First Time Help Please !

[Landspeeder]

It is time for a new rig build, and this will be my first foray into watercooling. Please look at my list and let me know what you think. This is system will be overclocked, but must maintain a very quite noise level.

I plan on a single loop (rad->res->pump->vga->nb->cpu->vrm1->vrm2->rad), the rad will go in the top of the case

What I have (new in box)
Feser 480 Extreme
Bitspower G1/4 Silver ½ fittings
Tygon R3603 ½ ID ¾ OD Lab tubing #AAC00038
Bitspower D5/MCP655 Pump Mod top
Breeze Miniature Hose Clamp 7/16 to 25/32
Swiftech MCP655 variable
EK Multioption RES 150 v2
Primochill anti kink coils for ¾ OD
Stacker 810

What I plan to buy
QTY PRICE TOTAL PRICE ITEM LINK
MOBO 1 290 290 Asus P6T Deluxe V2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365

CPU 1 280 280 920 (D0) I7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

POWER SUPPLY 1 280 280 Enermax Rev 85+ 950w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194040

OS HARD DRIVE 1 370 370 OCZ Vertex 128 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227395

STORAGE (raid 5) 3 150 450 HE1030UJ 1 TB Raid Class http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152119&Tpk=HE103UJ

MEMORY 1 125 125 OCZ Gold 6 GB PC3 12800 (DDR3 1600) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365

VIDEO CARD 1 330 330 BFG GTX 285 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143190

MOBO COOLER 1 105 105 Bitspower Black Freezer AIX58NS http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/biblfraifora.html

VRM cooler 1 1 40 40 BP-WBPAMOS2-BK http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/blfrmosampom.html
VRM cooler 2 1 40 40 BP-WBPAMOS3-BK http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/biblfrmosamp.html
CPU COOLER 1 60 60 Swiftech Apogee GTZ SE 1336 http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swapgtzsesed.html

VIDEO COOLER 1 115 115 EK GTX 285 (check site?) http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/ek-nvidia-geforce-285-gtx-vga-water-cooling-block-ek-fc285-gtx.html

COOLANT 2 14 28 Fesser One http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/feonef1coflu2.html

[Conumdrum]

Only thing I see is your choice of liquid. Don't need that expensive stuff. Distilled water and Petras PHN Nuke or a killcoil.

[dyckah]

ditto what he said about the liquid.
and im sure you could get some 1TB drives for around $100, if you went with some western digital drives or something

[Landspeeder]

Thanks.

So the liquid will be distilled water with petras pt-phn nuke... and a kill coil tossed into the reservoir. Also, the fittings are bitspower's silver fittings.

Normally I do use much cheaper drives. These I wanted as they were built specifically with raid in mind. WD has some nice server class drives, but they cost a good deal more than these seagates.

[dyckah]

you only need the PHN nuke, or the kil coil, dont need both

[Landspeeder]

Any reason having both will hurt? Neither are much cash so I do not mind.

[dyckah]

i dont think there is any problems with using both of them

[Landspeeder]

Cool...
I tend to overkill any project I work on... and I really do appreciate the advice ;O

[Landspeeder]

Another thought... is this cooling setup adequate?

[dyckah]

normally, i think you'd be wanting two seperate loops, one for the cpu, one for the gpu

[Grieg]

normally, i think you'd be wanting two seperate loops, one for the cpu, one for the gpu

Hmm... for big OCs and better temps, I'd agree. However, for silence and $ considerations, a single loop might better meet his requirements. He's got a Feser 480, so I'm betting even with a fairly good OC he'll be in pretty good shape temp wise.

I run a i7-920 OC'd to 3.6ghz and a GTX280 in a single loop with a 360 feser rad, and I never see temps high enough to even begin to alarm me. Even during a good 5+ hour gaming session, the CPU / GPU temps are under 45c and the water temp itself doesn't even hit 34c.

I'm thinking he'll be fine w/ that setup, and with the right fans, it will be very quiet.

I'm not sure I'd mess with the Black Freezer stuff if the case has any airflow at all, but that's just me.

[Landspeeder]

Do you think this would be a pressure problem or a radiator heat dissipation problem?

If I can stick to the loop as is, that would be great...

If not, what about a 335 hooked up to a 2x120 fesser, cooling the NB, VRM1, VRM2... leaving the current setup to cool the CPU and GPU?

[Grieg]

Do you think this would be a pressure problem or a radiator heat dissipation problem?

If I can stick to the loop as is, that would be great...

If not, what about a 335 hooked up to a 2x120 fesser, cooling the NB, VRM1, VRM2... leaving the current setup to cool the CPU and GPU?
I'm wondering about the flow restriction you'll have w/ all the mobo cooling your going to put in one loop.

I'd stick with CPU/GPU, make sure the case has airflow, and call it a day. Don't overcomplicate it. I'm not sure you'd even need the NM, VRM1&2 setup.

Are you going for benching records, or is this a daily use gaming rig?

[Landspeeder]

I need to do 3.9 ghz to meet work specs. Above 4.0 while nice, would only (at this point) amount to bragging rights.

3.9 stable and fairly quite is what I want. Because of Stability/ Maintainability I believe I would only want 1 loop (mind you I have no experience with watercooling a PC) . This PC will run 24/7 and my thought is if the pump fails, it will shut down as the CPU temp rises. The video card will only be put through its paces when I am directly using the PC for fun and can more easily monitor the system... I am therefore not terribly concerned about the gpu overheating in a worse case scenario.

Thanks for your system specs Grieg. I do not think I'll have enough pressure drop from the addition of the two VRMs and the single NB/SB cooler to affect the performance of the CPU/GPU greatly. Anyone who knows from experience differently, please let me know. Also if you know from experience enforcing this view please let me know. :)

The capacitors used and the pump used should last me 5 years with no problems (as per the specs). The hard-drives are designed to last 7 years of constant use with no problems. Essentially, this computer will be used for 4-4.5 years non-stop... with the only hard maintenance for dusting, or flushing out the water...

Also... I am assuming a 1 year fluid change is adequate.

Thanks again everyone for being such a great help!

[Landspeeder]

another idea if you think I'll have flow restriction problems.
1 main loop, 1 side loop
Main Loop
rad->res(main)->pump->vga->cpu->rad
Side Loop
res(main)->res/pump (335 w/res top)->nb->vrm1->vrm2->res(main)

[Landspeeder]

I do not care about benchmark records.
Here are my requirements

Work:
4 cores, each at 3.9 ghz. 5 gigs ram. Redundant storage (must be raid class drives), 4 year minimum lifespan, 24/7 uptime on a budget for data access.

Play:
Quite, single core GPU able to play all modern games so as to avoid potential driver issues, ssd boot drive, minimal maintenence

[Grieg]

My first bit of advice for you is: If this is your first build, keep it simple.
My second bit of advice is: KEEP IT SIMPLE. I'm not lying.

So, my general opinion is:

You'll find that once you get in there and start to mess with the logistics of placing the pump, routing the tubes, getting the res / fill port / drainage into place, that everything you had initially planed on doing had to be changed. It may have been a slight change, you may have to rework the whole setup until you're satisfied.

Having to feed that many WC blocks in such a small space would be difficult for the experienced WC enthusiast. IMO, If this is your first build, don't mess with it. There are tons of little things (but important things) you learn on your first build. Get that experience under your belt before you go nuts w/ that other stuff. For example: Plan a way to easily drain the system. Getting the loop together and working is one thing, but if you can't drain it in ~ 10 minutes, you're going to be kicking yourself down the road.

Besides, I haven't heard of any severe issues with NB overheats on that mobo. If you're not pushing for benching records, I don't think you'll need it. Save your cash. You can easily hit 4.0ghz on water without cooling the NB.

[Landspeeder]

Grieg, from what I have read about overclocking on the asus p6t deluxe, watercooling the chipsets/vrm is essential for long term stability if you want to maintain a fairly quite system. The play (and it is much outdated now) system that I currently use is bloody loud... that is no longer acceptable.

The cpu will be receiving a LOT of use... the GPU will only receive about 2-3 hours of hardcore use a week (closer to 5 a week in the winter).

[Grieg]

another idea if you think I'll have flow restriction problems.
1 main loop, 1 side loop
Main Loop
rad->res(main)->pump->vga->cpu->rad
Side Loop
res(main)->res/pump (335 w/res top)->nb->vrm1->vrm2->res(main)

The nb / vrm components don't produce enough heat to really require their own loop. If you did go with a second loop, I'd tie those components in with the GPU.

Loop1: rad->res->pump->cpu->

Loop2: rad->res->pump->nb->vrm1->vrm2->gpu

[Grieg]

Grieg, from what I have read about overclocking on the asus p6t deluxe, watercooling the chipsets/vrm is essential for long term stability if you want to maintain a fairly quite system. The play (and it is much outdated now) system that I currently use is bloody loud... that is no longer acceptable.

The cpu will be receiving a LOT of use... the GPU will only receive about 2-3 hours of hardcore use a week (closer to 5 a week in the winter).

Hmmm... folks are putting 920's in that mobo and OCing to 4.0ghz on air cooling. I'm just not certain myself that its needed. Others may disagree.

Anyway, see my previous response about the loop setups.

:)

[Landspeeder]

Grieg (and co. :) ),

I want you to know that I REALLY appreciate the advice. I am not arguing, but rather making sure all points are well defined and covered... that I understand all opinions, and that everyone giving advice understands my requirements (I should have put the requirements in my first post... sorry guys).

This is my first watercooling build of a PC... I have built hundreds of PCs... integrating many into houses, cars, boats, etc. I also do a good deal of automotive, audio, and crossover design and construction (for a hobby/side job). I understand that the design will likely change as I go. Working in very detailed, small spaces is not an issue for me... and I am willing to take the time needed to do so.

The main reason I am pushing for a single loop is not for cost, but rather for reliability and maintainability. If need be, I can buy about $250 of additional cooling components for this intended rig.

If a dual loop is needed, I am willing to do that, either with a 120x2 radiator and a mcp335... or using a 335 off of the current reservoir (leaving the main loop to take care of cooling the fluid and replenishing the reservoir.

As for filling I have a fill port that will be a slightly higher elevation than the rad feeding into the res. For draining I have a T-line that will have the 90* branch facing downwards into another fill port installed on the bottom of the case.

The rad will be placed into the top of the case. The main reason I decided on a push configuration was so I can quickly change a fan if it burns out.

[Landspeeder]

"Hmmm... folks are putting 920's in that mobo and OCing to 4.0ghz on air cooling."

I am only worried about long term stability.
I am also willing to try air on these components, and later get a second loop if need be.

[ned3000]

A few random observations:

My Asus Rampage Extreme NB runs pretty hot without WC. I suspect NB temps are what's limiting my memory speed (just my own unscientific speculation.)

The Swiftech 355 (with the XSPC res top) might be a better choice than the 655 if it's going through a lot of stuff.

That flash drive will degrade over time. Make sure you can replace it without disrupting things too much. Also, space could run out there as some obnoxious software insists on using space on the main drive.

[Conumdrum]

Lotsa good advise here, good job folks.

[Landspeeder]

I already have the D5 in my closet :)
The flash needs to last 5 years... but it will be wiped back to state ~once a year...

Thanks for all the heads up guys

[Landspeeder]

A little update. All items ordered.

The loop will be a single loop, however compromised from the original design. All that will be cooled will be the cpu, gpu, and the nb/sb using 3 blocks. The vrm1 and 2 will instead be cooled via thermalright heatsinks, offering much more surface area than stock.
Again I would like to thank everyone for all of the help.

[rustyfender]

one thing with the pt nuke and killcoil the more of that stuff you add the worse the ability the system has to cool cause the thermal capacity of that stuff is much lower so dont go overkill on that cause its infact a step backwards

[Landspeeder]

A new Question on Torque as I have begun to assemble the line:
How tight should the fittings be screwed in? Hand tight... or do I need to put on extra torque via a wrench?

Good deal rusty...

I planned on using the PT-PHN nuke per the specs (4 drops / 1L distilled water... which I believe is 15 drops / 1 Gallon)

I have 1 kill coil which will set in the Reservoir (I don't believe I would want the extra resistance in the lines)... plus all my fittings are bitspower silver.

[ricflairw000]

A new Question on Torque as I have begun to assemble the line:
How tight should the fittings be screwed in? Hand tight... or do I need to put on extra torque via a wrench?

Good deal rusty...

I planned on using the PT-PHN nuke per the specs (4 drops / 1L distilled water... which I believe is 15 drops / 1 Gallon)

I have 1 kill coil which will set in the Reservoir (I don't believe I would want the extra resistance in the lines)... plus all my fittings are bitspower silver.
I have that exact anti algae set up!!

i went finger tight and then 1/4 turn

that was good for me

[Landspeeder]

Thanks man ;)