New custom water loop?

[TheHumanComputer]

So, atm i have a h100i GTX cooling my CPU, which isn't OC'd yet!

I kind of want to get a custom loop etc, and i'll be selling the h100i gtx.

Are there any decent kit's out there under the £200 mark? (I'll add the GPU on later)

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[PP Mguire]

WHy?

 

[TheHumanComputer]

Cause, i'd like to beable to see the liquid, and have a nice small res inside too, as im going to water cool my gpu in a few weeks as well. plus the h100i gtx is pretty loud. so yeah.

 

[PP Mguire]

You can control the fan speed with Corsair Link. Mine is quiet.

Do you understand what it takes and the risks involved with custom water? You already have a big cooler on your 970 so water won't do much in the form of helping you out there. Actually, spending 100+ on a good water block puts you in 980 territory price wise which doesn't make much sense. I normally don't discourage people from shooting for the stars in PC land, but this is a bit unnecessary.

 

[TheHumanComputer]

Yeah so can i, but i'd still like the look of the tubes etc. haha. I found one for £140, not sure if it's any good though?

Magicool DIY Water Cooling - Set Triple 120 mm Edition [WASE-244] from WCUK Online

 

[PP Mguire]

When you deal with custom water you want name brand stuff unless they're using something like a nickel or copper block and copper rad. The res/pump combo could be made with inferior quality and could leak pretty easily. The pump is only rated for 450L/h which IMO isn't enough to push both a CPU and GPU in a loop. The rad specs seems actually decent but the only good part in that kit. The CPU block is acetyl which is basically plastic. If the build quality is inferior it will leak on you. Drogos on here got lucky with a cheap setup but the pump was rated at 1200L/h, with a copper/brass rad and a copper CPU block that he quickly replaced with an EK.

At the minimum I'd get a kit like this or piece something together for yourself using a mixture of good quality parts from good brands. You could get away with getting Alphacool blocks, a cheaper rad like a BlackIce or Alphacool, and get yourself a good EK res/pump combo. Some examples for reference:

Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 240mm by Alphacool (Black color)
Watercool HEATKILLER® CPU Rev3.0 1155/1156 LC CPU Water Block by Watercool (Black color)
XSPC Raystorm CPU Waterblock - Intel by XSPC (Black color)
EK-Supremacy MX CPU Waterblock - Plexi by EK Waterblocks (Black color)
Phobya CPU-Cooler UC-2 LT Intel 775,1155,1156,1366,2011 - Black Edition by Phobya (Black color)
Aquacomputer Cuplex Kryos PRO for Sockets 1366/1156/1155/1150/775, G1/4 by Aquacomputer (Copper color)
Alphacool NexXxoS GPX - Nvidia Geforce GTX 970 M03 - with Backplate by Alphacool (Black color)

You just have to check compatibility with your card due to not having a reference PCB.

Another thing you didn't answer is if you actually know what going water involves. When initially setting the loop up you have to piece it together, then tear the parts off the hardware and leak test it separately for at least 8 hours to make sure there are no leaks. You also have to use expensive coolant bought separately or make your own mixture that doesn't corrode. It's also bad to mix metals as it'll cause corrosion easily. You cannot use tap water. I personally like to use distilled water mixed with a little bit of 99% isopropyl which if you DO have a leak can get costly. On top of that it's recommended to flush and repeat the process every 6 months.

 

[TheHumanComputer]

Thanks, i'd need it to be from the UK. as that's where i am, not US

And i kind of do know what it involves. And yeah, i know about the tearing everything apart etc. and leak testing for 24 hours.

What about this kit? https://www.overclockers.co.uk/xspc-raystorm-ddc-photon-ex360-watercooling-kit-wc-327-xs.html

I'd just buy the coolant already made, would save me time. and that's fine emptying the loop every 6 months, As i love working on PC's. lol

 

[PP Mguire]

As I said, for reference But PPC ships internationally as does EKWB lol.

That XSPC kit would be good, just know that you don't need a 360 rad to cool a single CPU and GPU.

 

[TheHumanComputer]

Ah, didn't know they shipped to the UK xD

Hmm as for the rad, i know. i'd like a bigger rad then what i have now anyway. and for £200, can't complain for the kit. Hehe

Will take me a few weeks to save for it, but i can't wait. haha. Then to upgrade to a GTX 980 ti

 

[PP Mguire]

Ah, didn't know they shipped to the UK xD

Hmm as for the rad, i know. i'd like a bigger rad then what i have now anyway. and for £200, can't complain for the kit. Hehe

Will take me a few weeks to save for it, but i can't wait. haha. Then to upgrade to a GTX 980 ti

Nah, definitely hold out. Pascal is going to rip mate.

Btw, you got me off my butt. I started the process of SLOWLY getting my water together. It's nothing conventional though.