First Ever Water Loop and Gaming PC

[JacobP]

Hello,
I have just finished my shopping list for my first ever gaming PC with water loop. I read all of the stickys and I think I understand how liquid cooling works in a PC, I hope! Although I think I understand what's going on, I think I still need a little bit of guidance in my first attempt.

My current set-up as of now:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($569.53 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($288.03 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($288.03 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X Blue ATX Full Tower Case ($209.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Other: Radiator, 3x120mm 30-FPI Copper ($58.64)
Other: CPU-370SI Water Block (Intel Processor) ($58.64)
Other: Reservoir and Pump, RP-1005 (Rev.2.0) ($229.70)
Other: INS-FLTR03 Inline Coolant Filter * 3 ($52.77)
Other: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm Case Fan * 3 ($89.97)
Other: Fitting Pair, Compression for 13mm x 19mm (1/2in x 3/4in) * 3 ($39.57)
Other: Tubing, Blue UV-Reactive PVC, 13mm x 16mm (1/2in x 5/8in) * 5 ($8.75)
Other: Tubing Spring Wrap, Steel Black for OD 19mm (3/4in) ($6.62)
Other: Cold Cathode, 12in UV Dual * 4 ($42.96)
Other: Dual Ultra Bright LED Cable, 4-pin, UV * 8 ($31.20)
Other: EK-FC670 GTX - Acetal * 2 ($215.62)
Other: CrossSLI Danger Den Fittings ($12.95)
Other: IandH Silver KillCoils - Antimicrobial .999 Fine Silver Tubing / Reservoir Strip * 6 ($41.94)

I will be upgrading to a GTX 7xx when they come out, therefore the GPU water blocks are kind of obsolete as of now.

So, I was talking to a friend of mine and told him my expectations of roughly 50-60°C on my CPU and 40-50°C on my GPUs. He told me there was too much restriction and it just wouldn't keep at that temperature.

So, I would like to ask if someone would be able to help me create a good loop that will last and will produce results.

Thanks,
Jacob.

 

[Conumdrum]

Post up your choice of loop parts and we'll let you know. Too many different setups for us to build a setup for you, and it's best you determine your needs through your research and understanding.

 

[bassnut]

His parts ... at least the important stuff.

Cooler Master HAF X Blue ATX Full Tower Case
Gigabyte G1.ASSASSIN2 EATX LGA2011 Motherboard
Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor
XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Antec Formula 7 Nano Diamond Thermal Compound Paste
Radiator, 3x120mm 30-FPI Copper
CPU-370SI Water Block (Intel Processor)
Reservoir and Pump, RP-1005 (Rev.2.0)
INS-FLTR03 Inline Coolant Filter * 3
Fitting Pair, Compression for 13mm x 19mm (1/2in x 3/4in) * 3
Tubing, Blue UV-Reactive PVC, 13mm x 16mm (1/2in x 5/8in) * 5
Tubing Spring Wrap, Steel Black for OD 19mm (3/4in)
Koolance LIQ-702 Liquid Coolant Bottle, High-Performance, 700mL (Blue) * 2
EK-FC670 GTX - Acetal * 2
CrossSLI Danger Den Fittings

First off loose the coolant .... just run distilled with a biocide or silver kill coil. Yopu already have blue tubing why add dye to the mix with the coolant.

You have 1/2" - 3/4" compression fittings and 1/2" - 5/8" tubing if I read that right .... will that work?

I am sure someone else will be along shortly and can give you some more imput. I'm off to work.

 

[musicfan]

Welcome to the forum Jacob. After reading the stickies, what sort of heat load do you calculate for your CPU and other parts you wish to water-cool? The 660ti has a tdp of 150 Watts. How hot does it get gaming on stock cooling? Do you want to spend the money to water-cool the VGA cards or only the CPU?

Fan choices, presumably for the radiator, are Noctua nf-f12@ 1500 rpm at max. If the radiator is a Koolance copper 30 fpi, a review is at Skinnee's.

As per Conumdrum, you can take a picture of choice of parts and attach it to your post here. Or list parts/system you are considering and link to them/it. That way we won't have to guess about any models you are choosing. Good luck.

 

[EarthDog]

I dont see a point in the X79 platform for gaming at all. Go Z77 and i7 3770k and save a couple hundred dollars for the exact same performance.

 

[JacobP]

Updated OP to include my current shopping list for those who wanted it. Also, I'm looking at a TDP of around 420-450 on max OC with my CPU and a little space for if I want to OC my GPU, very unlikely though, as I'm getting a 2-way SLI. As I said before, I want to keep my CPU temperatures at around 50°C to 60°C under gaming load. As for my GPUs, I would like to keep them around 40°C to 50°C under normal gaming load. I know it's a little far fetched for an overclock I'm going for(4.2GHz on all 6 cores at 1.25v-1.3v). As far as I know, people have kept these temperatures at these clocks.

EDIT: To EarthDog: I also do animations (like the ones you see at the beginning of games, like a cinematic) and my friends I5-2500k can't take all of the load.

 

[EarthDog]

2500K doesnt have Hyperthreading either. a 2600K or 3770K does. The extra HT cores will help in rendering/encoding...not as much as a native Hex will, but it will be a big difference between a 2500K and 3770K. LOOK. If those meager differences are worth it to you, then by all means X79 is the platform for you. If not, save hundreds and go Z77 and 3770K.

For your goals/hardware (Hex and 2 GPUs), You just need more radiator. I would get 2 3x120mm radiators with fans in push/pull.

 

[JacobP]

Is the Koolance 3x120mm 30 FPI good enough for the I7-3930k?

 

[EarthDog]

Yep, for just the CPU and your temperature goal.

 

[JacobP]

Would I use an extra rad for the 2 GPUs?

 

[musicfan]

Is the Koolance 3x120mm 30 FPI good enough for the I7-3930k?

Yes.

The tdp is 130 W and I got 200 W in the PSU calculator with the OC you describe.

Using the Noctua 1500 rpm fans and the link above to Skinnee's testing, you will have an air-water delta t under 5°C, which is good. This is only an estimate and there are many nuances...but yes that should work.

 

[EarthDog]

Would I use an extra rad for the 2 GPUs?

Yes you would. Otherwise, your temperature goals will not be met without some loud high powered 38mm depth fans.

 

[JacobP]

Thanks for the help guys. You really did a fellow gamer a true solid.

 

[EarthDog]

You could really get away with a 3x120mm and a 2x120 mm if that helps.

 

[JacobP]

I'll look around at some watercooling configs with this case, see what would work best for air flow and space.

 

[Conumdrum]

Caselabs, check them out.