're here if you need anymore help

Vinni3 @H|H said:
I reccomend using distilled water and a kill coil in your res.
http://skinneelabs.com/coolants.html
Click to expand...

+1, it's the way to go
 
TheCenturion said:
Hi mate, I have the exact same case. I've done a build on it, the build log is in my sig, have a look to see how it's done. If you're wanting to go into watercooling, I think that it's the wrong attitude to say "I don't want to do any modding".

This means that you will consciously try to do everything in a way that avoids any sort of modding, and could mean that you miss out on better ways to assemble your equipment. Don't be so narrow minded ;)


We're here if you need anymore help



+1, it's the way to go
Click to expand...


Thanks will give this a look when I get home.

I may get into modding the case one day but at the minute I do not have the tools to do any mods or the balls to cut a £300 case. For this reason I brought the adapter to fit the rad to the front of the case.

Hopefully the rest of my items arrive today/tomorrow so I can get this up and running.


Nick
 
I had to do a couple of mods to my case. I had to drill one hole into the floor of the case to mount my rad, and I had to take the bottom harddrive cage out to fit the rad in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom