Help With Setting up a Water cooling computer!

[i7HD]

Hello everyone! I've been an avid gamer for many years and i haven't upgraded my computer in way too many years. Since i have a job that can pay the bills and leave some extra $ behind, i started saving my extra cash. 6.5 months of saving money now has me with a little over $2500!

With that $2500 USD i would like to build a brand new gaming computer.

I haven't made a build in 6 years so here i go!

Cpu = http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388575

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128552

cases? Wasn't sure what i would need = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119252

ram x2 = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233142

screen = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100

PSU = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171049

GPU = I know that i want a 670 but, i'm not sure if it would be better to watercool it or buy something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685

HD = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533


for the water cooling parts i've done some research, but i need help with parts

RES= http://www.swiftech.com/mcresmicrorev2reservoir.aspx i would like a res that is in my drive bay, but i don't know what brand/type would be the best for my situation

Pump = http://www.swiftech.com/mcp655.aspx#tab5

RAD = http://www.swiftech.com/mcrx20-xp-radiator-series-1.aspx for radiator which would be the best

for the cpu block, i have no idea :/ so many brands. what do you think is the best?

lastly, if i was to have my cpu and gpu watercooled, what would i have to change?

Please leave any helpful advise! All is accepted.

 

[nna2]

anything over 1600MHz for ram is a waste, there is literally no difference in performance that can be justified by the price hike (2% difference from 1333 to 2000MHz)

and, watercooling is something you do for show, if you are looking to go to lan event's and whatnot, then go ahead, but if your'e looking for functionality, then go for air cooling, i reccomend the noctua DH-N14 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

and for the ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

1Kw is overkill for a 670 build http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341051 should fit well in a full tower

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216 here is the case i have, mid tower, but very good, i would reccomend this unless your set on a full tower

so if you follow what i reccomended above, that saves about 400$

so maybe you could get one of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125422

 

[rubix_1011]

and, watercooling is something you do for show, if you are looking to go to lan event's and whatnot, then go ahead, but if your'e looking for functionality, then go for air cooling

I disagree.

Closed loop coolers (Corsair/Antec/etc) would fall into this category, but for very high overclocks on SB and IB chips, True watercooling can really make a difference at higher clock frequencies. A watercooling loop that includes GPUs can easily drop load temps 30-40C.

 

[zloginet]

Totally agree... However, depending on what you mean by Water Cooling, $2500 might not be enough.

 

[Delirious788]

and, watercooling is something you do for show, if you are looking to go to lan event's and whatnot, then go ahead, but if your'e looking for functionality, then go for air cooling

wow...just wow...

I would throw in an SSD, like an Agility 3 120GB or Crucial m4 128GB, it doesnt have to be anything fancy, but will gice a good boost in performance

Your build looks good, but for the watercooling parts I would suggest maybe looking at xtremesystems.org and asking there. A LOT more watercooling talk goes on there

 

[boiler1990]

Welcome!

I've spent most of my time in the New Build/Homebuilt forums, so I'll give you my system builder perspective and then the WC perspective

Cpu = http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388575

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128552

Solid choice on the CPU, though if you're looking to OC heavily then Ivy Bridge might not be the platform for you. However, at Microcenter prices it's a no-brainer to get this over a Sandy Chip since you get a slight performance increase for less than the 2600K/2700K retail.

The motherboard is a bit overkill - if you're looking to go with a black theme, the ASRock, EVGA, and other Gigabyte boards might be your best bet without breaking the bank. I'd say ~$200 is the right amount to spend on a performance board, though most of the cheaper ones are still good these days. My P67A-UD4-B3 clocks pretty pretty well and it was only a $160 board when it released (which was pricey a year ago).

cases? Wasn't sure what i would need = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119252

The case is a balance between space, rad mounting, and your preferences. Almost all of us here (some more than others) have done some tweaking to our cases to fit WC components. Mid-towers are a bit cramped for WCing, but they can manage it if you mount rads externally.

Corsair is doing a pretty good job making their cases WCing compatible. If you're looking to cool a GPU and CPU, I'd look for something that can fit at least a 3x120mm radiator. The 800D has been known to fit a 3x120 and 2x120 rad with minimal effort; the downside is that it's not as original or hands-on as some might like.

ram x2 = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233142

Solid RAM, but I might not get the second kit. If you're doing standard things (i.e. not work applications or editing), 8GB is more than enough, and if you think you need more down the road you can just throw in a second kit.

screen = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100

I would take the $60 saved from the RAM and bump this up to a 23"/24" display. 21.5" is a bit small for a lot of things, and you'll wish you had gotten the larger monitor when this arrives. Asus makes some good displays, as do Dell, Samsung, and a few others.

I've owned Dell's E and P series displays, and won't go back to anything else. They're LED backlit, vibrant and colorful, but at the same time matted slightly to reduce glare and very well built.

PSU = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171049

I would buy the Corsair equivalent - for a CPU + GTX 670, you're looking at barely over 500W. I would get at least 650W to account for the WC components and OCs. The Corsair HX750 would be a good buy, and I think it's about the same price - plus you get modular (i.e. removable) cables.

GPU = I know that i want a 670 but, i'm not sure if it would be better to watercool it or buy something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685

Your temp drops will be pretty dramatic on water, but in a good air case they'll stay cool as well. I recently swapped in a 670 for my 560Ti, and the temps are a tad lower on the 670 thanks to it's lower TDP. The reference cooler will certainly be a bit loud since they don't use very quiet fans on those...

HD = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

Pretty standard. I would also recommend throwing in a SSD as a boot drive. You'll notice the difference in system response immediately. Go for an Intel 330/520, Samsung 830 or Crucial M4, and a minimum size of 128GB. OCZ's drives are cheap because they've had a bad rep for failing - don't get suckered in to "deals".

for the water cooling parts i've done some research, but i need help with parts

RES= http://www.swiftech.com/mcresmicrorev2reservoir.aspx i would like a res that is in my drive bay, but i don't know what brand/type would be the best for my situation

Pump = http://www.swiftech.com/mcp655.aspx#tab5

RAD = http://www.swiftech.com/mcrx20-xp-radiator-series-1.aspx for radiator which would be the best

for the cpu block, i have no idea :/ so many brands. what do you think is the best?

lastly, if i was to have my cpu and gpu watercooled, what would i have to change?

Please leave any helpful advise! All is accepted.

Pumps, reservoirs, and blocks are pretty standard - you can find charts telling you which perform the best and how much they cost. Not too difficult.

What is important is that you get the radiators and fans right, since those are really what determine your cooling performance.

The general WCing procedure is as follows:

1. Determine how much $$ you have to spend on watercooling. Anything below $100 and you'll have a tough time building a CPU-only loop. ~$300-400 will get you better parts and probably a GPU in the loop (since the 670s run cooler than your traditional GPU)

2. Determine the components you're going to cool (let's just say you decide to cool the GPU too)

3. Calculate the TDP of the components (go to the manufacturers' sites, find the TDP, and add together for the whole loop)

4. Determine your 'Delta' (difference between water and room temps; 5C is a great system, while 10C is only 'good' but is generally much cheaper). This is as simple as saying "I want a 5C Delta" (explained more in the next step)

5. Look up rad/fan combinations that will meet/exceed this TDP. There are several sites in the WC Sticky at the top of the forum that link to reviews of rads. You'll find charts that correlate fan speed to heat dissipation for a given Delta (this is where it's important); if you want a lower Delta, you need to dissipate more heat.

6. Shop around. Look at the sites linked in the sticky. Don't be afraid to buy off of forums like here, HardForum, and AnandTech, but DO BE CAREFUL - not everybody is smart when it comes to WCing, so some people run some weird crap in their loops. Ask many questions about what they ran, what coolant they used, and get pictures.

7. Settle on what you're going to buy, but make sure to get some feedback (everybody forgets something or overspends once in a while).

8. Buy stuff. There is generally much rejoicing at this stage.

9. Assemble. Keep us updated since it's like porn.

10. Have an awesome computer. Screw my work laptop.

 

[rubix_1011]

4. Determine your 'Delta' (difference between water and room temps; 5C is a great system, while 10C is only 'good' but is generally much cheaper). This is as simple as saying "I want a 5C Delta" (explained more in the next step)

Yep.

4. Look up rad/fan combinations that will meet/exceed this TDP. There are several sites in the WC Sticky at the top of the forum that link to reviews of rads. You'll find charts that correlate fan speed to heat dissipation for a given Delta (this is where it's important); if you want a lower Delta, you need to dissipate more heat.

These tips are sooo good, that there are two #4's.

8. Assemble. Keep us updated since it's like porn.

Very true. And it's work safe.

 

[boiler1990]

Haha my laptop was acting up when I inserted the first #4, so I missed that I numbered them incorrectly. Edited because I'm a stickler like that

My work laptop sucks hardcore.

 

[mukitbinazad]

well xspc raystorm,swiftech apogee hd and the ek supermacy are the top of the line cpu waterblocks....you should get one of these 3....get a bay reservoir of your choice..actually there isn't any best or worst in the case of reservoirs....i like the ek spin bay reservoir..you could get that one

 

[boiler1990]

There is definitely a worst reservoir - the Primochill Monsoon D5 bayres. It is assembled well, but has no instructions in the retail box (or mine was just a bad egg), the flow pattern doesn't make much sense (VERY confusing without those instructions...), and the mounting design is very strange (difficult to assemble, and again it's almost impossible without the instructions.

The only issue I have with the good bayres's is that they're pricey. Some of the nicer ones are close to $100, yet they're still made out of $5 plastic/plexi. You still end up forking over $50 for bad ones like the Primochill Monsoon too.

Also, it makes more sense to get a bayres with the pump attached rather than just a res. The EK Spin bayres doesn't mount a pump inside.