Watercooling (Experts Required)

[Stavr0s91i]

Hello i am about to build my new system and i want to watercool it but am a newbie at watercooling and require help;p

My New Rig:
Intel i7 980x
Gigabyte UD7
Corsair Dominator GT(1866MHZ)
EVGA 480 GTX SC
SSD Intel 25-M
2x 2TB WD Green
2x 1TB WD Sata 3
Corsair 1000W Power Supply
Corsair Obsidian 800D
LG B-Ray Writer
Edimax Wireless PCI Card



I have been researching for sometime and i have some questions:
-If More than one component is cooled by the loop will that mean that the loop will be hotter?(Eg cooling CPU NB,SB and sata controller on mobo)
-Also is the Über 655 - LITE Fully Modded (D5) 12 VDC Water Pump really silent?i mean will i hear it when am sitting on my computer?
-Whats the Best Radiator out there?Is the Swiftech MCR320-QP any good?anyone know of anything better?
-I will be using a tube of( ID 1/2 and OD 3/4) is this okay?What Tube specifications would you advise and why?
-Whats the difference between High Flow Barbs ,Compression Barbs and whats the best?
-For the CPU i will be using the Koolance CPU-360 is that any good?

My goal is to have temps at about 25-30 degrees Idle and 40-50 Degrees Full Load

What i need my watercooling to do is be able to cool my 980x and NB,SB And Sata controller.But mostly The CPU Which will run at Stock speeds for now.

 

[roast]

1 - Yes, the water will get hotter
2- I cant find any Db rating for that pump, but there is adjustable power on it, so I'm sure that at lower powers, it would be quiet.
3 - From what I can tell, the MCR320-QP is a good quality mid-highend radiator. Should be fine for what you want to do.
4/5 - I'll let someone else chime in about tubing and barbs.
6 - I've seen a lot of reviews of the CPU360, and it looks to be one of the best waterblocks for Core i7. Should be grand with that.

Generally, what is the ambient temperature where you live?

 

[Stavr0s91i]

Well i live in cyprus.Now its summer and its about 30 degrees outside and its 3 oclock in the afternoon;p Cyprus has a mediterranean climate

 

[PaulieG]

You will most certainly get warmer as you add more to your loop. That Swiftech rad isn't bad, but there are better including the TC 120.3. I wouldn't waste your money on a modded 655 vario. You can get a normal model with speed adjustment, and on low setting you can barely hear it. 1/2" tubing is good, though you could use 7/16" tubing over 1/2" barbs for a tighter fit. I've found very little difference performance wise with metal barbs. They all perform about the same, though some have a better "fit". I tend to use EK barbs. Compression fittings are primarily about looks. They are not going to affect performance, and I think they are more prone to leakage. The Koolance block is a good one, though there were some mounting issues on many x58 boards, so be careful.

 

[Vagike]

I have lots of bad luck with Koolance products. I find if the liquid loop builds any pressure as the water heats up, there product leaked. I have not bought anyting from them since my dual 3870X2 build.

Paulieg is correct. Koolance released a revision on a couple of their 1366 (i7) socket compatible CPU waterblocks, so do your homework.

Personally, there are a handful of good manufactures for water cooling components. But with anything, do some homework. One key thing I tend to ask alot of manufactures is if they pressure there products and to what pressure.

Another is flow rate. Faster flow does not always equal improved performance. Talking with different manufactures and asking what flow rate they try to engineer for is key if you are mixing and matching components from different manufacture. having alot of component in the same flow rate range will yield a more efficient water loop.

DangerDen is one manufacture that pressure tests there products, I believe Ekwaterblocks is another. Sending emails to sale or support departments of the manufacture with Q & A is how alot of the experts got to be experts in water cooling. If you are not sure of all the different manufactures out there, stop at FrozenCPU.com and look in the liquid cooling section. Plus people put in reviews on products, it is a good place to start looking.

Now, to opinions.
Looking at the 800D, there appears to be a far chunk of space for a triple 120mm radiator, so putting the biggest radiator possible is the first step. A DangerDen Black ICE GTX or SR1 360mm would probably do nicely.
EK has a motherboard waterblocks for the Gigabyte X58A-UD7; go with the nickel plated one for improved corrosion resistance.
I have heard nothing but praise for the Heatkiller Rev. 3.0 CPU block for the i7.

 

[roast]

Well i live in cyprus.Now its summer and its about 30 degrees outside and its 3 oclock in the afternoon;p Cyprus has a mediterranean climate

Okay. Well the temp your WC setup will only go as low as your ambient air temp (as this is the air thats passing through the radiator fins) so just keep that in mind.

 

[Stavr0s91i]

So what will be the best pump out there now?i want quality,noise free and the ability to pump the water efficiently in my 1/2 ID loop.
Also what Barbs do you recommend?i cant find EK ones they are sold out;p

 

[Wile E]

I like Bitspower fittings. And no pump is going to be 100% noise free, but a 655 Vario turned down a couple of notches would be close.

 

[mhadina]

Okay. Well the temp your WC setup will only go as low as your ambient air temp (as this is the air thats passing through the radiator fins) so just keep that in mind.

And what if I put some ice in my destiled water reservoar?

So what will be the best pump out there now?i want quality,noise free and the ability to pump the water efficiently in my 1/2 ID loop.
Also what Barbs do you recommend?i cant find EK ones they are sold out;p

If there is rotation and there is in pump you must hear the noise.
Possible solution is to get "noiselles" case and fans for radiator and pump.
If you cool a pump with air you can get a few degrees lower temps.

I like Bitspower fittings. And no pump is going to be 100% noise free, but a 655 Vario turned down a couple of notches would be close.

Like I said - there is no noiseless thing that moves ))
by

 

[Stavr0s91i]

EK-Supreme HF High Flow - #1 CPU Water Block - FULL COPPER - NICKEL
PrimoChill ICE Non-Conductive Liquid Cooling Fluid (32 oz.) - UV Electric Blue X 3
Koolance Resuable Hose Clamp [19mm, 3/4" OD] X 10
Swiftech MCR320-QP (Quiet Power™) Stackable Series 3 x 120mm Radiator
Feser Tube Active UV Hose - 1/2" ID (3/4"OD) Anti-Kink Tubing - UV Blue X 5(1 Foot Per Q)
Swiftech MCP655™ Series 12 VDC Water Pumps
Enzotech High Flow Fitting G 1/4 Thread - 1/2" Barb X 2 For CPU
Bitspower Premium G1/4" "Stubby" High Flow 1/2" Fitting - 1/2" Barb X 8 For everything else rad,reservoir...


This is what i will be getting to cool off my 980x.
What do you think?i tried to choose the best and also things like tube + water for looks but also think they are good.
-Have i calculated the ID/OD correctly?will the tube fit on the barbs and will clamps be okay?
-Am this is my first watercooled system i would be glad to get as much advice as possible in order to make the best available cooling for my cpu.
-If you can suggest something better please say so.I have done research to select this items,but your advice will be also useful

Thanks

 

[TeXBill]

I have heard nothing but praise for the Heatkiller Rev. 3.0 CPU block for the i7.

+1 I have this block on my i7 960 OC to 4.2ghz and folds SMP 24/7 and have nothing but good things to say about it. My cpu temps are 37C to 44C in a room that stays around 77F. I also have two XFX 285GTX's in sli in the same loop and and they never see temps above 54C while gaming or folding. Tubing is 1/2 inside and 3/4 outside. I use the Swiftech pump MCP655 with the adjustable dial on it and keep it set almost full blast. I use a Black Ice GTX Xtreme 480 Radiator with 4 Scythe Slipstream fans attached to it, it's not completely quiet but it's not loud either. Great setup and has been running like this for 8 months with NP.

 

[Pickles24]

If you are going to cool the board and cpu, you will need some 45° and/or 90° rotaries. The space with 3/4" od tubing is tight. Also, if you look through a high flow barb, you will see it is 1/2" straight through from top to bottom with no extrusions. The pump and rad should do just fine keeping these cool, Just don't add the 480 to the same loop. Also the first rule of thumb with water cooling is don't get cheap with the pump. If I were cooling a 980 myself, I would sleep better at night with Bitspower compression fittings(but that's me )

The best price for NEW fittings and rotaries:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/coandro.html

 

[TeXBill]

(And what if I put some ice in my destilled water reservoar?)



Also always use distilled water in your system and get some kind of algae killer to keep buildup of it from getting in your system. Never just use tap water in your water loop.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

I have been researching for sometime and i have some questions:
-If More than one component is cooled by the loop will that mean that the loop will be hotter?(Eg cooling CPU NB,SB and sata controller on mobo)
-Also is the Über 655 - LITE Fully Modded (D5) 12 VDC Water Pump really silent?i mean will i hear it when am sitting on my computer?
-Whats the Best Radiator out there?Is the Swiftech MCR320-QP any good?anyone know of anything better?
-I will be using a tube of( ID 1/2 and OD 3/4) is this okay?What Tube specifications would you advise and why?
-Whats the difference between High Flow Barbs ,Compression Barbs and whats the best?
-For the CPU i will be using the Koolance CPU-360 is that any good?

My goal is to have temps at about 25-30 degrees Idle and 40-50 Degrees Full Load

What i need my watercooling to do is be able to cool my 980x and NB,SB And Sata controller.But mostly The CPU Which will run at Stock speeds for now.

1. What that means is that you want more then a single fan radiator. In your case I suggest a triple fan radiator.
2. Pumps will emitt some level of noise. How loud it will be will depend on your tolerance. Keep in mind that the purpose of a watercooling solution is not considered a silent one. You are adding more noise to your PC then before. Pump and a few more fans will cause more noise then before. So keep that in mind
3. There are a few good radiators our there. PA120.3, Swiftech MCR320 and the Feser X-Changer 360 to name a few.
4. 1/2" OD 3/8" ID would be ideal if all your barbs are 1/2"
5. High Flow Barbs are suppose to prevent restriction. While compression barbs don't need clamps
6. Either that or the HEATKILLER.

You can check out the Natural Aspired Watercooling thread in my sig for more info. Keep in mind that your CPU, etc temps will depend on ambient temps. The cooler it is in your room/PC case the better you will keep your component(s) cooled.

 

[Wile E]

1. What that means is that you want more then a single fan radiator. In your case I suggest a triple fan radiator.
2. Pumps will emitt some level of noise. How loud it will be will depend on your tolerance. Keep in mind that the purpose of a watercooling solution is not considered a silent one. You are adding more noise to your PC then before. Pump and a few more fans will cause more noise then before. So keep that in mind
3. There are a few good radiators our there. PA120.3, Swiftech MCR320 and the Feser X-Changer 360 to name a few.
4. 1/2" OD 3/8" ID would be ideal if all your barbs are 1/2"
5. High Flow Barbs are suppose to prevent restriction. While compression barbs don't need clamps
6. Either that or the HEATKILLER.

You can check out the Natural Aspired Watercooling thread in my sig for more info. Keep in mind that your CPU, etc temps will depend on ambient temps. The cooler it is in your room/PC case the better you will keep your component(s) cooled.

He doesn't want 3/8" ID on 1/2" fittings. That's a hell of a tight squeeze. 7/16" or 1/2" ID are the way to go.

EK-Supreme HF High Flow - #1 CPU Water Block - FULL COPPER - NICKEL
PrimoChill ICE Non-Conductive Liquid Cooling Fluid (32 oz.) - UV Electric Blue X 3
Koolance Resuable Hose Clamp [19mm, 3/4" OD] X 10
Swiftech MCR320-QP (Quiet Power™) Stackable Series 3 x 120mm Radiator
Feser Tube Active UV Hose - 1/2" ID (3/4"OD) Anti-Kink Tubing - UV Blue X 5(1 Foot Per Q)
Swiftech MCP655™ Series 12 VDC Water Pumps
Enzotech High Flow Fitting G 1/4 Thread - 1/2" Barb X 2 For CPU
Bitspower Premium G1/4" "Stubby" High Flow 1/2" Fitting - 1/2" Barb X 8 For everything else rad,reservoir...


This is what i will be getting to cool off my 980x.
What do you think?i tried to choose the best and also things like tube + water for looks but also think they are good.
-Have i calculated the ID/OD correctly?will the tube fit on the barbs and will clamps be okay?
-Am this is my first watercooled system i would be glad to get as much advice as possible in order to make the best available cooling for my cpu.
-If you can suggest something better please say so.I have done research to select this items,but your advice will be also useful

Thanks

Don't bother with the Primochill fluid. Heck, don't bother with any water cooling fluid. Just use distilled water and put a silver kill coil in your reservoir. Not only is it the cheapest alternative, it's also the highest performing.

 

[Stavr0s91i]

thanks!