Whats enough for my build?

Let me echo a few things that have already been said.

If you're really worried about a few degrees, because CPUs are more sensitive, have the flow go from CPU to GPU as I did in my loop and knocked off a few degrees. The loop in general will reach a equilibrium so loop order does not matter as long as the pump is naturally being fed by the reservoir. Have good ambient temps, internal case airflow as well as cool ambient air and water flow in the range of 1.0-1.5 GPM for a efficient running loop. If you want better delta temps, you'll need more rad. If you want the best delta temps possible, add more rad till you hit diminishing returns. Of course with the lowest audibles (fans) in mind.

GTXJackBauer said:

Let me echo a few things that have already been said.

If you're really worried about a few degrees, because CPUs are more sensitive, have the flow go from CPU to GPU as I did in my loop and knocked off a few degrees. The loop in general will reach a equilibrium so loop order does not matter as long as the pump is naturally being fed by the reservoir. Have good ambient temps, internal case airflow as well as cool ambient air and water flow in the range of 1.0-1.5 GPM for a efficient running loop. If you want better delta temps, you'll need more rad. If you want the best delta temps possible, add more rad till you hit diminishing returns. Of course with the lowest audibles (fans) in mind.

Click to expand...

what to keep in mind when shopping for combo pump/res ?

Check the watercooling section here http://www.overclockers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/71-Water-Cooling and see which pumps are most commonly selected. D5 would be my default choice. It's effective and proven throughout the community as a strong, reliable pump. And it will easily move water through two rads. After that, just decide if you want the pump and res to be a single unit or want separate components. The only thing I haven't seen mentioned is fan selection. You can get recommendations from whoever you buy the rad(s) from. If the rad has a high fin per inch count (dense cooling surface) you want fans with a higher static pressure. With a lower fin count (more open) you'll want high CFM as a general rule.

exisss said:

what to keep in mind when shopping for combo pump/res ?

Click to expand...

That depends on what you want. You have a choice between a tube or a dual bay res/pump combo.

Have a look and do a search around on other's custom water cooling builds of the same case. It will help you substantially to get some good ideas and see what fits and what doesn't, what looks good and what not, etc.

Alaric said:

With a lower fin count (more open) you'll want high CFM as a general rule.

Click to expand...

AFAIK, we still go by static pressure on fans than we do based on CFM. You still need to push air whether its high or low FPI rads. The lower the FPI, the lower the RPM can be run. CFM is generally used for case fans.

exisss said:

Hello everyone.

I have a quick question for you all. I am building a custom PC and im going to heavily overclock the CPU and the GPU. both pieces are going to be water cooled (custom),

i7 6700k OC
GTX 1070 Xtreme G7 OC
32GB Gskills 3200mhz DDR4
1000W EVGA PSU with 80 Gold
Z170X G7 MotherB
SSD 1TB Samsung
Case Corsair Full Tower ATX 750D


The purpose of this system is going to be 4k ultra settings on almost any game. going to be run on a 4k monitor.
*GPU is going to have a full nickle plate water block.

My questions are:
1- A 360 radiator (a fat one) with 3 high performance fans (2000rpm) is enough to cool off both overclocked CPU and GPU?
2- Can I have two radiators ( a 360mm and a 240mm ) with only 1 waterpump/reservoir? ( water presure in the loop is going to be ok? )
3- Is it safe to run the loop from pump>360rad>CPU>GPU>240>back to pump? ( the coolant is not going to be hot enough when it comes out from the CPU?)
4- My main concern is the hot coolant going from CPU directly to GPU. Is it better to send the cooland from pump>360rad>CPU>240rad>GPU>back to pump? ( the coolant presure is not going to be low in this setup?

I have done months of researches (reading, watching, pictures..) but im still confused. I know the loop is custom and everyone can do different but I am trying to understand those 4 questions plus how to get the best performance. I would rather go with ONLY 1 radiator if its going to be fine.

Appreciate it everyone. This is my first post on this website, I would like to throw the final pictures on this threat. Its going to be a black/neon green setup. I named it Nuke

Thanks again

Click to expand...

Well at the risk of getting crucified once again here going against the good ole boy club.

I see nothing wrong with your listed specs but the 32g of system memory I only run 8g of system memory and my setup is dedicated to gaming and I never use all of the 8g.

I originally bought 32g myself and ran 32g, then 16g, watching the memory usage in task bar and finally settled on 8g and even the 8g never gets fully addressed, however I am still running Windows7.

As far as the GTX 1070 Extreme G7 OC handling 4K Ultra Settings on almost any game, IDK, my GTX 1080 handles everything thrown at it at 1080P, but I am not running a 4K monitor yet, so what the little brother can do on 4K, IDK.

The power supply definitely keep that, is it overkill?, Yes, but running your setup it will run very cool and you'll probably never even hear the cooling fans have to kick in.

Definitely keep the 1T Samsung SSD, you won't regret that.

Otherwise your specs look great!

Before I answer your questions I want to make note of what you said:

I'm going to heavily overclock the CPU and the GPU.

Click to expand...

First of all when you run it all in a single loop and combine the GPU TDP and the CPU TDP you are going to limit how far you'll be able to heavily overclock the CPU simply because the GPUs added heat load is going to affect how high you overclock the CPU stably.

My response to your questions:

1- A 360 radiator (a fat one) with 3 high performance fans (2000rpm) is enough to cool off both overclocked CPU and GPU?

Click to expand...

Of course it can cool it, but what does that mean relating to your goal of heavily overclocking the CPU and GPU?

Will you be limited as to how far you can push your CPUs overclock with the GPUs heat added, yes you will!

You would be better off to run 2 loops one for the CPU and a 2nd for the GPU and isolate those TDPs from each other that would allow you a higher CPU stable overclock.

Keep in mind the GPU you're getting is already OC'd out of the box, and anytime you buy an already overclocked GPU some of the overclocking head room is already used.

So I suggest 2 loops and run the thick 360 radiator on the CPU alone and maybe a 240 for the GPU loop.

2- Can I have two radiators ( a 360mm and a 240mm ) with only 1 waterpump/reservoir? ( water presure in the loop is going to be ok? )

Click to expand...

Of course you can do that but it will still be a single loop and even with the added 240 rad, the combined TDPs will still be affecting the CPUs overclock!

It absolutely affected my CPUs overclock running the CPU and GPU on my Watercool MO-RA3 which is the total cooling field area of 3 360 radiators.

3- Is it safe to run the loop from pump>360rad>CPU>GPU>240>back to pump? ( the coolant is not going to be hot enough when it comes out from the CPU?)

Click to expand...

Many claim loop order doesn't matter but keep in mind the coolest water is coming out of the radiator, so IMO, it just makes good sense that the coolest water goes directly to what is being cooled.

4- My main concern is the hot coolant going from CPU directly to GPU. Is it better to send the coolant from pump>360rad>CPU>240rad>GPU>back to pump? (the coolant pressure is not going to be low in this setup?)

Click to expand...

That concern is a very good reason for running 2 loops and isolating the CPU and GPU heat load from each other.

This is my first post on this website, I would like to throw the final pictures on this threat. Its going to be a black/neon green setup. I named it Nuke

Click to expand...

Welcome and I sincerely hope you get the answers you need!

Good luck on your build! SS

^ The difference between 2x4gb ram and 2x8gb ram when i bought was $10. To me, the $10 was worth the overhead (i didnt even consider 32gb though).

Has anyone ever put a temp probe in a cpu loop both before the rad and after the rad? I'd be curious to see actual temp readings as the system warms up, while gaming at full bore, and at idle if anyone has that info.

And i have had good luck with the corsair SP fans on my radiator, they're meant for radiators and work great even at low rpm. They work much better (and quieter) than the fans that came with my radiator.

Well, I run a [email protected] and a 780ti@1350MHz on a single loop, that's roughly 550W to dissipate when both are on load. With 5x140mm, when running everything at full load (prime+Heaven), the heat is dissipated, so it doesn't really matter that I use 1 or 2 loops:

As soon as I go back to idle, temps on the GPU and the CPU are 3/4c higher than what they were before I start the stress test, just when the PC was fired up. Which means that after a couple of hours of prime+heaven, the liquid temp in the loop increased by 3/4c compared to what it was at idle -> delta Coolant/Ambient must be around 3/4c.

IMO, one loop is good as soon as you have enough raddage.

AFAIK, we still go by static pressure on fans than we do based on CFM. You still need to push air whether its high or low FPI rads. The lower the FPI, the lower the RPM can be run. CFM is generally used for case fans.

Click to expand...

I quite happily stand corrected. I have cooling and radiator info in my head going back longer than the PC has been around. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if I'm wrong on that. LOL.

I disagree Silver. The OP isn't running a marathon to smash Kinpin's records on ambient watercooling. You don't need 2 loops and you won't get "cooler" water coming out of the rad as the loop will reach an equilibrium as a whole overtime.

Alaric, I have to disagree as well. Have a look at martinsliquidlab.

Water cooling is just a hobby, for fun... It helps if you want to grab a few Boints on the Bot, it helps if you want a neat looking system, but don't expect any significant gain in performsnce, compared to air cooling.

I was going back to billet liquid cooled heads on air cooled two strokes. Bigger rad, fewer FPI, and no fan. If it's racing no fan saves weight and the engine is only stressed when it's moving and air is flowing through the fins.

Silver Surfer said:

Well at the risk of getting crucified once again here going against the good ole boy club.

I see nothing wrong with your listed specs but the 32g of system memory I only run 8g of system memory and my setup is dedicated to gaming and I never use all of the 8g.

I originally bought 32g myself and ran 32g, then 16g, watching the memory usage in task bar and finally settled on 8g and even the 8g never gets fully addressed, however I am still running Windows7.

As far as the GTX 1070 Extreme G7 OC handling 4K Ultra Settings on almost any game, IDK, my GTX 1080 handles everything thrown at it at 1080P, but I am not running a 4K monitor yet, so what the little brother can do on 4K, IDK.

The power supply definitely keep that, is it overkill?, Yes, but running your setup it will run very cool and you'll probably never even hear the cooling fans have to kick in.

Definitely keep the 1T Samsung SSD, you won't regret that.

Otherwise your specs look great!

Before I answer your questions I want to make note of what you said:



First of all when you run it all in a single loop and combine the GPU TDP and the CPU TDP you are going to limit how far you'll be able to heavily overclock the CPU simply because the GPUs added heat load is going to affect how high you overclock the CPU stably.

My response to your questions:



Of course it can cool it, but what does that mean relating to your goal of heavily overclocking the CPU and GPU?

Will you be limited as to how far you can push your CPUs overclock with the GPUs heat added, yes you will!

You would be better off to run 2 loops one for the CPU and a 2nd for the GPU and isolate those TDPs from each other that would allow you a higher CPU stable overclock.

Keep in mind the GPU you're getting is already OC'd out of the box, and anytime you buy an already overclocked GPU some of the overclocking head room is already used.

So I suggest 2 loops and run the thick 360 radiator on the CPU alone and maybe a 240 for the GPU loop.



Of course you can do that but it will still be a single loop and even with the added 240 rad, the combined TDPs will still be affecting the CPUs overclock!

It absolutely affected my CPUs overclock running the CPU and GPU on my Watercool MO-RA3 which is the total cooling field area of 3 360 radiators.



Many claim loop order doesn't matter but keep in mind the coolest water is coming out of the radiator, so IMO, it just makes good sense that the coolest water goes directly to what is being cooled.



That concern is a very good reason for running 2 loops and isolating the CPU and GPU heat load from each other.



Welcome and I sincerely hope you get the answers you need!

Good luck on your build! SS

Click to expand...

Thanks for your time! you did help a lot.
I would probably going to use 1 loop and two rads

the case i got is corsair 750D. if i put the 360 rad on top and the 240 on the front then i will end up with only 1fan and thats in the back! for the air flow 1 fan doesnt sounds right to me! i kno since im going water cool i dont create that much heat but still one fan seem kind of wrong

You can flip the fans on the front radiator to pull air through it and into the case.

exisss said:

the case i got is corsair 750D. if i put the 360 rad on top and the 240 on the front then i will end up with only 1fan and thats in the back! for the air flow 1 fan doesnt sounds right to me! i kno since im going water cool i dont create that much heat but still one fan seem kind of wrong

Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that at all. We recommend to use the Front/Bottom as intake and Top/Rear as exhaust. Only flip the top to intake if there's a filter there or remove the filter and keep it as exhaust.

GTXJackBauer said:

I disagree Silver. The OP isn't running a marathon to smash Kinpin's records on ambient watercooling. You don't need 2 loops and you won't get "cooler" water coming out of the rad as the loop will reach an equilibrium as a whole overtime.

Alaric, I have to disagree as well. Have a look at martinsliquidlab.

Click to expand...

Jack he said he wanted to heavily overclock but that's kinda an oxymoron isn't it, as he also hoped he could do it all with just one radiator.

FYI I said the coolest water is coming out of the radiator, isn't that what I said? How could you possibly disagree with that? Where do you think the coolest water in a loop is coming from?

This is exactly what I said:

Many claim loop order doesn't matter but keep in mind the coolest water is coming out of the radiator, so IMO, it just makes good sense that the coolest water goes directly to what is being cooled.

Click to expand...

I am aware a loop reaches an equilibrium Jack, but are you trying to say the coolant temperature is exactly the same before it enters the radiator as it is when it leaves the radiator?

Would you pleas explain to me why you seem to think martinsliquidlab is the water cooling gospel of today, when most of the information is over 8 years old?

When you find something that is dated, as to it's actual published date.

His flow rate estimator shows no date that I could find, but he had Danger Den, D-Tek Fusion, and the Swiftech Apogee, just to name a few, try to even find those water blocks for sale anywhere today besides possibly Ebay.

Sooner or later you have to let go of the past and start thinking in what's here today.

Martin actually lost his original website and it was transferred to another location, so I could say which martinsliquidlab are you even referring to?

Which really doesn't matter, as all that information is IMO old school, in the Dinosaur relic category.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/709423-Martin-s-Liquid-Labs-is-no-more

When is the last time you went to martinsliquidlab yourself Jack?

You are welcome to post more modern links with updated testing...

Temps coming out of the rad are typically 1-2c cooler in a properly flowing and raded loop last we undestood. If you are fighting for every c, fine...have it after the rad. But most don't need that unless you hwboting. Heavy overclocking isn't in search of that IMO.

Even for Boints, 2 degrees won't make a difference. You need to move the ladder up to chilled water or dice.

So i finally decided to go with
D5 pump/res + 360Rad + 240rad

for overclocked 6700k and a overclocked 1070 ( thinking about 1080...)

Lots of rad. Should have great results

exisss said:

So i finally decided to go with
D5 pump/res + 360Rad + 240rad

for overclocked 6700k and a overclocked 1070 ( thinking about 1080...)

Click to expand...

I really like my GTX 1080 I have actually literally had to relearn some of the games I had been playing because the response of the card is so fast from increased frames per second.

Presently playing Crysis 3 on it's maximum graphics settings which I could not do smoothly even with my GTX Titan, (The original Titan).

I hope your build goes great, I know you'll be happy with your choices!