Starting to build it

OK, I've spent weeks pouring through forums and reviews both here and elsewhere. I believe I've come up with a decent plan for my new system. I've tried to go with overkill rather than under when I could and to buy quality parts that will perform and last. Here's my parts list and my plan as it exists so far. Please give opinions on what I might improve!

System components:
Gigabyte Aurora 3D case with vent side panel installed
PC Power & Cooling Quad 750 PSU
Asus Maximus Formula board
Intel e8400
EVGA 8800 GTS /512 video
2 (1x2) GB Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600)
Audigy 4 PCI sound card


Cooling system components (in loop order):
XSPC 5.25" Bay Reservoir - Black
Swiftech MCP655 pump
Swiftech Apogee GTX Extreme
Swiftech STEALTH VGA Waterblock w/ MOSFET Heatsink Rev 3
ThermoChill PA120.2 Dual 120mm Radiator w/shroud
1/2" Tygon R3603 tubing w/ stainless hose clamps on all connections
Fesser One fluid
Arctic Silver 5 on both waterblocks

Res will be in top bay, pump will be mounted to the crossbar that supports the power supply, all the way to the front of the case, just before the bays with the pump inlet pointing up.Radiator will be mounted externally in the back of the case, stood off with a "radbox" and/or rigid standoffs of some sort. I will mount 2 Yate-Loon D12SL-12 fans in pulling position on the shroud to augment airflow and draw in a bit of outside air rather than just relying on case exhaust air from stock fans. I plan to mount the radiator with the fittings at the bottom and put the tubes into the case through the stock holes. Not totally clear yet on exactly how I will attach the radiator.

What do you guys think? Everything is pretty much spread off across a bed now, a few parts still on the way so no assembled pics yet. Hopefully I described it well enough...

Thanks as always for sharing your wisdom and experience!

wreckwriter said:

Fesser One fluid

What do you guys think?

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Distilled (not deionized) water + antifreeze.

How much heat does your system produce and how much heat will your watercooling remove?

billb said:

Distilled (not deionized) water + antifreeze.

How much heat does your system produce and how much heat will your watercooling remove?

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I believe that's basically what this stuff is plus a bit of blue stuff, no? I don't know the answers to the questions yet, system is being built from ground up.

looks good, maybe get the 120.3 and not the 120.2, should leave head room for ocing.

wreckwriter said:

I believe that's basically what this stuff is plus a bit of blue stuff, no? I don't know the answers to the questions yet, system is being built from ground up.

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It might be the same but Distilled is much much cheaper ($1 a gallon). For additives, just toss in a couple drops of biocide/algaecide. You don't need an anticorrosive (ie. Antifreeze) as you're not running Cu and Al in the same loop.

SolidxSnake said:

It might be the same but Distilled is much much cheaper ($1 a gallon). For additives, just toss in a couple drops of biocide/algaecide. You don't need an anticorrosive (ie. Antifreeze) as you're not running Cu and Al in the same loop.

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Actually I think I am; the CPU block is a combination of AL and CU. I couldn't see another 30 bucks for the copper top piece. Should I have spent the extra?

YES <<<<<

Conumdrum said:

YES <<<<<

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Yea, I have to agree. I went ahead and ordered one since I'm stuck anyway needed to get a new GPU block.

OK, I'm convinced on the distilled water. I've heard it enough times now. I'll get the copper piece for my cpu block and will ensure my GPU block (whatever I get) is copper.

Wait, aren't radiators aluminum too?

wreckwriter said:

Wait, aren't radiators aluminum too?

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Only if you buy koolance

meionm said:

Only if you buy koolance

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You're right, my bust; I should have checked before I posted. Mine is brass/copper which should not be a dissimilar metals issue.

Your block is not mixing metals. The top is in fact Al, but it has dual Nickel coatings (which is fine). If you have nickel, brass or copper in a loop, then you'll be fine. None of your components have anything but those three so you'll be fine without antifreeze.

Swiftech said:

The housing is CNC machined out of billet aluminum and receives two plating's for a lifetime protection against corrosion: electroless nickel plating (MIL-C-26074E grade B) and Zinc Cobalt plating (ASTM B 840-99 grade 6). A black die is applied after plating strictly for cosmetic appeal.

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You'll be fine without an anticorrosive.

wreckwriter said:

I believe that's basically what this stuff is plus a bit of blue stuff, no? I don't know the answers to the questions yet, system is being built from ground up.

Click to expand...

I'm confused then. If you don't know how much heat your system will produce, how can you know what water cooling parts to buy? ....are you guessing? ...are you going by other peoples guesses? ...what?

billb said:

I'm confused then. If you don't know how much heat your system will produce, how can you know what water cooling parts to buy? ....are you guessing? ...are you going by other peoples guesses? ...what?

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Some of both of those but I like to consider it at least an educated guess. Based on the system components it should generate a fair amount of heat but nothing terribly above typical. My thinking is to get the best cooling system parts I can afford; I find it unlikely that I could over-cool it. I've never used any sort of formula when building a system, just research on the components and how they work together.

Have I made some critical error somewhere?

Looks decent but stuff I'd change

XSPC 5.25" Bay Reservoir - Black - **NO, it will sound like an aquarium, get a swiftech microres or go bleed type
Swiftech Apogee GTX Extreme**D-tek fuZion with a nozzle kit, I've had a bowed GTX with copper top and Fuzion, and the fuzion eats the gtx alive
Swiftech STEALTH VGA Waterblock w/ MOSFET Heatsink Rev 3 **MCW-60 with Iandh ramsink better overall cooling and not putting the vregs and ram into the cooling loop
ThermoChill PA120.2 Dual 120mm Radiator w/shroud **120.3 so you don't have to run your fans on psycho mode
Arctic Silver 5 on both waterblocks **do not use it on GPU block, the GPU is bare die and AS5 is electrically conductive, you'll be coupling the base of the die to the rest of your system. I'd use MX2 on everything, and I do

Thanks for the tips. I'm definitely taking your advice on the radiator and will consider the others. As for the AS5 on the GPU, I've never heard that before, thanks for pointing it out. Is this something new? I've used AS5 on GPUs in the past and not had trouble. Maybe I just got lucky??

wreckwriter said:

Thanks for the tips. I'm definitely taking your advice on the radiator and will consider the others. As for the AS5 on the GPU, I've never heard that before, thanks for pointing it out. Is this something new? I've used AS5 on GPUs in the past and not had trouble. Maybe I just got lucky??

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You've been lucky. I've had problems a few times with AS5, if it goes around the corner of the die at all it can put a mild resistive and capacitive load on the die causing weird problems. Also, I dropped a few degrees using MX2 over AS5. Another perk is you can use MX2 on everything, the ram, the vregs, anywhere you want, and it works great. I got about a degree and a half at idle and 2 degrees at load using MX2 on the processor(although I recently switched to Shin Etsu X23 which netted me zero change, but it was worth a try), 5 degrees on my MCP, and 4 on the GPUs which had ceramique on them, usually AS5 is good for 3-5 degrees over ceramique, and MX2 is good for 2-3 degrees over that.


I tried a danger den ione, and a swiftech stealth before going to my old faithful MCW60 and buying a second MCW60R, the full coverage blocks cool decently but don't let your card be all that they can be, plus they put un-needed heat into the loop. The iandh sinks let the vregs worry about their own heat, and the memory worry about itself. With the danger den Ione, the memory temp would track about 4 degrees behind the core temp because of how everything is tied together. With the iandh sinks my memory is usually at ambient temp at idle, and 3-5 degrees above ambient at load, which let me milk a few extra clocks out of them and helped my stability a lot.

plus they are sexy

They are kinda sexy... I keep hearing that the full coverage isn't the best way to go; may switch before its all over. Already made multiple changes based on this thread: radiator to .3, lose the blue fluid, copper top for CPU block, AS-5 to MX-2. Som,e things I have to learn on my own but sure do appreciate the tips.

I REALLY appreciate the tips on the AS5, I had no idea and have been using it since it came out. MX2 is on the way and will be used exclusively from here on out.

Generally the full coverage are easier to cope with , just a single block to take care of everything, but from the danger den Ione to the MCW-60 my temps dropped pretty drastically. I dropped about 2°C on the GPU, and about 8°C on the memory at idle, under load it was about 4°C drop on the GPU and 12°C on the memory. It makes sense if you look how the single coverage blocks work. They tie the GPU, memory, and voltage regulators together with a piece copper so they all share their heat.

Also are you sure the stealth fits on your card? Last I checked it only worked for G80 GTS not G92. They say it is for 8800 series but in fact it is not for 8800GT or 8800GTS G92. I used the stealth on my old 320meg GTS and it was ok, but when I jumped to the 8800GT the only ones I could find were the DD ione and the EK full coverage, and the only one I could find in stock at the time was the DD, so I tried it and didn't like it.

No, the Stealth does not fit. I had to swap it out (story in another thread). I chose the DD Ione as the replacement. Now you got me rethinking again...

That sexy RAM sink is not guaranteed to fit GTS but sure looks like it will ( http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/cui88mevrmco.html ). as for the block, that I think won't fit GTS but FuZion-GFX VGA Waterblock would. Damn decisions...