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Custom water cooled upgrade for gpu and maybe cpu

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  • GPUs
  • Computers
  • CPUs
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
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May 4, 2014 8:53:07 PM

Hi, im planning about upgrading a computer i built in november with a gtx 860 (when it comes out) and my cpu cooler. As the title suggests, im thinking about water cooling my gpu, which i plan on heavily overclocking, and possibly my cpu (i5 3570k, somewhat overclocked, 4.2 ghz, no voltage increase). If i do not water cool my cpu, i will buy a hyper 212 evo and set it in a push pull config. My case is the Azza Solano 1000 with space for a 280mm rad in the front, 120mm rad on the bottom, and a 240mm rad on the top. I have a blue led color scheme and would like everything to be blue if possible. I have a budget of $200 ish and no experience whatsoever in this process so I have loads of questions.

1. Should i water cool both my cpu and gpu? If yes, what parts do i need and how should i set them up?
2. What are some budget radiators, pumps, reservoirs, plates, tubes, coolant, etc. that will stay within or close to my budget?
I forgot my other questions at the moment so if i remember them i will ask, but for now, any answer to the questions mentioned above would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT 5-05-14: So i just remembered my other question, but it seems that air cooling my cpu is a better option so ill go with the hyper 212 for my cpu. As for my gpu, im still thinking about a custom loop OR im also considering a 280mm AIO with the nzxt kraken g10. My budget with the custom loop is a bit higher now that i realize my previous budget was unrealistic. I can afford to spend $250 ish or more if needed on my gpu loop. I may go for a better gpu in order to get a full block. What do you guys think?

EDIT 5-08-14: Ok, I thought about this for a little and I've decided to go with the NZXT Kraken G10 and a Corsair H110 for GPU cooling and just sticking with air cooling for CPU cooling, maybe even my stock cooler as I've noticed my CPU temps never hit above 50 ish even when under load. Thanks for all the replies guys, it really helped. Now, just one quick question, Reviews of the Kraken G10 said that while core temps are crazy low, vram temps are not. In fact, they are sometimes even higher than the stock cooler. I looked around a bit and found that some people use small (and i mean like 5mm small) copper heatsinks for the vram. Will these tiny heatsinks make a difference because I do plan on overclocking my GPU memory as high as possible.

More about : custom water cooled upgrade gpu cpu

a b à CPUs
May 4, 2014 9:00:58 PM

Save the money, buy a better GPU
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a c 396 à CPUs
May 4, 2014 9:01:57 PM

Sounds like you are new at this and have restricted budget. Two good reasons to stick with air cooling.

You can get All in One (AIO) water coolers for cpus. But not many for graphics cards. It'd be some after the 860 is released before you'd see any for it anyway.

Custom Water kits do a better job and cost a lot. They are fiddly to put together and to control.

So my recommendation is to stick with air coolers. Get the 212 evo for your cpu. And get a non reference (custom) cooler type 860. You'll probably have to wait for a while after the reference cooler versions are released.

Maybe after a year or so, have another think about water cooling. By then you should have a bit more info about it.
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a c 250 à CPUs
May 4, 2014 9:45:20 PM

The 212 is an very good budget cooler and shud hit 4.2 no problem. You can shed another 7 - 10C with one of the "Big 3" (Phanteks PH-TC14-PE, Thermalright Silver Arrow, Noctua DH-14). I really don't see a place for AIO coolers. For the significant cost increase and risk of having water inside ya PC, you should see significantly lower temps and less noise ...... no AIO delivers that. If ya must go that route, the corsair H110's cooling is among those that come close .... temp wise, it's between the Phanteks and Noctua air coolers and is about 1 dBA quieter.

Custom water cooling is no big deal whatsoever. with proper planning and a little research, anyone can do a water cooled rig with a decent case and a little guidance. Cases that are designed for water cooling of course are much easier than ones that have to be heavily modded. But a $200 budget I am afraid is a bit weak.

First step is radiator selection.....I recommend 140mm of radiator for each 150 or one 120mm for each 125 watts of power. So figure 130 - 140 for a current CPU 0verclocked and 280 - 300 for an overclocked 780 / 780 Ti. As for the 860 ..... the water block manufacturers 1) generally don't get around to the x60 series until after the x80 and x70 series are done and 2) they are generally not "full cover" water blocks which means they don't cover the VRAM or VRM. That $200 would be much better spent on a GFX card upgrade.

Here's some typical costs for custom WB components.

240/280 rad = $75
420/480 Rad = $100
Reserrvoir = $75
Pump = $100
CPU Block = $75
GPU Block w/ Backplate = $140

One cost savings you might consider is to upgrade to the 8xx version of the Asus Poseidon ....a GFX card that can be cooled via air or water. Then when ya have a bigger budget, add the necessary WC components an convert from air to water.
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May 5, 2014 1:08:01 PM

Ok, so im getting a bit more now, thanks. Can you just check my edit that i made at the top?
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a b à CPUs
May 15, 2014 2:43:33 PM

i7Baby said:
Sounds like you are new at this and have restricted budget. Two good reasons to stick with air cooling.

You can get All in One (AIO) water coolers for cpus. But not many for graphics cards. It'd be some after the 860 is released before you'd see any for it anyway.

Custom Water kits do a better job and cost a lot. They are fiddly to put together and to control.

So my recommendation is to stick with air coolers. Get the 212 evo for your cpu. And get a non reference (custom) cooler type 860. You'll probably have to wait for a while after the reference cooler versions are released.

Maybe after a year or so, have another think about water cooling. By then you should have a bit more info about it.


In terms of custom loop you could do a kit if you felt like it. Start with the GPU or CPU, then add a water block for whatever else you want to cool. I use a Swiftech H20 320 Edge HD. My FX8350 idles at 13C socket temp with it.
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