Define R4 Water Cooling Help (Noob Alert)

[Penance81]

Hey all, new to the forums here and looking for some advice on water cooling my Define R4. This will be my first go at water cooling outside an AIO. I will be cooling my 4770K on a Gigabyte Z87 GD65 Gaming, and on release a R290X.

My hang up right now on the R4 is do I go pump and res seperate or combo unit? I am worried about placement really, not sure where to cram it in this case. I am thinking about top mounted 30mm 240 rad and a front mount 45mm 240 rad. Would really love any help you guys can give on layout and pump/res placements. As well any suggestions on equipment. Thanks!

Budget $300.00 to $400.00 USD before the GPU block.

 

[SeekaX]

tbh 300-400$ isn't the best budget for watercooling and the define r4 doesn't offer too much space for it either. you will also have to use a bayres/pump combo, xspc x20 750 would be something to look at.

 

[Penance81]

Thanks for the Pump/Res suggestion. Here is what I am thinking so far:

CPU Block: EK-Supreme LTX Acetal +Nickle CSQ
Top Rad: Alphacool NexXxos ST30 240mm
Front Rad: Alphacool NexXxos XT45 240mm
Fittings: 10X EK-CSQ 12/16mm G1/4 - Black
Tubing: 10FT PrimoFlex Adv LRT Tubing Bloodshed Red
Pump/Res: XSPC X2- DC-750 V4

Thoughts on those items? I already have all the fans needed for this setup and brings me to just under $300. And am I correct in 12/16mm fittings are 1/2ID X 3/4OD? I am also unsure on the mounting system for the CPU block it says it comes with standard mounting, however I do see some options for back plates and separate mounting kits.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Only one problem. Actually two...

First one being you have 2 rads for only a CPU? Very odd and unneeded.
second being you HAVE TO upgrade that pump. It's designed for 1 block and 1 rad. Nothing more. It will die very quickly.

Go for a D5 pump.

 

[Penance81]

Only one problem. Actually two...

First one being you have 2 rads for only a CPU? Very odd and unneeded.
second being you HAVE TO upgrade that pump. It's designed for 1 block and 1 rad. Nothing more. It will die very quickly.

Go for a D5 pump.

From my original post I will be cooling a R290X when they release, I just could not link a block for it since they don't exist yet. Also my original budget did not include the price of that block. Thanks for pointing out the pump issue, any suggestions on a Pump/Res combo that would suffice for my needs?

 

[SeekaX]

From my original post I will be cooling a R290X when they release, I just could not link a block for it since they don't exist yet. Also my original budget did not include the price of that block. Thanks for pointing out the pump issue, any suggestions on a Pump/Res combo that would suffice for my needs?

xspc also make normal bayres which fit a d5 pump. you will need to assemble those yourself though i think

 

[NeverBackDown]

XSPC make a dual bay res with a D5 built in. If that is what you are looking for then by all means go for it. A tube res/pump is a different story.. still feasible though.

 

[SeekaX]

XSPC make a dual bay res with a D5 built in. If that is what you are looking for then by all means go for it. A tube res/pump is a different story.. still feasible though.

I don't think the r4 offers enough space for a tube res anyways.
With the 240 in the front the hdd cages will be gone and the 5.25" bays are already occupied with the bayres, how do you want to deal with the hdds? Velcro them to the back?

 

[NeverBackDown]

In my R4 i only have ssds. Not a problem for me.

HDDs shouldn't be in a modern computer anyway unless mass storage is absolutley needed.

 

[Penance81]

I will not have any HDD's in the case at that point, I have a file server and will use it for mass storage. My SSD's are mounted on the back of the motherboard tray. I would love to do a tube res, but not really sure where I would mount it.

 

[SeekaX]

In my R4 i only have ssds. Not a problem for me.

HDDs shouldn't be in a modern computer anyway unless mass storage is absolutley needed.

i will use HDDs as long as they are significantly cheaper than SSDs, i currently don't see the point it paying 10x per gigabyte just to kill the loading screens. + i don't have the connection speed to just redownload games whenever i want to

 

[SuB]

i will use HDDs as long as they are significantly cheaper than SSDs, i currently don't see the point it paying 10x per gigabyte just to kill the loading screens. + i don't have the connection speed to just redownload games whenever i want to

It's more than just loading screens mate, if you haven't tried a system with an SSD then it's not really fair to comment on it..

 

[SeekaX]

It's more than just loading screens mate, if you haven't tried a system with an SSD then it's not really fair to comment on it..

i got an ssd, i use it for everything that needs to start up fast at boot. my HDDs are used for programs and games, it might accelerate compiling a bit but at the current state it's not worth it for me.
rendering/heavy compiling rigs can profit from ssds, but most rigs storage is used up by games, movies and music, which all barely need the ssd speed.

 

[NeverBackDown]

It's more than just loading screens mate, if you haven't tried a system with an SSD then it's not really fair to comment on it..

Exactly!

i got an ssd, i use it for everything that needs to start up fast at boot. my HDDs are used for programs and games, it might accelerate compiling a bit but at the current state it's not worth it for me.
rendering/heavy compiling rigs can profit from ssds, but most rigs storage is used up by games, movies and music, which all barely need the ssd speed.

I bet if you took all the money you paid for that one small ssd and all those hdd's you could have gotten a large ssd.

You only have your ssd to load things. You can't really comment on everything else.. Literally everything makes a big difference we can't explain. You have to try it for yourself. If you need storage buy an external HDD or an eHdd that's wireless.. Bam more storage!

 

[d3rrial]

And then when you finally have an SSD you will be smacked in the face with a MTBF of 10000 write-cycles.

I have to say I trust my WD Blue a lot more than I trust my Vertex 2.

Define R4 is a little too small to do a very tidy water cooling. If you want it to be pretty, you're gonna have to put a lot of effort in it.

 

[SeekaX]

Exactly!



I bet if you took all the money you paid for that one small ssd and all those hdd's you could have gotten a large ssd.

You only have your ssd to load things. You can't really comment on everything else.. Literally everything makes a big difference we can't explain. You have to try it for yourself. If you need storage buy an external HDD or an eHdd that's wireless.. Bam more storage!

so basically what i should've done is exchange my 3.5TB of HDD space with a 250GB ssd which then offers me advantages i can't explain?
also not a fan on external HDDs.
/edit
would probably not even get a 250GB ssd. 70 euros for the 2TB hdd, 60 euros for the 1.5TB hdd and 60 euros for the 60GB ssd.