WARNING: Wall of text coming ... don't feel confortable giving advice to 1st timer with a few quick tips, especially when rules of thumb replace readily available accurate data. So feel free to skip if you know all this already
Built our 1st rigid tube custom loop in a Phanteks case 7 years ago. I could never stand the wily nilly look to flex tubing. Never tossed a piece ... ever on a build w/ fittings. When bending you are gonna mess up 1 or 2. Given the similarity in case choice and loading, perhaps you will benefit from the following:
1. First size your radiators. You can download a tool here. All data in this tool was from laboratory testing at martinsliquidlab. Feedback from users has been solid. Bariations Temps predicted by the tool and post-build testing variances have stayed in single digits. Wattage was measured when Delta T was 10C.
A few peeps have asked me to provide this info in an easily accessible / findable spot so the don't have to remember what thread it is in or take snippets from multiple threads. If ya find it useful, great .... if ya like something better, by all means use what ya comfy with. First off, I did...
www.overclock.net
289 watts (from TPU Review) x 2 cards x 1.10 (moving power slider in MSI AB to max @ 110%) = 635 watts
Overclocked CPU @ 5.2 Ghz ~ 130 watts
It is time to check out the new six-core proc from Intel, yes the Core i7 8700K will be put through our benchmark paces and yes this is Coffee Lake, Intel's new mainstream processor that you will ne... Overclocking
www.guru3d.com
MoBo ~ 0 watts ... assumed MoBo Block
635 + 130 + 40 = say 800 watts. In my build 2013 build it was 792 watts
Exhaustive trial and error testing has shown that rads will only handle about 60% of the therotical load ... first reason is that not every component will ever hit peak wattage for any sustained time interval and not all will even get close at the same time. In addition, your radiator shrouds, fitting, tubing, blocks will all radiate hear inside the case. About 60% of that theoretical load will actually be handled by the radiators.
60% of 800 watts = 480 watt radiator load (475 watts in our 2013 build)
For a quiet system, we recommend 1250 rpm fans and the Phanteks that come with the case are the chart toppers. Take the fans off a Noctua cooler and replace them with the ones that come with the case, and your temps will drop 6C at the same rpm.
https://www.silentpcreview.com/140mm_Fan_Roundup1 ... scroll down to chart near end
Downloading the Radiator Size Estimator from above link (AlphaCool), we see that:
@ 1250 rpm, a 420 rad 45 mm thick in front with 1 set of fans in push takes care of 250 watts
@ 1250 rpm, a 360 rad 60 mm thick on bottom with 1 set of fans in push takes care of 166 watts
That totals 416 watts, 529 in push / pull. My build was slightly overdesigned (475 provided / 420 load) by 13%. Those charts are based upon an assumed Delta T of 10C, so my calculated Delta T was 8.5C ... tested post-build it hit 8.7 C which attests to the accuracy of the 60% methodology.
In short, Id recommend a 420 x 45mm rad in front and a 360 x 60mm rad on bottom. Radiator fans blow in as always, no exceptions ! .... unless you want warmer temps. Avoid 2 port rads ... You will want the flexibility ... ideal a 7 port radiator 6 on one end (2 @ top, bottom and end), 1 on the other. Screw protectors are a good idea.
Allowing the power options to turn off the screen, I can run Furmak and RoG Real Bench and sitting in front of the heyboard, there is no sound, you can not tell the system is running.
2. Pumps.... I prefer dual pumps... like the Swiftech MCP 35x2 ... I use the Heatsink w/ legs and HS fan w/
Introduction Welcome to my Swiftech MCP35X2 review, possibly the ultimate in “Smart PWM Monster Pumping Performance”. After reviewing the Swiftech 35X single pump, I found myself making…
martinsliquidlab.wordpress.com
Swiftech MCP35X2-BK
Swiftech MCP35x2 Dual Pump Heatsink (MCP35X2-HS)
Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentPro PC-P 80mm x 15mm Ultra Silent PWM Fan - 2500 RPM
In smaller systems ... the Swiftech MCP 655-PWM-DRIVE
Welcome to my “living” review/preview of the Swiftech MCP 655-PWM DRIVE. What do you get when you couple our most reliable, most silent, and most cool running pump with PWM technology? …
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3. Reservoirs... I used EK noting special about it. The bigger it is, the larger thermal mass and the less pump cycling you will see as fan rpms try and keep up with varying loads. Add a 3 port top and necessary fittings to have the fill tube extend below the water line, leaving a 1/2 inch of visible air space. One port has a small riser and bleed valve
4. Accessories ... I used Bitspower temperature probes on the inlet and outlet of each radiator plus 2 additional sensors to display ambient and interior case temps. Temps were displayed on a 6 channel Reeven 6 Eyes mounted on front of the case.
On the top ports of the top rad, I used 40mm extensions which ended about 2mm below the top case grille allowing me to remoive the grille to fill, bleed or whatever.
With bottom raid raised by the fans, you can attach an elbow to a bottom rad port, add an extension and male Quik-Disconnect. This allows you to drain the system simply by attaching the female disconnect and 3 feet if tubing.
For TIM, we use Thermal Grizzly of Shin Etsu 751 for CPUs and Gelid Extreme for GFX cards ... the Gelid has longer workability and by the time you get done applyining to to the GPU, memory chips and the VRMs you can have 20 or more application points after doing block and backpate sides.
5. We use an electric scroll saw w/ table to do the tube cutting ... and dont forget a good deburring tool... bought plastic one from a PC shop but replaced it with one I found at Home deport.
6. Split the flow before the GFX cards, this has several advantages:
a) Using the SLI blocks, one card will always be hotter than the other.
b) Due to the small thermal mass / contact area of CPU Blocks ... they are impacted by flow... one of the reasons that CLC need extreme speed fans. The large thermal mass and contact area of GFX cards makes them rather unaffected by flow rates. Testing on that 2013 build to balance noise / performance revealed that there was no perceptable gain with flow rates above 1.20 gpm thru the CPU block and 0.60 thru the GFX blocks
Any questions ... yell
It's not all about evolving it's also about looking and hard tubing has the better look in my opinion. So yes it's more complicated than soft tubing and not that nice if you want to put a new component in your rig but the look is worth the effort imho. That's what I mean, nice and clean look:
In full agreement and well done. Things to consider:
1. As an alternative to single loops or dual loops, split the flow upstream of the GFX cards, allowing half the flow to go thru each card in parallel.
2. Allow an an air cap at the top of the reservoirs ... accommodates thermal expansion and provides for leakage monitoring.
Those charts can't be right, a 240 rad is capable of handling 1100W? Can't believe that or I get it wrong
But their radiators are really good, if not the best on market.
That chart is crazy .... I didnt see any mention of fan rpm but to hit those numbers, your case could levitate off the desk
for 45 mm thick Alphacool rads, tested in lab conditions ... very little variance between brands
@ 1250 rpm each 120mm is good for about 61 watts
@ 1800 rpm each 120mm is good for about 86 watts
@ 2200 rpm each 120mm is good for about 102 watts
@ 1250 rpm each 140mm is good for about 83 watts
@ 1800 rpm each 140mm is good for about 117 watts
@ 2200 rpm each 140mm is good for about 139 watts
This is #8 in my series of triple radiators the Alphacool NexXxos UT60. Unlike most manufacturers that may make 1-3 models, Alphacool makes many different models that vary in materials as well as …
martinsliquidlab.wordpress.com
I would see how many watts you are pulling from the wall under load on air. Then plan according to that. My guess is you will need 6-7x120 worth of cooling. So 3 240's or 1 360 and 2 240's.
Just to be clear....the cooling system doesn't have to include the waste heat from the PSU so you wouldn't design for that load. Efficiency loss in the PSU could add 100 watts and there's no block oin the PSU. However, measuring the wattage at the wall is a good check to see if your component calculations are in the ballpark. The six SSDS, other drives, memory, fans, opticals, etc won't be handled by the rads
I know I mention Jayztwocents a fair bit but he does mention that a '120mm rad' for each component... Wonder if it's worth an ask to Black Nemesis as well just to see if they can confirm....
Even at an imaginary 2 cents he's overcharging ... any guy who drills thru a $400 motherboard to mount a cooler is not someone we should be taking advice from. Water cooling has been around for 30 years... laboratory testing has been performed on all components. We don't need to guess how many watts radiators remove, they have been lab tested and results published..... Rules of thumb can be useful in early planning stages but wjhy not use readily available data for the specific components being used ? See martins link above
120 mm for each component ? At what rpm 1200 or 3000 ? Odd to imagine using the same 120mm for a 300 watt GFX card and a 40 watt MoBo Block .... or even a 125 watt CPU and 300 watt card
