Need advice on first water cooled build

[BBalling]

Hi,
First let me preface this by saying I have read the thread:
Tom's HW Watercooling- Info/FAQs/Links/Stickies
I'm still rather lost.
Currently my system will be approximately the following:

Processor: Intel i7 990x

Memory:

Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified Hydro Copper (after I finish the build I'll save up some extra and buy another for quad sli)

Motherboard: Asus Maximux 4 extreme

Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D

Storage: EITHER one SSD or a WD VilociRaptor & 1 TB of other storage

Power: Corsair AX1200 (suggestions?)

I think that covers everything but the cooling.

I plan to OC the CPU and the RAM. The normal air temperature in my room is about 80*F, varying by up to 20 degrees down in the winter and 5 to 10 degrees up in the summer.

In the case there is room for 1 triple 120 radiator, plus plenty of space for other cooling components.
Can someone tell me what Radiator(s), pump, resevoir, CPU block, etc would be good?
I'm quite confused.

Thanks, Brian

 

[boiler1990]

In the case there is room for 1 triple 120 radiator, plus plenty of space for other cooling components.
Can someone tell me what Radiator(s), pump, resevoir, CPU block, etc would be good?

I know the feeling. I think what you need is just a little direction, am I right?

What I would suggest doing is getting a total heat load that you need to cool - this can be roughly estimated by adding up the TDP of each component in the loop. That gives you the amount of heat that you'll need to remove in your loop.

I'd then look at Skinnee Labs' radiator round-up to determine the best radiator-fan combinations for you. In general, the XSPC RX rads, and some others like the HWLabs GTX and SR rads are great heat dissipators, but the fin-per-inch (FPI) count will determine to some extent what fans you should use.


As far as blocks go, there are comparisons everywhere. Well known CPU blocks include the Apogee XT Rev. 2, EK Supreme HF, XSPC Rasa, and Heatkiller's CPU blocks, and there are others such as DangerDen, etc.

 

[hellfire24]

why dont you consider self contained kits such as corsair h100.
by the way my suggestions-

this is a good cpu block-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835108113

a good radiator-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835108117

this is a tough pump-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835108097

any good resevoir

cool,silent and stylish fans-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118067

OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103091
(i have sickflows in my case and they are very good,no noise,no problems and great
cooling,)

 

[orangejuice789]

Newegg is a good site, but not necessarily the cheapest for water cooling... I would use Performance-Pcs.com or maybe jab-tech.com

 

[rubix_1011]

...Also not the most resourceful for watercooling...they really don't have a lot of selection and what they do have, is more expensive than you can find elsewhere.

 

[BBalling]

@Boiler:
Thanks for the post, it was very informative and helpful.
@all:
Do I need to cool other components besides the CPU/GPU(s)?
Ram, HDDs, Motherboard parts?

Once I know the total amount of heat I need to remove in watts how do I find out what radiators and fans to use? I would prefer to have quiet fans... and fun lighting is always cool. Not that it matters but neon purple and bright yellow are my favorite colors. And maybe I can find tubing that lights up the same color... they sell lighted tubing right?

Anyway, I've looked at this fan controller, do the fans need to be specific to work with it or a similar product? Is one of these even needed for any other reason but the "bling" factor?

Finally, once I know what components I'm putting together in the loop (blocks, rad, etc) how do I choose a pump? I know it needs a certain amount of power... hopefully it will be quiet too? (thats kind of the point, no?)

Thanks alot for the help everyone,
Brian

 

[manzooka]

Hey man,

I'm new to watercooling and have an 800D thread right next to yours in fact

You may find these two guides very helpful... I did. They will help you answer many of your questions.

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=355358 <-- beginner WC guide for 2011
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=354844 <-- 2011 WC buying guide

I'm in the market for a fan controller as well. Compatibility between fan and controller isn't an issue, but you'll want to make sure your controller can handle the number of fans you're going to throw at it. You don't need a controller because there's software that can accomplish the same tasks, but I dig the idea of adjusting sets of fans on the fly with the turn of a dial.

 

[boiler1990]

Fan controllers are especially nice if you need more hookups for fans. Motherboards have 3-5 3 pin headers, but you need Molex-3pin adapters if you want more. Fan controllers generally have 5-9 connectors (check the specs of the controller), and you get the benefit of instant speed control.