New to computer building, Watercooled GPU apropriate?

MrRugnir · Aug 29, 2013

I have found two potential graphics cards for my first system, however one comes already with a liquid cooling setup.

The liquid cooled one is the same price as the air cooled one, and i have read about the various benefits of the two cooling types. but my question is this. Considering that i have never built a computer before, will the water cooled graphics card be too difficult to put in to the machine. Also will the other part(not sure what it is. Pump? the bit that the fans go on) of the water cooled setup fit in the corsair 200R case?

I may try to mildly overclock the CPU/GPU but i wont push it too far, i want the stability more than anything else. I want to use the PC for listening to music and playing games, as well as coding across three screens (only one screen for games) the particular GPU is the GTX 580 (both air-cooled and water-cooled)

Thanks.

MrRugnir · Aug 29, 2013

u_gonna_squeal_b4_we_cookya :

It will be a bit more complicated than a regular GPU. The part where the fans go is actually a radiator. It works exactly like a radiator in a car. Air passes over a bunch of tubes to cool the coolant (aka water) inside the tubes. The pump is usually located directly on the chip itself.

I don't know if it will fit in a 200R case because you did not specify which liquid cooled GPU you want to get. The most important thing to consider about fitment is how long the tubing is. This is important because there are usually only a few places to mount the radiator if the case only has a few case fans. Usually, you want to mount it on the top or the back, but because your CPU needs the back fan you will most likely be left with the top. If the tubes are not long enough to reach the top, or if there is too much wiring or even a giant heat sink in the way, you will have nowhere to mount it. You can let it sit inside the case, but that would defeat the purpose of having a liquid cooler since you will be dumping all the hot air back into the system.

Find out the exact GPU make and model.
Find out if they give any specs on the tubing and fan diameter.
Find specs for the inside dimensions of the case.

It will also be good to know the motherboard you will be using because it will give you a general idea of where your PCI-e slot for the GPU will be located when the motherboard is mounted in the case.

I am getting the gtx 580, i think its up there somewhere.
The mobo will be the ASRock 970 Extreme4 mobo

MrRugnir · Aug 29, 2013

u_gonna_squeal_b4_we_cookya :

sorry it took me so long

i was away.
I think its this
http://www3.pny.com/font-color999999GTX-580-Liquid-Cooled-Graphics-Cardfont-P3015C396.aspx

MrRugnir · Aug 30, 2013

u_gonna_squeal_b4_we_cookya :

Here is a review on Tom's of that exact card. It looks like you should have no problem mounting the radiator on the top of the case if you only plan on using a single fan. If you want to do push-pull with a 2nd fan, the radiator becomes too thick and won't clear any motherboard so the only option for a push-pull is to mount it where the rear fan goes. This also assumes that your CPU cooler is small enough that the 2 120mm fans and radiator clear it as well.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/microatx-gaming-overclocked,3039-7.html

In this pic from the same review, both types of this cooler are installed in the same case. There is another version of the PNY liquid cooled GTX 580 that also has a CPU block connected to the same radiator. As you can see, the one with the CPU block has a much thicker radiator. The regular one, which is the one you are getting, is mounted on top. It still looks like you might have some issues with push-pull with the regular model even though the radiator is much thinner especially if you are getting a massive CPU cooler like the NH-D14. But, from what it looks like, the tubing is long enough for any typical ATX case.

Thanks. hopefully its not too complicated, i'll probably find a tutorial when i'm putting it together or something.

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