Going to water cool but

[Breaz]

hello

I'm going to water cool my system but i don't know if i should try to water cool my two 6950's or sell them and get a 7970.
I have read that 1 7970 is about 30% faster then one 6970 so if i can do it without selling that would be the best thing i think

i have a 1090t overclocked to 4013
Both my 6950's are unlocked with 6970 bios
16 gig HMS 3 ram 1333
antec AX 750 watt
i will need a new case as this one is about 8 years old

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[rubix_1011]

Well, you didn't really ask any questions, so not really sure how serious you are and what direction you are going in just yet. It sounds like you have some time before you make any decisions, so this is a great time to read up as much as you can on watercooling. Have you read through the watercooling sticky? If not, I have it linked in my signature below.

Regardless of which route you are going to go, once you get a budget figured out and some planning (which would include a case, it seems) you'll want to use the info you've read through to help you decide what is the best for your build and your budget. If there is anything that you really should start considering and planning for is space to mount the WC gear and budget...the rest we can work with (depending on the first 2).

Good luck- I didn't really know where to start, so I just went with the basics.

 

[inzone]

If you want to water cool the 6950's then you can find a water block fairly easy , but if you want to water cool the 7970 then you may have to wait a while for the blocks to come out and it will be a slow process for each vendor to release a water block for any new card. You can check out the water block listed below and others on that site.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_971_240_577&products_id=30515

 

[rubix_1011]

Also need to take into consideration is if the card is reference or not...this is pretty important.

 

[Breaz]

thanks for the reply i guess i should have asked how hard or easy is it to cool two cards compared to one card? I just finished reading the reviews on the 7970 and think i will stick to my two 6950's if it doesn't requir a much bigger pump/radiator i have been reading up on water cooling for about 3 mounth but i hav'nt seen very much about crossfire and water cooling the cards are reference.

I was thinking on going with 2 loops one for cpu and chipset (maybe ram)
the other for gpu's

The other question that i have is in 2 or 3 years when the gpu's are alot more powerful how hard is it to upgratde will i only need to change the blocks?

 

[Breaz]

as far as the case is concerned any one you like over the other ?

I like Antec and Corsair but anything will do what about

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_111&item_id=036312

i go here because it's an hour away and can drive there prices are decent to.

 

[rubix_1011]

You don't need to watercool RAM at all. Chipset meaning NB or SB? It depends if the blocks cover both or not...but again, not really needed. You don't need 2 loops- no reason.

I'd suggest reading through the watercooling sticky- most of the questions you are asking are covered in there.

 

[boiler1990]

For the same price as the Antec 1200, you could get the Cooler Master HAF X, which will easily fit a 3x120 radiator and I believe another 2x120 radiator.

I used to run 2x6950 2GBs flashed to 6970s and I have a 3x120 and 1x120 radiator in my loop. I was hitting ~45C max on both GPUs.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

as far as the case is concerned any one you like over the other ?

I like Antec and Corsair but anything will do what about

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_111&item_id=036312

i go here because it's an hour away and can drive there prices are decent to.

The 1200 V3 is a great case, one of my top 5.....with the tie for 2nd, there;s no 5th place finish

1. Level 10 GT
2. Antec 1200 V3 or DF-85
3. Corsair 500R
4. HAF-X

One of the best things about it is it's ability to take CPX form factor PSU's which have an inherent acoustic and cooling advantage over their ATX counterparts......besides the PSU;'s being 10,0 jonnnyguru performance rated.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=142

It is completely unmatched by any ATX unit on the market I can think of. You'd have to spend twice as much as this thing costs to find the next best thing, performance wise.

Here's how silentpcreview.com describes the thermal and acoustic advantages of the 1200 w/ the CP PSU

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article971-page7.html

The above is an obviously unfair advantage for the CP-850... but what of it? Antec has used an integrated systems approach for its CP-850 and its best cases, and if that approach is an advantage over all other case/PSU combinations, then, all the more power to Antec! It's not uncommon for enthusiasts to frequently replace the motherboard and components that mount onto it — such as CPU, RAM and video card — while the case and PSU are retained. There would be ample reason to take that approach with the CP-850 and one of the compatible Antec cases.

 

[Breaz]

ok great i'll read through the stiky although i don't know when..... but i'll find time thanks to all for the replies.

ps anybody have or heard about the 200mm rad for the 1200?

 

[boiler1990]

I happened to see that today, and I don't think it'll work well because what I found said it is an aluminum core, which will destroy copper/nickel blocks (almost all blocks).