Watercooling Build List

A little confusion

Ok so im planning my next build currently, of which im going to WC.

Iv pretty much determined what parts im going to use but still have a few questions. Im shooting for 1/2" ID tubing but... questions!

CASE - Coolermaster atcs 840
CPU (I7 920)- Apogee XT
GPU (ATI 5870)- EK Full Cover 5870 Acetal
Pump - Swiftech MCP655
Rad - Unsure (3x120mm)
Bay Resevoir - Unsure (possibly EK bay spin)
Tubing - 1/2" ID (Most confused part)

I might do NB/SB if its needed or if i get bored lol but thats for later.

So to the questions:

1) Firstly since im shooting for 1/2" ID how does this match up with the parts iv chose so far.
2) Tubing! What is the best OD size tubing(i have noticed some brands tossed around) for this type of setup? And what barbs should i have for this setup as well?
3) Would a single or dual bay reservoir be best? I want to keep the system internal.
4) Im completely prepared and plan on heavily modding this setup and of course OCing, so would i need to mod any of the WC parts?(obviously not the blocks)

Thats all i can think of right now, These may be stupid questions but I simply need a better explanation since this will be my first WC system, and I apologise in advance. Trust me Iv looked and looked for some of these answers and its just not clicking for some reason. Also I may turn this into a Crossfire setup later as well as as i said before cooling other areas, but my primary concern is the CPU/GPU loop for now.

Welcome!

great parts picked out thusfar, but since you want to keep things internal and to save on space i would change out your res and pump options to the following.


XSPC Acrylic Dual 5.25” Reservoir + Swiftech MCP355

it will take up only 2 drive bays (as would the ek spin) but it also includes the pump.

as for your rad choice do you like silence or does it matter?
because of your heat load i would opt for one of the thicker rads out such as the XSPC RX series, Black ice SR-1 Series, or GTX series, feser or thermochill rads.




1. the barbs you pick will tell you which tubing to use. so if you use all 1/2" barbs you will use 7/16" or 1/2" tubing.

2. since your after 1/2" barbs you want to use 1/2" ID (inner diameter) tubing or if you want a tighter fit (less chance of leaks) you can use 7/16" ID tubing.
some good brands are tygon, masterkleer, primochill LRT, feser, XSPC.

3. size of the res doesn't matter, but i would use the double res i posted above.

4. no, well you shouldn't have to. you may have to make some brackets and such to hold things, but the parts themselves you shouldn't have to.


here are some more guides that should help.

http://overclockerstech.com/index.p...s&catid=40:overclocking-and-cooling&Itemid=88

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253958-29-watercooling-guide

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=631501 - though i personally take my blocks apart to inspect for anything.

Ok thanks for the clearup, In your opinion 7/16" tubing would provide roughly the same flow performance while minimizing leak potential on 1/2" barbs? Did i get that correctly? Ill probably go with the Tygon, as the praise is extremely high?

Radiators: Black Ice SR1 360 vs XSPC RX360 vs Black Ice GT Stealth 420?
Im assuming the 420 would provide lower dissipation than the 360's?

Pump: Why the 355 over the 655? Mind you Im looking at making this to be an upgradable setup for future additions, which is why i chose the 655. But i could be wrong in this choice lol. Which might require a 2nd loop?(ie: crossfire)

Oh and last but not least thanks for the help!

because XSPC dual bay res can only take mcp 355/50. since it is build in but dont worry the mcp 355 is as strong as mcp655.

So with the help from Spawn-Inc(seriously ty!) Iv made a better list of the parts I will use in my setup.

Blocks
CPU - Swiftech Apogee XT : $69.95 + $7.02 Shipping
GPU - EK Full Cover 5870 Acetal : $104.95 + $8.98 Shipping

Other Parts
Radiator - Black Ice GTX 360 : $99.95 + $7.08 Shipping
Pump - Swiftech MCP355 : $64.99 + $5.99 Shipping
Reservoir - XSPC Dual 5.25" Bay Split Reservoirs : $49.95 + $6.73 Shipping

Tubing and Fittings
Tubing - Tygon R3603 7/16in. ID 10FT : $19.00 + $7.02 Shipping
Compression Fitting - 10x Bitspower Matt Black 1/2in ID 5/8in OD : $75.00 + $7.02 Shipping

Total Without Fittings : $408.79 + $42.82 = $451.61
Total with Compression Fittings : $483.79 + $49.84 = 533.63

Thoughts?

Looks very nice .
For my self I can never justify spending that much on fittings when you could spend $5 on worm clams =)

Do you have Fans already ? ( Fan Controller might be a good idea as well )

Its simply looks, Im probably going to use the 2x230mm case fans at the top of the ATCS 840 chassis initially atleast.

I have Been looking @ those 2 blocks for my future build .

why are you getting compression fittings AND barbs, you only need one.

also your compressions will not work with the 7/16" tubing. i'm assuming your getting 7/16" ID x 5/8 OD tubing, so you need the same spec'ed compressions.

otherwise it all looks good, get some high speed fans for that rad for the best performance from it. the fans from the case will barely cool it, buy some fans right away for that rad.

i post some more in your other thread.

Mag10 said:

Ok thanks for the clearup, In your opinion 7/16" tubing would provide roughly the same flow performance while minimizing leak potential on 1/2" barbs? Did i get that correctly? Ill probably go with the Tygon, as the praise is extremely high?

Radiators: Black Ice SR1 360 vs XSPC RX360 vs Black Ice GT Stealth 420?
Im assuming the 420 would provide lower dissipation than the 360's?

Pump: Why the 355 over the 655? Mind you Im looking at making this to be an upgradable setup for future additions, which is why i chose the 655. But i could be wrong in this choice lol. Which might require a 2nd loop?(ie: crossfire)

Oh and last but not least thanks for the help!

Click to expand...

3/8 to 1/2" you don't need to worry about any flow issues so the 7/16" will be just fine.

tygon is fine, but i use cheaper stuff, Masterkleer. it's been working great for me for a year and a half now. though i've never tried tygon so i cant really comment on it. but it is highly praised.

of those rads i would opt for the XSPC RX one i think. stealth is larger (140mm fans vs 120mm) but it is thinner. it might edge out the xcpc and sr-1 rads though.

smaller and has more tops for better performance. saves space for dual loops as your new parts lists suggests. nothing wrong with the 655 if you have the space.

Well Can you suggest the correct sized barbs for this setup?

do you want barbs or compression fittings?

if you go with barbs then you need clamps and it will cost less. but to some it looks ugly.

if you go with compressions then you don't need clamps as they are built in so to speak. but they cost more.

well what would offer the best against leaks?

Tygon is wonderful tubing, and I use thin-walled Tygon for all my internal runs, but Masterkleer is also very, very good and costs a LOT less ...

Merged both your threads for you, so everyone has the information from both threads in one place. Helps keep discussions sane rather than running multiple threads on essentially the same topic for the same person.

Mag10 said:

well what would offer the best against leaks?

Click to expand...

compressions vs barbs and clamps are about the same, but 7/16" over 1/2" barbs will offer a tighter fit and with gear/worm clamps it will be better then compressions.

basically it comes down to looks and budget. which do YOU like better and do you want to spend more or less?

Thanks imog

TBH Id prefer the compression for aesthetics but of course the price of the barbs is also nice. My main thing though is prevention of leaks. And now considering using barbs for a few key areas(resivoir and rad)

As to the 7/16" vs 1/2", Id like to fit these to all blocks and other parts within the system and compatibility comes to mind. I cant help but think that using 1/2" ID tubing on 7/16" fittings would not be as tight as 1/2" ID tubing on 1/2" fittings since 7/16" is smaller than 1/2".

Since the mcp355 is for 3/8" barbs fittings u should stick for this size but I dunno if 7/16 / 1/2 ID will fit on these... might spawnInc Clear this for me

Mag10 - What spawn was saying was to use 7/16" ID tubing over 1/2" barbs. It tends to be REALLY tight - so tight that sometimes you need a razor to get your tubing off. That combined with worm drive clamps is the best leak prevention IMO.

Grosjambon - Mag10 has stated he wants to use the XSPC dual pump reservoir (Mag10 - you do realize that's for two loops with two pumps, right?), which has threads for any barb he chooses. You are correct that the stock top of the 350/355 has 3/8" outlets though.

Mag10 said:

Thanks imog

TBH Id prefer the compression for aesthetics but of course the price of the barbs is also nice. My main thing though is prevention of leaks. And now considering using barbs for a few key areas(resivoir and rad)

As to the 7/16" vs 1/2", Id like to fit these to all blocks and other parts within the system and compatibility comes to mind. I cant help but think that using 1/2" ID tubing on 7/16" fittings would not be as tight as 1/2" ID tubing on 1/2" fittings since 7/16" is smaller than 1/2".

Click to expand...

as hokiealumnus already said, i meant 7/16" tubing over 1/2" barb.

there are only 2 main barb sizes used 3/8" and 1/2" (there is 1/4" but it's rarely used).

if you like the look of compressions go with them then, they will hold great and are easy to use.

Grosjambon said:

Since the mcp355 is for 3/8" barbs fittings u should stick for this size but I dunno if 7/16 / 1/2 ID will fit on these... might spawnInc Clear this for me

Click to expand...

it's ok hokiealumnus did