sub 4k water build question.

[Crashbombs]

So I just built up a comp like the one they made in the sub 4k this month. The only major difference was i used a Intel Q9450 yorkfield and a single 9800gx2.

So I got it all setup and im looking and tomshardware installation guide and they have theirs setup different than i have mine set up. it goes Pump to the 120 to the 220 to the pump. My question here is will this hurt performance?

Question 2 is how much fluid should this whole system hold. The MCR 120 kit says it will take about 16fl oz. I filled mine up Sloshed it around made sure it was all lower than the resivor and even shortered the power pin to get the pump running and it only took about 18fl oz. is that enough or is there a big air pocket in it somewhere i didnt get out.

im only concerned cuase ive fired up my system and its at about 45celsius at idle. Its about 85 degrees room temp so im not expecting ice cold numbers but i thought they might be a bit lower. im gonna go ahead and guess at load it will be near 60 and thats pretty high. i dont want to kill my cpu after all

Anyway thanks for the help everyone

 

[Crashbombs]

bump

 

[rubix_1011]

I would do your setup like this:

pump > CPU > NB (if you have a block) > GPU > radiator >2nd rad > resevoir (if you have one)

A fill port is best placed just before the pump so you can continuously fill while the pump, well, pumps.

Don't expect it to hold a massive amount of fluid. Your biggest fluid containers will most likely be your radiators, and even then, they only run fluid through the channeled 'fins' from one end to the other, so they really don't hold as much as you would think. If you hear gurgling or bubbling, then you need more fluid and more bleeding of air.

I have a q6600 @ 4.0 and a 9800gtx that runs at 750/1100 on water.

Idle:

CPU- 37-39C
GPU- 34-36C

Load:

CPU- 46-50C
GPU- 44-46C

 

[APieceOfCheese]

To make the best use of your radiators you want to put them in the loop right before the part you're trying to cool. I have mine set up like: Pump > 240 radiator > cpu > 120 radiator > gpu.

As for the amount of fluid. I've never measured. I just fill it til it's full. If you can't see any air pockets and can't hear any bubbles running through the pump then you should be fine.

45c seems reasonable for a room at 85f. The thermal limit for your cpu/gpu is a lot higher than that. The thermal limit for your pump however is about 60c though. It is on mine anyway. You can always turn up the speed of your fan if you have that capability, or throw some fans on the radiators. You can also try reseating your cpu block. That's helped me a few times.

I run a 3600 x2 @ 3.0 and it idles at 30 loads at 40 but that's in a 75 degree room with 4 fans blowing the cold air through. My 9800gtx runs at 800/1175 and it idles at 42c. Haven't tested it under load yet. I just got a set of iandh ramsinks so I just added it to the loop last night.

 

[rubix_1011]

Honestly, putting the radiators either before or after the pump is essentially doing the same thing; they are both before and after the components needing to be cooled. The pump just circulates the water, so its not really a factor in deciding if they go before or after the pump. They are always cooling the water before the next cycle, anyway. Splitting the radiators between components does help a little, but you aren't going to be dealing with 'superheated water' regardless. Water has a substantial amount of thermal capacity, so as the blocks slowly warm up, you are pushing so much water over them at a high rate, that the water just gets warm...not 'hot'. If your water loop gets 'hot' in any place, you are doing something horribly wrong. It should always be as hot as 'warm' to the touch in any one place.

 

[APieceOfCheese]

True. I doubt radiator placement has much of an effect after the whole loop has been heated up from a cpu+gpu under load. Maybe a few degrees difference. I'm curious but I'm also much too lazy to test it. I think it would be more beneficial for those with external rads who can keep room temp water running through the loop constantly. But even then the heat that would be added by the pump before the water hit the part you're cooling would be negligible.

 

[rubix_1011]

Both my 2x120 and my side mount rad are external.

 

[Crashbombs]

thanks for all the help guys. i havnt done any stress testing but i played wow for a few hours and it stayed at about 47-48c. i might stress test it later today to make sure it will be fine. thanks for all your input and flow ideas