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Advice/Feedback - First time build

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F

flynismo

Member
​
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Hey everyone,

Currently upgrading from the rig in my signature. Will be upgrading to a 5820k. I would like to run the 5820k @ 4.5GHz or better reliably (and always wanted to build a custom loop, so this seems like a great excuse to finally do so :D )

I'd like to keep the build at or below $400, but if I go over by a few dollars, so be it, but ideally I won't go over the budget.

Here are the parts I've selected so far:

1. XSPC Raystorm Pro CPU Block ($75)
http://www.performance-pcs.com/xspc-raystorm-pro-cpu-waterblock-v2-intel.html

2. Alphacool VPP655 Res. / Pump Combo ($158)
http://www.performance-pcs.com/alph...ol-lighttower-all-in-one-reservoir-combo.html

3. Black Ice Nemesis 240gtx ($88)
http://www.performance-pcs.com/blac...tealth-dual-core-xtreme-profile-radiator.html

4. Various fittings/tubes/coolant

Grand total for everything is at $377, so I'm very happy about that, so long as these are quality parts.


While I'm not overly concerned with noise, I don't want it obnoxiously loud either; looking at the specs, the radiator looks like it should give the performance I want without requiring crazy loud fans (but I could be wrong).

I'm guessing the pump is probably a bit overkill, if there is such thing when it comes to pumps, but I want the option to add the GPU and another radiator down the road if I decide to cool a pair of GTX 970 in SLI.

Is there anything glaringly wrong here? Or perhaps I could get better value for the money with different parts? Any feedback or advice for a first time waterhead is greatly appreciated!
 
That is something else I was wondering about -- performance is the top priority, but I'd also like it to look nice...I'll be getting an Asus ROG V Extreme motherboard, and love the red/black scheme. For the tubing, I chose clear soft tubing and UV Red coolant...was hoping for a vibrant and translucent red look flowing through the tubes. How translucent are the colored tubes (generally speaking)? If I go with red tubes and water, will I still get that affect? Not a big deal if not, just out of curiosity.
 
Save your money on the extreme motherboard. Your are paying a big premium for features you will not be using. Get an MSI z170 gaming m5 or something and save $200...

As for as the tubing, it depends on what you get... but you should stay away from dyes (see beginners guide to watercooling).
 
Yikes. I just went through the forum about using dyes....distilled water it is then..
 
Conumdrum said:
Smart man! :clap:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't need glowing red liquid that bad, haha...

I was checking out the pump/res you recommended, I'm liking the pump, but the res is out of stock. How can I determine whether or not reservoir "X" or "Y" will be compatible with that pump? Sorry if that's a dumb question, but it isn't immediately obvious to me...of course I could check other stores too, but may as well just get everything from that site, and learn something in the process (and being a PHP / Magento developer by trade, I have a soft spot for businesses that run on the Magento ecommerce platform :cool: )
 
Well all pumps and reses are G 1/4 threaded fittings. So you can pick any res and pump and decide how to connect them. Res feeds pump is all you need to worry about. There is a sticky with many paces to buy from. Old list, but many listed. Dunno if you are USA or Tasmania.
 
Conumdrum said:
Well all pumps and reses are G 1/4 threaded fittings. So you can pick any res and pump and decide how to connect them. Res feeds pump is all you need to worry about. There is a sticky with many paces to buy from. Old list, but many listed. Dunno if you are USA or Tasmania.
Click to expand...

Oh, okay; that's great to hear. Nice to know I won't be limited by anything like that, just got to make sure it fits my case.

One other question, any recommendations on fans? The radiator I listed is 12 FPI, so I guess that isn't too dense...will pretty much any fan that moves a decent amount of air work well with that radiator, or do I need to get high static pressure fans? I was considering this one since it matches the color scheme I'm going with, and it's supposed to be a HSP fan...doesn't move much air though http://www.performance-pcs.com/ther...iator-fan-red.html#You-May-Also-Be-Interested
 
You want high Pressure fans. It's in the stickies and been some recent reviews in this forum. Dig in, read more. You are getting all clicky clicky happy on the buy me web sites, not enough learning time. Slow down.

This is the third time I said that today to 3 different new watercoolers on this site. It's a hobby, not a end game. Enjoy, learn.

12 FPI is a good FPI.
 
I couldn't find what case this is all going into as you'll need to make sure things fit and what not.

Your rad won't be enough to cool your OC'd CPU and two 970s OC'd or not. You'll want a minimum of 120.4 of rad surface.

Also, if you care about looks, you could grab either a nice cylinder (XSPC Photon) or dual bay res (Monsoon Series Two) with a DDC/D5 pump compatible, choose one or the other only as both pumps aren't universally fit to each other.

If color theme is very important to the build and since you don't want to touch dye which is the right thing to do, have a look a PrimoChill's Advanced LRT colored soft tubing and NZXT's Hue Plus for LED RGB lighting.

As for the fans, Riing also make a RGB version so you could change the color lighting on those fans. Don't know how great they'll perform as rads but they do have a nice bling factor.

There are many options as you can see. Take your time and think it all through. Create a blueprint in your head on how you'll want it all to look and have a look at other builds with your case at hand to see what has been done.
 
I agree with GTX! Plan it all out and make sure your parts are compatible. Nothing worse than getting things that do not go together!
 
GTXJackBauer said:
I couldn't find what case this is all going into as you'll need to make sure things fit and what not.

Your rad won't be enough to cool your OC'd CPU and two 970s OC'd or not. You'll want a minimum of 120.4 of rad surface.

Also, if you care about looks, you could grab either a nice cylinder (XSPC Photon) or dual bay res (Monsoon Series Two) with a DDC/D5 pump compatible, choose one or the other only as both pumps aren't universally fit to each other.

If color theme is very important to the build and since you don't want to touch dye which is the right thing to do, have a look a PrimoChill's Advanced LRT colored soft tubing and NZXT's Hue Plus for LED RGB lighting.

As for the fans, Riing also make a RGB version so you could change the color lighting on those fans. Don't know how great they'll perform as rads but they do have a nice bling factor.

There are many options as you can see. Take your time and think it all through. Create a blueprint in your head on how you'll want it all to look and have a look at other builds with your case at hand to see what has been done.
Click to expand...

Just want to make sure I was understanding you correctly; for now, I am just cooling the CPU. Will 120.2 not be enough for a 5820k? I may or may not add GPUs to the loop, but I do understand that if I do, I'll need to add another rad as well.

The case is a Corsair C70 Vengance http://www.corsair.com/en-us/vengeance-c70-mid-tower-gaming-case-military-green although I'm considering going with something different at some point...theoretically, the case can fit two 120.2 (top and front of the case), but it'll be cramped at that point.

Definitely want it to look nice, but that takes a backseat to sheer performance...worst case scenario, I get a great performing loop, and after the fact can figure out how to make it look nice...but preferably would just get it down from the get go.

Thanks for the response!
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I took the time to really do my homework and get a good grasp on what's what.

Here's what I ended up with:

1. EK-CoolStream XE 360 rad
2. XSPC D5 Photon 270 pump/res combo
3. XSPC Raystorm Pro block
4. Three Corsair SP120 fans / three AF120 fans for a push/pull
5. Simple distilled water and dead water
6. Some nifty UV red tubes for some bling

I ended up going slightly over budget due to grabbing six fans instead of three, but not by much!

I already have the 5820k up and running, so once all the parts get here, will post a few pics of my first water build :)
 
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