New Loop Design- Review and Advice Requested

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UNMP Berkut

UNMP Berkut

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Mar 13, 2013
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Good evening friends! I am building a custom loop for my new gaming PC and I have a few concerns about my design. I have been reading a lot about how people build their loops and I am modeling my design after theirs along with advice from my friend who has built custom loops before. I am checking to see how this design would work and if there are any improvements that could be made in my loop:

CPU Block: HEATKILLER® CPU Rev3.0 1366/2011 Ni-BL
http://shop.watercool.de/epages/WatercooleK.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/WatercooleK/Products/14016

GPU Block X2: HEATKILLER® GPU-X³ 79X0 Ni-Bl
http://shop.watercool.de/epages/WatercooleK.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/WatercooleK/Products/15021

Radiator: XSPC RX480 Quad 120mm Radiator
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9391/ex-rad-160/XSPC_RX480_Quad_120mm_Radiator.html?tl=g30c95s570

Res: Alphacool Repack Dual 5.25" Acrylic Reservoir - Clear - Dual D5 / MCP655
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/15656/ex-res-355/Alphacool_Repack_Dual_525_Acrylic_Reservoir_-_Clear_-_Dual_D5_MCP655_15167.html?tl=g30c107s152#blank

Fan x4: Cooler Master Turbine Master Mach 1.8
http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=62169&vpn=R4-TMBB-18FK-R0&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

Pump: Swiftech MCP655-PWM-DRIVE 12v Water Pump Module - PWM Enabled
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/17549/ex-pmp-214/Swiftech_MCP655-PWM-DRIVE_12v_Water_Pump_Module_-_PWM_Enabled_Single_Version.html?id=7I27uCHn

Tubing and Fittings: 1/2" and 3/8" LRT Tubing with corresponding Compression Fittings and 2 Y splitters, one reduction from 1/2" to 3/8" and one to join back as 1 into Res.

I will be cooling 2 HD 7950s and one i7 3820 and I plan to OCK both. My loop I plan to have look like this:

2wnbl2c.jpg


My questions are is one pump enough for this system? If this pump isn't, is there a solution that is? Does my set-up look good and will it keep everything cool? Finally, will splitting my set-up with the Y splitters have enough pressure? Thanks for the help!
 
Solution
manofchalk
That is one beast of a case...
Dont think rad space will be an issue for you with that thing :lol:

How do you mean "attaching this pump directly to the outlet on the res"?
If its what I think it is, and your going to use a male-male adapter to attach it to the res, definitely advise not doing that. The pump will weigh a fair bit and I wouldn't trust a male-male adapter mounted to acrylic to hold it up (or hold a tight seal, my T-block connector mounted to my res via a male-male, when held a certain way makes the fitting leak).
Also pumps vibrate, you will want to mount it to something solid with some padding between it (to absorb vibrations, reducing sound) and whatever its mounted. Given that the res is fairly small, I don't think...
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toolmaker_03

toolmaker_03

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Mar 26, 2012
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What you want to do can be done, but not the way that you have planned it out!!! I thought the same thing, and tried it out too, but I ended up redesigning the entire loop system into two loops. So it went from the one loop to two loops. One for the CPU alone, and another loop for the video cards. Here is my build log please read this!!! so you do not make the same mistakes that I did

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274855-29-experimental-radiator-build/page-10
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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Agree with the general sentiment so far, running the CPU and GPU's in parallel isn't a good move.

By doing so, you are effectively halving the flow over these components (assuming equal amounts of restriction, which there wont be, more water will flow through the CPU than GPU's). The more flow you have, the better your cooling as the water is picking up the heat and moving away faster. Basically, your slowing down the water where you want it to be moving the fastest.
The only place I would say where doing this might be OK is if you split the flow and it goes into two radiators, then reconnects on the other side. This is the place where you don't want the water to move quickly, as the longer it stays in the rad the longer it has to dissipate its heat.

I suggest you just run it as one serial loop, no splitters of any kind.

Don't advise that you run 1/2" tubing then suddenly downsize to 3/8", that just introduces unnecessary restriction into the loop, again impacting on your flow.

With the pump, your at the tipping point where you might need to get a 2nd pump. Though I would have though by the design of the res you'v chosen, you would need two anyway.
Also that res... That fillport is pure genius... I want....

If you haven't read the water-cooling sticky yet, I definitely advise you do (multiple times).
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-sticky
 
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UNMP Berkut

UNMP Berkut

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Mar 13, 2013
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Thank you all for help! I really appreciate the help. I am new to the water-cooling set-up but I have done quite a bit of studying into the idea. From what I understand, my res only supports 2 pumps running in parallel which makes me ask should I just run one large loop. I could possibly buy 2 rads that are 240mm rads and run just from the CPU block into the second rad and back to the VGA blocks. Is this good or just one big loop the way it is drawn above without the splitters? Thanks for the help!
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
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Just been looking into that reservoir a bit more, from what I can tell it seems to be more suited to someone wanting to run dual loops with a combined reservoir than it is for someone just after a serial loop.
To get the pumps to run in series you basically need to do this.
600x448px-LL-24007b33_IMG_1348.jpeg


You might want to consider another reservoir, just IMO this one seems to be suited for a specific purpose that I don't think will really benefit you. To get it will basically limit you to a specific setup unless you spend extra to get around it. A more traditional dedicated reservoir and separate pump/s might be a better option.

If its your first time water-cooling, I would keep it simple and go for the serial loop. Basically what you have drawn out just without the splitters.
Though if you want to try the rads in parallel idea, go ahead. I haven't seen any data on how that performs versus just a single rad of equivalent size or the same rads in serial, so it would be an interesting experiment to try.
 
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UNMP Berkut

UNMP Berkut

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Mar 13, 2013
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I am glad to see that you all are willing to help me and respond to my posts! This is something that is important to me and I am looking hard into this issue. I am now looking into the best system that would allow me to have a good water cooled system. I am thinking about running a single loop system like this pic below:
2637g91.jpg

Would this work or would I need two pumps? I am also looking at an in-bay res but I am curious which would be best for me. Does anyone have any advice for this role? Also, if I need two pumps, I would set up two compete separate loops in that case. Finally, looking at the radiator that will now be split, is this a good idea or is it better to have one 360 initially and one 120 afterwords? All advice will help. Thanks!
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
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Just to make it simpler I would go with a 360mm rad at the top, or whatever the max supported length is (You had a 480mm before... What case are you using?). There might be size issues with the "tank" on the end of rad's where the ports are located.
Also means you need less tubing, less fittings and a larger rad is cheaper than two smaller ones.
The split rad idea I was throwing around was just a concept, I don't think you should do it. At least not initially, who knows, you might be one of those tinkerer types who like to experiment with these types of things :D.
Come to think of it, I do have two 360mm rads...

Whether you need multiple pumps or not, TBH I don't really know. When it comes to pump performance, flow rate, pressure head and loop restriction all goes over my head. I'm good on theory, not so much practical advice when it comes to that kind of thing.
This might help you decide if you need multiple pumps or not.
http://martinsliquidlab.org/pump-planning-guide/
I just know that for your standard CPU + GPU loop, one of the normal water-cooling pumps (D5 or DDC) will do just fine. Throw on more GPU's and blocks for the Mobo VRM and RAM, then you should start considering multiple pumps.
 
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UNMP Berkut

UNMP Berkut

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Mar 13, 2013
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Hello friend! Thank you for your continued support throughout this entire issue. To answer your question, the case I am using is the Xilence Interceptor Pro (I know it is only in Europe but I got a sweet deal). I can support up to one 480mm and one 360mm at the same time because it has two racks for rads (Not that I plan to do this). I think I will stick with a good dual bay res like the Alphacool Repack because it is high quality and would support my entire loop:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/15648/ex-res-352/Alphacool_Repack_Dual_525_Acrylic_Reservoir_-_Clear_-_Revision_2_15033.html?tl=g30c97s168
I am also looking at a simple Swiftech MCP35X PWM as this should give me more than enough headroom for my GPM but I am looking at the different models to see what is best for me. I believe that a good pump will make this entire build work great. I have decided to run a simple single loop of rad>CPU>GPU>GPU>res>pump>rad again. I think this will provide more than enough cooling, especially with the 480mm rad I will have. I am thinking about attaching this pump directly to the outlet on the res sense it is small enough. Is this a good idea?
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

Glorious
May 11, 2012
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That is one beast of a case...
Dont think rad space will be an issue for you with that thing :lol:

How do you mean "attaching this pump directly to the outlet on the res"?
If its what I think it is, and your going to use a male-male adapter to attach it to the res, definitely advise not doing that. The pump will weigh a fair bit and I wouldn't trust a male-male adapter mounted to acrylic to hold it up (or hold a tight seal, my T-block connector mounted to my res via a male-male, when held a certain way makes the fitting leak).
Also pumps vibrate, you will want to mount it to something solid with some padding between it (to absorb vibrations, reducing sound) and whatever its mounted. Given that the res is fairly small, I don't think it would take up much of the bay, you could probably mount it in the leftover space just fine. But directly attaching the pump to the reservoir I don't advise doing.

Also nothing wrong with the loop order you said, just convention dictates that you start and end at the res when describing it. Just makes it a bit easier to understand.

 
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Solution
toolmaker_03

toolmaker_03

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Mar 26, 2012
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@man of chalk
Though if you want to try the rads in parallel idea, go ahead. I haven't seen any data on how that performs versus just a single rad of equivalent size or the same rads in serial, so it would be an interesting experiment to try.

I guess that you have not had a chance a read on my build log, I have done it, and provided some testing to show my results!!!
 
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UNMP Berkut

UNMP Berkut

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Mar 13, 2013
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10,510


I did read your building log and it was quite detailed. I looked back at my setup and realized that even with a very oc'd CPU and 2 oc'd GPUs my giant rad I am looking at will easily handle the heat. Your advice in the build log helped with some of the things that I didn't know and I thank you for it!

I have another question. I specified that I plan to use the Interceptor Pro case for my build but I am curious, where should I mount my pump?
 
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toolmaker_03

toolmaker_03

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That is more of a configuration issue than anything else. I like to mount my pump right after the reservoir, now that can mean a lot of things too many people, but to me this is what that means. The res is always above the pump no matter how far away the pump is from the res and there is nothing between them except hosing
 
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