New gaming rig - with watercooling and all the stuff - advice needed

heise.simon · Jul 16, 2018

Hey everyone,

so basically I want to upgrade/renew my gaming rig. The configuration at its base will be the following:

[PCPartPicker part list](https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/gXCyV6)

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (€320.00)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€300.00)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€170.00)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (€155.00)
Case: be quiet! - Dark Base 700 ATX Mid Tower Case (€135.00)
Power Supply: be quiet! - DARK POWER PRO 11 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€165.00)
Total: €1245.00

Basically there are the following open questions:

1. What GPU to buy - it will be a GTX 1080 TI (only Asus and EVGA are options for me)?
Is it advisable to get a hybrid solution directly or rather a regular one and add a waterblock?
The options are:
Hybrid: Asus Poseidon, EVGA SC2 Hybrid Gaming, EVGA FTW3 Hybrid Gaming, FTW3 iCX Hydro Copper Gaming
Regular: Asus ROG Strix, Asus ROG Strix OC, EVGA FTW3 Gaming

2. If we choose a regular GPU which waterblock is advisable?

3. Since I want to cool both, CPU and GPU is it required to have have more than one (360mm) Radiator in one loop? Or would it be useful to use i.E. a be Quiet Silent Loop 360 for the CPU and a separate loop for the GPU (possibly with a smaller Radiator).

4. I am very new to all kind of watercooling, what manufacturer have the best liquid cooling systems at a still reasonable price? EKWB, AIO, OCcool are the ones i heard of so far. Which one would you recommend?

5. Is a 750W PSU sufficient for this setup?

I would be happy to have a nice discussion here. For now dont take prices too seriously, since I want to see my options first and then figure out the best I can get what i want to pay for.

Also feel free to propose other system configurations (RAM, Mobo, etc).

Best regards
Simon

Lutfij · Jul 16, 2018

1. If you can wait, then see if the 11 series is in your avenue. Otherwise you wont regret getting the GTX1080Ti. I'd suggest sticking with air cooling, no hybird's.

2. That depends, are you planning to do a custom watercooling loop?

3+4. Read the watercooling sticky, in my sig.

5. More than enough!

heise.simon · Jul 16, 2018

Hi Lutfij,

thanks for the quick answer:

1. The question is, how long it will take and since prices will drop for the GTX 1080 Ti I guess I will just take the 1080 Ti
Which one would u recommend of the above named?

2. If a custom loop means that I dont get a kit, I will go custom.

3./4. I read through, but I would now need recommendations for each component.

Thank you very much

rubix_1011 · Jul 16, 2018

1. Tom's Hardware does not know when prices will drop. They already have to some degree but we do not have any sort of insider information that you would not have.

2. You will most likely not find any kits that are specific to full-cover GPU blocks. You can buy a kit and expand up on it, including a GPU block that fits the card you purchase.

3 & 4. Let's start by you giving us information on what you have gathered and see where it goes.

matthe6473 · Jul 16, 2018

Hi Simon,

I've also buying bits for my watercooler 4K/120 FPS system build and here's what i would recommend

1. i would wait for the 1180/1180 TI (1180 should come out late August the Ti will be next year ), in an month or two you could see a 20% drop in price for the 1080 TI but i would wait for the next gen. But if you really wanted to buy a 1080 TI now i would get the EVGA FTW3 as there GPU builds are better than most (better components like VRAM, ) asus is good for the look but who cares as your taking off the cooler.

2. whatever block you get you need to use copper or aluminum not a mix. so the system must use all copper radiator, GPU and CPU blocks or use all nickel. (aluminum is cheaper but copper is better)

3. one 360 and a 240 would be the min i think but most likely i will use two 360, use the link to help build and plan, one loop would be fine https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-configurator/

4. i like EKWB as they do everything and have a good rep and good customer support.

5. yeah 750W is good just make sure it's 80 gold+, i think "be quiet" is shit (been In IT for a while, doing PC builds for many years and never had any good experience with them ), i would get a EVGA power supply as they make some of the best you can buy.

6. other parts, i would look at the PC-011 dynamic as the case is built for water cooling (i've got and it's best case i've owned) https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lian-li-pc-o11-dynamic-midi-tower-black-window-ca-76s-ll.html

And i would buy g. skill trident z rgb with a speed of 3200Mhz, that speed is best performance vs price RAM speed and looks great

Also i have the ROG Maximus hero WI-FI AC and it's the best would highly recommend

Thanks
matt

rubix_1011 · Jul 16, 2018

You can mix copper and nickel, you just don't want to mix aluminum with copper, brass, nickel, gold or silver. Aluminum is the odd metal out, here.

Unless you are running some VERY high overclocks, a single 360 radiator should be sufficient.

heise.simon · Jul 16, 2018

So I have checked EKWB and finished the configuration:

This is the outcome:
https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-configurator/shared/oW5b4ccf74c5c47

For some parts I cant find copper (like for the GPU block)

I will have a look at your case suggestion, what are your experiences with be Quiet? I have been using them for 10+ years and not a single one let me down so far. I will check Seasonic though, recommended by that 8auer guy. Also having a look at EVGA.

My loop will be sufficiently cooled but with temps of 34 degrees. Maybe a small second radiator could do the job.

Best regards and thx
SImon

rubix_1011 · Jul 16, 2018

You can always use different components if you don't like EK specific ones. For example, if you like Bitspower fittings better, you can use them instead. Don't like the EK radiators? XSPC, Alphacool or Koolance might have one you like instead. There are also vast assortments of tubing. Be careful about limiting yourself to just one-stop-shopping or brands.

Also, watercooling is dependent upon ambient room temperature. You can never reach temperatures below ambient temp, even at idle with air or normal watercooling. So, as the temperature rises, your idle and load temps will likely see some increase as well.

matthe6473 · Jul 16, 2018

rubix_1011 :

Yeah my bad meant to say aluminum,

matthe6473 · Jul 16, 2018

rubix_1011 :

yes using different components and brands is great and would highly recommend but if your looking at water cooling for the first time EK is has a user-friendly website with lots of guides and the configurator which help you understand the basics. (which helped me)

rubix is totally right about the one 360 rad and the ambient room tep.

But if you use one rad then you need to make sure that your airflow is great going through the rad which means depending on what fans you have (which is a whole other conversation) you might need to have the fans on a higher speed which means more noise. if you use two 360 rads you can lower your fan speed making your PC quieter. which what i plan to do.

had "Be Quite" AIO and power supply fail on me and have friends had the same problem but everyone gets one bad unit once in a while but i've found it happens more often "Be Quite". but that's just my experience

heise.simon · Jul 17, 2018

I have a question I cannot find answers for:

If I get a GTX 1080 TI - Which one makes sense? Is it a good idea to take the FE? Somewhere I read of power caps where the Asus Strix was not as limited as the FE. Since all the cooling is replace by a waterblock where is the big difference?

I also had a look at different cases and read, that the PC-O11 Dynamics will have trouble fitting a 1080 TI with the cooling tubes due to height restrictions, can anyone confirm this issue?

Br
Simon

rubix_1011 · Jul 17, 2018

Founders Edition cards are supposed to be Nvidia reference PCB. I don't think ASUS follows reference PCB, which means you would need to find a specific full cover block for that specific card model.

heise.simon · Jul 17, 2018

When using water cooling, what would be the difference between the FE and i.E. the FTW3 or the Strix? Performance and temp-wise.

Furthermore I am really stuck search for a pump and reservoir. My wishes:

1. The CPU should be glowing in a blue color
2. The GPU should be glowing in a blue color
3. The reservoir should be glowing in a blue color
4. Tubes will be black (hard tubes)

I am opting for a glacier R220 with a Bitspower D5 MOD TOP S-Model.

Here is my current listing (PSU still under research as well as the case)
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/user/heissim/saved/mjv6sY

Another question is the VRM cooling? Is that needed on the Maximus X Hero?

matthe6473 · Jul 19, 2018

heise.simon :

check out this video, it's a review of the case and he goes over the fitting problem and has a link to a PDF which has a list of water blocks that will fit. by the looks of it FTW3 has the most problems but many other 1080 TI's will fit.

He also talks about having 3 x 360 rads and his PC is just silent,

And in you PC part picker you need to add fans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdsVU1i6Y_Q

matthe6473 · Jul 19, 2018

heise.simon :

VRM cooling is good on the Maximus does 5.2Ghz on my i5 8600K without getting too hot so nothing to worry about but the CPU/VRM water blocks look great so i'm thinking about get one just for the looks.

The only thing i don't like about the Maximus is the USB 3.0 internal header is at the bottom of the board and the 3.0 USB internal cable is thick so i had to take out one of the bottom fans i had instilled to plug the cable in but there are ways round this.

as far as i know FTW3 or the Strix temp-wise should be the same but what thermal paste or liquid metal you use would make a difference. Performance not sure if you did reference card vs FTW3 or Strix then then there might be a difference but card warranty would be something to look at more an a small gain in speed

heise.simon · Jul 24, 2018

Hi everyone,

after long times of search I have come to certain conclusions but new questions:
My current list
PCPartPicker part list: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/N8fGxG

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (€320.00)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€300.00)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€170.00)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (€155.00)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card (€550.00)
Case: Lian-Li - PC-O11DX ATX Full Tower Case (€130.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME Titanium 650W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€170.00)
Other: GPU-Waterblock - EK-FC1080 GTX Ti FTW3 RGB - Nickel (€130.00)
Other: CPU Waterblock - EK-Supremacy EVO RGB - Nickel (€70.00)
Other: Reservoir - HEATKILLER® Tube 200 D5 (€90.00)
Other: Pump - EK-D5 PWM G2 Motor (12V DC PWM Pump Motor) (€65.00)
Other: Radiator - Hardware Labs Nemesis Black Ice GTX 360 (€105.00)
Other: Mounting Bracket - HEATKILLER® Tube - basic mounting kit (€15.00)
Other: Fan Adapter - HEATKILLER® Tube - 120mm fan adapter (pair) (€10.00)
Other: 2xLED - HEATKILLER® LED Stripes - Size S - RGB (€25.00)
Other: 3x Fans - SP120 PWM High Performance Edition High Static Pressure (€50.00)

So basically I am having the following issues:

GPU:
The case has very limited (horizontal mount) support for GPU waterblocks, due to height restrictions.
- EVGA 1080 TI FTW3 with EKWB waterblock --> only fits vertically
- Asus GTX 1080 TI Strix with EKWB waterblock --> only fits horizontally but plastic parts need to be removed
- Founders Editions also work
So what should I do? Does the FE make a difference in performance when overclocking? Which are those plastic parts that Lian-Li talks about? Do you have any other Asus RGB sync compatible waterblocks with similar performance fitting this case?

Case:
Availability on the vertical mount bracket is horrible, it is not available anywhere
I would use one Radiator on the top of the case (Most likely a GTS360 or GTX360) - Would you recommend Push or Pull? I am currently opting for a pull-config that blows out of the case.
Since I am rather planning on vertical GPU mount I would use the the other radiator section with 3 fans as intake. On top of these fans the reservoir will be mounted.

Radiator:
Hardware Labs seem to have great radiators. There is only one slight drawback. It has its Ports (In and Out) only on one side which might make tubing a little harder. What do you think?

Tubing:
I will use hard tubes and bent them myself.

Coolant:
Since I want to use the Asus Aura RGB of my Mobo so I can switch colors and patterns whenever I feel like I was wondering if a UV reacting coolant would make sense for some cool glowing looks. Or will it be "cool" enough to have clear coolant with only the Aura Light? What will the tubes look like then? I guess they might not really fit into the rest if they are not light up. DO you have any suggestions to get a harmonic lighting in the case?

Fans:
Perfect would be Asus Aura RGB fans, but it might also be overkill so what do you think about these? For the other case fans I will find a solution.

General:
Do you see issues? Incompatibilites?

Best regards and thanks
Simon

heise.simon · Jul 26, 2018

Nobody has an anwser

?

rubix_1011 · Jul 26, 2018

That is quite literally a wall of text, so maybe it was a bit more than people wished to read and digest all at once. Let me make an attempt.

I have to say, you have chosen a good list of components, so I don't think anyone can fault you there. I'm not an ASUS guy (used to be back in Pentium 3/4 days), so I would have chosen a different motherboard but that's simply preference.

GPU:
The case has very limited (horizontal mount) support for GPU waterblocks, due to height restrictions.
- EVGA 1080 TI FTW3 with EKWB waterblock --> only fits vertically
- Asus GTX 1080 TI Strix with EKWB waterblock --> only fits horizontally but plastic parts need to be removed
- Founders Editions also work
So what should I do? Does the FE make a difference in performance when overclocking? Which are those plastic parts that Lian-Li talks about? Do you have any other Asus RGB sync compatible waterblocks with similar performance fitting this case?

Asus Strix cards are typically non-reference PCB layout, meaning they typically require a watercooling block designed specifically for these cards. I think EK often makes a card for these SKU's, but the Founders Edition cards are Nvidia PCB and spec. (I have an EVGA 1070 FE). The FE cards also have better power delivery system than non-FE cards as well as supposedly better cooling options. It was originally thought that FE cards used selectively binned GPUs and memory modules, but I think this is untrue. My take is - go with a FE card unless you find a Strix card you like that has a waterblock that is made specifically for the model number.

Case:
Availability on the vertical mount bracket is horrible, it is not available anywhere
I would use one Radiator on the top of the case (Most likely a GTS360 or GTX360) - Would you recommend Push or Pull? I am currently opting for a pull-config that blows out of the case.
Since I am rather planning on vertical GPU mount I would use the the other radiator section with 3 fans as intake. On top of these fans the reservoir will be mounted.

Pull, as you have suggested. Fans will run a bit quieter and at lower speeds, you'll see better cooling if you have fan curves setup or using a controller.

Radiator:
Hardware Labs seem to have great radiators. There is only one slight drawback. It has its Ports (In and Out) only on one side which might make tubing a little harder. What do you think?

HW Labs do make great radiators, and while some of their models are many years old, they are still very good and well made products. In the beginning days of watercooling, all radiators only had 1 in and 1 out port, both on the same end and both at 90 degrees to the layout. Many radiators are still manufactured this way, but having G1/4 ports on the end is also fairly common. Try to find something that suits your needs. There are many good radiators out there, so if you need to substitute for your loop design, do a bit of research and choose a model line that meets your needs. There are a lot of good radiators out there, so don't overthink it too much.

Tubing:
I will use hard tubes and bent them myself.

Ambitious on a first watercooling build, but make sure you consider practicing your bends first. A lot of people find out that they have to scrap several testing attempts until they get the hang of hard tube bending. There's a learning curve, just like everything else.

Coolant:
Since I want to use the Asus Aura RGB of my Mobo so I can switch colors and patterns whenever I feel like I was wondering if a UV reacting coolant would make sense for some cool glowing looks. Or will it be "cool" enough to have clear coolant with only the Aura Light? What will the tubes look like then? I guess they might not really fit into the rest if they are not light up. DO you have any suggestions to get a harmonic lighting in the case?

I'm not a big supporter of fancy coolants and color in my loop. I use colored tubing and plain distilled water with an antimicrobial. UV reactive 'everything' tends to fade with reactivity dropping off over a short period of time. You also need a good deal of lighting in order to make UV glowing look vibrant like expected. The addition of blacklights can improve this.

Fans:
Perfect would be Asus Aura RGB fans, but it might also be overkill so what do you think about these? For the other case fans I will find a solution.

I haven't seen or used the ASUS Aura fans, but you aren't limited to using them with ASUS Aura RGB sync: https://www.asus.com/campaign/aura/us/Partners-and-promotions.html

I have seen Cooler Master, ThermalTake Riing and ID Cooling RGB fans, and of these, I really do like the ID Cooling glow but the newest Cooler Master fans also are pretty nice. I would look for compatible RGB fans (most should be if they are 4-pin or 5-pin RGB) that meet your needs.

General:
Do you see issues? Incompatibilites?

Not seeing hardline fittings - make sure you get enough for all of your connections. Usually 2 per component.

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New gaming rig - with watercooling and all the stuff - advice needed

heise.simon

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