Building External Rad box - Need suggestions first

[CGfreak102]

So, i am looking at cooling my GPU along with my CPU. The case i have right now, a slightly modded HAF932 (essentially just the case, no front I/O) has only room for one 360rad.

I will also be upgrading my system to a 5930k or if i can the 5960x within the next 6 months, along with a second GTX 980 (aiming for some sweet 4k gaming)

To that end, and wanting near silent computer as it is in my room that i sleep in and i need to keep it on 24/7. i run a massive plex media server along with plenty of video/picture editing, autocad/inventor designing, and random programming. i want the fans to run at no more than 1400RPM. Looking at martins liquid lab, the 360 version of that rad will dissipate 210w at that fan speed, times that by 4, i can plan to dissipate 840watts. I would start with just 1 480 and my existing rad, and upgrade the rads one i upgrade the CPU/GPU. I figure at most the 5960x would produce 275W (aiming for a high OC), and each GPU OC'ed would be in the range of 200-215w.

My specs i will be going with are the following;

• 3x Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 480mm
• EK block i have in sig for proc
• EK block for GPU's
• EK block for Mosfets

Specs i am undecided about;

• Resi
• Pump
• Fans, Right now i have 6xSP120s on my rad and i get ok temps, idle broswing 25c, load 55-60c. Might just keep with those, unless there is a better fan for around the same price as those. I can get a twin pack for 22 bucks at my work.

The resi is more a pure aesthetic design, while the pump i am unsure about.
I am looking at the MPC655 variable speed, but might want to go with a pump that i can attach a tube resi to. Otherwise i am looking at mounting a free standing resi inside the rad box, with a pump on each side.

My question is this, will one pump be enough for that loop, or will i be looking at two? Plus suggestions on a block pump would be appreciated.

The rad box will have its own fan controllers (SEN-MIX2-M1), PSU (probably my old CM 850 wired up to an awesome looking switch), with two tubes running to the back of my case with quick-disconnects.

I am working on a design right now and will update this one i get further for others to use as a resource.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I would probably either install all the rads in a external rad box as I've seen the most common ones are x3 360mm rads or buy a MO-RA 3 PRO rad with a tube reservoir and a dual pump setup only if you feel the need to have a redundant system since you're running a fairly expensive PC running 24/7 on full load but a single pump D5/MCP35x can handle all of that. With dual pumps in serial would also grant you to running them at lower speed as oppose to a single running at a higher setting to keep the flow efficiently with in 1.0-1.5 GPM.

As for GPU's, I'd take a look at a GTX Titan or GTX Titan Black. They will be used since they've been out for some time now, the GTX Titan being the longest out. I see some on ebay sometimes for good pricing. They are a hybrid GPU for folks who like to game and also do the work you do, i.e. cad, rendering etc because of its dual precision when all the other GPU's even the new 900 series do not have dual precision but only single strictly for gaming. You can use regular GPU's for your line of work if they support CUDA core rendering and the likes but the Titans would really be ideal for you. 6 GBs of Vram as you'd want to grab a couple making sure your 4k is running at ultra settings and have enough Vram to push anything you throw it at, at least it should but I am speaking a bit ahead (speculation).

In the end, all you need to cool is your CPU and GPU. Have a look at the affordable and top performing Swfitech XL or XSPC Raystorm CPU WB. MB doesn't need the mosfets cooled unless you're doing ridiculous OCing in the likes of 5.0+ but I wouldn't run it 24/7 at that speed. For benchmarks you're still fine if you bump it high up and bring it back down to reasonable speeds for 24/7 use. Plus, the 5930k/5960x have a sweet spot for 4.4-4.6 I hear and have a hard time going beyond that without adding a ridiculous amount of voltage. It's a lotto, as some get a golden chip and others don't. Regardless its going to be a beast of a machine without a OC. If you really want to make things move as in fire transfer rate, booting etc, take a look at the M.2. Most of these X99 boards come with these M.2 slots. Just make sure if you do go down that route the MB is bootable with said M.2 SSD as not all are and there are only a few M.2 SSDs out in the market. With a setup like this you should feel light years ahead of time.

As for the quietness, you'll have more than enough heat surface to really run the rig fairly quiet at full load while keeping it happy. Whether you go CPU + GPU or 2 GPUs, you have more than enough to run premium rad fans (AP-15s or Noiseblockers eLoop B12s) at low RPM in the 800-1000ish range and maybe even lower. All depends what you want your Delta-Temps to be.

 

[CGfreak102]

Yeah rad box is my idea, only way to do it aside from getting an expensive case.

I do more gaming than using designing software, so i think the 980's will be a better bet for me.

The MO-RA 3 PRO looks like a great find, i might have to look into that as it beats the price on 3x480 rads.

I do like the idea of the redundant pump and being able to run them at lower RPMS as i do hear mine alot and it always is running at the full speed (4500rpm). I think i will go with that for safety sake.

As for the OC, i am in the intel retail edge program, at the 3930k i got ran 4.8 @ 1.39v without fault, but i ruined the chip (degraded it) by accidentally running prime95 with a adaptive voltage set instead of manual, think it hit 1.9v before it shut down. I got a 4930k and that was able to hit 4.7 @ 1.4v. But i could have always gotten lucky, which i didnt with my 4770k, cant get it above 4.5
without going over 1.4v. I am hoping i can get one that can hit 5.0 for some benchmarks, but for daily tasks i would run it at 4.6 with the lowest stable voltage.

I completely forgot about the M.2 SSD's, that is on my radar to buy as it frees up a sata port for another HDD for storage.

I would also just do the mosfets for asthetic reasons, as i might eventually change to the new lian li case they are coming out with ( http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-o7s/ ). or maybe fabricate one my self and wall mount the SoB.

 

[CGfreak102]

Also, is it possible to mount a tube resi horizontally?

-CGfreak102

 

[caddi daddi]

you can mount a tube res on it's side.
just get a mo-ra 4x 180 rad, i have one I am retiring and it's awesome at helping keep things quiet, you can just set it on the floor or mount it to your desk.

 

[CGfreak102]

i most likely will go with it, as it does a good job cooling, and is half the price of 3x480 rads. But still need to make a rad box as i want everything for my water cooling beside the blocks to be in a separate box from my case.

Now i just need to find a spec sheet of the MO-RA 3 PRO so i can layout where i need to cut the acrylic sheets.

-CGfreak102

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Maybe something like this? That's if you're still going with x3 480 or a phobya 1080.