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a new BEAST .. The Water Lion ! raaawwr

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OCD-OC

OCD-OC

Member
​
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Location
UK- the frozen northwest
So I have your attention, now I shall explain..

(Leo platform .. watercooled ... Simplez !)

Last time I posted here ( Thanks for all the help ) I was finishing up my latest
non-OC Air cooled SLI Rig on the Phenom 2 965BE.. worked well.

Well I've run it for a few months and have decided to donate it to my father in law, he plays Crysis and needs it more than me.

So Now I want to "Jump in the deep-end" and go watercooled for my new rig

This is FROM SCRATCH .. I am buying ALL as new so feel free to add your valued input.

info :

I Do not / have not overclocked yet, ever.. but once this is stable I might soon.

I Game, 3d- FPS offline ( Fallout 3 and WoW, Fallout Vegas PLEEEEASE this year !!) but am not hardcore..

I prefer to get Quality over budget .. this rig HAS to last for years and run 20/7 (I have to sleep sometime)


So .. onto the Kit I think I will buy :

Case : Obsidian 800D
PSU : Corsair HX1000
CPU: AMD Phenom X6 1090T BE
M/B : ???? ( Crosshair iv, Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7 ) but AM3 + 890FX or better (LEO platform))
RAM ( Currently running 4GB Kingston hyper-X ) will need some good DDR3 I guess
HDD : New WD Raptor 450GB 600mb SATA
GFX : 2 x Xfire HD5870's

I can get all this at good prices as I work in IT Distribution ( Staff perks are awesome for builders)

Should last me a good while so now I can Cool it and keep a semi permanent loop without ripping it apart a lot / ever apart from maintenance

So, onto the cooling... this is where I need more help from you.

I've looked all over for ideas and for good kit .. Rip me apart or tell me whats good.

Blocks : depends on the board but looked at XSPC Delta V3 for CPU
want to cool CPU / NB / SB and both GFX .. probably not the RAM

GPU block I though either Koolance VID-AR587T2 or
Danger DEN DD5870 - anyone used these in single or XFIRE ?

RAD /s - Thermochill PA140.3 triple ... not sure how it looks installed or if it fits
or Black ice ? what dissipates the best ? I am going for something a LOT quiter than Air cooled.

Add some Ultra quiet Fans - not sure, again need recommends.

Reservoir - got loads of free space in this case .. not sure if to use the 5" optical bays or use something like EK 250's x2 or something sweet looking (Available UK)

Pump/ 's - Laing D5 MCP655 ... best I have seen but willing to look at all better


TUBING ... now this is important .. I really HATE hose .. really really really ...
it looks like a spaghetti explosion in a box .. especially as my cable management sucks salty chocolate spheres,

I have seen a very very impressive rig on another forum (think it was a guy called Vlad) who used 90/45 degree fittings and solid clear acrylic pipes
was all purple and black and lovely .. not trying to rip of his rig but I loved that look... again .. I can be easily swayed .. but this has GOT to look so so clean and tidy ... permanent is the word here ...



So... Thanks for jumping in here ... over the next feww weeks I'll update this with piccies and lets see if we can build a monster ... Thanks in advance for helps :comp:
 
Last edited:
well i don't water cool, but if you want something that you dont have to care for often you dont want a PC!

most water loops need fluid replacement every 6 months give or take and is recommended to rip down and super clean once a year for optimal performance.

That being said, you will want more than 1 rad as your gfx cards will probably rip through one rad all by themselves, and a x6 will probably require at least 2 rads all on its own.. I like the idea of using acrylic tubing with solid bends, course you need to be MUCH more precise with cuts that way and that tubing probably costs more than double normal tubing..


Also, the games you listed don't even come close to needing 2x 5870s unless you're gaming on multiple screens and really high resolutions.. and for the price of 2 cards you can get a 5890 and not have to worry about crossfire conflicts/scaling/troubleshooting of 2 cards... 1 is usually a better option if you can go that route, which in this case sounds like you can.

if you can get parts cheap enough go for an 80GB SSD for main OS/Apps and get one of the raps for storage/gaming files.. and maybe a standalone 7200rpm for datafiles/backups etcetc

I haven't used amd in years so someone else will need to jump in on the mobo etc there.

For quiet fans you can get some yate loons low speed, but you need to remember that quiet fans usually dont have very good static pressure and don't move a lot of air, which will raise your temps.. you might want to opt for some good high pressure/high speed fans and use a stand-alone fan controller like a sunbeam rheobus so you can crank them up if you need em for gaming etc
 
if you hate hose , you might consider getting skilled bending copper tubing . you can increase the diameter which will make flow better especially around turns . the problem is its expencive and requires skill and you will still use some hose to join the gaps.

i have made many systems with copper tubing with great results but in those systems i have designed i wasnt the one footing the bill.

also with water cooling there is no requirement that it look like spaggetti . simple loop with less tubing is not that hard to plan especially if you dont have a side panel and allow for your res to be custom shaped and designed.
 
For amd build :)
Crosshair IV (Asus only) She look gorgeous !!! red and black theme so buy some primochill red or black with those ddr3 ram 1600mhz and it will look sweeet
Phenom II 1090T

I dont think 1090t will put A LOT more heat from an phenom II 965. Andrew bough one + crosshair IV I will wait to see his result :) but from xp... I would say 120.2 for the CPU @ 4ghz and 120.3 for both graphic card.
Single loop = 120.4 PA (thermochill) with an 120.1 or 120.2 at bottom or at rear fan. GT 1450 are quiet and move a decent amount of air :)
Distilled + pt nuke and some colored tubing.
Single loop will put a lot of restriction u might consider pump in series.
90s kill the flow. 45s are okay.
I would opt for an single 5970. less heat dump and same perfo.
Read stickie if u didnt yet.
 
:welcome:

So I need to ask. How much do you know about watercooling, how many weeks have you been reading all the stickies here and at a few other sites. I don't want to offend, but I was new once.

Being spoonfed what to buy leads to problems and wayy more questions you have to type and we have to answer. I can load you up with some great links, usually once they are bookmarked you can do so much on your own and really get a 'why' answer so much faster.

I await your input, we are here to help as long as your willing to do the walking. Running is bad if your new to WC, many wrong turns and bricks walls frustrate you and us.
 
Thanks for all the messages so far guys ..

I'll start with they simplez stuff (I so gotta change my name to summat MeerKat biased)

Conumdrum said:
:welcome:

So I need to ask. How much do you know about watercooling, how many weeks have you been reading all the stickies here and at a few other sites.
Click to expand...

I "know" nothing .. and I mean I've read a LOT but not actually tested any theories or put into practice any of the things I have seen
hence rather than spend a fortune and fugg it up, I'm here to pick some BRAINZ

Conumdrum said:
:welcome:
I don't want to offend, but I was new once.
Click to expand...

You quite honestly cannot offend me, unless you're 13 and an ***-hat know it all just out to rip ppl apart .. you instantly don't seem like that so ... :bday:

Conumdrum said:
:welcome:
I await your input, we are here to help as long as your willing to do the walking. Running is bad if your new to WC, many wrong turns and brick
walls frustrate you and us.
Click to expand...

I have my main rig still, I'm here to take it slow and do it RIGHT .. not necessarily right first time but as near as damn it ... so do your worst


Grosjambon said:
Crosshair IV (Asus only) She look gorgeous !!! red and black theme so buy some primochill red or black with those ddr3 ram 1600mhz and it will look sweeet
Click to expand...

I did like the look of the black and red.. ROG Boards are sweet, really liked the MSI in Blue tho .. can't remember which (it's not even available in UK I don't think yet) but I am looking to colour code for a striking & beautiful build

Grosjambon said:
Single loop will put a lot of restriction u might consider pump in series.
I would say 120.2 for the CPU @ 4ghz and 120.3 for both graphic card.
Single loop = 120.4 PA (thermochill) with an 120.1 or 120.2 at bottom or at rear fan. GT 1450 are quiet and move a decent amount of air
Click to expand...

I think the case has room for a Large internal Rad in the top and a smaller next to the PSU in the bottom

RES in the drive bays and room for two pumps.. I Run a 270 litre Tropical fish tank on external filters and just can't get my head round how pumps in series can make much difference but willing to learn

Grosjambon said:
Distilled + pt nuke and some colored tubing.
90s kill the flow. 45s are okay.
I would opt for an single 5970. less heat dump and same perfo.
Read stickie if u didnt yet.
Click to expand...

yeah I read a LOT of forums especially the flame one about FESER one coolant .. that was a blast .. and have had my brain melted by Skinnee on his awesome site .. toooo mennny stats !!!! :drool:

I want to stick to metal 45's the rotary types in black I think they are made by bitpower .. I may be wrong

as for Graphics card ... I just like X-Fire or SLI .. call me stupid .. but if I can get one card ... I will almost instantly buy TWO ... sorry just the way I am ..

thorilan said:
if you hate hose , you might consider getting skilled bending copper tubing . you can increase the diameter which will make flow better especially around turns . the problem is its expencive and requires skill and you will still use some hose to join the gaps.

i have made many systems with copper tubing with great results but in those systems i have designed i wasnt the one footing the bill.

also with water cooling there is no requirement that it look like spaggetti . simple loop with less tubing is not that hard to plan especially if you dont have a side panel and allow for your res to be custom shaped and designed.
Click to expand...

cheers bud ... spent many unhappy hours stuffing copper tube with sand, heating and bendiing in the Army as an engineer ... naah .. I'll just do it the easy way and spend my cash :p

It WILL look awesome though .. and I'm willing to spend the time planning and prepping it before I buy any kit


psionic98 said:
well i don't water cool, but if you want something that you dont have to care for often you dont want a PC!
Click to expand...

I LOLed .. yeah you're not kidding .. I meant that besides maintenance ( I love tweaking and messing with stuff ) that once it's setup I won't be replacing the hardware .. I will more than likely do other stuff to make cooling more efficient and Awesome looking .. .wish I could find the forum I saw Vlads case mod on for you ...


Thanks for the input so far guys .. keep it coming .. I'm making a kit list and
still need advice on the right Rads for the amount of heat and whether to go for single or dual loop .. money is not the object .. as I am spending a bit each month#

Cheers for the support
OCD
 
IDK if you want the Obsidian. Its so Big, so expensive, BUT to watercool dual cards was the biggest PITA I ever dealt with. Seriously.

If you do go with that Case I highly recommend you do 2 loops, one inside and one outside. One loop with 2 of the 360mm radiators will work good, but just stick a radiator outside and one inside.

They expect you to fit a 240mm radiator down below by the PSU but the tubes have to bust a mission just to get back through the mounting plate. I was almost eager to cut it off!!!


Dont think of the WC too hard its very simple simple.

The Processors have a block of copper that cools em. the Blocks are cooled by water flowing through them. Then a Radiator is added to dissipate heat. A Pump is added to keep the coolant flowing. And a reservoir is added to keep things level and topped off. Think of a city water system lol

Oh ya, and all of the coolant flows through tubes, but duhh you know that. :]

Then the coolant used is a special blend. You want something that wont get dirty or grow algae, so you add some special blend of coolant. You can buy pre mixed $20 bottles, or simply buy Distilled water and mix it with a Biocide.

this will keep you clean for maybe 4-6 months (pushin it) before you should clean the loop to get it fully healthy.

Thats that.

PS:

Get a cheaper case, Water cool then the GPUS get some good air cooling thats silent but will do the job!!
 
Cheers m8 .. all good advice..

I have picked up the case already, it's on it's way for under £200.

not sure about having RADs outside the case if I can help it ...

and as for WC the GPU's well I understand it'll be a pain in the Mule, but I'm going for it, no matter the amount I bleed and cry.

(Ripping the insides of the case for my Air-cooled system apart, I damn near cut my fingers off anyways .. so how much worse can it be :p

I have over 20 years experiance building systems.. gotta give water a go sometime, I'm not scared of it .... YET :screwy:


Keep the recommendations coming .. Anyone have an SLI rig in an Obsidian ... your thoughts and experieances welcomed

OCD
 
I like the look of that build. What am I saying, I think it's fantastic.

I reckon you could get a similar look by using short tubing runs and loads of fittings which would probably cost a small fortune.
 
I sat awake dreaming of this all fugging nite !!

Imagine it in a 2/3 loop, either RED+YELLOW mixed tubes on the ASUS Crosshair iv

or SILVER+BLUE on the MSI / Gigabyte latest 890FX boards (they are blue)

gonna have to mesh up ALL the cables to match

and maybe get someone who is creative to help me paint/ powder coat the chassis to match it all

I'm just so excited !! :drool:

Okay ... I'm still loooking at what RADs to get .. whats the Biggest *** I can get internal top and bottom for max dissipation

?

Thx all

OCD
 
Powdercoating - Contact Tom at http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/

Look at the Silverstone TJ07 (unless you've bought the Corsair). Easily fit a triple or quad rad in the base and a slimline dual or triple (with mods) in the roof. Tom's done a lot of work on TJ07's.
 
Elfie said:
Powdercoating - Contact Tom at http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/

Look at the Silverstone TJ07 (unless you've bought the Corsair). Easily fit a triple or quad rad in the base and a slimline dual or triple (with mods) in the roof. Tom's done a lot of work on TJ07's.
Click to expand...

Thanks Elfie ... I'll look him up ..

The 800D is ordered now, and looking at the TJ07 ... is it my eyes ? it just doesn't look as big ? the pictures on their site show the M/B fittied nearly against the ceiling with no room for much else to go in..

lets see if I can fix the 800D .. worst 'case' Scenario (geddit ? :screwy: ) I sell it and go for a TJ07 instead .. or a CM case .. seen a couple of nice ones
 
 
Awesomee ...I'll review these asap .. a few I recognise and have studied at length ..

the math / science for heat / wattage / RADs and fans is going to hurt my head to calculate .. as is flow and pressure etc. but I'm sure you'll all help me out

Thanks for all the positive posts so far ... I feel like sucha n00b again but it's SO EXCITING to be doing this !

cheers

OCD
 
Confused

one source says Flow rate 1-1.5 LPM
Cathar says
"always ensure that your flow-rates are above 2LPM at the very least, and preferably above 3LPM if at all possible. Still, even when given 1/4" tubing installed with quick-fits and a decent pump like a DDC2, we can see that flow-rates in excess of 4LPM aren't a problem."

I undestand there will be variances but ... help ?
 
1 to 1.5 GPM. Or 2 LPM. At a min.

If you dig into the CPU block tests at skinnee and martins, you'll see under 1GPM starts to impact temps. Over 2 GPM little gains. Thats pretty much the acepted norm and it's been proven to be just fine as a general guide. Don't fret it too much.
We don't worry a ton about flow. Keeping a loop simple and a good pump you knwo your flow rates are fine. mine are and I never measured it.

You'll probably want two loops anyway if you got extra $$ to spend. Best temps and known good flow rates.

With ONE 5870 and your CPU you can go with one loop for now.

Your

Thats a pretty old reference too.
 
I think you'll find it's Gallons Per Minute although UK suppliers generally show their products as delivering Litres Per Minute. Convert lpm to gpm by dividing by 4.54.

Based on my limited experience I find that anything under roughly 1.5gpm affects the temperatures my loop (it will presumably be different for each loop depending on the number of components and how restrictive they are. Flow rates over 2gpm has no noticeable effect on my temperaures.

I estimate the flowrates based on the voltage being supplied to the pump e.g. a pump with a flowrate of 1200lph at 12v I estimate to be around 480lph (1.7gpm) at 5v.
 
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