Upgrading to water-cooling need help!

[Black Falcon 921]

I am looking to upgrade my system to water cooling and I could use some advice. I want a nice water cooling system for my computer. I do not want to spend a large amount but also do not want cheap parts. I am really new to the water-cooling side of things and figure it is about time to learn. I do not know all of the parts that I will need thus the reason I am asking for help in parts needed and selection of good parts. I do know that I am looking to liquid cool both video cards that I have and my CPU.


Here is a list of my parts and my system configuration.


Cooler Master Cosmos Case
1000HX Corsair PSU
I7-920
12 GIGS Corsair Dominator 1600 MHZ
Asus Rampage 2 Extreme
2 Evga GTX 295 Co-Op
2 Corsair P-128 SSD (raid)
2 Western Digital 2Tb HDD
NZXT 2 bay fan controller
Plextor Blu Ray Burner


Dual booting WIN 7 & Vista Ultimate.


Any help in a part list and recommended parts would be helpful.

 

[Ejjman1]

It's not going to be cheap, that's for sure.

I have the same GFX card, here's the plate I think that would be best for it...

EVGA | Products

x2. So that itself is extremely expensive.

Plus, I am doing a setup just for my CPU (not my mobo or anything else) and that is around $350 I'm thinking. Just to wrap your head around the prices, you then need to buy a mobo waterblock, 2 hd waterblock things, and I have no idea about memory.

So it's quite spendy. but probably worth it.

 

[Burn]

OK... first question... How much do you care about temps and how much are you willing to spend? You are definitely going to want to think about doing dual loops, 2x295's and an i7 will put out a lot of heat

---

There are only a couple of us on the forum that have experience with LC (Aspire, Me, Peter.cort, and maybe a couple others)

So if we can't answer your questions completely or you want help from some serious help LC experts, the LC section over at XS is great I learned a TON about water cooling over there

 

[Antec-User]

Take it or Leave it.. ......

Arrrh!! I had this HUGE list typed up and hit BACK on the wrong tab! = Erased all my work!

ANYWAY! I'll recommend a setup based on what Aspire had picked for me and based on what others have done with similar setups. However, liquid cooling isn't cheap and gets expensive fast. I have never felt my coolant get very warm at all, even with OC'd 4870 and the CPU @ 3.8-4g. The fluid is moving so fast, it really doesn't have time to absorb ALL of the heat that it comes in contact with. If the coolant got to a HOT temperature, we would have pressure caps on the systems... LOL.. A single loop for the CPU would make the project pricey (add in a second pump, rad and Rez.) Start with the dual GPU's and keep the CPU in there also. When you want to go dual eventually, add a couple chipset waterblocks to your desires and plumb them into the CPU loop.. (It's what I'm planning) My 4870 used to load @ 77*c!! Now it sits at 32* loaded.. and that's with a 220 Rad. I went from dual rads on one loop to a single and moved the rad to the top and my temps improved drastically. I've done a lot of experimenting on rad placement and Fan-wichs..

Most of the stuff at Perta's is out of stock, so use your discretion at finding the parts. If someone else has different recommendations, then make corrections as needed. (I'm expecting some critique.)

CPU Waterblock
Petra's Tech Shop

Pump Higher wattage, but with your 1000w PSU, I don't think it will be an issue. Unless someone else says it will be.. Both pumps are the same price.
Petra's Tech Shop

BETTER Top for the pump
Petra's Tech Shop

Reservoirs (Take your pick) I like the tubular reservoirs and I have made one that worked very well.
Petra's Tech Shop
Micro Rez (depending on your space limitations.)
Petra's Tech Shop

Pump top AND rez.. Don't have to buy the pump top listed above.
Petra's Tech Shop

RAD
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9391/ex-rad-160/XSPC_RX480_Quad_120mm_Radiator.html?tl=g30c95s570

TUBING
Take your pick. If you are going 1/2", go with the thicker 1/2" x 5/8" tubing. It is thicker and less prone to kinking.. And personally, I think the clear tubing looks a lot cleaner. Just pick your color additive.
Computer Water Cooling - FrozenCPU.com *
Petra's Tech Shop

Use distilled water and Biocide. don't waste money on the "Coolant".. If you want color, just get UV Ractive color additive of your choice.
Petra'sTech PT_Nuke -PHN Concentrated Biocide (10mL) - FrozenCPU.com

 

[Burn]

He's going to need more than a single 320 rad. 2 295's will draw close to 400W and the i7 will probably get close to around 200W (depending on how much its OC'd). Thats around 600W of heat that needs to be dissapated... Even with faster than average fans his temps will only be average and to me water cooling is only worth it is substantially better than air cooling.. I mean why spend $400 on something that will get you 5C better temps...

10C delta, which IMO isn't very good.., 5C and lower is what you want to shoot for

also, you don't need a reservoir, they take up valuable space and a T-line will do the job just fine. If you really want one just get the reservoir top for the pump.
http://www.petrastechshop.com/xsretopforla.html

for tubing go with 1/2" ID 3/4" OD... anything smaller kinks too easily


and Antec I've been thinking of why your temps got better with the single rad. Seeing pics of your dual rad setup, tube routing was probably twice as long as you have it now and that may have been pushing the limits for the pump's head pressure... which is why temps were worse... just a thought..

 

[yzmxer608]

If you use color additives in your water keep in mind they can eventually stain the tubing/pumps/blocks/res over time.

 

[Antec-User]

Nevermind then.. I know what I've dealt with.. Post some 'SPECS' and "TECHNICAL" info for a 400 series radiator then on a single loop, such as the XSPC 400 Rad. Is that link specific to a high end 320 rad?? an MCR320 is an average rad. I've got an MCR 220. I recommended parts to try and keep the guy on one loop. Heat is Heat... Metal is Metal..

I'm running an OC'd 4870 and OC'd PII940 on a single loop with a 220 Rad @ 32*/44* loaded.

 

[Burn]

And I was trying to point out that putting all that on that rad kind of defeats the purpose if what he wants is low temps. And as the title of the graph shows that is a mcr320 tested with 1.5gpm.. 3 fans in pull...

skinnee has done a lot of rad reviews
Skinnee Labs | Reviews

and you may get great temps with your setup, but a single 295 draws like double the power of a 4870 already, and he will be running 2 of them... and an i7 draws a lot of watts vs PII too...

 

[Antec-User]

^ The XSPC 400 Rad is supposed to be good..
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9391/ex-rad-160/XSPC_RX480_Quad_120mm_Radiator.html?tl=g30c95s570


and yeah, I get hair triggered easily at times.. just depends on what it is..Just took me a good 1/2 hr to compile that list.

 

[Burn]

If I were him I'd go with a GTX480 rad, and 8 decently fast fans in push/pull.

But before we get any more into a debate... we really need to know what he's shooting for; good temps, the "coolness" factor, silence, etc