[twiggy159]

This may be in the wrong thread so I apologize if it is.

I'm planning on redoing my rig with just about a new everything except the case and the liquid cooling system somewhat. Here's what I have listed as far as the parts:

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX X58 SLI LE Intel Motherboard

• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188049

EVGA 017-P3-1297-AR CO-OP Hydro Copper GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported

• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130505

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit

• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145224

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136218

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136296

Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 1000W

• http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371012

Now what I wanted to do was swap the reservoir I currently have which is the one that comes with the Swiftech Ultima Kit with a small, cylindrical type reservoir that I can mount next to the motherboard or somewhere else. The thing is though that right now my case seems a little cramped and with another hard drive in my case it will be even more cramped. So any ideas on where to fit it internally would be great. And I was going to swap out the 3 front stock fans with these fans, and change my liquid cooling color to something else I haven't decided yet. So here's some of my questions I'd like to have answered:

1. What cylinder style reservoir should I get?
2. Where could I mount it inside my case?
3. Would a single loop be able to support and keep reasonably cool a CPU and GPU?
4. What color liquid do you guys recommend?
5. Will that power supply be able to handle the load being put onto it?

As for some side notes with Question 4 I would like something that contrasts the blue theme of the fans rather than something that blends in with it. I'd really like it to stick out. I have to 12'' UV cathodes inside my case already so UV styles would be preferred.

For Question 5 like I said above I also have 2 cathodes inside my case as well as a fourth fan located on the side but if I get LQ for the GPU then I may take it out. Also I was wondering if anyone knew how to take out the top (200mm?) fan on the top of the case, unless you think it would help with cooling the system down a bit. Also, any wire management tips would be greatly appreciated. It's a mess behind the mobo tray and the door barely stays closed at it is.

I know I am asking quite a bit here but I want to make sure that I have every last question answered before I go and dump quite a bit of money on this rig. I apologize in advance due to this becoming the 2nd time of building a rig and the first time of redoing a LQing setup.

You guys have helped me a lot with my other first projects so I'd expect nothing less but even more helpful information from you guys. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I plan on building this in a couple of months so I'll let you guys know how it went!

Thank you SO much,

Twiggy

[hokiealumnus]

1. What cylinder style reservoir should I get?
   -There are quite a few to choose from. EK is the most common I see, but there are others. Have a look through Performance-PCs res section to see some options.
2. Where could I mount it inside my case?
   -You could put it to the right of your board probably; just run the power wires underneath and to the side. If they are too thick and force the res to stick out, you might have to consider another option...or sleeve the cables so they're separated and not as thick.
3. Would a single loop be able to support and keep reasonably cool a CPU and GPU?
   -Yes, but you'll need a good radiator (or two). Those i7's get hot. Adding a dual-GPU card won't help matters. It's fine for one loop, but I'd be considering either a 120.4 rad or even better - two 120.3's.
4. What color liquid do you guys recommend?
   -Clear. Distilled + PT Nuke PHN. I understand why you want to color it, especially with the res you're considering. Resist the temptation. Use colored tubing and a res that you can put LEDs in.
5. Will that power supply be able to handle the load being put onto it?
   -It should. I'd choose the PC P&C Silencer 910 for that price range (or for a little bit more, the Corsair 1000HX), but I don't know of anything bad about the Antec, just personal preference. Truthfully, you don't need 1000W for that system. Are you planning on expanding or just want a big PSU? You could save a little bit of money if you went smaller.

[twiggy159]

Well I already have a colored liquid in my system now so I think whatever damage has already been done. But I was thinking of some for of green or red (red would match the EVGA's style a bit more due to the black mobo with red text on it).

About those rads, where could I fit 2 120.3 rads on this thing?? I'd have to take out the 3 drive bay sections in the front if it would even fit into that! Even if I got a 120.4 rad I'd need to figure out how I would get the tubes to and from the rad if it was mounted on the back estimating that it would block to the holes the Twelve Hundred already provides for you. If I found some way to mount a 120.3 internally, where would I be able to squeeze in the two hard drives due to the lack of drive bays being available?

[twiggy159]

Okay I've decided on the color that I would go with orange tubing and an orange fluid (Pretty much the exact same as killuazaoldyeck, he used a UV red and UV green dye to achieve the orange color). For the Radiatiors I was thinking of the stackable Swiftech 120x3 rads and just strapping them together on the back. I was thinking of an EK Res Rev 100 as a reservoir. And I was going to replace all the fittings with Bitspower fittings. Here's a reference to the parts:

Radiator (x2)
Reservoir
Fittings

And if anyone could tell me how to remove the top fan on the Antec 1200 case that would be awesome.

It's going to be a whopping $300 for that though. But I want it to be good.

[Spawn-Inc]

note that for the stackable rads you only need 1 of the them and 1 normal MCR320.


and you will need 1/2" ID tubing with 3/4" OD for those compression fittings.

good parts otherwise.

[twiggy159]

Originally Posted by Spawn-Inc

note that for the stackable rads you only need 1 of the them and 1 normal MCR320.


and you will need 1/2" ID tubing with 3/4" OD for those compression fittings.

good parts otherwise.

I have the tubing picked out and yes it is 1/2'' ID with 3/4'' OD. I guess instead of two stackables as you said I guess this would be the one I need here? And if so it doesn't seem to be G1/4'' threaded. Is 1/4 NSPM compatible with G 1/4 threads?

Also what would be some decent fans to strap onto the rad?

[Spawn-Inc]

yes it's g1/4, or works with it.

here look at this pic, you can see that there is 1 stackable and 1 normal by the amount of barb ports.



you can get 2 stackables, but you would need 2 g1/4 plugs. stackable costs more through.

if your going for the stackable i would get 9 high speed yate loons.


and i assume your getting stackable for space reasons? your not going to get the full performance from that second rad as it's getting warm air and not cold like the first.

[Conumdrum]

If your going stackable try 6 HS yates first, depending on your heat load 6 might be enough. You do know stacking rads reduces the efficieny of the second rad somewhat? Using HS fans does compensate but with added noise.
And here is a link for some case mods. I'm sure you can cut the whole top out of the 1200 and make a plate for a 120x3 rad to cover the huge hole.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=223835 Many build logs on MANY cases, great learning tool.

The EK 100 res is just too short to effectivly remove bubbles. I had one, I added a few inches of tubing to the top of the res with a fillport. then it worked okay. You will need the anti-cyclone add-on for that res. I'd just get the 150, you'll be a lot happier.

[jediman]

skinnee did a review on the stackable. it performed WORSE than a single mcr 320 with 3 fans under 2000rpm. and above 2000 rpm it was still beat by the larger single rads like the pa 120 where it would be about on price parity with

[twiggy159]

Well can someone point me out to some good reservoirs that would be able to cool this setup well but can also fit on an Antec 1200 with little to no modification of the case (Other than removing the drive bays that already can be removed from the case)? I'd like to have it where I can just have the reservoirs on the outside, which is why i think the stackables with 6 fans are ideal, but based on jediman's post they don't perform as well. I think having nine fans would change that though, correct? Also, could someone point me out to a website that has these yates? (Preferably Newegg or Performance-Pcs)

[twiggy159]

Anyone??

[hokiealumnus]

I'd choose one good rad and go with it. As mentioned, stackables just don't do so well. You could put nine fans on them if you want, but six push-pull on a better single rad will perform better.

Performance-PCs has Yates:
Low Speed
Medium Speed
High Speed

You'd probably save a couple bucks if you got them from Petra's Tech Shop.

Sorry, no familiarity with your case. After looking at Newegg's listing, it seems you might be able to fit a 120.2 in the rear, space around the fan mounts allowing. This is less than preferable as that's generally an exhaust and you'd be putting hot air through your radiator. You could always reverse the case airflow of course.

Aside from that, to mount in front it looks like you'd need heavy modification. Anything bigger than a 120.1 or 140.1 would also require modification in the top.

You could always mount externally.

[Conumdrum]

Originally Posted by twiggy159

Well can someone point me out to some good reservoirs that would be able to cool this setup well but can also fit on an Antec 1200 with little to no modification of the case (Other than removing the drive bays that already can be removed from the case)? I'd like to have it where I can just have the reservoirs on the outside, which is why i think the stackables with 6 fans are ideal, but based on jediman's post they don't perform as well. I think having nine fans would change that though, correct? Also, could someone point me out to a website that has these yates? (Preferably Newegg or Performance-Pcs)

The ONLY place to buy Yate Loons from is Petras. Many reasons I won't go into.

There is a bunch of reses, did ya look at the pics of millions of rigs and see what most people use?
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=223835 Many build logs on MANY cases, great learning tool.

I think your confused. Reservoirs are small water holding devices. Radiators are the big black thing with fins you connect fans to.

As far as what radiator to get, whats your heatload? How many components and what components. Then you decide what rads you need.

Making them fit is secondary to getting enough rad. Don't short side yourself with not enough rad because it won't fit.

[twiggy159]

Originally Posted by Conumdrum

The ONLY place to buy Yate Loons from is Petras. Many reasons I won't go into.

There is a bunch of reses, did ya look at the pics of millions of rigs and see what most people use?
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=223835 Many build logs on MANY cases, great learning tool.

I think your confused. Reservoirs are small water holding devices. Radiators are the big black thing with fins you connect fans to.

As far as what radiator to get, whats your heatload? How many components and what components. Then you decide what rads you need.

Making them fit is secondary to getting enough rad. Don't short side yourself with not enough rad because it won't fit.

Sorry I meant to say radiator but for some reason my fingers have the habit of typing in reservoir...

But as far as my heat load I'm getting is 32C on my Q6600 2.4GHz currently at 3.4GHz (Water Cooled). My video card (GTX 280) is air cooled and at 50C at stock settings. But keep in mind I plan on getting a GTX 295 w/ watercooling.

If you can choose me out one good rad (preferably one that fits on the back of the case) that would help out so much. I'm still recently new to WQing so I don't know much as much as the details to how good a radiator is compared to another.

[twiggy159]

Originally Posted by Conumdrum

The ONLY place to buy Yate Loons from is Petras. Many reasons I won't go into.

There is a bunch of reses, did ya look at the pics of millions of rigs and see what most people use?
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=223835 Many build logs on MANY cases, great learning tool.

I think your confused. Reservoirs are small water holding devices. Radiators are the big black thing with fins you connect fans to.

As far as what radiator to get, whats your heatload? How many components and what components. Then you decide what rads you need.

Making them fit is secondary to getting enough rad. Don't short side yourself with not enough rad because it won't fit.

Sorry I meant to say radiator but for some reason my fingers have the habit of typing in reservoir...

But as far as my heat load I'm getting is 32C on my Q6600 2.4GHz currently at 3.4GHz (Water Cooled). My video card (GTX 280) is air cooled and at 50C at stock settings. But keep in mind I plan on getting a GTX 295 w/ watercooling.

If you can choose me out one good rad (preferably one that fits on the back of the case) that would help out so much. I'm still recently new to WQing so I don't know much as much as the details to how good a radiator is compared to another.

And I was looking at those modded cases and this one caught my interest:
http://www.petrastech.com/ces09/buildlog/bleeding.jpg
But I wanted to know where I could fit a hard drive into that thing. I see he has a SSD but I'm not sure if one are those are a good investment. Here's the full thread about that case:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...=211950&page=2

[Conumdrum]

Originally Posted by twiggy159

Sorry I meant to say radiator but for some reason my fingers have the habit of typing in reservoir...

But as far as my heat load I'm getting is 32C on my Q6600 2.4GHz currently at 3.4GHz (Water Cooled). My video card (GTX 280) is air cooled and at 50C at stock settings. But keep in mind I plan on getting a GTX 295 w/ watercooling.

If you can choose me out one good rad (preferably one that fits on the back of the case) that would help out so much. I'm still recently new to WQing so I don't know much as much as the details to how good a radiator is compared to another.

And I was looking at those modded cases and this one caught my interest:
http://www.petrastech.com/ces09/buildlog/bleeding.jpg
But I wanted to know where I could fit a hard drive into that thing. I see he has a SSD but I'm not sure if one are those are a good investment. Here's the full thread about that case:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...=211950&page=2

Thanks for telling me your processor and GPU and current overclocks. What does goggle say after ohh say 30 minuutes of research for your current heatload?

Thats when you begin to learn. I can give you a rad to buy but what have you learned about watercooling? Buy this..... Nope. Too small, too loud, too big.

Slow down..... read. learn.

[twiggy159]

Well I won't be able to give you a heatload due to not having any of the parts I plan on cooling. I plan on having a core i7 and GTX 295 to cool. And I'm not sure completely what you mean by heatload. Sorry for being a newbie at this but is this what you mean by "heatload?"
http://www.lytron.com/tools-technica...heat-load.aspx

[Conumdrum]

Exactamundo, but not that complicated.

Try google, get a cup of tea and a beer, spend some time with searches like "i7 watt heat load" and other iterations. Then the same for your planned GPU. A kinda standard, if a GPU uses 300 watts of power under load (like running furmark), 80% of that will be dissipated as heat. So you need to remove 240 watts of heat from the GPU or so. Same with the CPU.

I easily could recommend a rad etc you will need, but you gain nothing. You need to know basics.

Doing this does one thing. It teaches you what you need for raddage size. Then you look at the multitude of different rad sizes and brands. Some rads are awesome at removing heat but only with MASSIVE loud HS fans. Some rads remove almost as much heat but with nice quiet fans.

Your journey has begun. If you haven't spent HOURS and hopefully a week or more (took me 3 months) to learn, well maybe I should post this massive cut n paste I post a few times a week on a few forums to help inform the new folks. It's not pretty, it's a ramble, but you need to need to read it.

We have soo many peeps that pop into here with fast solutions but a poor choice of parts and no clue whats actually involved. We are happy your here, and will do our best to set you straight. We like doing that here. We could just ignore posts like this, but it's not our way. We expect your hard work in return.

lUs guys have done the WC thing, there are basics you gotta know. Take a look, don't take it as a diss on you or a rebuttal, look at as a friend saying "Dude, you gotta know what to say and how to communicate".
.......................................
CPU HS $65
GPU HS and air HS for vram and mosfets $95, full cover block, $100-$200
Radiator $60 min, up to $130
Pump $50 +
Resiviour $25
Hose, some barbs and clamps etc (min $25, more like $35)
Fans $15-30

I went top notch and spent close to $600 to cool my CPU and GPU.
First you gotta learn about WC. It's not like walking into Best Buy.
Spend a while (weeks is best for your sanity) at these links.
Look at the hundreds of loops close to your case and components in the stickies, read a couple 50 or so threads over the next week or so, you'll be on the ball to make the right choices and by then know how to put it together.
Not 'Roket Sience', but basic knowledge is required.
And you should spend a few hours on the listed sites reading threads. It's how we learn. Once the goodies show up on your doorstep your on your own.
For your benefit please spend a few days reading a LOT. At the busiest places for WC masters. Guys who have done it for YEARS at OC Forums and xtreme forums. It took me a while (I was OCing on air, aftermarket stuff, bios settings, best chipsets etc etc) to learn the language and the tricks to a easy install.

Don't expect miracles or SUPER DOOPER over clocks. What you will get is a quiet system that can handle OC to the max of your hardware IF you buy quality and buy smart. And minor maintenance too, a bonus for the water cooler.

Also while there please read on case mods etc. The radiators are not for small cases, pumps and hose routing, wire management and other things are important. Google your planned case and the word water-cooled in one line. You might get lucky. Look here too…. http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=223835
............................
Edit: The next paragraph was from 2008. With the advent of the HOT i7 and bigger GPU's, it has changed. A 220 size MIN rad for an i7, you want big overclocks, better go 320 sized rad.
................................

IF you just cool your CPU and your NB if you want, you can get by with a 120.2 sized radiator (RAD). And MAYBE fit in inside depending on your mod skillz. You want to cool your GPU too, you'll need a 120.3 sized rad, and it probably won't fit inside. The rear external rad really works great. No matter what your adding 10lbs to your PC.

Once you got an idea of what is good/bad then start getting your system for WC put together and we'll be glad to help.
…………………………………………………………
Cleaning a loop, not a new loop: I do this once a year, I drain and refill at 6 months, the next time I do this……
Wash hands very well, getting rid of hand oils.
For pumps and blocks, fittings, clamps, acrylic res/block parts.... not hose, tear it to smallest pieces, put in a bowl, heat water up not to boiling add 10% vinegar, when hot, pour over parts. Rinse in 10 min or so. Put aside.
The bocks will probably have some black oxidation. Take the copper parts out of the pile of parts you took out of the water. Dry well and pour ketchup on them, and set aside. Only the copper parts need this.
Rad cleaning: fill with very almost boiling hot water. Let sit 10 minutes, drain half out and shake for 5 min. Repeat till liquid is clean.
All the pump, block, fittings, and clamps, inspect, get in the tiniest corners with a tooth brush. Kind of meditative, time consuming, you learn a lot about o-ring size, how it all feels. Run a rag using a coat hanger and dish soap through the tubing, rinse well.
Rinse all the parts and hose with distilled, dry then really dry with an air compressor (nice extra step to get rid of water spots). Don’t need to dry the inside of the hose.
Now on to the copper parts, they should have been soaking an hour or two. A toothbrush and ketchup should clean much of the oxidation. It probably won’t be like new, but pretty darn good. Rinse, dry, and blow the parts.
That’s it.
………………………………………………………
Benching software and such is very varied. I use these for each purpose:
These are pretty standard and used by many.
Monitoring the PC temps overall: HWmonitor aka hardware monitor
CPUZ for CPU info
GPUZ for GPU info
CPU only: RealTemp
GPU only: ATI Tool, I have a Nivida GTX280, so it works on Nvidia

Loading/benching tools:
CPU loaders: Prime95 and OCCT
GPU Loaders: ATI Tool and the best one is Furmark, nothing pushes the GPU harder right now.
Benching for overall graphics/gaming performance is 3DMark06
……………………………………………………………
Guides
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.co...d.php?t=282232 Pretty up to date info and buying guide
http://gilgameshreviews.com/index.ph...ling&Itemid=86 Another good guide
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.co...d.php?t=312743 What to do once all the stuff is in the door
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=223835 Many build logs on MANY cases, great learning tool.

My latest rig:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=604016

Forums
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/index.php? Not a noob site, but great stickies
http://www.ocforums.com/ My fav, good peeps, know their stuff, less hardcore
http://www.over-clock.com/ivb/inde [...] opic=20277 A GREAT Europe site
http://www.overclock.net/water-cooling/ Decent site

Tests on equipment, not reviews, truly scientific tests
http://translate.google.com/transl [...] n&ie=UTF-8 Info on rad testing
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=220593 More rad testing
http://skinneelabs.com/ Host for Martins lab and some newer tests
http://www.skinneelabs.com/MartinsLiquidLab/ Test results, very technical


Stores
http://www.dangerden.com
http://www.petrastechshop.com/
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/
http://www.jab-tech.com/
http://www.performance-pcs.com
……………………………………………………………………………….

[schmide]

Originally Posted by Conumdrum

Try google, get a cup of tea and a beer, spend some time with searches like "i7 watt heat load" and other iterations. Then the same for your planned GPU. A kinda standard, if a GPU uses 300 watts of power under load (like running furmark), 80% of that will be dissipated as heat. So you need to remove 240 watts of heat from the GPU or so. Same with the CPU.

Some good CPU/GPU power figure sites.

For CPU it's a bit slow on getting the latest numbers but very good at analyzing CPU and chipset power planes.

Lost Circuits

CPU chart example

Detailed analysis

Core i7 Power Plays

For graphics and full system analysis

Xbit Labs

Most graphics card articles in the past 2 years will have detailed power usage. Just search for a card or similar class of card and you'll find it.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 chart

They recently did an article on how they measure and some very detailed component measurements. I have yet to find another article that even comes close.

PC Power Consumption: How Many Watts Do We Need?

[twiggy159]

Well I was taking a look at one of those guides Conumdrum and I got to a part about the reservoirs here that seemed like a somewhat clever idea:

http://gilgameshreviews.com/index.ph...6&limitstart=3

He stated that, "My personal quick and dirty rule of thumb (and this will probably be disputed) when using high quality radiators (that is important) is to use a 120.1-per-block within reason. So, if you're running say an Intel Core2Duo, a NB block and a single GPU, a quality 120.3 would give you decent temps. Adding an i7 into the mix adds a significant amount of heat, as they run very hot. I'd give it its own 120.2, so if running an i7, NB block and single GPU, use at least a 120.4. Of course, there is nothing to say you have to use only one radiator. Instead of that 120.4, you could use two 120.2's or even two 120.3's. That's the beauty of water cooling; it's infinitely customizable!" This is just after reading a couple of those guides you gave me and this one seemed to stick out a little bit more than the other as far as what radiator to get. Now I know there are charts and other things to look at as far as what radiator to get but, would you also consider this a "dirty" rule of thumb as far as what radiator to get?