First Watercooling Build - 800D - Partial Parts List

[laxin213]

First Watercooling Build - 800D - In leak testing and encountered an issue

Hi guys,

BACKGROUND:
I've read the forum as a lurker for years, but registered to get some advice as I'm new to watercooling. I've built many, many systems before (I made some side cash while in college building and fixing boxes as many of us did on here I'm sure), so I'm not a total noob. I also work in IT (lotus domino) so I get frustrated by end users and servers on a daily basis ..I also have experience sleeving, modding, and doing some basic OC. I started reading build guides on WC'ing several months ago, have checked out first timer threads by Tom's HW, this forum and many others. Oh and I spent a chunk of time on skinee labs (man I can just spend an hour reading graphs..wow that guy is awesome). That being said I feel like a noob still to the world of WC...

PARTS ON HAND:
So here's what I have on hand. If there is a compelling reason, I'd consider selling something I currently own on fleabay to buy another item that would make my job cooler/easier/better. I considered ditching the sabertooth p67 for something that it seems more WC'ers use, but I haven't...It also has the gimicky thermal armor over plate that I thought would offer some protection to the mobo in case of some kind of catastrophic liquid failure (my warped thinking there)

-CASE- Corsair 800D
-MOBO- asus p67 sabertooth revB3 Thermal armor
-GPU- evga gtx 570 (012-P3-1572-AR)
-CPU- i7 sandy bridge 2600k
-PSU- corsair HX 1000w CMPSU-1000HX
-RAM- corsair vengeance ddr3 1600
-HD- crucial realSSD and 2 conventional spinning platter drives in JBOD
-MSC- sata dvd burner

PARTS I AM SOON TO PURCHASE
So here is what I've come up with thus far. I am totally open to suggestions.

-CPU BLOCK- XSPC Raystorm CPU Waterblock - Intel
-GPU BLOCK- EK-FC570/580 GTX+ for Nvidia GTX 570/580 - Acetal + EN (Nickel)
-GPU MOD- EK-FC580 GTX Backplate - Black
-MOSFET BLOCK- EK-MOSFET Sabertooth P67 - Acetal + EN (Nickel)
-PUMP-Swiftech MCP655™ Series 12 VDC Water Pumps - With Speed Control
-PUMP MOD- Bitspower D5 / MCP655 Mod Kit - Matte Black Finish
-RES- EK-BAY SPIN Reservoir - Acetal - Ver.2
-TUBING- PrimoFlex Pro LRT UV Blue Tubing -1/2in. ID X 3/4in. OD
-TUBING AK- PrimoChill Anti-Kink Coils - Clear
-FITTINGS-
***Bitspower Rotary 45 Degree 1/2" Barb Fiting
***Bitspower barb fittings with compression sleeve
***bitspower spacers for the GPU block
***Koolance QDC (High Flow) Shutoff Nozzle, Female Panel Barb [13mm, 1/2"]
***Koolance QDC (High Flow) Shutoff Nozzle, Male Comp. [ ID: 13mm (1/2"); OD:19mm (3/4")
-FLUID- Distilled water and silver kill coil
-SLEEVING- Bitspower Super Tight Weave Sleeving
-SOLVENTS-
***Artic clean (to clean stock thermal paste
*** for cpu-Indigo Xtreme for Intel Core i5/i7 Processors (LGA1155/1156 socket)
***for gpu - should I use Phobya HeGrease Extreme 3.5g? Did well in this skineelabs test
-RADS-Aquacomputer airplex Revolution 420/360 G1/4. Did well in this skineelabs test, but I'm open to ideas here
-RAD FANS- ???
-FAN CONTROLLER- ????

MY QUESTIONS:
1. Should I go dual loop (does anyone dual pump 1 loop? Just seems like the 1 pump is a single point of failure). So I think I'd like to take my new i7 2600 to maybe 4.5GHz, In trying to get TDP...

stock i7 2600=95w
GTX570=244w

So adding both and adding fudge to OC I'd estimate my TDP is about 400w. From this skineelabs test on the AQ Airplex revolution in the watts dissipated per RPM chart (4), I think, in theory, I could run fans at 1700RPM to dissipate my systems heat in a single loop with this rad. Am I reading this graph correctly?

2. Related to the first question is if I go single loop, can I get by with the Aquacomputer airplex Revolution 140.3 radiator and do some cutting to the 800D case? My thought is maybe I go with a larger rad in the top of the 800D and cut it if I have to ( I was considering doing a 120.4 and some dremeling and losing the top bay if I had to). The case is built for a 120.3, and on the corsair forums, guys will dual loop and install a 120.3 up top and cut a hole for a 120.2 down below near the PSU.

3.Still looking for a fan controller and fans for the controller to control. It seems a lot of people go with the scythe typhoons and undervolt them so they get a quieter rig.

4. I still need an airfflow diagram, I plan to tackle that next along with a waterflow diagram when I get the rad squared away... Then I was going to try to figure out the fittings needed best I could before I placed the orders for all the parts....

Thanks for the tips / advice!

 

[Ironsmack]

Things i would change are:

- Get rid of the Mosfet block for your MOBO. Really, you dont need it.
- You dont need those fancy arctic cleaning kit. All you need is some alcohol, cloth and coffee filters.

In terms of running dual loop - its personal preference. Me personally, ill run GPU+CPU in one single loop. Makes your tubing much cleaner and less hassle. Why complicate things?

One thing you could do is have 2 pumps run in series so you have redundancy. But those 655 are a beast and have been tried and true. I'd rather save the money for something else.

Seems like the AquaRevo rads are pretty good rads even mated with low-mid range fans. So i think its a good choice.

Now the question is, are you doing just (1) 360 rad? Or getting a 360 + 240 rad? Or (1) 480 rad?

 

[m0r7if3r]

For a higher restriction loop, the DDC series is probably a better choice than the D5 for a pump...pricing should be pretty close between an MCP655 and a MCP35X, but the performance difference should be tangible...though either should keep you above the minmum recommended flow. Other than that, looks pretty good.

Fan controller: Look at lamptron for purdy ones and look at sunbeam for cheap ones that work.

Fans: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=223391 and http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=261778 should do you pretty good on that.

Don't worry too much about how you're gonna do your tubing, I advocate for planning that out loosely and then making decisions when you have parts in hand...it's worked out pretty well for me so far

 

[laxin213]

Seems like the AquaRevo rads are pretty good rads even mated with low-mid range fans. So i think its a good choice.

Now the question is, are you doing just (1) 360 rad? Or getting a 360 + 240 rad? Or (1) 480 rad?

Hi Ironmack,

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the advice. I've been thinking about going with the AQRevo 140.3 (I need to double check it'll fit the 800D) up top and a 240 in the bottom. That leans me to duaL loop, when I was considering single loop. The dual idea leaving room to tweak, in case say I went SLI in the future...But I'm still debating dual loop (with dual rad 140.3 and 240) or single loop (with 140.3)

Hi Mr,

Thanks for the fan control links and the comments! much appreciated

 

[txus.palacios]

A 140 rad will fit hardly on the 800D top. You'll have to deal with the EPS power connector. Plus there're no 140mm holes.

If I were you, I'd just pour water into the CPU and GPU. My rig can handle SLi. Right now I don't have the Denkiis installed, running with AP15s, so you can imagine.

 

[cubu]

i think mcp35x pump would be good now and later if you add the second gpu block with one or two rads.

like someone said, i'd dump the arctic cleaning stuff. just get a tube of good paste for cpu/gpu, im sure that indigo stuff is good if applied correctly, but i don't think the hassle/performance is worth the $

 

[txus.palacios]

Best performing TIM is Phobya HeGrease right now. My prefered TIM is Gelid GC2. Incredibly cheap and with an awesome performance.

 

[m0r7if3r]

Best performing TIM is Phobya HeGrease right now. My prefered TIM is Gelid GC2. Incredibly cheap and with an awesome performance.

And now to quantify that with some data

http://skinneelabs.com/2011-tim-results/

 

[Ironsmack]

Hi Ironmack,

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the advice. I've been thinking about going with the AQRevo 140.3 (I need to double check it'll fit the 800D) up top and a 240 in the bottom. That leans me to duaL loop, when I was considering single loop. The dual idea leaving room to tweak, in case say I went SLI in the future...But I'm still debating dual loop (with dual rad 140.3 and 240) or single loop (with 140.3)

The 140.3 wont fit on the 800D as someone else mentioned unless you modify it. Do you have all the parts? If you do - do a dry fit and that'll help you figure out whether to single or dual loop.

As Mort said, its much easier to visualize everything once you have all the parts and do a mock up.

 

[thebski]

Don't worry too much about how you're gonna do your tubing, I advocate for planning that out loosely and then making decisions when you have parts in hand...it's worked out pretty well for me so far

+1 for this. Just finished my Black Devil Build (thread to be updated very soon), and I can tell you no amount of online planning or research will have you ready for what it will really be like in the case.

 

[laxin213]

The 140.3 wont fit on the 800D as someone else mentioned unless you modify it. Do you have all the parts? If you do - do a dry fit and that'll help you figure out whether to single or dual loop.

As Mort said, its much easier to visualize everything once you have all the parts and do a mock up.

Thanks for all the opinions and advice so far...

I think the Airplex Revo 140.3 will fit. It is a unique 140.3 because one side of it has 140 fan mount holes and the other has 120 fan mount holes.

800D dimensions: 610x610x228 (mm)
Airplex Revolution 140.3 Radiator: 465x146x63 (mm)

 

[m0r7if3r]

Do you know the distance from the top of the board to the top of the case?

 

[laxin213]

Do you know the distance from the top of the board to the top of the case?

Good point, thanks for pointing this possible issue out to me.It looks like I'll luck out with about 33mm of clearance....

Thickness:
Top of 800D to top motherboard mounts: 121mm
Aqua Computer AirPlex Revolution = 63mm
Scythe Gentle Typhoon: 25mm

*********************************************************
The last item I have on my agenda before I order (I think), is to finalize my cooling. As a side note, I want mosfet cooling, not because it's needed, but just because I think it's cool and I don't mind spending the $. So I need to decide between single or dual loops, which carries rammifications between the rads I order, the pumps and the resv's. Here are the 4 ideas I came up with:

My thoughts were a large volume of fluid would carry the most heat and coming in the middle in terms of tubing lengths needed (7).


My thoughts here were 2 pumps pushing the fluid through faster, also offering redundancy, least runs of tubing (6).


My thoughts here were 2 separate res, with 2 separate pumps. Probably the most costly, and requiring the most runs of tubing (8).


My thoughts here were a dual loop, but easier install with the res and both pumps being housed in a smaller area. Also, requiring 7 runs of tubing, middle of the road.

 

[m0r7if3r]

You can forget about volume of fluid effecting anything other than time to equilibrium...which will be <1hr in most cases anyways. Personally, I'd probably go with #2 for ease and redundancy.

 

[laxin213]

pretty sad, that the machine still isn't built. But I am making progress in the last 6 months. Just starting leak testing and I have a problem....



So here is my concern. I'm not sure I can wire 2 of the molexes the way I have them. Here is what my understanding is of molex voltage, from this image I pulled off the net:



In particular, I combined the molexes for a XSPC LCD Temperature Sensor which runs on a ground and 5v with the Swiftech mcp655B waterpump which runs on a 12v and ground. Instead of using the adapters, and having 2 separate connectors and 2 adapters here's what I did to combine them into 1 female molex plug




One odd thing is that the pictures I see on the web from frozen cpu and performance pcs of the pump show it with a black and red wire, while the documentation says 12v and my pump has a yellow wire....

So I figured I would plug it in and see what happens. I'm using a rosewill rcw-608 . The reason I'm using that is so that only the pump would be energized in the event of a leak, thus minimizing potential damage to the other components than if I was using say the new build's PSU. Well the pump didn't work once I plugged it in, so I started tracing wires, re-reading the pump and res manual, surfed the web for leak testing guides and pump issues, and took a break for a snack and to think....Then, I took a double check of the rosewill rcw-608 and low and behold a ground was charred. I smelled it, very faint burned smell and cool to the touch, but by that time it had been about an hour since I tried to plug it in....



So I'm not sure if I charred it or it was charred last time it was used and I didn't know it. I work on computers a lot and I loan the rosewill out all the time and use it myself, it's very possible that it was like that before even plugging it into the new build...

So, my question is, is it ok to combine 2 wire molexes on separate female plugs into 1 plug? I can't think of any reason why one couldn't but seeing the charred connector and considering the cost of my parts I'm feeling weary...

Thanks!!

 

[txus.palacios]

The pump consumes 24W. That's 12V x 2A. Your PSU can ONLY give 1.5A. Not to mention that it's probably a faked value. My bet is that your PSU is dead. For good.

Also, if you have two ground pins, why don't do you use both? With power cables, the more, the merrier. Connect the LCD temp sensor to the other ground.

Also, just for kicks and giggles, make sure all the wiring is properly done. Check datasheets and so. And use a DMM to check voltages.

Don't you have some old 300Wish PSU you could use? That's always better than using a power brick designed for HDDs and such.

EDIT: Also, why did you add the MOSFET and chipset coolers? Those things aren't gonna get (too) hot. You're just getting extra restriction for no tangible performance increase.

EDIT2: "would be energized in the event of a leak, thus minimizing potential damage to the other components" You know you can remove the power connectors and pull pin 14 low to start the PSU, right?

 

[laxin213]

Txus,

Thanks for the replies. I do have an old 300w psu laying around I'm going to use it. As for using the system's PSU, I've seen people use the 14pin trick and use their PSU. but I'm frequently frying things and breaking stuff, I figured I would use the rosewill hdd power adapter "because hey it has a molex power" bad thinking. I see the wattage issue now, thanks. I will use another molex power coming from the psu too thanks. As for the NB/SB cooler, no real reason to use them other than I liked the way that they looked. from a performance standpoint, my rig may even suffer from it, but I didn't do much for it in the vanity department using all copper blocks all the way around in leui of the plated chrome issue ek is having so I figured I would run the extra blocks for looks sake.

 

[laxin213]

Thanks for the advice from those in this thread and various other build logs that I read. Finally done with the build. Over a year and a half elapsed from when I started planning to buy the parts, to it finally being completed. OS is installed, settling in with programs and such... Plan to OC soon. Here are some pics to share for now...

 

[manu2b]

 

[boosteeddc]

clean build, my main concern is, what fan controlled do you have?!?! i cant for the life of me find a fan controller with that many controllers