[mikegray]

Hello!

I’m currently planning my first water-cooled system, and I’d be very grateful for some input from you people.

My goal is to build a reasonably fast, future-proof system (CPU i5 750, a Radeon 5770, MB with USB 3.0, Intel X25-V for OS and programs, 2T hard drive for media storage). I don’t care about OC-ing at all – MY ABSOLUTE, NUMBER ONE COOLING PRIORITY IS (NEAR) SILENCE. I have a quiet air-cooled system now, and my wife is complaining.

Usage: Light gaming, but I’m more interested in perfect HD playback – including whatever filters and playback enhancements are available – and running DVD quality material through ffdshow/avisnyth filters to get optimal big screen playback on an HD projector.

Case & PSU: Right now I’m thinking about using a Fractal Define R2 case and a NesteQ ASM Xzero PSU – though I would also consider an Antec P183 with one of those special Antec PSUs. However, I would look at a bigger case if that would give me a better cooling/noise situation. Again: the point is noise.

I’d like to cool the CPU and GPU – also the MB, if necessary – with a watercooling set attached to a passive radiator. I would also consider a water-cooled, sound insulated HD enclosure for the 2T drive. However, maybe I need to supplement that with an active rad that would switch on during more demanding stuff. (In those situations, a little extra noise would be OK.)

Right now I’m thinking about buying a kit from Innovatek (?) with their ultra-size passive radiator and a 120 or 240 active backup regulated by that fan-o-matic thingy. I expect I could get all the kit, plus a waterblock for the 5770, from aquatuning.de. (I live in Switzerland.)

How does this look to you guys? What aspect would you do differently to get that performance at an absolute minimum level of noise?

[mikegray]

P.S. This is the radiator I'm interested in using:
http://www.webshop-innovatek.de/shop...LTRA-plus.html

[Hsnopi]

I, too, am an advocate of silence. However, for the heat load you have listed passive will not work without serious expense as far as I know. That being said, I use Feser rads and Noctua fans and it is pretty darn quiet. you only need rubber washers as vibration dampners for the HD but if you want truly silent hd's go solid state.

Now, to discuss theoretical near 0 db systems.
you would need at least 2 pumps, 655's probably in series. you could enclose those in a box but they are darn quiet. We are discussing the quietest possible. velcro mount them. Bleeding the system will be important.

why 2 pumps? because you will need a massive open fin radiator and you will need the pumps to push that much volume at any kind of pace. Also you will need a watercooled PSU. I know of 2 but haven't used either. That all being said, since you have no fan int he case you are going to want to wc as much as possible,inc the HD's.

or you could run the tubes into another room and have the rads there. be sure to have enough pumps/flow.

just some thoughts on the issue.

[mikegray]

Thanks for those thoughts!

I wouldn't say that I need to be THAT close to 0 db. I'm thinking more of something around 20 db. Very, very quiet but not utterly silent. Certainly nothing like a water cooled PSU. And I think I'll back down on the HD enclosure. I'll run the system a modest SSD and then put together an external HD server for all the computers in the house. And I'm willing to accept a few slow moving system fans.

Given that would you still say that one big passive rad - like ithe nnovatek one I linked - would be insufficient to keep the CPU and GPU cool under low power usage? (I.e. surfing, typing, doing email, etc.)

What innovatek support recommended is to use their biggest passive rad for normal operation and add a single active rad with a heat-sensitive controller. When I use the system for a game or for anything else requiring more power, the active rad would pick up the slack.

BTW, I haven't thought much about pumps so far. I was counting on using the standard pump in those innovatek sets. (HPPS Plus?)

Does that make sense?

[Hsnopi]

i have had no experience with that brand but probably.

btw if you look at my sig i have the antec p180. check the build log and see what i ended up doing.

[Grosjambon]

sry but the rad u listed is made of alluminium which is not good for other parts --> cpu block are made of copper which cause galvanisation/corrosion

[lwesley]

Originally Posted by Hsnopi

i have had no experience with that brand but probably.

btw if you look at my sig i have the antec p180. check the build log and see what i ended up doing.

+1 I built an air cooled 180 for a friend. near silent > 1m. So if you add use water, it'll be awesomely quiet.

Wes

[Elfie]

You'd probably get away with a triple rad and a single loop providing you're not overclocking the i5, perhaps a quad rad if you're overclocking. The Innovatek HPPS Plus is a re-badged Eheim 1048 and I know it will cope with a quad rad and a single block as I used that configuration on a Q9650. You shouldn't need to watercool the motherboard but if you did I don't think that pump is up to it, probably on the limits anyway.

However although the pump is very quiet at low speeds/flow rates it does have an annoying buzz at higher ones. I would think about a Swiftech 655, a bit more expensive but quiet with good flow and pressure. Even more expense would get you a pump top to allow more flexibility on fittings but it isn't necessary.

For quiet fans I'd consider the Scythe Gentle Typhoons 1450 or 1850 with a Sunbeam or Lamptron fan controller. I'm not sure what an Innovatek kit consists of, could you provide a link?

[mikegray]

Here's Innovatek's passive rad set:

http://www.webshop-innovatek.de/shop...Universal.html

Their rep advised me to add one of these:

http://www.webshop-innovatek.de/shop...Universal.html

connected to one of these:

http://www.webshop-innovatek.de/shop...tic-MICRO.html

However, I hadn't realized about the galvanic corrosion problem involved with that rad. Odd that they market it as a set ..

[Hsnopi]

well a lot of times that add in an anticorrosive but why risk it? some people have had success, some people have lost computers.

[Elfie]

As far as I can see the Ultra passive rad is rated at 175W. The i5 750 is 95W load at stock speeds and the 5770 is 100W at load so it's already exceeding the capabilities of the rad and I can't see that without fans it will do anything other than heat up excessively.

It's worth reading the links in http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...96&postcount=3

and this thread http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...d.php?t=643364

[mikegray]

Originally Posted by Elfie

As far as I can see the Ultra passive rad is rated at 175W. The i5 750 is 95W load at stock speeds and the 5770 is 100W at load so it's already exceeding the capabilities of the rad and I can't see that without fans it will do anything other than heat up excessively.

Your links got chopped off - not sure what happened there!

But that sounds about right - that's why they counseled me to add a a single active rad to the loop. When the system is running easy, the passive rad should be fine, when the system starts heating up, the active one jumps in.

But where did you find the ratings?? I've been combing their site and haven't found them. (Although: the German forums seem to be saying they do about 180watts, so you clearly have the right info.)

[Elfie]

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...d.php?t=643364

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...96&postcount=3

I got the info from here http://www.pc-water-cooling.com/ but you have to drill down for it.

[Elfie]

Maybe someone with experience of passive rads will post but I can't see it working unless there's some innovative part of the design I'm not understanding. I would have thought a large rad with slow fans would be far better with the option to turn up the fans if required.

[mikegray]

The theory, as I understand it, is that you get silent computing under normal circumstances. The active rad only spins up when you do something that stresses the system - and since things that stress the system are typically things - like games and movies with heavy real-time filtering - that involve making noise that covers the PC's extra noise.

Really, that's the principle most PC cooling works on these days, anyway: spin up when needed, spin down when not.

But yes: If I could cool the thing with a big active rad with three or even four practically silent fans, the passive thing might be more trouble than it's worth.

(For that matter: iswater cooling even going to be quieter than a quiet case, some honking big after-market air cooler for the cpu and, say, the sapphire vapor-x, which is known for being very quiet anyway. I'd hate to go to a lot of trouble and end up with a system that's louder than it started out ... )

And then, of course, there's always this option: http://www.innovatek.de/forum/viewto...p?f=11&t=11993

[Nelson12]

holy crap 0.0

[Conumdrum]

Yea Elfi, you pretty much hit it. Overrading to keep the DT temps way down and using low speed fans on lowwwwww is pretty silent and about as good as it's going to get unless you really start to go wild on a setup.

OP: Two 480 rads and some Low speed GTs would be very very quiet. Use the D5 Vario turned down to 3-4 and it's all good. Actually two 360 rads would be enough. You'd still need some minor airflow over the hard drives if regualr ones and a low speed blowing on the mosfet area. It would be very quiet.

That said, your running stock speeds. A massive quality CPU HS with a temp controlled fan on the CPU mobo header, and they do make some very nice GPU coolers for that card, where a 140mm on it would keep it nice and happy. Couple that with a good case with 120 or 140mm fans, your done.

Your not running an i7 at 4.2, or two 295s or two 480s. You really don't need watercooling IMHO. You can save $300+.

[mikegray]

Thanks for a very helpful post.

I'm just curious here - you're saying to use TWO 360 - or even 480 - sets with very low fan speed? As in 6 to 8 fans all going at the same time?

I'd be open to that idea - I like a noctua fan as well as the next guy - but how would I attach these things to the case? Would this involve cutting windows on each side of the case and attaching the rads there?

I'd be up for this (my current system is an entirely homemade affair of wood and plexiglas, so I'm not scared of a bit of case modding) - but is ther a pciture I could see for inspiration?

[thorilan]

silent isnt going to be 0 db for you. realistically it will be around 18db
you will want 2x 350 pumps in series ( NOT 355) LOTS of cooling area and you will need to consider orientation of the rads in relation to where you will be observing the sound from . youll notice there are sweet spots where you can not hear the sound as much as others for your case and every other. you want ALMOST passive.
that means just the slightest airflow. some air has to be moving though otherwise you are going to use convection only in which case your computer size will have to be HUGE

[Conumdrum]

Well you just build it I guess. In the stickies up top there is a thread for pics of rigs.

You can have only 2-3 fans on low and turn all the others off. And when the heat goes up you can turn the others on. Honestly, the PC will still make noise. 18 db is like uber silent and thats going to be hard to do no matter what you do.

You can buy fan controllers that have temp probes to control the fan speeds.