Getting My Feet Wet

[FTLN]

Hi Peeps,

Recently upgraded to a 2080 TI, a Gigabyte Aorus Extreme to be exact.

As this thing sits vertical in my Thermaltake View 71 its litteraly 7mm from the side panel and this as we all know temps suck with GPUS pushed right up against the tempered glass.

So I bought one of these from a retailer in Italy : BS-GIX2080T-PA

But I have absolutely no experience in watercooling and have no idea what else I need to buy !

Im thinking of putting my H115i up in the roof of the case and then putting a rad where the H115i is currently, and I will also need a pump and some fittings.

Any recommendations on the fittings I should get and also the type of pump ?
Also, what about tubing size and do I need any special tools ?

Any help would be much appreciated

 

[Warchild]

If you are going the watercooling route, why not ditch the AIO and go full loop?

Seems odd to see a custom loop for GPU and AIO for CPU. Unless you plan to use soft tubing of course, then you could get away with it.

 

[AlienALX]

I'll do a wee write up later today or tomorrow when I'm at a PC and not on my phone.

 

[Warchild]

Depending on your goal, the suggestions can differ.

Pump: D5 Vario //As its just the GPU, you can lower the RPM on your pump extremely low as it doesnt need much PSI to push through some fittings and a radiator.

Radiator: 240mm max either slim or regular e.g. EK coolstream SE or PE. I wouldn't bother with the XE (extreme/monster widths)
You can either go with a D5 and separate reservoir, ( suggested 150cm tube or less) or a combi of the both which EK also sell.

Fans: Not going to suggest any. You have a good idea already based on your current build so the choice is yours here.

Tubing: This will depend on your choice of fittings, but regardless, I would suggest you begin with some soft tubing.

Fittings: Only limited to cost and choice of tubing (deciding on tube and fitting go hand in hand). As long as you are consistent and use G1/4 threaded fittings, you can choose many to suit your needs.

If you go soft tubing route, you need to worry less about rotaries, but not to ignore them completely as sharp bends cause kinks. Sometimes a 45/90degree rotary can help prevent a kink.

My suggestion for you would be to use some HC Fittings (high compression) with 10/13mm ID/OD, and the tubing to match. This size tube is very flexible and allows you to setup a basic loop with ease. My preferred soft tube is 16/19mm but this is tough to bend and I use rotaries to help me.


D5 pump and res combined (saves on fittings and tubing)

Or detached D5 Vario/REVO

Res 150mm Lite

Radiator choices both 240mm

Slim rad - 240 EK Coolstream SE

Regular 240 EK Coolstream PE

Fittings 10/13mm At minimum you want 6 (add more if you buy pump and res as separate items) good to have spare incase of leaks or bad O ring seals. This is where planning comes in. Draw it out, decide what you need in terms of a minimum amount e.g. what is needed per block/pump/rad/res and then decide, if you need rotaries to help on tricky angles, you may need more fittings too.

2 for res (if separate)
2 for rad,
2 for pump
2 for GPU

2-4 stop plugs to cover unused ports (you may need more. Always good to have spare if seals are not great) These are usually supplied with the reservoir and GPU blocks/pumps/rads so check the product contents before buying.

Tubing (diameter to match the fitting suggestion) 10/13mm 3meters long. This is more than enough for your small loop

With all of this in mind, use this picture to help give you an idea. Its with CPU in the loop, but if you picture the GPU instead, you can get a guesstimate of what you need. e.g. 6 fittings, tube, pump, res etc

 

[FTLN]

Cheers guys, one question about fittings, do they I need teflon on the thread or are modern fitting fine without teflon ?

 

[Kei]

Cheers guys, one question about fittings, do they I need teflon on the thread or are modern fitting fine without teflon ?

It's not a requirement but there are some of use who prefer to use it as added safety to help seal the threads so you aren't solely relying on the O ring to seal the fitting.

 

[AlienALX]

Modern fittings are machined and have o ring channels. It means you can't overdo and or crush and ruin them so you always get it right. Just don't go gung ho with acetal blocks as they are soft and crush, and acrylic can spider crack.

Will be at pc later and will show you the cheaper option. Just make sure to use XSPC EC6 *clear* if you don't want mixed metals headaches or a big mess when you drain.

DO NOT use Mayhem Pastel because it's s**t. Total effing s**t.

 

[FTLN]

I think I'm gonna order two 420s one for the roof and one for the front and add a cpu block, I'll use flexi tubing to start and if I have no issues I'll think about doing some straight tubing when I got some time of work in the summer.

So what recommendations for Pump Res combined that can handle this ?
Also, Im thinking im correct saying that fans can be on really low rpm with this setup ?
Any ideas about the easiest way to add a drain tap for maintenance ?

 

[AlienALX]

Seriously don't waste your money. Two 420 is pointless. A good 420 should be enough to saturate, and you will only be limited by your GPU itself.

I have two 240s cooling my rig (14 core Xeon and a Titan XP) and my Titan XP tops out at 56c and the card is limited to 2100mhz, end of. Nothing I touch will make it go higher, it is being limited by the firmware locking down the voltage. IIRC there is no way to bypass that, so saturating it is "more than enough" if you know what I mean. IE - there is no point in cooling past what you *need* to make sure you can get max clocks. The rest? it's all artificially limited.

And besides, running that sort of rad volume will likely mean you need two pumps. You can check their headroom, but I would suspect one pump may well struggle.

I run my fans at around 6v. They are absolutely silent, just a very very gentle fssss to assure me they are spinning, if I sit completely still and turn everything off. That is the reason one watercools, so you don't have to live with any sound above the ambient. I mean, I did go to 5v, but at that speed they were not doing a great job (they were hardly spinning in fairness) and I could hear my PSU fan any way (and it's very quiet indeed).

If you want to fit a drain port you can do so quite easily just using soft tubing and a stop fitting. It will have a G 1/4 cap that you remove and the loop drains, though draining a rig is never that simple because of course when you undo that thing there is still loads of coolant trapped within the rads, blocks and so on. For something like that you can use something akin to this.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ek-water-blocks-ek-af-t-splitter-3f-g14-nickel-wc-944-ek.html

Or this.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/bits...cooling-accessory-shiny-silver-wc-079-bp.html

And then something like this.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ek-water-blocks-ek-af-fillport-g1-4-nickel-wc-819-ek.html

Which you would have in the lowest part of the case (you need to cut it in or drill a hole). Then you run a fitting into it, then hose, then into the T fitting or whatever junction block and use soft tube and simply hide it.

Personally? I don't bother. All I do is pull out my GPU, undo one of the caps and drain that into a bucket. Then I remove the GPU completely (with a bucket under it, making sure nothing goes on the card itself) and then I blow into one end of the hose until it all wees out into the bucket.

One thing you will need, especially if it's your first time, is one of these.

https://www.aquatuning.co.uk/water-...puter-dr.-drop-pressure-tester-incl.-air-pump

Just trust me, whatever way you choose to plumb your rig you absolutely do need one of those. I will tell you why, too. Knowing how much to tighten up the fittings and how hard to do them up on the hose is something you need to learn to do by feel. No amount of watching videos is going to help you with that. Also, if you make a mistake and forget a cap, or don't do the cap up properly or what not? it will save you an awfully big mess.

Another tip (not sure if WC covered this). DO NOT power your rig on to test the water cooling. Make sure when you are testing and filling it that you use either an external PSU to power the loop's pump, or, disconnect everything associated with your PC from it to make sure that nothing is powered on. A spill onto hardware that is not switched on is easier to tackle than a leak all over hardware with leccy running through it (even though it's supposedly non conductive I wouldn't trust it).

Edit to add. Try and avoid 45' rotary fittings if you can. If you put any lateral pressure on them they leak. That said, so do many rotaries. The only ones I've ever used that won't leak even if you hang on them are Monsoon, but this is what I mean when I say lateral pressure...

The cause of that was this..

OK, see the very small piece of hose coming out of the rad and going from it to the block that runs it down to the CPU block? well basically that hose was too long and was putting pressure on the rotary. Which caused it to create a gap around the O ring, hence leak. Like I said, many rotary fittings are known for leaking so don't use big fat heavy hose.

https://www.aquatuning.co.uk/water-...acool-nexxxos-ut60-full-copper-420mm-radiator

There, that would do it. I wouldn't use EK again. Their rads look gorgeous, but are very underwhelming in build quality IMO.

Bloopers.

Why did I read 2080Ti as 1080Ti? they are still voltage locked though, no?

 

[Warchild]

I think I'm gonna order two 420s one for the roof and one for the front and add a cpu block, I'll use flexi tubing to start and if I have no issues I'll think about doing some straight tubing when I got some time of work in the summer.

So what recommendations for Pump Res combined that can handle this ?
Also, Im thinking im correct saying that fans can be on really low rpm with this setup ?
Any ideas about the easiest way to add a drain tap for maintenance ?

2 420 is way over the top. CPU and GPU can be cooled with a single 360rad if you wanted. I had this cooling a cpu and 2 gpu in a 540air case. Temps were little higher but still 30+ degrees cooler than the GPU throttle limit.

Personally I never bothered with any pressure tester. I might have considered it for more complex loops, but for a basic circuit, and soft tubing there is very little to go wrong. Finger tight fittings will give enough seal from the o rings, provided you fully tighten them before inserting your tubes. (sounds dumb but I see in videos, people trying to tighten fittings once again after their tubs are inserted.

My one suggestion for you. Don't over think it, and just enjoy the process. Its why we watercool these days, its enjoyable fun and looks pretty.

Both Alien and myself have done alot of WCing over the years so both are here to help you. We could both suggest fittings and options until your face turned blue, but starting out, I think "keep it simple" comes to mind. Budget is your only limiting factor. Creativity is endless



edit*
When it comes to filling, one thing that will make you nervous is hot wiring your 24v connector to power on with the PSU switch (need to power the pump afterall, without powering on your PC).

With that in mind, try to get one of these

Its not mandatory, but its safer than the good ol "paperclip" short circuit method. As you can see, the connector has done that little shortcirtcuit for you.



Last comment.
Thats a damn nice looking block. Don't under estimate Barrow, they provide almost same quality components as Bitspower at over 50% of the cost sometimes and almost look the same. They came a long and are a very good option for bits.

 

[AlienALX]

Aye water cooling is like crack. Very addictive

Immensely satisfying though.

 

[FTLN]

Thanks of the inputs , in fact the reason I am thinking 2 x 420 is because the case I have is huge, it looks so empty on my desk especially when I'm sat next to it and I can see up in the roof and into the front panel.

The Thermaltake View 71 I think is a made for watercooling I think because the the huge volume of space inside its very hard to get any air flow especially with the 1cm gap all around the case as the tempered glass sits on standoffs.
I can put my hand in the middle of the case with top, front and back fans on full and I can hardly feel any movement.

So even if it is overkill I am definitely gonna get x2 420mm rads just to fill in the empty space.

 

[Warchild]

Thanks of the inputs , in fact the reason I am thinking 2 x 420 is because the case I have is huge, it looks so empty on my desk especially when I'm sat next to it and I can see up in the roof and into the front panel.

The Thermaltake View 71 I think is a made for watercooling I think because the the huge volume of space inside its very hard to get any air flow especially with the 1cm gap all around the case as the tempered glass sits on standoffs.
I can put my hand in the middle of the case with top, front and back fans on full and I can hardly feel any movement.

So even if it is overkill I am definitely gonna get x2 420mm rads just to fill in the empty space.

If money is no object and its for aesthetics then go for it . I do have 2x 480s in my case after all.

You may need to rethink your pump though. D5 gives a softer smoother sound and almost cant notice it and may struggle, but a DDC e.g. MCP35x will pump through your loop far stronger than a D5. Downside is its slightly louder. Upside, is no other pump gives better headpressure, and its smaller than most pumps.

 

[AlienALX]

After reading about the Bitspower hex flow meter I was a little concerned about pump strength, so I got a 18w DDC. I got mine for £38 on sale, but a check shows they are about £60. I bought a clearance plain black acetal top for £4.80, then a cooling block by EK again on sale on OCUK (was about £8? something like that?)

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ek-water-blocks-ek-ddc-heatsink-housing-black-wc-484-ek.html

However after all of that I was able to run the pump at 7v and still get tons of flow. I am using a Aquaero to control my pump, and a PA3 for my fans.

 

[Warchild]

After reading about the Bitspower hex flow meter I was a little concerned about pump strength, so I got a 18w DDC. I got mine for £38 on sale, but a check shows they are about £60. I bought a clearance plain black acetal top for £4.80, then a cooling block by EK again on sale on OCUK (was about £8? something like that?)

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ek-water-blocks-ek-ddc-heatsink-housing-black-wc-484-ek.html

However after all of that I was able to run the pump at 7v and still get tons of flow. I am using a Aquaero to control my pump, and a PA3 for my fans.

DDC is my weapon of choice. I love how strong it is. Currently im using only 34% PWM and it is still maintaining the recommended 1.0GPM. sounds like you have a similar setup to me now.

I use two of them now. The Swiftech pump house was fantastic. Gave it a little colour too as it was too white.

FTLN highly recommend this pump (single pump version). Its louder than D5 but pushes far more water at 50% usage than the D5 does on maximum.

 

[AlienALX]

I have a D5 in my green and silver rig. It's nowhere near as powerful as the DDC. I agree also about the D5 being "quieter" but I can't hear my DDC at all. The EK kit is great too, as it comes with rubber mounting legs.

Pumps sure are expensive. It's worth having a good one if the rig is high end though. I do like the £7 Chinese pumps I've used, but they are kinda ugly and nowhere near as powerful.

 

[AlienALX]

https://m.de.aliexpress.com/item/32...&terminal_id=51a874d044594ebca5af82c7d0ad8af1

Word on the street is that those are very good. Awesome for a backup, but work very well any way on their own merit. Might be worth considering, especially if you are going to use two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=e6Kc7gcD6FU

 

[Bartacus]

The D5 can push through any loop, there's no need to concern yourself with needing extra head pressure that the DDC provides. Either pump will do the job, with the D5 being more reliable and less likely to break down. That's not to say that DDCs are weaker, but the D5 is near indestructible.

 

[FTLN]

This looks pretty good : https://www.docmicro.com/watercooling_reservoirs-plexi_article_14039.html

Any thoughts ? Only 102 euros also..

Here is the full shopping list:

 

[Warchild]

yup looks a good deal.
€102 for that is quite good for a retail price. My pump alone had cost more than that.

but you do know you ordered 2 different thickness radiators right?

XT45 and UT60. Just checking

The D5 can push through any loop, there's no need to concern yourself with needing extra head pressure that the DDC provides. Either pump will do the job, with the D5 being more reliable and less likely to break down. That's not to say that DDCs are weaker, but the D5 is near indestructible.

I would somewhat disagree with you on that.

My D5 could not push through my CPU, 2 GPU, 2 480 rads both vertical and a host of rotaries at 100% PWM. It actually had almost no flow. So either its broken down or its not powerful enough.

i used it as part of my cascade waterfall res, but ditched it due to being weak. Its far prettier than a DDC though and purrs like a kitten.

D5 head pressure is 3.9m. The MCP35x (swiftech ddc) is almost double that 7.1m.