Water Cooling Parts & Suggestions

[tweakbz]

Hey everyone. I did a bit of reading about water cooling setups, read some threads, some reviews, looked at some pics, etc., and I think I've settled on a system that should cool pretty much my entire rig(less RAM & HDDs).

The parts I'm looking at are all from Koolance, who from what I can tell seem to be one of the more reputable companies available.

The system I want to build is for my current i7-920 / SLI GTX 260 rig, inside a Coolermaster Cosmos S chassis.

I'm looking at a loop like this:

PUMP(RES INCL) > 360-RAD > CPU > NB > SB > GPU1 > GPU2 > PUMP

My motherboard is an EVGA E758-A1 X58 board. Core i7-920. Corsair XMS3-DDR3 1600Mhz (6GB), and 2 EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 GPUs.

Here are the parts for the system:
Again, they're all Koolanc-produced products.

https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=280 - Reservoir & Pump
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=815 - 3x120(360) Radiator (High Flow) up to 1000W Dissipation
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=978 - CPU Block
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8486/ex-blc-560/Bitspower_Black_Freezer_EIX58NS_EVGA_Intel_X58_North_Southbridge_Combo_Block_BP-WBEIX58NS-BK.html?tl=g30c313s858#blank - Made a change here.. Found a 1 piece Bitspower NB/SB block.
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=966 - GPU Block x2

And then for nozzles and fittings, I chose two different types of fittings for best flexibility and routing of the tubing, and barbed nozzles:
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=469 - 1/2" ID (G 1/4 BSP) Nozzles
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=867 - 45 Degree swiveling fittings (6 pairs total)
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=679 - 90 Degree swiveling elbow fitting (2 pairs, for GPU blocks)

Tubing, VRAM heatsinks and Coolant is:
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=764 - Blue UV Reactive (5 feet worth, so I can cut to right lengths)
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=489 - Two bottles of this, for refills and such
https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=129 - Couple packages of this for my GPU VRAM and VREGs, etc. I think these might be it.

So, based on that and the way I want to route the system, is there anything I should change? Is 1000W enough heat dissipation for every block, or should I consider cutting out the NB/SB, or go with a dual-loop system? Any suggestions, ideas, recommendations, etc. are greatly welcomed.

Hopefully I've shown that I have done a little bit of research...

 

[ouch1]

Tweakbz,

Before you or please read the following link as it may cause you to change your mind concerning the parts you listed: New to watercooling? READ HERE FIRST!

Once you have read it please wait before you order to hear from other posters here as they will give you some better ideas as to what to order.

-ouch1

BTW most of us stay away from Koolance parts due to galvanic corrosion issues.

 

[Shadow703793]

1. Drop the NB/SB from the loop.

2. I highly recommend you get a full cover block for the GPU.

3. Get Primo Flex LRT tubing.

4. Swap the Koolance rad to something better.

5. Koolance isn't that good quality. I personally hate them. I recommend Swiftech, EK, HK,et al.

6. Swap CPU block to a EK Supreme HF for the same price.

7. Drop the coolant. Run pure distilled water and PT Nuke or KillCoils.

8. Res and pump are not good. Get a MCP655 + micro res.

9. For optimal performance, you need 2 loops. Once for CPU other for GPU.

10. You probably want 2x360 or 480 or 320 rads if you want the best temps. The Koolance rad is OK, however there are better rads that use low speed fans and at similar/better performance. Don't believe the 1000W heat load. Your temps won't be that good at 1000W :lol:

 

[tweakbz]

Good info Shadow. I thought about it a lot more last night and figured I could drop the NB/SB block completely as it's really not needed at all.

I found a very nice GT Stealth 360 radiator on Frozen CPU.. Has some good ratings.
As far as coolant goes, I read a bit more about it and it seems bi-distilled water is among the best. That's nice and cheap to get, especially at the commissary here

What exactly is Primo Flex LRT tubing? Is it similar to Tygon or PVC, or is it differently altogether?

Are the fittings and nozzles I was looking at good, or should I go with something from Bitspower?

So a 360 rad with all 3 fans at 1800-2000 RPM isn't enough cooling? Has anyone ever tried a push/pull config with a 360, using 6 fans? Heh, wild thought of mine right this moment. I wonder if it'd work and be more effective than a 480, but less costly and require less space.. My Cosmos S doesn't have room for a 480 =\..

But perhaps for the CPU I could do the single 360, and then for the cpus, I might be able to shoehorn in something else in another part of the case.. who knows. Maybe just cut the GPUs out completely.

That pump you suggested looks pretty good. I have 4 open 5.25" bays where I could easily mount a separate pump and reservoir.

And lastly, what's a good full-cover GPU block? http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7760/ex-blc-497/Danger_Den_DD-Tieton_GTX280260_VGA_Full_Card_Water_Block_Not_for_55nm_VersionsGPU-6880.html?tl=g30c311s792 looks good but it's not for the 55nm cards, which mine are. =\

Again, good information. Thanks

Any other recommendations?

 

[Shadow703793]

What exactly is Primo Flex LRT tubing? Is it similar to Tygon or PVC, or is it differently altogether?

Yes, it is more or less similar to Tygon except comes in various colors and has a bit better at not kinking.

Are the fittings and nozzles I was looking at good, or should I go with something from Bitspower?

If you have the budget, go for a good set of Bitspower.

But perhaps for the CPU I could do the single 360

Yes, that is easily done and will work quite well.

And lastly, what's a good full-cover GPU block? http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] 30c311s792 looks good but it's not for the 55nm cards, which mine are. =\

No idea. I haven't looked at full cover blocks for your card so can't recommend any thing there. You may want to post about a full cover block here: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=71

So a 360 rad with all 3 fans at 1800-2000 RPM isn't enough cooling? Has anyone ever tried a push/pull config with a 360, using 6 fans? Heh, wild thought of mine right this moment. I wonder if it'd work and be more effective than a 480, but less costly and require less space.. My Cosmos S doesn't have room for a 480 =\..

3x high flow/CFM fans are going to be quite a bit loud (which that Koolance is meant to be used with). I wouldn't really bother with 6x fans in push pull imo. For 2x SLIed 260s I would get a MCP355 + a single 360 rad.

My Cosmos S doesn't have room for a 480 =\..

Sure you do. You can mount it out side