Advice on first liquid cooling loop (XSPC kit)

2HatMatt

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
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10,510
I am pricing out some major upgrades for my gaming pc. I am looking at a 4770K and Asus Maximus VI Hero (link below). I have a Phantom 630 case (hard drive bays are full), and 2x Gigabyte 7950 cards. I would like to someday add GPU cooling to the loop, but funds are limited.

I want to move away from the self-contained closed loop coolers that I have been using, and start dabbling with an open loop. I am on a budget, and have been looking at the XSPC kits on FrozenCPU.

My questions: Can I fit a 3x 120mm radiator with push/pull in the top of the case? What is the better XSPC kit to go with (EX vs RS vs AX vs RX). Would it be better to wait and get a better pump?


Board: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_HERO/

Kit: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/20836/ex-wat-264/XSPC_Raystorm_750_AX360_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_New_Rev_4_Pump_Included_w_Free_Dead-Water.html?tl=g30c321

Case:http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/118-phantom-630.html
 
Looking at the clearances on the case, probably need to go with a thinner rad. So that's basically the EX or RS lines, of the two EX is the better performer so go for that. Dont think you would be able to go push/pull, especially if you want that top 5.25" bay.

You intend to add your GPU's to the loop later on, I definitely recommend saving up to afford a better pump. The X20 750 pumps are fine as part of the kits at stock, but not once you start expanding on them.