Looking to watercolor CPU and later GPU

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CL3WL3SS

CL3WL3SS

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So I am decently familiar with overclocking and have only done air cooling. I really would like to move into water cooling, but am not very familiar. So I am asking some advice. I want to get a ryzen 1600x with a 370x chipset mobo. I want to get the coolermaster mastercase pro 5, but not set in stone. I have about $200 left in my budget for upgrading my pc. I am going to keep my current gpu for now (gtx 670), but when I have more money will probably get a 1070 or a new amd gpu. I have been looking into aio cpu cooling solutions like the corsair h100 v2/h110i. I would like to eventually get a new gpu and watercool that aswell.

So, is there a custom loop I can get that can later encorporate gpu cooling for about $200? Or should I go aio. The 1600x doesn't come with a cpu fan, so I will have to get something.
 
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Actually, I usually recommend air cooling your CPU as long as you're not trying to break world records. Liquid coolers are heavy, the loop can clog and stop fluid flow (it won't cool the CPU if this happens), and the loop can even leak. You don't have these dangers with air coolers.

On the graphics side, newer GPUs are so efficient that they no longer need water cooling to reach their maximum speeds. This is because newer chips run at lower voltages and don't require raising voltage as much to get stable overclocks.
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Eximo

Eximo

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Absolutely.

The Swiftech H220-X2 (240mm) or H240-X2 (280mm) is a nice component. Comes with a "Real" CPU block, a DDC pump/Radiator/Reservoir combo. The loop can be drained and added to with some ease.

EK has their predator line of products. Some offer quick disconnects and they sell pre-filled components that can be plugged in to each other. No draining, bleeding required (at least for initial setup, regular maintenance would still apply).

But really any custom cooling solution is expandable if you buy the right components. Getting the discrete CPU block, radiator, pump/reservoir is going to come to, or exceed, $200, typically.
 
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weberdarren97

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Actually, I usually recommend air cooling your CPU as long as you're not trying to break world records. Liquid coolers are heavy, the loop can clog and stop fluid flow (it won't cool the CPU if this happens), and the loop can even leak. You don't have these dangers with air coolers.

On the graphics side, newer GPUs are so efficient that they no longer need water cooling to reach their maximum speeds. This is because newer chips run at lower voltages and don't require raising voltage as much to get stable overclocks.
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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All true. But it looks cool.

Nvidia GPUs really don't need water blocks unless you are hardware modifying them to run higher voltage. Though having a GPU sit at 50C under full load is always nice.

RX480 is more limited by its power delivery than anything else, and it isn't a flagship card anyway.

Most people seem to be hitting frequency limits with Ryzen so far. Temperature in only a few cases (usually the difference between 3.9Ghz and 4.0Ghz)
 
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CL3WL3SS

CL3WL3SS

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Yea, I was going to wait to see how the r5 series does before I buy. The boost clock is supposed to be 4.0 with xfr going more. The 7700k or 7600k seemed like other viable options. I'm still deciding.

The Swiftech's seem to have pretty bad reviews. Idk. Still researching. If I don't find a descent watercooler I may do a air. I just wanted something new, but.
 
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weberdarren97

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The Swiftech ones are much different than your typical AiO cooler. When people buy one and expect a typical AiO cooler, they're going to leave bad reviews because they didn't get what they thought they ordered.

That being said, those Swiftech coolers that @Eximo mentioned are some of the best AiO coolers that I know of.
 
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Eximo

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I'm using the older H240-X as the core of my loop and it does a marvelous job. A little noisy in the new case, but I didn't consider that the reservoir would end up only a centimeter from the side of the acrylic window. (I think I'm going to have a glass shop make me a replacement panel)

I think a lot of the bad reviews are possibly from poor user installation or expectations that were unfounded. And you always hear more bad than good when you look at reviews. Some people treat it as an AIO and that simply isn't the case. While it comes pre-filled it still has all the faults of a custom loop, including the possibility of leaks, air bubbles, etc. And the bubbles do take about two weeks to really get sorted, the pump is just a little too aggressive for just a CPU. I had quite good results with a CPU and pair of GPUs. This time with a single GPU it seems to run a little fast.

One of these days I will get around to separating the fan and pump speed control. Still debating on a re-build so I can repuporse my 280mm radiator for my old 980s.

The Apogee line of CPU blocks is pretty good. The radiator is average I would say, but still fulfills all the requirements of being a custom part. Brass/Copper construction. The older swiftech fans worked pretty well, not played with these new ones. Sticker has come off of one though.

H-240X required the purchase of a G1/4 fitting for the pump so the first thing I did when I got it was drain it for the upgrade

The new one has all G1/4 fittings so that isn't a problem any longer. I'm not a huge fan of the new tube shaped reservoir, but that is just a personal preference.

 
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CL3WL3SS

CL3WL3SS

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Okay, will definitely research more so I don't make the same mistakes as other people reviewing them lol. Thank you for all the answers, I have until a little after April 11th for other people to test the ryzen 5 series before I make a decision.
 
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CL3WL3SS

CL3WL3SS

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I was literally just about to post saying the EK-Kit 240S/L looked really good.
But I am coming to the conclusion that I probably will get a descent aftermarket air cooler then do a full custom loop after I get a new GPU.
Thank you for all the answers, I have narrowed things down and learned a lot in the process.
 
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weberdarren97

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Here's my general advice: If the cost of water cooling is going to limit the amount of hardware you can afford, then water cooling isn't for you, at least not until you build up a bigger budget.

Your biggest restriction in cooling is going to be that many boards with the AM4 socket use different mounting spacing than AM3(+) boards do. This means that not all coolers are compatible with Ryzen chips and boards.

My recommended coolers for Ryzen chips. Note that this list is a work in progress and I'll include more coolers once I find more information on this mounting situation.

When buying a graphics card, please give the integrated cooling solution a chance before just deciding to upgrade it. If it's quiet and does its job well, you won't need to upgrade it. If you are unpleased with its performance, something like the Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV may be a good choice. Read through its compatibility notes buying it.
 
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