X99 Cooling Spec Check

AndoriAvalonia

AndoriAvalonia

AndoriAvalonia

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13 Jan 2015
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I'm looking at doing a new build with a 5820K as detailed in this thread. I'm thinking of pushing the boat out and going with a custom loop, but want to get a sanity check on it.

I've tweaked my shopping list from the one in my other thread to add a drain point based on this thread, but I've only listed the cooling parts and case here.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £114.95
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-D5 Vario X-RES 140 (incl. pump) £107.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy EVO £49.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple) £49.99
1 x Monsoon 16/11mm (ID 7/16 OD 5/8) Free Center Compression Fitting Six Pack - Chrome £24.95
1 x Three Fan Bundle - Overclockers UK & SilverStone - 120mm FQ121WC Watercooling Radiator Fan £20.99
1 x Mayhems Pastel - Orange Coolant 1L £14.99
1 x Aqua Computer Ball Valve Female Thread G 1/4 without Fittings £5.99
1 x XSPC LCD Temperature Sensor (Orange) V2 + G1/4" Plug Sensor £5.99
1 x Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing 16/11 - Clear £5.99
1 x XSPC G1/4" 4 Way Fitting (Chrome) £3.95
2 x XSPC G1/4" 5mm Male to Male Fitting (Chrome) £1.79 (£3.58)
1 x XSPC G1/4" Plug (Chrome) £1.55



I've gone with orange fluid to match the MB, but decided to stick with chrome fittings.

A single 360mm rad in the front should be enough. I could maybe go thicker, but I know that the hot swap drive mounts in the bottom of that case can complicate things, plus it allows me to drop a 240mm in the top at a later date if I need to.

I'm not looking at GPU cooling atm as I'm currently planning on using an R9 280, which would involve messing around with a universal GPU cooler as far as I can tell.

I'm a bit undecided on the fans, and am open to suggestions. I've thought about Vardar F3s, but need to work out how to control them (should be able to do it from the MB I presume). The top and rear fans I was going to leave the stock ones initially (I know they are supposed to be loud at full speed).

I also keep bouncing back and forth between 16/10 and 16/11 tubing and fittings (mainly based on what's in stock), but figure 16/11 will be a bit more flexible. I'd thought about going with acrylic, but decided against it as this is my first attempt at water cooling.

So have I missed anything? Or anything else I should consider?
 
Your parts list looks solid.It might be worth switching the pump/res to the 100ml version,as it gives you a little more space in the back(i assume thats where you plan to mount it).But if its not in stock or whatever,its not a massive deal.

I havent used the Silverstone fans,from the specs they dont seem particularly amazing imo.Apaches are cheap atm and pretty good fans for rads,aswell as being quiet.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-061-AK

When it come to controling your fan speeds,you have lots of options, 3.5 bay fan controller,pwm on your mobo ect.Depends on how much you value silence/performance.

Personally in my 540 i have 6 fans,getting them to all run at adaquete rpms for sound/performance has been abit of a pain.I have a PCB on the way that will allow me to connect all my PWM fans to it,and controll them all off just the CPU header,which (hopefully) will mean a silent system untill i start putting it under load where the fan curve will slightly ramp up :)

Regarding the tubing,yea 16/11 is really flexabile,it can make good bends without kinking,you should get 2m worth tho,just to be sure(i made this mistake before lol) :D
 
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I'd thought about trying to get the res in the front on display, but then the drain valve hanging off it would spoil the look.

I'll have a look at the Apache's, though I'm not sure on the colour of them. When I first started thinking of doing an upgrade a few months back, most people seemed to be using SP120s. I'm still tempted by the Vardars as they seem to be getting a good rep as a radiator fan, and a 3 pack isn't that much more than the Silverstones.

For fan control I can try the CPU header for a start, but I'd thought about having a go at a little project and building a temperature based fan controller by using something like an Arduino. One advantage I can see of going that way is that I can control the fans individually so that the exhaust fans run a bit slower in order to maintain a positive pressure in the case.

Something I noticed last night looking around is that EK actually do a starter kit, but it's not quite what I want. It's based on the XTX radiator and a DDC 3.2 pump with separate res.
 
Still not got round to doing anything with this. I've just started thinking of maybe going with a different case. I'm now considering an Enthoo Luxe as it looks a better case for water cooling.

I've had a look around and am a bit unsure as to the radiator capabilities. For my initial setup, I would be going with a 360mm rad in the top, which I think I can then get away with a thick (60mm ish) rad.

Where I get a bit lost is fitting a 240mm in either the bottom or front and the consequences of that. e.g. removing drive bays.
 
Finally got most of the hardware for my new build:D (Just waiting on the temp sensor that will hopefully show up over the weekend).

Hope to have a go at bolting it all together over the weekend.
 
Looks good and yeah the 360 should be fine for the cpu alone but you'd definitely need another 240 atleast if you plan to do the Gpus. There is an x99 optimised supremacy block that you will beneift from aswell instead of the standard 2011 one.

Just waiting for my watercooling parts :(, quite a bit is out of stock so I hope it won't be too long of a wait.
 
Well I've discovered that Enthoo Luxe + SOC Champion + Mayhem's Havoc is a tight squeeze.

Initially I couldn't get it to fit as it was interfering with the 8 pin power connector on the MB. I uplugged it and it went in. Having a look it was clear of the connector and I realised that the locking clip on plug was the problem so that's now been surgically removed and got it all together :)

Next fun bit is modding the pump mounting bracket. The 2 holes in the case where I was going to put it don't line up. Can get 1 to, so just need 1 more hole.

I won't get it powered up today though :( The temp sensor I ordered from somewhere else (as OCUK were out of stock) still hasn't shipped having been ordered Wednesday afternoon.. and was showing as in stock. A quick google shows that they don't have the best reputation... last time that I will use them.
 
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