The old water cooling predicament

[Max Owens]

SO! I am most likely getting some new water cooling stuff soon.
I have this case http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Graphite-Arctic-Windowed-CC-9011045-WW/dp/B00HSY20DQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424748601&sr=8-2&keywords=corsair+760t.
Sorry for long link :(
Anyway I have a basic idea of what i want full system water cooling gpu and cpu.
I plan on getting this water cooling kit http://www.aquatuning.us/water-cooling/kits-und-systems/internal-kits/17482/alphacool-nexxxos-cool-answer-360-d5/st-kit?c=6459
The problem is it does not come with a gpu block.
Another issue I had was if 1 rad was enough for a full loop?
What do you guys think? Any recommendations on a good gpu block and whether I should get another rad?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Bulloko]

Honestly... I would grab the Corsair water cooling equipment. Since their CPU coolers are closed loop, you never have to worry about cleaning, leaking, etc. They work beautifully.
http://www.corsair.com/en/cooling/cpu-coolers

Then you simply grab a GPU cooling block and you can put any of their CPU coolers on it.
http://www.corsair.com/en/cooling/gpu-cooling

Take a look at the pic. A CPU cooler attached to the GPU via the GPU block!!

 

[mromutt]

First I have to say I have never seen that adapter and it is completely awesome! And second I also would recommend using all in one cooling, price to performance its a great value. But more importantly its a lot easier to set up and way less likely to have issues, and to top it off even if your using a high end cpu like an i7 (end series) or a fx-9590 it will keep it much cooler than you really need, just be sure to get a good one like the 100 series from corsair. I learned that the hard way started with the 50 series (which was good enough but not the level I needed in the long run) I am now running an 105 extreme edition on my fx-6350 and keeps me below 20c in game and near or at 0c when idle/night (cost roughly $100). A huge advantage to an all in one is that it takes the cpus heat from that area right to an exhaust not just to a heat-sink in the middle of your case, this makes everything run much much cooler, so if you have a good card that comes with say a acx 2.0 cooler (their amazing) your gpu will benefit from an all in one not just cpu!

Hope that little bit of experience helps you with what you want to do.

 

[Krystal LeChuck]

What gpu are you using? I am using an AlphaCool universal gpu waterblock with a 6850 (oc'ed at 1.1Ghz from 775 stock) and it is performing awesomely. If you are using something with very high VRM temps I suggest a full waterblock cooling mosfets and memory as well. Any of them will be fine, don't get sucked up in the whole branding and benching culture. They are mostly BS. EK waterblocks come at fairly good prices and are easy to find for most cards.

The radiator you show is more enough for a full loop. I would throw in some more cash to get mosfet waterblocks and a NB waterblock for the mobo and add it to the loop.

Also instead of those anti-corrosive thermal fluids they sell for waterblocks, I am using automotive anti-freeze. They come in cool colors, they are better in terms of anti-corrosive properties, same thermal performance and they are much cheaper as you pay like 5$ for 2 liters.

 

[Lonewollf]

Honestly... I would grab the Corsair water cooling equipment. Since their CPU coolers are closed loop, you never have to worry about cleaning, leaking, etc. They work beautifully.
http://www.corsair.com/en/cooling/cpu-coolers

Then you simply grab a GPU cooling block and you can put any of their CPU coolers on it.
http://www.corsair.com/en/cooling/gpu-cooling

Take a look at the pic. A CPU cooler attached to the GPU via the GPU block!!

I consider myself an advanced computer builder, however I've never dabbled in the world of water cooling (it always scared me). I've been thinking alot about switching from fan cooled to water cooled. I gotta say, this is quite the setup. Do they have the closed looped systems that connect both the CPU and GPU to the same loop? or would I have to buy two seperate units?

 

[Krystal LeChuck]

I consider myself an advanced computer builder, however I've never dabbled in the world of water cooling (it always scared me). I've been thinking alot about switching from fan cooled to water cooled. I gotta say, this is quite the setup. Do they have the closed looped systems that connect both the CPU and GPU to the same loop? or would I have to buy two seperate units?

They don't. However, these are just pipes and fittings. You can add your own waterblock inbetween. But you will have to add liquid to fill up the missing amount afterwards.

I wouldn't go for a premade closed loop since they all have the pump integrated in the waterblock. If the pump is bust (and it eventually WILL fail), you have to replace the waterblock AND pump. Just go make your own.

 

[mromutt]

What gpu are you using? I am using an AlphaCool universal gpu waterblock with a 6850 (oc'ed at 1.1Ghz from 775 stock) and it is performing awesomely. If you are using something with very high VRM temps I suggest a full waterblock cooling mosfets and memory as well. Any of them will be fine, don't get sucked up in the whole branding and benching culture. They are mostly BS. EK waterblocks come at fairly good prices and are easy to find for most cards.

The radiator you show is more enough for a full loop. I would throw in some more cash to get mosfet waterblocks and a NB waterblock for the mobo and add it to the loop.

Also instead of those anti-corrosive thermal fluids they sell for waterblocks, I am using automotive anti-freeze. They come in cool colors, they are better in terms of anti-corrosive properties, same thermal performance and they are much cheaper as you pay like 5$ for 2 liters.

Since you are using automotive anti freeze what do you use to stop the biological build up?are you using an antibacterial additive or silver perhaps? or possibly iodine?

 

[Krystal LeChuck]

Since you are using automotive anti freeze what do you use to stop the biological build up?are you using an antibacterial additive or silver perhaps? or possibly iodine?

I dipped an old silver ring an ex-gf returned to me in the reservoir. Turns out she was just as good at destroying bacteria as she was at spreading them! *drum roll / snare*

 

[Annitias]

Not of a clear mind right now but long time water cooler here. More than happy to help you in a few hours.

There are AIO units that cool GPU and CPU but are oem only and hard to find. Plus just poor quality.

I love my water cooling and have hundreds into it but would say go AIO unless you own an i7 and a high end GPU already. Anything else is not worth cooling with custom water.

 

[zman454]

I just got done watercooling my SFF rig both GPU and CPU on the same loop. As is the story with most I could never just finish my PC, I kept upgrading which, in turn, required other upgrades and now I am to the point where I think I'll just have to start all over. I started with a little Silverstone Sugo 5 with an HD5670 and an AMD 760K which worked good on medium settings. Got some money and upgraded to a GTX 650Ti Boost and 8Gb of 1600 RAM. Wanted to overclock the 760K but in that SFF rig with only one fan I overheated too easy so cut the front out of the case and shoehorned in a Corsair H55 AIO watercooler, this worked great and everything was copacetic until some newer games started coming out and I couldn't hit max settings anymore and I ran out of storage with only enough room in the case for one 3.5" drive and one 2.5". Sooo....bought a new Silverstone ML-07, which is just a cheaper version of the Raven RVZ-01. Good news is had enough room now for three 2.5" drives and one 3.5". Also was able to fit my watercooler in it with the Ti Boost. But I got the bug to upgrade again and bought a R9-280X Windforce and low and behold it fit in my case but I had to nix the watercooler. Well I had heard the AMD cards like to run hot but this one was running too hot for my little SFF case and I was having a hard time finding a good CPU cooler that would fit the space I had sooo. I bought a bunch of custom water loop stuff and started planning out a loop. After getting my pump, reservoir, and some tubing I realized nobody made a GPU block for my Gigabyte Windforce card. Looked everywhere and all I could find was the universal fit type that just cover the GPU and leave the VRAM and other stuff out to fry. Finally found something from Alphacool but it really wasn't a full coverage block. Threw it all in my case with one 240mm radiator and one 120mm and it now runs at barely reasonable temps. I know my problem is I just don't have the room to fit the sort of fans that are needed to cool the radiators so I am now looking into another new case that I can at least throw some watercooling at the CPU and just have enough room for proper ventilation around the GPU. Long story LONG.. if you're looking at a custom water loop-plan and measure two or three times first and then buy all your fittings instead of just buying them piecemeal as you figure out how you're going to route your lines. If you have a large case with plenty of air flow and you aren't shooting for any overclock records there really is no need to do a custom loop for your CPU and GPU. If you just want something that looks cool, is completely unique to your rig, and money is no object, then by all means go for it. If you really want to overclock and want both your GPU and your CPU to stay super chilly the general rule of thumb I found online is AT LEAST a 120mm radiator for each component you're going to cool. You also have to take into account the space you have, the thickness of the radiator(s), and whether you're going to run a push, pull, or combination fan system. As in my case if I were to have the room for more than a 12mm thick fan I would be running at probably around 30 degrees at full load with my 760K overclocked to 4.3Ghz and the GPU overclocked to 1550. Hope this helps and sorry for the novel.

 

[mromutt]

I dipped an old silver ring an ex-gf returned to me in the reservoir. Turns out she was just as good at destroying bacteria as she was at spreading them! *drum roll / snare*

Now that is what I call making the best of it! lol And I think thats the best water cooling story I ever heard, and I have an old silver necklace laying around from the same reasoning... if I ever make a custom loop I am so doing that.

 

[Annitias]

Alright, meds have worn down to the point I can think.

That kit is decent as a kit. Now I dislike kits overall as you can pick and choose what works best and Will want to use long term.

The pump, res, and rad are very good. The fans are pretty good as well as the CPU block being so so.

I always want to choose my own tubing and fittings. Period.

If you can deal with a few degrees between blocks, the block included will work but I would recommend a list of others first. Plus they do look better and can take larger fittings.

The res is good. I have the premium version of it with copper fill pipe and internal plumbing instead of the plastic. It may be a slightly cut down version but still good.

The pump is awesome. Period. The d5 is a beast.

Alpha cool rads do not have the best reputation for first time builders and I do agree. They have awesome thermal performance but their QA can be wanting sometimes. Shavings and residue inside the rads sometimes. For a firs timer, grab a XSPC RX(v3) for peace of mind. Amazing QA and within .5C of the mainline alphacool rads for about the same price. I use them myself as well as ACs highest rads but have years of experience on how to clean and prime them.

Tube and fittings should ALWAYS be bought independently. Only exception is if using koolance as they have some off norm threading and not what I would recommend.

Fittings can be barbs with clamps or compression or even go hardline tube. Hardline is not beginner friendly. Barbs with a clamp is fine. I used that back in the day. Cheaper, easy to place. Compressions are more appealing to the eye, peace of mind, more options for placement and deployment. Way more expensive. My fittings are past $300 in my rig alone.

GPU blocks. You should only be cooling high end GPUs with full blocks for price efficiency. VRMs as well as ram needs to be cooled on the GPU. That's why full blocks are more useful.

For rad needs, start with a solid 240 rad if a i5 or mainstream i7 then add another 120 minimum per extra block. If adding a power hungry GPU like a 290x I would use a thick 120 or a 240 extra. 140 rads with good fans are even better than 120s as the surface area is higher. A 140 with a solid fan can tame the heat from a 290x decently well.

Sorry for the massive post.

 

[honcho12]

So, with this being TEST and all, has anyone tried vodka cooling? The alcohol content ought to kill bacteria/algae, and I wouldn't guess that it's very corrosive, but I can imagine it might not play nice with all types of tubing...

 

[Annitias]

So, with this being TEST and all, has anyone tried vodka cooling? The alcohol content ought to kill bacteria/algae, and I wouldn't guess that it's very corrosive, but I can imagine it might not play nice with all types of tubing...

Did a small scale test as a joke before. Bad idea. Very bad.

Flammable, heat conduction was not great, tore seals apart and killed blocks and pump in less than a week. Also you need super high proof (read 180+) to not gunk up the loop with particles. High heat flammable fluid is always a bad idea. Unless it's Irish coffee.

 

[honcho12]

Huh. Well, now I know.

Makes me think back to an internship I had at a high tech electronics company. For coolant, we used 3Ms Hfe, which is a highly volatile, non-conductive liquid that boils at 60C. Just before I left, they started tested open bath immersion cooling, where they just dunk a board in the coolant, and let it boil to cool the chip. The chip is effectively limited to 60C because of the enormous amount of energy required for phase change of the Hfe. There was a radiator above the boiling Hfe to recondense it, and the whole thing was sealed off from the atmosphere with a bellows to keep it from pressurizing when the Hfe boiled.

I'd do it myself in an aquarium if it wasn't $300+/gallon...

 

[Preston]

Huh. Well, now I know.

Makes me think back to an internship I had at a high tech electronics company. For coolant, we used 3Ms Hfe, which is a highly volatile, non-conductive liquid that boils at 60C. Just before I left, they started tested open bath immersion cooling, where they just dunk a board in the coolant, and let it boil to cool the chip. The chip is effectively limited to 60C because of the enormous amount of energy required for phase change of the Hfe. There was a radiator above the boiling Hfe to recondense it, and the whole thing was sealed off from the atmosphere with a bellows to keep it from pressurizing when the Hfe boiled.

I'd do it myself in an aquarium if it wasn't $300+/gallon...

clearly you need to make it a micro-ATX or mini-ITX build.