Watercooling advice please

jinxpad

jinxpad

jinxpad

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Hello all,


I'm currently about to get my next WC kit in the next few days, and basically need some advice on a few things. First I'll just list what the kit will be cooling;


i7 920 @ 4.0Ghz
MSI 480 GTX @ 850/2100

All enclosed in a Corsair 800D.

The List

* Thermochill 120.3 Triple Radiator
* EK-FC480 GPU Block
* EK Supreme High Flow CPU Block (Nickel/Plexi)
* EK Multioption Res X2 250 Advanced
* 12v Laing DDC-1T +1 Ultra 18W (Swiftech MCP355)



As you can see from my proposed shopping list these are the current components I'm looking at getting. The pump/res/GPU Block I'll be sticking to, but where I'm in need of a little bit are when it comes to the Radiator and CPU block.

I've read great reviews for the EK Supreme, but does it offer the best cooling performance? Are there any other blocks that anybody would recommend? I don't mind spending a little extra if it means the cooling performance is justified for it.

The same basically applies to the Thermochill, I've read in numerous places that the Thermochill is the standard when it comes to comparing 360 Rads, is this still the case? As I've also read that the SR-1 360 is just as great but scales excellently with fan speed. Is it worth the extra £30?

Another thing with the thermochill is that it looks absolutely colossal, and I read somewhere that the fan mounting hole's dont line up properly with the grill at the top of the 800D, is this actually the case?

Finally, you'll see I havent got any tubing or fittings yet. My last venture into WC'ing I just used barbs, but I'm really interested in pimping my kit out (if I'm spending this much already I might as well right?) with the nice bitspower fittings.

However would someone be kind enough to explain to me the difference/usage of "Rotary" fittings as opposed to Compression fittings? Are you supposed to use one or the other? Or in conjunction depending on your layout?

I would really appreciate any input anybody on the forum can give so I can get the most out of my purchase and be sure that I'll have a setup that'll serve me well over the next few years *fingers crossed*.

Thanks in advance
 
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The EK Supreme HF is one of the very best cpu blocks you can get plus they fit all current sockets.

There are two variants of the PA120.3. The older one has 27.5mm fan spacing which will not line up with your case. The newer version has 15mm fan spacing which is the standard fromat and will line up with your case. Keep in mind that Thermochill uses G3/8" threads for the barbs so you will need to order the correct ones. Other rads use the standard G1/4" thread.

For your GPU you could use a core only block such as the XSPC Rasa VGA £42) which fit's just about every card out there including GTX 480/580 and would not need replacing when you change graphics cards. You will need some heatsinks for the vrm's though.

Tubing and barbs i prefer 7/16" tubing over 1/2" barbs for a really tight fit. I have used Masterkleer tubing in the past but am now using XSPC tubing. If you want colour in the loop just get some coloured tubing. Don't bother with coloured liquid as it is expensive and has a chance of the dye seperating and clogging the blocks. Distilled/de-ionised water and something like Primochill Liquid Utopia or a silver kill coil is the best way to go.

Rotary fittings mean that they can swivel but usually have a smaller internal diameter than a normal barb or compression fitting.
 
Thanks for the reply Pasty. Any particular reason for using the Rasa over the EK Block? I'm not looking to upgrade my graphics card for a good while yet so future compatibility with new GPU's isn't really a concern of mine.

I have no intention of using any dye's and will indeed be using just coloured tubing as you have recommended.

With regards to the fittings, thanks for the info, I'll probably use a mixture of barbs and compression fittings based on the layout of my kit, as I want to have as few hard curves as possible :)

Thanks for the info, I'll have to try and find out which version of the thermochill they'll be sending if I order it.
 
It seems that the XSPC Radiator is quite the performer as well, and has standardised fan spacing and is a little bit cheaper!! WIN WIN!!
 
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Personally i prefer core only blocks as i upgrade my gpu every year. I think the full cover blocks are far too expensive not to mention the fact that they only fit a single card. My previous Aquaextreme MP-1 lasted over five years and was fitted to 7 different cards, both Nvidia and ATI. The only reason i changed it was because i had a second 5850 last week to try crossfire (was a disaster) and noticed that the Rasa i had just got was cooling 6-7 degrees better than the MP-1. When i took the second 5850 out of the loop i swapped the Rasa for the MP-1. The Rasa is a impingement block just like most of the cpu blocks are where the MP-1 is just a in and out block with many pins to pass the water over.


I have a GTX 480 ordered so we will see just how good the Rasa is at keeping this beast cool.
 
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That makes sense, I've finally kicked the habit of upgrading GPU each year hehe, so I'll stick to the FC480 for this one.

I'm gonna be ordering all the listed components probably today or tomorrow, and then once it arrives I'll lay the components out in the case where I want them so I can figure out the tubing layout and really see what barb sizes I'll need and go from there.

Will update this thread with pictures as I put it together the kit, as I might need some input in the configuration and component placement :)
 
Hi guys, im new to watercooling, new to these forums, I dont know how to start a thread haha :P.

But I would like to know if you think this loop will work.

Res (xspc d5 tank) > Pump > Rad > CPU > NB > Rad > GPU

Will the d5 handle it? or do I need 2 ? I need a resevoir that can sit in the bottom of my antec 1200.
 
Hi Chris and welcome to the forums. :)

The D5 is a excellent pump and will handle that loop no problem. What socket are you on and what's the motherboard? There is a good chance you will not need to wc the NB if it's a modern chipset. My P55 runs extremely cool (barely warm to the touch) despite having a pathetic looking flat heatsink.

You start a new thread by clicking the "New thread" link above the forum subsection name.
 
Be careful with the thermochill 120.3, pastmuncher is correct in what he said but he is referring to the pa120.3 which was discontinued and as pointed out there were two version with different fan spacing.

The one you will likely pick up now is the ta120.3 this has the same fan spacing as the newer version of the pa120.3 (15mm) but now has standard G1/4 inch barbs.

So make sure you know which one you are getting so you can grab the correct barbs.
 
Mine is the newer version (15mm spacing) and still has G3/8" threads for the barbs. I think you mean the new TA series which does indeed have G1/4" threads. It's also much more expensive.
 
I'd go for an MCR320 + a shroud over the other radiators mentioned. You'll get a decent amount better performance over the other radiators, for the same space taken up and a lower price. winwinwin
 
Finally have all my kit sorted (pics coming soon), I have a quick question about the loop actually.

My current configuration idea is:

Res > Pump > Radiator > CPU > GPU > Res

Given that I'm planning on seating my pump right at the bottom of my case, the tube to the radiator right at the top will be quite long and pretty much dead on vertical. I do want to use as little tubing as possible as I've read that this is one of the factors which improves performance, so I was wondering if it's actually safe to go for the following route;

Res > Pump > GPU > CPU > Radiator > Res

The reason I ask whether or not this route is safe, is because I'm just thinking about pressure from the pump direct into a waterblock. I'm not an expert on pressure etc etc which is why I'd like to get advice from someone with more experience/knowledge on this situation.

Last thing I want is the seal on my GPU block popping off because of too much pressure from flow coming direct from the pump.

Is this something I should be concerned about at all? Or is the pressure the same regardless and would I be just fine going from pump > gpu block.

thanks fellas!
 
Just as long as the pump is pulling water directly from the res the rest doesn't matter what order.Just plumb for ease
As for pressure blowing the seals, also don't worry, From memory most blocks are pressure tested to 2 bar ( 30psi), the pump you are using, even if you dead head the output will not produce no where near that pressure 7 -10 psi if you are lucky.
 
Just checked the 18w version specs and apparently maximum pressure is 1.5 bars so with that info it should be just fine. Thanks Mick for the info :)
 
That maximum pressure will be the maximum pressure the pump seals can take not the pressure it produces.
Pumps available for water cooling produce any thing from 3 to 5 m of head pressure.
You can work out roughly what pressure your pump can produce quite simply. 1m head pressure is equivalent to roughly 1.5 psi. Do the maths :)
 
I'm running the EK LT for my 2600K block. I belive the HK 3.0 is better but only by a couple of degrees. I understand pasty's views regarding full cover blocks however having used core blocks with heatsinks and found that I got better performance with the full cover block.
 
Mick-1965 said:
That maximum pressure will be the maximum pressure the pump seals can take not the pressure it produces.
Pumps available for water cooling produce any thing from 3 to 5 m of head pressure.
You can work out roughly what pressure your pump can produce quite simply. 1m head pressure is equivalent to roughly 1.5 psi. Do the maths :)
Click to expand...

ahhhhh I see, good to know :), well that's definitely put my mind at ease, will definitely use the alternative loop.
 
Just grabbed 10 litres of De-Ionised water. Going to be prepping my kit tonight and doing an out of pc leak test. But before putting it all together, I want to get each block cleaned out so that it's all ready to perform well.

What's the best way of doing this? I've read about using vinegar but also read it can corrode the metals? Would it be advisable to just flush each component out with the De Ionised water a few times?
 
I can't say I have ever cleaned the blocks, only rads. I wasn't aware that there was anything typically left over from production. In any case doesn't opening the block void the warrenty?
 
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