Need Feedback For Liquid Cooling Setup

[b1naryatr0phy]

So for my latest computer
build i'm going pretty much complete liquid cooling, though i've never built a water cooling setup before so i could use some feedback on the design i have in mind.

I want to stay under or around a 300$ budget for the cooling system so I decided against using more than one loop; and instead branch the loop with a y-splitter. I'm thinking i'll put the GPU on one branch and the chipset and CPU on the other branch. Here's a rough drawing of what i intend:

I'll probably be using a 360 radiator, 1/2 inch diameter tubing, and a 300gph pump w/ speed control.

So what do you all think? I guess i feel that branching would be most effective in a single loop system as opposed to running everything on a single path which to me seems that the accumulation of heat through the single path would decrease it's effectiveness for the block(s) at the end of the chain. But will branching the flow have some kind of unforeseen negative impact? Any feedback would be very greatly appreciated

 

[bc4]

I think I'd cool the water before it went into the resevoir. Maybe someone with more experience will disagree but i'd have it like this

Radiator ---> Resevoir --> Pump --> loop

I guess it depends on the documentation for your setup... its been a while since i've dabbed in WC and found it was a pain. The radiator fan that I had was as loud as anything else I tried so the few degree's cooler just wasn't worth it.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

I haven't watercooled before but you setup looks sound. however if the 2 water blocks up top are going to be video cards then I would try to reroute it if possible. Perhaps a 3 way split from the rad. If it's only the vga and the chipset then i'd leave as is.

 

[b1naryatr0phy]

I think I'd cool the water before it went into the resevoir. Maybe someone with more experience will disagree but i'd have it like this

Radiator ---> Resevoir --> Pump --> loop

Initially, that's how i had my design planned. But after some careful consideration, i decided that while the coolant is moving through the pump, it's guaranteed to gain at least some heat from the pump itself, which is why i decided to plan for the radiator to be the last piece of hardware before the blocks.

I guess it depends on the documentation for your setup... its been a while since i've dabbed in WC and found it was a pain. The radiator fan that I had was as loud as anything else I tried so the few degree's cooler just wasn't worth it.

There is no documentation. I've never been a "kit" fan of anything really, I'm more of a DIY kinda person. So this setup is being built from scratch.

 

[b1naryatr0phy]

I haven't watercooled before but you setup looks sound. however if the 2 water blocks up top are going to be video cards then I would try to reroute it if possible. Perhaps a 3 way split from the rad. If it's only the vga and the chipset then i'd leave as is.

Sorry i guess i could have labeled those better, the top two are the Chipset followed by the CPU. I've got the Rampage Extreme which comes stock with a waterblock for the chipset. And the bottom one by itself is the video card. I figure that will probably be my hottest piece of hardware in the case, so i will probably give it it's own branch. My only concern is whether or not the pump will be able to handle the x2 flow between both branches. I've read the Gallons Per Hour isn't very significant in determining it's actual "pushing power" and that I want to pay attention to the pumps max head (max distance the pump can push water vertically.) Which on the pump i'm looking at (the Swiftech MCP655) is 10ft.

 

[V3NOM]

Looks good to me. so i take it you're using a 360mm single rad? with 3 fans? not 6 for push/pull? correct me if im wrong

 

[b1naryatr0phy]

You are absolutely correct v3nom, 360mm single rad and 3 fans

 

[V3NOM]

k. does anyone know whether push/pull would actually get any better temps? or whether another RAD (even a smaller one) would be worth it?

Would that rad have enough area to be used as a res? so you wouldn't need a res on its own?

 

[rubix_1011]

Don't split into parallel...you will get some pretty poor flowrates unless you decide to add a second pump right after the tubing merges back. Keep everything in series...it will be fine that way. Your idea of branching the GPU separately is flawed because the coolant 'dedicated' to that portion of your loop is going to be dumped back in with the rest of the coolant anyway, so keep it in a series. If you wanted to start dedicated loops, that would be your best bet instead of parallel in the same loop.

Your 3x120 rad will be fine with this setup, but you might be limited if you decide to start OC'ing your CPU or GPU. People say they aren't going to, but if you go through the trouble to WC, ultimately they end up seeing what it can do. Typically, I would say dedicate, at the VERY minimum, the surface area of a single 1x120mm rad per component in the loop. Usually 1.5x120mm per component is the rule of thumb, and if OCing...think about 2x120mm per comoponent. This isn't a hard, steadfast rule, especially when you toss in a NB cooler; it is more dedicated for CPU and GPUs.

No, you don't need a res, but they are nice for beginners. A T-line is what most people use...I have both simply because giant side tanks full of coolant look cool and helps keep my stuff cool. Plus, it adds another 20lbs to the weight of my case.