First Jump into Water Cooling

[ShortyDoo]

hey to everyone! I've been reading around these parts for a bit but this is my first post. After reading about others experiences I think it's time to get my feet wet. I've tried to put the parts together as best I can but need a little guidance.

New System
Asus Sabertooth 990fx R2.0 motherboard
FX-8350 cpu
<strike>16GB Corsair XMS3</strike> 8 GB Ares
EVGA 660 Superclocked 02G-P4-2662-KR
A smallish SSD for OS
(4) 7200 hdds

for cooling
either

Option 1
xspc raystorm rx360 kit with the D5 variant/combo res
adding (2) Alphacool coolplex pro res
EK GeForce 660 GTX VGA Liquid Cooling Block
<strike>Bitspower HDD Acetal Liquid Cooling Block (Hdds mounted on their sides with the block on top)</strike>
flow meter (not sure which one yet)
<strike>Memory water block?</strike>

Option 2
xspc raystorm amd block
mc9655 pump
xspc rx360 rad
yates fans
and the rest of the same from option 1

So...I am doing this more for the silence than overclocking but I as a tinkerer will never rule that out. My concern is whether or not the pump in Option 1 is sufficient to run the loop (assuming my suggested loop is a good one). I don't like to half a** things and spend unnecessary money so if im better off flow/reliability/insert good reason here to piece together the system and pay a bit more I will, even if it means buying 1 part at a time.

Another concern is well maybe I should have started out with this. I am building a desk (inspired by l3p and red harbinger), not my first pc buildi by any stretch but my first water cooled one. I more than likely will not have much if any airflow so I need/want to cool all the necessary parts. The desk will be made out wood and stained to blend in with the furniture (the only way I got the nod of approval from the boss). Everything will be on standoffs and nothing will be directly mounted to the wood. The top will be glass/plexi and I havent decided on coolant color or lighting as of right now. First build a solid system then worry about it looking pretty

I want to build the system that I can upgrade and tinker with as my knowledge grows. maybe switching out the fans for gentle typhoons, etc.

And...as if this wasnt complicated enough for me I am also contemplating using my current rig (q6700, 8gb ram, dg33tl, 9800gt) as a NAS on the other end of the desk, but I cant find any pieces to watercool that so it may not even be an option.

As you can tell I am not really a pc gamer aside from World of Tanks but I primarily run a ton of media, as my current system serves up media for my entire house and tablets/laptops when out and about.

Sorry for this being so lengthy but I wanted to get as much information to you as possible as well as a decent introduction since Its my first post.

Any and all criticisms are welcomed...I'm a big boy and if something I suggested is stupid then feel free to correct me.

 

[ASUS ROG]

I think that you should start out easy, just do a single CPU loop first and then move on to GPU later at "your knowledge grown", water cool RAM is unnecessary unless you're a serious benching, that go the same for water cool your HDD(water cool RAM and HDD is just for show)
Abother thing is if you plan to wc all that you better have a good plan/ drawing of where your loops will go or you will end up with a jungle of loops in your rig = very ugly pc

 

[EarthDog]

Cooling a HDD and RAM (also chipset/board) are pretty useless and only serves to add a lot of restriction. Leave those parts be.

Otherwise, check out the sticky thread as hat should answer a lot of questions while you wait for other thoughts.

 

[ShortyDoo]

Ok that makes sense. Wouldn't the gpu fan be loud? I know my 9800 sounds like a jet! Oh believe me I am designing away. I will post some pictures of my designs and thoughts when I get to a proper pc. Every little piece of paper has some configuration on it.

 

[ASUS ROG]

Ok that makes sense. Wouldn't the gpu fan be loud? I know my 9800 sounds like a jet! Oh believe me I am designing away. I will post some pictures of my designs and thoughts when I get to a proper pc. Every little piece of paper has some configuration on it.

GPU fan is loung but if you close up your case, you will not hear anything
and for careful planning design on the loops

 

[Ajay57]

ShortyDoo: Welcome to the forums, first you might consider changing your ram to 8GB which is more than enough, also to G-SKILL Ares. As for sure it looks like you need some expert water guidance or Guru. So if you have the time and patience i would read these 2 posts if at all possible. AJ.

1, http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173028

This first post will give you good ideas about different Radiators.

2, http://martinsliquidlab.org/

This post is the best of all, as it will answer most of your questions on all subjects!

 

[TheHutchTTU]

Don't forget about the Stickies at the top of the Watercooling Forum.

 

[ShortyDoo]

Reading right now. Thank you guys. Can't wait to start a build log but I will get the parts 100% straight before going there. Haste is Waste as they say

 

[Ajay57]

The major point here is we see time and time again, rushed builds that end in costing more than they should. All for the lack of patience and poor research, and the poor owners wishing they had taken more time. AJ.

Yes we all get excited about a new build even me, but unlike others i take as long as it takes to do the homework first. I find i have the least amount of problems when putting parts together.

 

[ShortyDoo]

I agree with you that's why I am in no rush. I put together the parts out of descriptions and recommendations I read in other threads. The hdd, mem and motherboard blocks were just out of my concern for heat within a relatively stagnant air case. As being a strictly air cooled guy for so long I'm just being careful but no need to be wasteful in the process.

I'll take a look at the gskill you recommended but I'm what you would call a hoarder I guess. I like having more storage abd ram than I actually need...it's overkill but it makes me feel good lol. Is there any particular reason you recommended the gskill?

Thank you! This has been very helpful

 

[Ajay57]

Yes one of the top AMD guys use GSkill Ares on most of his PC's with no problems at all, and its fully recommended for AM3. Just read the bottom in the description page and reviews. Also i may say its refreshing to see someone open minded and willing to learn on here, like i had to. Spend a lot of my days reading different reviews and posts about lots of subjects to do with PC's and my hobby. just in case i need it for myself or i could possible help someone else out. AJ.

1, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231548

These will match your Mobo and your CPU as well.

Well i have corrected the typo error for all concerned, correct Ram is Ram, but on this AMD Platform with this motherboard from what i have seen it seems to work better! Maybe you do not like what i have said, and maybe its time to go and attack someone else instead. Regards AJ.

 

[Knufire]

RAM is RAM. Brand doesn't really matter.

 

[ASUS ROG]

RAM is RAM. Brand doesn't really matter.

+1

 

[JeremyCT]

G.Skill Ares. If you're going to give a recomendation (multiple times at that), at least spell it correctly. Ares is a good line, it uses the same chips as their more expensive line but without the fancy cooler attached. That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the RAM he currently has.

The only concern I'd have would be that the video card he has uses the reference blower which I find to be not exactly loud, but unpleasant sounding. So I might put that under water to start. Well, that and the other issues regarding RAM and drives not needing to be water cooled at all.

You'll need to figure out a way to get some airflow through the case. Not a ton, but some. There are a number of components that rely on air for cooling even when the major components are water cooled. They don't need a ton of airflow, but the air needs to be moving.

 

[ShortyDoo]

Yes one of the top AMD guys use GSkill Ares on most of his PC's with no problems at all, and its fully recommended for AM3. Just read the bottom in the description page and reviews. Also i may say its refreshing to see someone open minded and willing to learn on here, like i had to. Spend a lot of my days reading different reviews and posts about lots of subjects to do with PC's and my hobby. just in case i need it for myself or i could possible help someone else out. AJ.

Thanks for the link. I might go 8 to start and use some of those funds towards the fans. I'm doing some new sketches now for overall design, equipment placement, routing and just because I like to doodle. Should I post it in here or start a build log (not at the build phase yet but planning stages have to count for 80% right ).

The only concern I'd have would be that the video card he has uses the reference blower which I find to be not exactly loud, but unpleasant sounding. So I might put that under water to start. Well, that and the other issues regarding RAM and drives not needing to be water cooled at all.

I decided the GPU is going to be watercooled (silence is golden) so my loop will be Res -> Res/Pump -> Rad -> CPU -> GPU -> Res.

The tube Res will add capacity but also search an aesthetic function, I know the AIO has a combined res/pump. thats what i'll go with unless thats too much for the pump to handle.

You'll need to figure out a way to get some airflow through the case. Not a ton, but some. There are a number of components that rely on air for cooling even when the major components are water cooled. They don't need a ton of airflow, but the air needs to be moving.

After doing some more reading (actually read your T-line thread too) I'm going to have a Scythe or Sp120 intake and exhaust positioned over each board (the hdds will be low and in front of the board) so get some air moving over. I dont want to go too fan crazy but I will pay a premium to get as close to whisper quiet as I can.

Here is where I am a bit confused now. There seems to be two schools of thought about Res placement. Ive seen builds that have the res at the bottom of their tower and some elevated. people have said have the res higher up makes it easier to bleed and I read someone say the same about having it lower. Now my non physicist mind tells me that its easier to go with gravity than against it. since my "case" is horizontal as opposed to vertical I dont have much high or low to play with since it will literally be 6 inches tall. Now, that being said do I need to elevate my res as much as possible or will it do just fine having it level with the rest of the system? (I'm searching around about T-line placement for draining now if thats relevant)

 

[JeremyCT]

Typical reservoirs don't care too much where they're placed AFAIK. Coolant should be flowing fast enough to carry small bubbles along with it, even against gravity to a certain degree. This means the bubbles will rise when coolant flow slows inside the reservoir. You might need to tap and jiggle/shake blocks to fully free trapped air during bleeding, but that's true regardless of orientation. The important part is keeping the pump free of air, so you always want to place th e res immediately before the pump.

If you have a regular reservoir, you don't need a t-line (except maybe for draining) or a reservoir directly attached to the pump. One properly positioned reservoir is enough. Anything more is just for looks.

 

[Conumdrum]

"Here is where I am a bit confused now. There seems to be two schools of thought about Res placement. Ive seen builds that have the res at the bottom of their tower and some elevated. people have said have the res higher up makes it easier to bleed and I read someone say the same about having it lower. Now my non physicist mind tells me that its easier to go with gravity than against it. since my "case" is horizontal as opposed to vertical I dont have much high or low to play with since it will literally be 6 inches tall. Now, that being said do I need to elevate my res as much as possible or will it do just fine having it level with the rest of the system? (I'm searching around about T-line placement for draining now if thats relevant)"

It's not about gravity. It's the bubbles. You Must have the res higher than the pump. That's all that matters. You pick a res, even a lowly T-line before the pump INLET with 3-5" long you can fill and bleed. You get a pump/res combo or a Tline and fill it and 'bump till full', some can take MANY bumps. The setup of the case rads matters a lot. You have a top rad with downward facing barbs, longer wait, more bumping, tilting case etc.

You stick to the basic res before pump no matter if a res attached to the pump, or a res somewhere else, and make sure you never let the pump run dry you'll be fine.

I had two rads in my loop, rads vertical, fiittings at the top on both rads. (my builds are in the stickies BTW) Pump down low. My loops should of been as easy to bleed as anyones. One of my video cards had a mini bubble vortex into the first GPU, I could hear it and see it, was a mini tornado (clear GPU block). Was 3-4 days after building the loop, was still there. Took lots of pump bumping, tapping tubing, squeezing tubing, until it was gone.

Building a loop using the basic important stuff is basic. Bleeding a loop is an adventure. Each one is different. Some easy, some hard. It's a hobby, it's fun.

 

[ShortyDoo]

You Must have the res higher than the pump. That's all that matters.

Gotcha. Having only 6 inches from the bottom of the case to the top, will a couple inches or so height difference be enough to satisfy this?

any links to the posts (looking through the build sticky now, a search didn't yield a direct post from you)...looks like it is 35 pages of awesomeness though

 

[Conumdrum]

Yep, even 1/2" rise is enuff.

Read this one post to a member I made long ago......... It's a hobby. I spent 3 months hanging out and reading before I bought one WC part. After I asked, after I learned.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6489396&postcount=3

 

[Conumdrum]

When I got into WC was before the stickies from many, many forums were made. It was not the super experimental days, 2-5 years earlier, but you had to read and learn and just 'hang out'. Great times actually learning and discussing.