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corsair H110i GTX vs NZXT Krakken X61 vs EK-L240 kit vs (other suggestions?)

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kaesden

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Joined
Feb 29, 2016
I'll be building a skylake system in the next few weeks and i've decided to go for an AIO water cooling solution, trying to get some suggestions and recommendations on which kit to go with. I'm mainly debating between a corsair H110i GTX and Krakken X61 sealed units, though i've also been floating the idea of stepping up to an EK L240 kit and build the loop myself. I'm ok with the increased cost, if the performance increases are there as well.

I will be building this system in a Fractal Design Define S case, so there's plenty of room for any of these kits. Also, i plan to keep my GPU on air cooling, at least for the foreseeable future. Any thoughts / experiences you all could provide would be great.
 
Kraken over the Corsair any day... Also, Coolermaster Nepton or Seidon over the Corsair... Same with EK kit and Switech, but those are essentially custom 'kits'. Performance is around the same with the Kraken, Nepton, Seidon, EK Kit, and Swiftech, all beating it out, mostly by 1-3C.
 
I just did a build with the EK L240
I think highly of the kit here is some load temps and what it looks like installed
please keep in mind I added a second rad and aGPU block to the kit


23.JPG


LinX.jpg
 
I have a Corsair H100I GTX. It has been working very well sense day 1. I can't say if it is better then the others because it is my first water cooling part and I have no experience with the others. That said the H100I GTX has been keeping my 5930K that is overclocked 1.2GHz from going over 78C even at sustained 100% utilization while rendering videos with Premiere.
 
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on the swiftech coolers, what is the difference between the X2 and X2-Prestige models?
 
looks like it also has compression fittings on the prestige, vs barb on the regular model... what does that mean?(i'm new to water cooling) also for $15 more i could get the H320 instead of the H240, both will fit in a define S without any issues, would it be wise to go ahead and spend the extra 15 bucks for a larger radiator? Hoping i could run the fans a bit slower for less noise and keep the same cooling performance that way.
 
Barbs are barbs, compression fittings look better and cost more.

You are welcome to read our watercooling stickies at the top of this sub forum, A few days or weeks would be sufficient, depending on your effort and ability. It might be a good idea if you go custom watercooling like swiftech, EK or others. The AOI cheapies don't need much knowledge, that's why they are plug and play... Hehe, and more prone to material failure and user mistakes.

And yes, more radiator is good. Physics, can't deny that.
 
cool, I'll definitely read thouth all the stickies, i've glossed over them already, but there's a ton of info to absorb. Currently i'm leaning toward the swiftech H320 X2 prestige. Its a tax return splurge so I might as well get the best that i can afford within my budget and just enjoy it :)

does the swiftech come pre-assembled or is it more of a kit like the EK kits?
 
I've read through all the reviews and some of the info posts here, all great stuff. I've settled on getting the H320 prestige. thanks to all for all the help/advice! Definately cost more than i was initially planning, but overall i think its going to be an worthwhile investment, and should I ever decide to watercool my GPU, it may end up saving me money in the long run.
 
Yep, lots to learn. Glad you read up somewhat. The one you are buying is great stuff and easy to install. Please post up a bit on how it fits in your case etc when you get it.
 
Agree with Con. Post some pics when all is said and done. Always nice to see the different configurations because it helps others with this information down the road. :salute:
 
Got my first batch of parts today and installed them as far as I can for now. Unfortunately the more interesting bits are going to have to wait until friday when the CPU comes in... why does the key component always come last??
My SSD and Video card will be pulled out of my existing system, so those will be the last to go in. Overall color scheme will be black with red and white accents. Friday or saturday I'll update with the cooler install and final pics.


Case: Fractal Design Define S
Mobo: Asus Maximus VIII Ranger
CPU: i7 6700K
Memory: Crucial Ballistix LT 2400
PSU: SeaSonic X-Series 650w
Video: MSI 970 Gaming G4
HD: Samsung 850 EVO 1TB

Mobo Installed
MoboInstalled.JPG
MoboInstalled2.JPG
PSU added
PowerSupplyCabled1.JPG
PowerSupplyCabled2.JPG
Cabling on the backside
Backside.JPG
 
looking good, However I have found it easier to install the CPU and heat sink prior to mounting the board
Just be careful when dropping the chip in you don't bend up any pins.
I would go as far to say is take the board out
 
not worried about installing the cpu in the case, I've done it dozens of times before with LGA chips. Seems like it would be incredibly awkward to install the waterblock before installing the motherboard, because then i'd either have a radiator attached that i'd have to move with the board, or I'd have to connect the waterblock with the radiator installed, and maneuver that whole assembly into the case and install it with everything in the way. This way is much easier. The backplate is already installed and ready to go so once i get the cpu, i'll mount the radiator then i can just drop the waterblock onto the cpu, bolt it down and clean up the cabling. The only time i install the heatsink first is if i'm using a small heatsink like the intel retail one, or a low profile one that won't block any of the motherboard mounting points from easily being screwed in. At least for me, doing it this way will work best.
 
Well, i've gotten everything installed and up and running, but unfortunately I have an issue. I think i may have a defective water pump. Depending what speed I turn it to using PWM control, it makes a noise that I can best describe as the sound a mechanical hard drive makes when it is accessing data. Its like a clicking type noise. If I adjust the speed higher using my motherboards fan controller, I can minimize the sound, but it doesn’t sound what I would have expected to be normal.
 
Its possible there is trapped air in it. Try running it at a lower speed where the noise goes away and tap the top of the block/pump or tilt your case around to get the air trapped into the rad.
 
I'll try taking tilting the case around and see if i can get any improvement when i get home tonight.

One other question, would it be better to plug the pump and fans directly into my motherboard and use that to control the fan speeds instead of using the splitter? If i did could i use the splitter to still power the LED's but have no fans actually connected to it? I'd like to set the pump speed to a fixed speed and setup a custom curve for the fans instead of having the pump speed variable with the fans. Also i'd like to be able to monitor the pump and each fan's speed independently, mainly in case one fan happens to fail i can be notified right away and get it fixed. With the splitter, i only get a single RPM reading and i have no idea if its the pump's speed, an average of everything or whatever.
 
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