Water cooling a MSI gtx 970 [Help needed]

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Jaegeren

Jaegeren

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Jan 7, 2015
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Hey folks, after 2 years i finally decided to upgrade my PC, and this time i want to watercool my system, allowing for some overclocking. And in general just more silent perfomance.

So my question is, how do install a water cooling system for my VGA, i've done some research on the internet, but most of the tutorials are about how to install the waterblock. But how is the system connected?

I need to install a pump, radiator, reservoir and ofcourse get some fittings and tubes, cooling liquid etc.

Another question is do anyone know if the Deepcool Maelstrom 120T CPU cooler needs to be intergrated into the rest of the setup, or can it run separately from the rest of the water cooling setup?

From what i could gather was that it was cooler that was able to run as a stand alone, and didnt need to be connected to a pump or a reservoir.

One of the biggest thing i have trouble finding, is how do i assemble the system itself?

These are the parts im planning to start out with.
http://www.coolerkit.dk/shop/xspc-raystorm-750-1815p.html

So what i imagine what my system would look like is.

The Deepcool Maelstrom 120T would be placed on my CPU (I7-6700K Skylake), and be connected to the typical exhaust vent on the back of my cabinet, That system will run separately from the other system im planning to build for my VGA

And then i'll use the items i have linked, to build a system for my VGA alone.

I'll really appreciate some feedback on my idea, or if it's even possible to build the setup im talking about. I would also love to hear if some of you have an alternative setup that could work, or direct me to useful instructions (I have read your guide on watercooling for beginners)

Thanks in advance :)

Heres my future specs.

CPU: Intel I7 6700K Skylake
GPU: Nvidia MSI Twinfrozr GTX 970
Motherboard: ASUS Z170
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury DDR 4 16 GB 2133 DC
Tower/Cabinet: Thermaltake Overseer RX-1
 
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TofuLion
it is the same as when you built your computer. when you get the parts it will make more sense. its simpler than it seems. but i understand your need to research, and urge you to do so.

the loop order isn't all that important, you can basically put components in any order as long as the pump is after the reservoir (and preferably at the lowest point in the loop). since you're going with a 5.25" drive bay res/pump combo, just make sure you are careful not to let your pump run dry while filling.

as far as how much radiator you need, 240mm would be about the minimum you can get away with. the general rule of thumb is 120mm for the base system, then 120mm per component being cooled after that (which would be 360mm in your case), 240mm per...
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TofuLion

TofuLion

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Oct 10, 2014
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that link doesnt work for me so i wasn't able to see your selected parts.

i don't understand why you would want to install a separate closed loop CPU cooler if you're going with a custom loop anyway. the benefit to those coolers lies in the ability to water cool your CPU without install a full custom loop. it doesn't make sense to separate the CPU, limiting its cooling capacity to a single 120mm radiator. it is very possible to do it, though you should just go with a CPU block and cool the whole system with one loop.

not sure what you mean with "how is the system connected?" you install the waterblock (which will have at least one inlet and one outlet), connect fittings and tubes to the block, install radiator(s)/fan(s), reservoir, pump, tubing, and power connectors. fill the system, bleed, etc.

again, not sure what you are confused about.
 
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Jaegeren

Jaegeren

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Jan 7, 2015
48
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The link has been updated, i have pointed it directly to the starter kit im planning to buy, i hope it works.

The reason i was asking if it was possible to create more loops inside the PC, is because i have brought a package, so as a bonus i got a 120T cooler with the motherboard i have bought. Might aswell use it.
But i do see your point in just extending the loop to include the CPU aswell instead of having it run separately.

I have chosen a XSPC RayStorm 750 EX240 WaterCooling Kit, i figured if i bought a kit where the pump was intergrated into the reservoir already, that would eliminate some of the parts id have to buy, aswell as assemble.

Where the confusion starts for me is, Do i need more than one radiator? one seperate for the CPU and one seperate for the VGA (And maybe later Chipset and ram) or can i hook all of the components i want cooled onto one radiator component? and let the water run from the reservoir to the pump then to the VGA and then under the CPU and go back up to the radiator. Or would i have to make a "Stop" in between the VGA and CPU where i have a radiator more, before it runs under the CPU?

Also if i have to extend it to include my VGA aswell. How do i do that?

I would need a waterblock for my GPU aswell, would i then just hook it up from the cpu and then into the VGA with some tubes directly, and the from the VGA back into the radiator?

Some of the questions i ask may seem simple to the experienced, but the pictures and videos don't really help so much when you're a total beginner to such things. Same when i build my first PC, all the instructions i read was kind of confusing, until i got my hands on the it myself, then it was pretty much self explanatory.

Thanks for your answer :)

If it's possible to run the coolant liquid from the reservoir to the pump, then to the VGA and to the CPU and then lead it back to the radiator. Then it sounds pretty simple to hook up such a build.
 
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TofuLion

TofuLion

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Oct 10, 2014
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it is the same as when you built your computer. when you get the parts it will make more sense. its simpler than it seems. but i understand your need to research, and urge you to do so.

the loop order isn't all that important, you can basically put components in any order as long as the pump is after the reservoir (and preferably at the lowest point in the loop). since you're going with a 5.25" drive bay res/pump combo, just make sure you are careful not to let your pump run dry while filling.

as far as how much radiator you need, 240mm would be about the minimum you can get away with. the general rule of thumb is 120mm for the base system, then 120mm per component being cooled after that (which would be 360mm in your case), 240mm per component if doing very heavy overclocking.

yes you would need a waterblock to cool your GPU and you have a couple options: full cover waterblock (cools GPU core, VRAM, and VRMs) or a universal block (usually only cools the GPU core and rely on passive cooling for other parts).

if you haven't already, you should read this sticky
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-sticky
 
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