Just a little bit...

Ok so Its been a while since I have posted here, but unfortunately my new build plans have been cut off completely due to job.. problems lol. Anyhow the reason for this posting is I want to see what the thoughts are for this watercooling setup I have been mulling over and will attempt to purchase ASAP.

Keep in mind the hardware may change so the waterclocks will adapt for such terms but using what is available to day I have the following:

Pump/Reservoir: Swiftech Maelstrom 5 1/4" Dual-Bay Reservoir - Dual MCP35X Pumps
Radiator 1:Black Ice® GTX Gen Two Xtreme 280
Radiator 2:Black Ice® GTS Gen Two Stealth 280 <- May have to drop to a 240mm Radiator as it is unconfirmed if the 280 will actually fit.
The manufacturer states 240mm but has dual 140mm intake.
CPU Block:Koolance CPU-380I
GPU Block(s):2x Swiftech KOMODO-HD7950 Full Cover

Ideal hardware:
CPU: Intel i5 4670k
Memory: G.skill Ripjaws 16GB(2x8) ddr3-1600
Motherboard: Asrock Extreme3 z87 skt-1150
PSU: Seasonic X-650 or SS-660XP2
GPU: 2x AMD Radeon HD 7950/R9-270X
Case: Fractal Design Define XL-R2 Full Tower Case

On a note from earlier about the front radiator, The case comes slotted for 2x140mm frontal fans. Removing both HDD cages measured about 320mm clearance from bottom of the 5.25" bays to case bottom. The GTX Xtreme 280 measures 316mm, so I assume the radiator should fit without much issue. Also, I plan to try and channel some of the watercooling tubing behind the MB-tray. I plan to use 1/2"OD and 3/8"ID tubing with the proper compression fittings(Swiftech ⅜” x ½” Lok-Seal™ Compression Fitting - for example) I believe I should be able to accomplish this as the case has "roughly 1” (26mm) of space" behind the motherboard tray. Only time will tell on that.

Basic concept for the build:
Pic

Lastly, thoughts and opinions. Technically this is my first watercooled build and setup but I have been tinkering with the idea for some time now, but have not managed to devote the time or $ to this project as of yet.

Since you pretty much have an idea of the PC components used in this build, you than worked on what cooling components are needed. Are you going to be overclocking the CPU and GPUs?

My question is, what noise level are you aiming for? By the chosen high FPI radiators my assumption is you don't care about noise level and want maximum heat dissipation. You could go much quieter if there's enough heat surface to dissipate the heat created.

To make things easier, I would take a look at this Case. It's closely priced like the one you chose. You could easily fit the radiators needed. Only thing is it comes with 3 bays. 2 will be used for that Reservoir w/ pumps and one will be left for an optical drive. You don't need 2 pumps unless you want it for redundancy and have the pumps both run at a lower speed instead of having one at a higher setting.

Corsair 750D
Radiator and fan compatibility compatibility:
- Top: 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm
- Front: 2 x 140mm or 2 x 120mm (2 x 140mm included)
- Bottom: 2 x 120mm
- Rear: 1 x 140mm or 120mm (140mm included)

I might say to add a 120.3 up top if there's room for a optical drive and if you're not using one than even better. Would add a 120.2 on the bottom or front.

Also, I have been advising folks who are looking to purchase PC hardware to wait 5 more weeks for Cyber week. Should be lots of great deals and savings.

I intend to overclock CPU and GPU(s), yes. I should have effectively be able to have 560mmX140mmX30-50mm of radiator surface area plus fin spacing. Im not familiar with the formula to calculate this.

Well as for the case I already have it waiting for components. Honestly I enjoy the case quite well, originally I was aiming for the coolermaster 690? but this one came out and I happened to get it on sale(spent $113 shipped) less than a week after it debut. I also intend to modify the side panel to allow a window(doh) and the motherboard tray for additional pass-through slots, after that Im not sure. The corsair full tower series are exceptional cases but I found the XL-R2 has found a middle ground of the selections available with additional room for mods. Plus the sound dampening materials throughout the case is extremely effective. With 3x140mm and a 120mm fan + PSU it is almost completely inaudible.

For noise, Id like to have it more quiet but have the ability to crank it up for overclocking purposes. Normal operation:quiet->inaudable overclocked:as long as its quieter than a jet engine lol. I intend to have fan controls for all the fans so as to enable this type of operation.

For the radiators, I have room for the following: top-280mm front-240/280mm rear-140mm bottom-140mm. What i was considering is using the rear and bottom as intakes for cool air and the top and front for exhaust to create a better airflow instead of intakes for front/top. I was also considering modding the top to fit a 360/420mm radiator while losing the top 5.25" bay. I'm not worried about losing the optical drive as I intend to keep all DVD/CD/BR as image data. So a simple external optical would suit my needs, coupled with flash memories. I still have yet to decide on fans as i typically have trouble choosing between the different ones.

Along with all of this, I plan to mod the modular cables to something that should be more aesthetically and space(what little can be gained) pleasing. Additionally I would like to make some form of an anti-vibration PSU holder to offset the rubber feet that support the PSU. they work but Id like something else more solid to replace them while allowing good airflow to the PSU.

The pumps would allow a better top end so to speak, however as you mentioned i could run both of them and work them must less while producing about the same amount of acoustics of one at higher RPM. The reservoir fits into my idea of hiding both pump and reservoir from view, while providing temperature monitoring of the liquid. Oh and of course a silver coil would be used for this setup(diy or purchased), I don't believe i mentioned that. From what I can tell is all components I have chosen are of copper/brass which should hinder or remove the threat of galvanic corrosion within this water loop. Once I put this initial system in place there is of course room for modification and improvement tweaks. Another thing I want to add is modding the front header connections, it has been a goal of mine for quite a while and isn't difficult to do. Id also like to somehow make a couple of mounting points for SSD on the rear of the motherboard tray as is a trend but also aesthetically pleasing these days.

That should cover most everything I believe. Any additional tips and thoughts are welcome.

Mag10 said:

Honestly I enjoy the case quite well, originally I was aiming for the coolermaster 690? but this one came out and I happened to get it on sale(spent $113 shipped) less than a week after it debut. I also intend to modify the side panel to allow a window(doh) and the motherboard tray for additional pass-through slots, after that Im not sure. The corsair full tower series are exceptional cases but I found the XL-R2 has found a middle ground of the selections available with additional room for mods. Plus the sound dampening materials throughout the case is extremely effective. With 3x140mm and a 120mm fan + PSU it is almost completely inaudible.

For noise, Id like to have it more quiet but have the ability to crank it up for overclocking purposes. Normal operation:quiet->inaudable overclocked:as long as its quieter than a jet engine lol. I intend to have fan controls for all the fans so as to enable this type of operation.

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Fair enough.

Mag10 said:

For the radiators, I have room for the following: top-280mm front-240/280mm rear-140mm bottom-140mm. What i was considering is using the rear and bottom as intakes for cool air and the top and front for exhaust to create a better airflow instead of intakes for front/top.

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Well, we usually advice to use the front, bottom and top sometimes is because that's where the filters are located. Use the back as a exhaust because chances are the back is open unfiltered and want the air exhausting on the back. I will be changing my top 3 fans in my 900D as intake because I barely feel any air exiting the top since there's a big filter in place.

Nonetheless, can't wait to see what you do with this rig. Hopefully you'll bring us on your adventure and create a buildlog. I've notice some modifications and hope they are documented.

yeah most definitely, I'm getting the plans laid currently but as soon as the the conditions allow for this to take place I'll be getting to work! Will probably have a buildlog on here and a couple of other sites to share my experiences with everyone!

Even if the hardware i have selected current changes This build for watercooling will persist!

Also, would you recommend using these for fans? I'm not too fimiliar with them but for the price they seem to be great

Mag10 said:

would you recommend using these for fans? I'm not too fimiliar with them but for the price they seem to be great

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That fan has pretty high static pressure for a much bigger fan (140mm) at low RPM. Not sure if that's marketing magic but not many fan reviews and roundups to tell us how well most 140mm fans perform in water cooling compared to 120mms.

Check this site as its very informative. Fan Roundup I usually inform folks to stay with the standard 120mm since the 140mm really lack in reviews and roundups as opposed to 120. They're actually 3 pin voltage controlled Helix140s from Swiftech.

GTXJackBauer said:

That fan has pretty high static pressure for a much bigger fan (140mm) at low RPM. Not sure if that's marketing magic but not many fan reviews and roundups to tell us how well most 140mm fans perform in water cooling compared to 120mms.

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Well thats the apache black series sound this on FCPU.com: 04-18-2013

Reviewer: RickC (2)
I''ve used 2 of these for the past year for the 140 slots on my Lian Li PC-B25F. They''ve been great - quiet, top RPM about 1350. Switched to a Kraken x60 cooler recently, couldn''t tolerate the noise of the stock fans at max RPM, tried these and although they worked well, they didn''t give me as much cooling with the Kraken as I wanted so I went with the Akasa Viper instead. Still, these are really good if you don''t need as much airflow. Max RPM of the stock Kraken fans was 1750, Akasa Viper 1540, Akasa Apache 1350. All are PWM controlled. My rig: I7 2600k overclocked to 4.7 gHz Maximus IV Gene-Z/Gen3 G. Skill Sniper 8 GB @ 1866

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granted its not being used in watercooling but a decent idea of acoustics compared to kraken series. I also came across this: Akasa 140mm x 25mm VIPER PWM Fan. Read the user reviews. I know its not the black but for the various user reviews seem solid and substantial in verifying the statistics, by opinion only of verified users.

GTXJackBauer said:

Check this site as its very informative. Fan Roundup I usually inform folks to stay with the standard 120mm since the 140mm really lack in reviews and roundups as opposed to 120. They're actually 3 pin voltage controlled Helix140s from Swiftech.

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I have visited MLL a few times and unfortunately they were stuck with 360 rads and 120mm fans, as im doing a 140mm build it gives me an idea of what I can expect but falls short on actual numbers. I also intend to mod the Fan cables at some point, which to me can be tricky, but will be worth it in the end and can reuse if needed.

Ive also noticed it seems as of aug. 2013 their website is down(according to archive.org's last save)

If you're stuck upon using 140mm than all I can say is good luck and hope you pick the right ones. Not sure which ones those would be in the 140mm market. Pick the ones you think have great pressure, low acoustics and look best with you build. Try not to base your selection on customer reviews but real reviewers and testers. Just use google and go from there.

GTXJackBauer said:

If you're stuck upon using 140mm than all I can say is good luck and hope you pick the right ones. Not sure which ones those would be in the 140mm market. Pick the ones you think have great pressure, low acoustics and look best with you build. Try not to base your selection on customer reviews but real reviewers and testers. Just use google and go from there.

Click to expand...

yeah, thats my preference. I prefer using the 140mm because it seems to be a waste to get anything less than what the rads are designed the handle. I may as well get 120mm parts if i stick with 120mm fans. I have time before this build will get under way, a few months due to work related items. I'm expecting Q1 for the initial build.