New to Water Cooling, Looking for Suggestions

[loppydog]

Hi guys. I currently have an air cooled Mini ITX build that I am looking to upgrade to the new Ryzen when it comes out. I think I might want to try my first water cooled loop. I plan to step up to a mini ATX, just for the extra room for radiators and pumps ect. I currently have a RTX 2080 that I would like to have in the loop as well as the CPU.

I am hoping to get a few recommendations on what components I should go for since I haven't really purchased anything for the new build yet except for the 2080. I am hoping to start with a case that is good for water cooling. I may need either one large radiator or two smaller ones depending on the layout. I would also like suggestions on the actual water cooling gear. I know EK is popular, but I may want to go for a kit if that is something I should consider. I don't really care too much too much about RGB or even showing off the build, but I would like a case with the most glass/clear plastic just to be able to quickly check on the system at a glance. The Thermaltake Level 20 looks awesome, but seems to get mediocre reviews.

As far as overclocking, I actually don't plan to do any of that, but I do need to be able to push my ultrawide 3440x1440 monitor for gaming at about 100hz. I am not sure if I covered all the info, so please let me know if I left anything out. Thanks!!

 

[Blaylock]

Welcome to OCF Loppydog!

I think you are going about this in the right manner. The first thing I would consider is how much cooling you will need. Will you be water cooling your GPU, VRM's, Ram? Once you know what you are cooling you can determine how much radiator will be needed. The next step would be to choose a case that case both house everything and meet the aesthetics that are pleasing to you.

Here's a link to a list of cases to assist you in finding a quality case that fits your needs.

 

[Witchdoctor]

Water cooling can be a lot of fun, I am an EK user through and through.

whether you intend on using a kit or buying individual components they have nice solutions for either.

Just starting out I would recommend reading the strikes in the water cooling section.

For a CPU and GPU you can get a a kit and add a GPU block and another radiator

Nice thing about the kits is they come with everything you need so all you need would be the additional adapters for the rad and GPU block and possible a few fittings


Here are a few ideas , but there is a vast selection , just n=make sure what ever GPU b;lock you get it is compatible with your particular card



https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-kit-s360

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-vector-rtx-2080-copper-acetal

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-coolstream-classic-se-240


Keep it simple and have fun with it

 

[loppydog]

Thanks for the case list. I noticed the Level 20 is not on the lists, is it safe to assume that means its not recommended for a water cooling setup? I am actually surprised at how few micro ATX cases made the list, it must not be a popular water cooling size. As far as what I need to get in the loop, I will want the CPU and GPU for sure, but as far as VRM's and and Ram, I have no idea. I am planning to purchase something like the EVGA Hydro Copper water block - https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=400-HC-1189-B1.

Thanks Witchdoctor, I will check those out.

 

[Blaylock]

This list is not complete by any means. It is simply a list that we (and other reputable sites) have reviewed or have personal experience with. It is fully member driven and if there are cases that you have used and would recommend to others feel free to request it be added.

I would recommend keeping the loop simple as Witchdoctor said. Stick with the CPU and GPU. Water cooling the motherboard and ram is really not remotely necessary. Those who do it are simply making show rigs.

 

[pgdeaner]

Well since you have a little less than a month before you will be able to get your hands on the equipment, you have plenty of time to plan.

The first thing I would suggest is that you make a serious list of the components that you plan to buy. I'd stick to the CPU and GPU for your first loop. Then plan up from there. Rumor has it that the new Ryzens are power hungry little boogers so you will have to plan accordingly with sufficient radiator space etc. The 105W TDP is not a real number unless you only plan to surf the web and use office 365. The GTX2080 produces some heat as well. I'd think 240 for the CPU and 240 for the rest of the system would be a good baseline if you could fit those but it will really depend on what Ryzen you choose and what your use case for it is.

If you buy the 16 core and plan to encode video all day you will need to plan differently than if you just game a couple of hours a day.

Read the stickies:
https://www.overclockers.com/forums...Water-Cooling-Your-PC-***-READ-THIS-FIRST-***
https://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/628092-The-Ultimate-Water-Cooling-Thread
https://www.overclockers.com/forums...9-The-Water-Cooled-System-picture-thread-v2-0 (for ideas)

Use a water additive.
Don't get married to a single vendor for parts. Read reviews. Buy the best stuff you can afford because it will last. I have had some of my equipment for more than 5 years.
Don't mix metals if you can avoid it.
Never buy anything aluminum. Copper, Nickel plated or nothing.
Take your time. Read. Ask questions. Water cooling is not hard, but it is a bit of a science.

 

[Blaylock]

This is the best advice you will ever receive on a forum.

 

[loppydog]

Thank you pgdeaner! I only plan to game a few hours a day, nothing more. In my current setup if I cap my refresh rate to 60 or so, my 2080 fans are nice and quiet. If I ramp up to 100-120 my GPU fans start maxing out. That is the main reason why I was considering going to water cooling. So it sound like you would suggest going with two 240 rads? I would assume just have them in a series connected to one another?

 

[pgdeaner]

Yep. That's the base idea. All the components in series, loop order does not matter other than the reservoir needs to feed the pump. Plan the route of the tubing. Think about how you will fill and drain the system. Make it look cool. Look at other people's builds in the same or similar cases for ideas.

A simple approach for water cooling is that you need a 120mm rad + 120mm for each component +120mm for any component you plan to overclock or that will run hot. The rads you buy will depend on what will fit in your case. Measure twice, buy once.

A more scientific approach would be to read the reviews of the rads you intend to buy, see what they are capable of with regards to heat dissipation then plan accordingly.
Keep in mind that the speed you run the fans on the rads will impact cooling performance. I have 2 480 rads cooling a 2080ti and a 9900K but that is because I run the fans slow so they make little noise.

Think about how you will control the fans. Most motherboards offer voltage or PWM control. Make sure the motherboard has enough fan headers and enough power capacity. Otherwise, look at fan controllers.

After you read the stickies, post if you have questions or get stuck.

 

[loppydog]

So I finally got a chance to start pricing a custom loop. It definitely gave me a little sticker shock Are there ways to get a little discount on these components? Maybe sales from certain sites ect? Maybe buy piece meal on Ebay?

 

[Blaylock]

Used from ebay is a good route. Fittings, radiators, water blocks, and reservoirs used from ebay are generally a good way to save. Personally I would buy new tubing and pump. Pumps usually have the shortest lifespan of all the water cooling parts as it has all the moving parts. So getting new is the best route. Sometimes you can find a decent pump for sale on forums like this one and that can be an ok way to go if it's a long time member.

 

[loppydog]

Great, thanks for the tips!

 

[loppydog]

So I am shopping for parts for this build and I am considering the EK P360 kit. I think that should be enough to cool both CPU and GPU as long as I don't do much if any overclocking. I was originally planning to use the micro ATX form factor, but I now realize that it is really difficult to find a MATX case that can handle much in terms of radiator support, especially a 360. The case I am looking at is the Fractal Meshify C. I am planning to mount the 360 rad to the front. I am concerned that my 2080 will not fit due to the length hitting the front radiator. It looks like my video card is 11.28" long. the P360 radiator appears to be 38mm thickness. Does anyone know if that combo would fit? Thanks!

 

[Blaylock]

Based off the specs you listed and the FD website it looks like it won't fit by about 10mm unfortunately.

 

[loppydog]

OK, thanks. I may have to go with a dual 240 setup.

 

[pgdeaner]

Does the case need to be matx?

 

[loppydog]

No it really doesn't. I am just trying to keep it small because I have limited space for it around my gaming desk. The Fractal Meshify supports an ATX motherboard, That would be the largest I would want to go I think.

Edit: I found a Youtube video of exactly what I would like to try to do, but I doubt my video card would fit. I cannot tell from the video what length the video card is and what thickness the radiator is. I kinda want to copy this setup almost exactly.

 

[Witchdoctor]

They do make a Meshify S2

Looks to be 4+ " longer and roughly the same height , this would have ample room for any video card

Just did a build in an Define S2, same size case and was a pleasure to work in with ample room for all your water cooling needs

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-meshify-s2-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352103

Based on the vid i assume you are going to use hard tubs, EK has a hard tube kit available

 

[pgdeaner]

I might save hard tubing for build #2 or so....

 

[loppydog]

I wasn't planning to do hard tubing, but if I could keep it as simple as the video shows I just might. I would just want to make sure I didn't have a bunch of complicated bend or tight corners. Otherwise I will probably just do soft tubing. As far as the S2, I think that might be a little to big for my work area, but it is tempting since I would have no worries about clearances.

Edit: Here is another video I just found of a dual 240 setup which would allow much more cooling. Obviously with this setup I wouldn't even attempt hard tubing. But again, it would all depend on if I could squeeze my video card into this setup. Maybe I should try to contact both vendors and see if they can tell me for sure. Also, I noticed on this build that he didn't even use a reservoir and the pump is attached to the CPU block?