Need Help Piecing Together H2O Parts

[Elfear]

I've been out of the watercooling scene for about four years now and I'm thinking about diving in again (no pun intended). I've been doing some research but I still have questions about the latest and greatest parts.

My plan is to buy the parts based around a Bulldozer and a pair of Radeon 7950s (contingent upon performance of course). I'm assuming power draw will be similar to the setup I have now so ~500-600W with overclocking factored in. My goal is to have a very quiet setup. Performance is important of course but I'll give up a couple degrees in the interest of silence.

Here is my initial list

2x MCR320-QP

EK Supreme HF Full Nickel CPU block

2x Swiftech MCP35X or 2x D5s (RP450s)

2x EK Res X2 400

Indigo Extreme TIM



Leaning towards full-cover blocks for the GPUs but haven't decided yet. I'd also like to use compression fittings since they look so much cleaner. Tubing and fans I'm undecided.

Suggestions or advice?

 

[aigomorla]

1. problem with Swiftech branded pumps are u can not open them up even for cleaning and expect to hold your warrenty.

For this reason i have been gradually migrating my friends and new people over to koolance branded DDC's because koolance allows you to take them appart.

There is no PWM DDC on koolance, however there is a DDC-3.25


2. are u looking at a dual loop?
Looking at thermals on bulldozer i dont think ur gonna need to run dual loops.
The cpu's were looking at now a dayz are not Kentsfields!

Meh.... TIM is TIM... personally if u have some indigo left over u can use it... but the melting time is horrible on water.

You litterally need to sit there with your pump off and put the system in cmos for about 1 min to get the required hot side in indigo under a waterblock.

 

[Elfear]

1. problem with Swiftech branded pumps are u can not open them up even for cleaning and expect to hold your warrenty.

For this reason i have been gradually migrating my friends and new people over to koolance branded DDC's because koolance allows you to take them appart.

There is no PWM DDC on koolance, however there is a DDC-3.25


2. are u looking at a dual loop?
Looking at thermals on bulldozer i dont think ur gonna need to run dual loops.
The cpu's were looking at now a dayz are not Kentsfields!

Meh.... TIM is TIM... personally if u have some indigo left over u can use it... but the melting time is horrible on water.

You litterally need to sit there with your pump off and put the system in cmos for about 1 min to get the required hot side in indigo under a waterblock.

Are the Koolance DDCs quiet? That was my only hesitation about going that route because I'd heard the D5 variants were quieter.

I was planning a single loop. Dual MCP320s is probably overkill for my purposes but I figured the extra cooling area would allow me to run very low rpm fans and still hit a 5C temp delta. The 8150 will have a 125W TDP according to rumor so it should need as much cooling capacity as my current i7 920. I'm guessing that 200-250W should be pretty easy to hit with overclocking.

What would you recommend Aigomorla?

By the way, my inspiration for how I want my rig to look came from your pics from this old thread.

 

[aigomorla]

mmmm

noise...

DDC's make a high pitched whine noise but if u mount them on foam it kinda baffles it.

But if ur ear is right next to it, you will hear it.

They are typically quieter then a nasty little south bridge fan if you remember those, but not that much quieter.

The D5 is quieter because its VARIO, and only the Vario version is worth buying.

If you want a quiet and good system, go with the tube res's.
Koolance tube res's are awesome, the 60mm diameter ones will probably look a lot better then the 80mm diameter ones.

The 80mm tube res's are BIG.

So your building a Torture rack?
The key point in a rack is symetry, so your going to need dual loops.
Racks which dont have symetry look like work benches and personally they fail in the aesthetics part.

I would start the rack like so:

Basically 2 MCR320's will fit nicely on the sides.
2 x 200mm Tube res's would also look nice... you dont need the 250mm i have showing.

2 DDC's with EK Tops followed by a hard coupler.

Then have the 2 DDC's RPM sense line attached to your board so you can keep RPM track on them incase they die.

Also putting the cpu loop pump header on the cpu header in your board will allow fail safe shutdown incase your pump dies.

i need a complete list of parts... also how much your willing to "invest".

LoL... we can go ghetto and slap things together like paper mac-hie... or we can go bling bling and do it where it would be suitable for display in your living room even.

 

[Elfear]

Yeah, I really like the symmetry your rig has. Good part of the reason I'm going dual rads and reservoirs even though I probably don't need all the cooling capacity.

Right now I'm planning on a budget of $450-500 minus the GPU waterblocks. I don't want to go el cheapo like my last build (Impala heater core, homemade res, worm clamps, etc.) even though it performed well. With an open-bench style case you want something visually appealing.

In regards to pumps, my case sits about 3-4 feet from my head so I want something quiet. If the D5 is the quietest and still provides plenty of pressure, I'll probably go with that.

 

[dawp]

I'd switch blocks to either the swiftech apogee xt or koolance cpu-370 for the ease of installing. I have the XT and it's a breeze to install. My understanding of the install process for the EK Supreme is a bit more involved, with the swiftech system being the easiest and the koolance a close second.

http://skinneelabs.com/cpu-blocks/2011-roundup/

 

[aigomorla]

The D5 will be the most expensive tho.

talk about almost a 80 dollar pump with a top you will need

Or at the very least i would suggest a bay res like the 2 i posted with the tube res at the top.

My plan is to buy the parts based around a Bulldozer and a pair of Radeon 7950s (contingent upon performance of course). I'm assuming power draw will be similar to the setup I have now so ~500-600W with overclocking factored in. My goal is to have a very quiet setup. Performance is important of course but I'll give up a couple degrees in the interest of silence.

So lets do some math...

500-600W of cooling required.
120x1 radiator represents 150W of cooling potential with a Yate Medium speed fan.

600 / 150 = 4 = u need a minimum of 120x4 in total rad coverage.

You can split this up to 120x2 x 2 if u like.. however 120x3 x 2 will give u the longer bunny ears! 😛
Keep it on 1 loop, and u can use both pumps and have one as redundancy.

Attach both rads up top like a bar for aesthetics.

having 6 yates in low speed on 120x6 could hold your system very quietly.... and probably still slaughter anything air could do especially in your GPU department.

The biggest gain u will get is on your GPU.
And im talking about temp reductions by 1/2. No im kidding, your load temps will DROP by 1/2. 🙂
Not to mention water channels @ VRM's on video cards to cool them better.

Example.. im on 3 x 580GTX's and none of them break 45C under a hot day while gaming because i have 2 x 120x3 radiators keeping them in check. 😉

 

[Elfear]

I'd switch blocks to either the swiftech apogee xt or koolance cpu-370 for the ease of installing. I have the XT and it's a breeze to install. My understanding of the install process for the EK Supreme is a bit more involved, with the swiftech system being the easiest and the koolance a close second.

http://skinneelabs.com/cpu-blocks/2011-roundup/

My only hesitation with the Apogee XT is that it's a high-resistance block but I guess with two pumps that shouldn't be a problem. Ease of mounting is something I need to think about.

The D5 will be the most expensive tho.

talk about almost a 80 dollar pump with a top you will need

Or at the very least i would suggest a bay res like the 2 i posted with the tube res at the top.

Good point, but wouldn't a DDC with custom top be pretty spendy too?

So lets do some math...

500-600W of cooling required.
120x1 radiator represents 150W of cooling potential with a Yate Medium speed fan.

600 / 150 = 4 = u need a minimum of 120x4 in total rad coverage.

You can split this up to 120x2 x 2 if u like.. however 120x3 x 2 will give u the longer bunny ears! 😛
Keep it on 1 loop, and u can use both pumps and have one as redundancy.

Attach both rads up top like a bar for aesthetics.

having 6 yates in low speed on 120x6 could hold your system very quietly.... and probably still slaughter anything air could do especially in your GPU department.

The biggest gain u will get is on your GPU.
And im talking about temp reductions by 1/2. No im kidding, your load temps will DROP by 1/2. 🙂
Not to mention water channels @ VRM's on video cards to cool them better.

Example.. im on 3 x 580GTX's and none of them break 45C under a hot day while gaming because i have 2 x 120x3 radiators keeping them in check. 😉

I think the symmetry and cooling capacity of 2 3x120mm rads sounds good too.

I've never used a full-cover block. Is that what you're using on your GTX's?

 

[dawp]

My only hesitation with the Apogee XT is that it's a high-resistance block but I guess with two pumps that shouldn't be a problem. Ease of mounting is something I need to think about.

I'm using a single one of these, tho not dangerden branded, and it's doing fairly good, tho that is the only block in my loop at the moment.

 

[aigomorla]

My only hesitation with the Apogee XT is that it's a high-resistance block but I guess with two pumps that shouldn't be a problem. Ease of mounting is something I need to think about.



Good point, but wouldn't a DDC with custom top be pretty spendy too?

no cuz the ddc is cheaper unless u go pwm ddc, and u will still need tops.

the pwm ddc has a top, it will work, but u will never be allowed to open it up or clean it inside without voiding your warrenty.

I've never used a full-cover block. Is that what you're using on your GTX's?

dude its full cover or bust for me.
You wont get active water channels to VRM unless its full cover.

i even got a back plate to help, however its pure aesthetics...

 

[Elfear]

I'm using a single one of these, tho not dangerden branded, and it's doing fairly good, tho that is the only block in my loop at the moment.

Good to know. I think the Apogee is cheaper than the EK block too.

no cuz the ddc is cheaper unless u go pwm ddc, and u will still need tops.

the pwm ddc has a top, it will work, but u will never be allowed to open it up or clean it inside without voiding your warrenty.

Hmm. Never thought about that before but it would be important to be able to clean the pump now and again.

What do you think about the MCP35X. Seems to have a pretty good review from Martin.

dude its full cover or bust for me.
You wont get active water channels to VRM unless its full cover.


i even got a back plate to help, however its pure aesthetics...

That's what I like about the full cover blocks. Much better cooling on the VRMs.

 

[aigomorla]

35x is a great pump.

The Koolance PMP-400 tho is a 3.25

the 35x is a PWM 3.25.

you lose pwm on the koolance, but ur allowed to open it up and even change the exterior shell on the DDC.

something which would completely void a swiftech DDC.

also you could never use a bay res for a swiftech DDC without voiding its warrenty like so:

 

[Elfear]

35x is a great pump.

The Koolance PMP-400 tho is a 3.25

the 35x is a PWM 3.25.

you lose pwm on the koolance, but ur allowed to open it up and even change the exterior shell on the DDC.


something which would completely void a swiftech DDC.

also you could never use a bay res for a swiftech DDC without voiding its warrenty like so:

Thanks for your advice Aigo. I'll update this post if I have any more questions as I start buying parts.