Future Proof Water Cooling

R

rwiera

New member
Hi everyone!

I'm planning on building a new PC and I'm new to WC. I read the guide for beginners and understand what to do, however, I need help to choose the parts I need to get one by one (i.e. block, pump, size of tubes).

The system should be able to run two high-end GPUs, a highly overclocked CPU and the north bridge...what else can or should be cooled?

And what kind of WC friendly case would you experts recommend me to get? (something with lots of space?)

Cheers!
 
If you're future-proofing (that is, not doing a one-off loop for a specific build) I'd recommend going external. Not confining yourself to a case. Do you intend to travel with the PC? A LAN build is a different matter.

Future-proofing: Go simple (easy to change and maintain). Go big (large capacity rad). Go redundant (dual pumps).

Your GPU blocks are going to change. CPU block, pumps, res, rads: these don't change very often.

What hardware do you have now?
 
I won't be traveling with at all.

I'll be buying everything new but I intend to keep some components steady (i.e. case, powersupply, hdds) and upgrade the rest in future.

I thought of getting pre waterblocked gpus so I don't have to deal with those.

So if I go external, is there going to be a seperate radiator unit or will the radiators have to be mounted to the case?

Are there any parts or kits that you would recommend? Are there any case or setup where you can fill the reservoir without opening the case?
 
Okay, next question: Budget?

What are you willing to put into this?

No point in me recommending stuff like CaseLabs or high-end rads if the budget is tight. If you don't plan on changing the case very often, it can easily be an internal build. Do you own tools? Willingness to mod?

Kits are for those on a tight budget, but it's really hard to recommend one for cooling more than just a CPU. They're meant as beginner's water cooling, to be expanded as necessary, but starting with a kit and then expanding it can be more expensive than just putting together a set of good components from the start. The pump is typically the first thing to throw away when expanding on a kit.
 
The budget is not an issue as long as I get use those parts for a long time. I saved up 3500us for the whole system...I even looked at WC'ed computers from puget or digitalstorm but their prices are just unjustifiable and building a rig is actually a lot of fun (as long as everything runs smooth
smile.gif
)

However, I don't have too many tools available and I don't have any prior experience with wc. Do you mean I will have to frill holes in the case and do everything by myself or are you suggesting just wc loop?

Just like you said, those kits seem to be only suffiecient for one heat source and therefore coming up with a custom thing seems to be more wise (in performance and investment terms)!
 
Look into the Koolance RP452X2 res pump combo. this bay res utilizes two koolance pmp450s pumps. This is very versatile as far as future proofing because you can add one pmp450s pump now for a single loop configuration, and later if you need it you can add a second pmp450s pump for a duel loop solution.

Also there is a single drive bay res the RP-401X2 which utilizes the pmp-400 pumps.and the RP-402X2 duel drive bay res that also utilizes the pmp400 pumps.

RP-452X2

https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=2025

RP-402X2

https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=2032

RP-401X2

https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=1174

I just bought the RP452X2 and i have to say I love it running one loop for my two 6970's and the other loop for my vrm/mosfets blocks, COU block and motherboard block.
 
When I asked about tools and modding, that was actually to determine case-type. There aren't many cases on the market that will accept a couple of triple or quad rads natively. However, with some modding (cutting), the list of cases grows a lot longer.

In the name of future-proofing, I'm going to recommend one

- One quad rad, for CPU and motherboard. (Triple if not cooling the motherboard.)

- One triple rad, for a pair of GPUs.

There is no point in cooling ram modules. That is purely an aesthetic option.

Since this is your first experience with water cooling, I'm going to suggest you keep every thing in one loop, to reduce the number of parts involved, and for the ease of routing.

- I do recommend dual pumps, in series, for redundancy. Either DDCs or D5s. I prefer D5s but that's just an opinion.

Do you like towers, or cubes?

Can you get your hands on a Dremel or jigsaw, or would you prefer cases that don't require modding?

Do you like front-mounted bay reservoirs, or long internal tube reservoirs?
 
The first two of Warfox's links are good options. The third I would not choose. Single-bay with dual pumps is too damn tight to work with. The PMP-450 is Koolance's version of the D5. Decent enough pump.

I must confess though, aside from pumps and reservoirs, there are NO other Koolance products I would recommend. I am... quite wary of Koolance products.
 
warfox101 said:
Look into the Koolance RP452X2 res pump combo. this bay res utilizes two koolance pmp450s pumps. This is very versatile as far as future proofing because you can add one pmp450s pump now for a single loop configuration, and later if you need it you can add a second pmp450s pump for a duel loop solution.

Also there is a single drive bay res the RP-401X2 which utilizes the pmp-400 pumps.and the RP-402X2 duel drive bay res that also utilizes the pmp400 pumps.

RP-452X2

https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=2025

RP-402X2

https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=2032

RP-401X2

https://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=1174

I just bought the RP452X2 and i have to say I love it running one loop for my two 6970's and the other loop for my vrm/mosfets blocks, COU block and motherboard block.
Click to expand...

The RP-452X2 looks great and I might as well start with a dual loop since I'm planning to cool 2 gpus, a cpu and possibly also the northbridge. It's nice that is goes into the system and from what I understand the pumps are attached to the reservoir, right? But I guess I will have to fill the reseroirs by opening the case?
 
Earthmonger said:
The first two of Warfox's links are good options. The third I would not choose. Single-bay with dual pumps is too damn tight to work with. The PMP-450 is Koolance's version of the D5. Decent enough pump.

I must confess though, aside from pumps and reservoirs, there are NO other Koolance products I would recommend. I am... quite wary of Koolance products.
Click to expand...

Which means I should pick radiators and blocks from other sources?
 
Actually the easiest method to fill the Koolance reservoirs is to loosen the drive bay screws and slide the res forward a few inches, giving you access to its top.
 
Earthmonger said:
When I asked about tools and modding, that was actually to determine case-type. There aren't many cases on the market that will accept a couple of triple or quad rads natively. However, with some modding (cutting), the list of cases grows a lot longer.

In the name of future-proofing, I'm going to recommend one

- One quad rad, for CPU and motherboard. (Triple if not cooling the motherboard.)

- One triple rad, for a pair of GPUs.

There is no point in cooling ram modules. That is purely an aesthetic option.

Since this is your first experience with water cooling, I'm going to suggest you keep every thing in one loop, to reduce the number of parts involved, and for the ease of routing.

- I do recommend dual pumps, in series, for redundancy. Either DDCs or D5s. I prefer D5s but that's just an opinion.

Do you like towers, or cubes?

Can you get your hands on a Dremel or jigsaw, or would you prefer cases that don't require modding?

Do you like front-mounted bay reservoirs, or long internal tube reservoirs?
Click to expand...

Cases that I could use without cutting and drilling holes would be my preference. I worked with towers so far, never used a cube but I wouldn't mind if working in them is easier or less complicated...

For the rads: which manufacturer would you recommend? Do these come with fans or should I also be looking for quiet fans?

Also: do you use a flow and fan controller? Something that can be installed in the bays and monitor temperatures and turn down the cooling performance in idle?
 
rwiera said:
Which means I should pick radiators and blocks from other sources?
Click to expand...

I'll say this for everyone else's benefit as well as yours:

Germany is #1 in my book. The quality of german parts is outstanding. By this I mean Watercool and AquaComputer.

EK is #2 in my book. There are issues with EK's nickel plating, but for everything else EK's Slovenian parts are fine.

XSPC comes in at #3. Functional kit, decent quality, UK-made.

DangerDen comes in at #4. It ranks this low solely based on aesthetics. I have no issues about their quality.

Magicool, Swiftech, and Phobya come in at #5. Functional. Can't say much else.

Koolance is at the bottom of my list. That's right; I'd sooner recommend chinese-made kit than Koolance's korean crap. Almost every part they release has had issues, ranging from rust, to corrosion, to cracking acrylic, to exceptionally poor QC on their waterblocks. Their position on my list is based on all the careless speedbumps along their history. Their pumps are fine by me, since the D5s are all OEM'd by Laing anyway, and only modified by Koolance. I haven't seen any issues on the current bay reservoirs either.

There are other companies that aren't on my general list. Companies with specific high quality products, but not a huge range. Thermochill, Hardware Labs, Bitspower, etc.
 
Earthmonger said:
I'll say this for everyone else's benefit as well as yours:

Germany is #1 in my book. The quality of german parts is outstanding. By this I mean Watercool and AquaComputer.

EK is #2 in my book. There are issues with EK's nickel plating, but for everything else EK's Slovenian parts are fine.

XSPC comes in at #3. Functional kit, decent quality, UK-made.

DangerDen comes in at #4. It ranks this low solely based on aesthetics. I have no issues about their quality.

Magicool, Swiftech, and Phobya come in at #5. Functional. Can't say much else.

Koolance is at the bottom of my list. That's right; I'd sooner recommend chinese-made kit than Koolance's korean crap. Almost every part they release has had issues, ranging from rust, to corrosion, to cracking acrylic, to exceptionally poor QC on their waterblocks. Their position on my list is based on all the careless speedbumps along their history. Their pumps are fine by me, since the D5s are all OEM'd by Laing anyway, and only modified by Koolance. I haven't seen any issues on the current bay reservoirs either.

There are other companies that aren't on my general list. Companies with specific high quality products, but not a huge range. Thermochill, Hardware Labs, Bitspower, etc.
Click to expand...

Getting parts from Germany to the US will be hard mate!!!
smile.gif


I'll see if vendors are selling those in the US. If not, I'll have to deal with the latter options...
 
Cases designed for watercooling can get costly. So be warned. This is where the ability to mod less specialized cases can save you some dough. But let's get some examples on the table and see where you want to go. These are a few cases that will natively support one quad and one triple rad.

- CaseLabs MH10. Cube. Can accommodate everything you need. CaseLabs makes bigger cases, too, Jurassic cases, even. But they are the true definition of "extreme". Tom did a review of the TH10. Different case, but you can judge quality by the review.

- Little Devil PC-V8. Tower. Rads in the cellar. Only four drive bays though. Which means, 1 optical drive, 1 fan controller, and a dual bay res are all you can fit.

- XSPC H1, H2. Cube and Tower respectively. Be sure you get enough bay covers.

- Silverstone TJ11. Tower. A love it or hate it design, but it's big. (I'd list the TJ07 but it requires modding.)

The quad I recommended for your CPU + Mainboard is deliberately overkill. A thick triple would serve just as well. If you go thin though, go quad.
 
CaseLabs and XPPCs cases look amazing, thanks for the links!!! Silverstone's design is actually nicer than all of them...

Now I have finally some idea of what I can do and some parts I already like a lot.

So would you still recommend a single loop with larger tubing and a strong pump for 2 gpus, a cpu and nb? Or should I go with two loops and smaller tubing?

I'm in the heart of the US, in Kansas...not a great place though! Where are you at? What kind of system and water cooling are you running?
 
Earthmonger said:
Cases designed for watercooling can get costly. So be warned. This is where the ability to mod less specialized cases can save you some dough. But let's get some examples on the table and see where you want to go. These are a few cases that will natively support one quad and one triple rad.

- CaseLabs MH10. Cube. Can accommodate everything you need. CaseLabs makes bigger cases, too, Jurassic cases, even. But they are the true definition of "extreme". Tom did a review of the TH10. Different case, but you can judge quality by the review.

- Little Devil PC-V8. Tower. Rads in the cellar. Only four drive bays though. Which means, 1 optical drive, 1 fan controller, and a dual bay res are all you can fit.

- XSPC H1, H2. Cube and Tower respectively. Be sure you get enough bay covers.

- Silverstone TJ11. Tower. A love it or hate it design, but it's big. (I'd list the TJ07 but it requires modding.)

The quad I recommended for your CPU + Mainboard is deliberately overkill. A thick triple would serve just as well. If you go thin though, go quad.
Click to expand...

What do you think about this ?
 
I'd recommend one loop, with two pumps in series. Use either 3/8" or 1/2" ID tubing, if using compressions. If using barbs, 7/16" ID tubing over 1/2" barbs. I'd run the loop order like this:

Reservoir/pump > CPU > Motherboard > Radiator #1 > GPUs > Radiator #2 > Reservoir/pump.

The reason I keep saying two pumps in series, if that if one pump stops, the other is still keeping your system going. It's a failsafe. Redundancy. And it also boosts performance of course.

The reason I'm not saying two loops is for simplicity, and the fact that four pumps would be a tad overkill.

Ultimately that's up to you though. It's just my preference.

For radiators... You mentioned silence so lets skip the Black Ice GTX line.

XSPC RX

HWL Black Ice SR1

Thermochill TA series (rinse them well)

You could look into the EK Coolstream XT's, but they're about to be replaced by the XTX series. I'd love to be able to recommend the AquaComputer AMS rads, or the XSPC EX rads, but there just isn't sufficient testing yet. It would be a leap of faith. Watercool's HTF4 only comes in a 140.3 right now, so it's not on the list either.

For fans I'd recommend Scythe AP-29's. Get a fan controller and dial them down as desired (1500 - 2k rpm). You don't *need* 3k rpm fans, but it's always nice to have the extra headroom.

I live in Norway. But I'm from Illinois. Long story. As for my setup, it's getting old. I use a pair of Mo-Ra 2 Pros, D5 pumps in series with Bitspower Dual D5 tops, AquaTube reservoirs, an Aquaero 4.0 for fan control/temp, and 3/8" tubing with Bitspower compressions. GPUs are EK, and I have a custom plated silver-based AquaComputer Kryos HF on an i7 920. Early next year I'm planning an overhaul to x79, with an internal AquaComputer AMS840 rad.
 
rwiera said:
What do you think about this ?
Click to expand...

You're not... serious? Intensive modding required.

But you asked: I loath it. I loath steel in general though. The 800D is a hotbox. What it has going for it is a sleek look, and admittedly, unsurpassed cable management. It has nothing else. The Corsair 500R however, is the first Corsair case I've really liked. I would almost pay money for it. If Corsair continues in that direction they will surely change my opinion. The only other plastic & steel box that has impressed me lately is the Cooler Master Storm Trooper. Sleek, refined, stealthy. Not like CM's teenage raver cases. Almost feels like CM is making a comeback. Just wish it were aluminum.

But none of those cases are on the menu for this. The work involved would be too much.

I just moved out of the NZXT Khaos, and into the Cubitek Magic Cube modular case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Need to pick your brains
Replies
1
Views
163
Excalabur50
Excalabur50
AlienALX
The Fairchild Ghost subwoofer project
2 3
Replies
45
Views
1K
AlienALX
AlienALX
P
Do some people never learn from the past?
Replies
2
Views
930
Pugsport
P
P
Smooth old school Corsair 600T
Replies
16
Views
7K
WillSK
WillSK
AlienALX
Keyboard
Replies
7
Views
3K
AlienALX
AlienALX
Back
Top