New cpu cooler help

[Dario_92]

Hello, I have decided that I am willing to go under water just on the CPU, I am looking for a 360mm rad. Either an all in one cooler such as the Swiftech h320 or the new cooler master ones when they are released. I am also considering a full kit from EK -> http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-341-EK&groupid=962&catid=1532. Which would be better ? A kit similar to the EK one or an all in one ?

Thanks, Dario.

 

[Feronix]

If you want to expand later you should get a kit, in my opinion.

If you don't, you can either go for the cheapest option to save money, or for the more expensive kit which will probably perform a bit better (and/or quieter) being a thicker rad.

 

[Dario_92]

The sound of full water cooling does sound good further down the line. But for just now CPU would be fine, what kit has a think 360mm rad that isnt too pricey ? Looking to spend about £200 since its just CPU

 

[Warchild]

I started with that EK kit and my hobby and watercooling addiction exploded from there.

Its a fantastic kit to begin with. Pump is not aesthetically nice and not easy to place if its the DCP 4.0 but its performance is great. EK fans in that kit are superb too. I use them on my triple rad and at 12v speed they are quieter than my corsair SP120 Quiet editions while on paper push more static pressure than the Corsair fans too. I say "on paper" though. Dunno if its true.

If you are thinking of going for a custom loop later on down the line, i wouldnt bother waiting and wasting money on a closed loop AIO cooler.

Sit in front of your case and just start thinking how you will feed your tubing and where to place rad, res, pump etc

 

[Dario_92]

Is that pump quiet ? I don't want anything that is gonna be noticeable loud as I want my PC to be as quiet at possible

 

[Warchild]

Its so powerful I have it on 30% and its dead silent and keeping my 1gpm (gallons per minute) flow. I have it mounted on the swiftech heatsink which drops water temp 1-2 degrees as well.

At full speed it makes noise. Check reviews on it. Its the best if not second best to the MCP655 on the market.

 

[Dario_92]

What is your specs and what's your temps if you don't mind me asking mate ?

 

[Warchild]

You can see full list in the rig gallery "necron chamber" its still on first page i think.

As for temps. Clocked CPU at 4.2 and after hours of BF4 on ultra, its never higher than 56C and GPUs (stock) in SLI dont go over 38C.

I use two rads, 1x 360 and 1x240

 

[Dario_92]

This all running off the one pump ? Your rig looks good mate.

 

[Warchild]

Yep, its all off just the one pump.

 

[Dario_92]

Thats actually pretty good man, will be looking to get this in a few weeks. How hard is it to bleed a watercooling system ?

 

[Warchild]

depends how you set it up. I use to use a water syringe in the res. Empty out the res. Then unscrew one of the top unused GPU ports slowly. This sucked in more air which in turn pushed water into the res again. Rinse and repeat. Eventually I screwed in a spare tube to the gpu port I opened and manually blew into it with the tube to the res leading to a jug.

Now though with rigid tubing I added a small tube to the other end of my res in the bottom of the case so it just all pours out, enough for me to then unclip the tubing.

 

[jamesriley94]

Thats actually pretty good man, will be looking to get this in a few weeks. How hard is it to bleed a watercooling system ?

It depends how you set it up really.

I had a drain port right at the bottom of mine which made everything a lot easier.

There's a few small tricks that you can do which may make your life a lot easier, but it'll all depend how your loop specifically is set up.

 

[NeverBackDown]

IMO best to get the top of the line kit now in order to expand later. Just lets you have the ability to upgrade it and not worrying about the pump not being able to handle the extra load.

 

[Dario_92]

What other kits is there that are top of the line for about the same price ?

 

[NeverBackDown]

Try looking at any XSPC kit with a D5 pump.

 

[Dario_92]

Such as this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-233-XS&groupid=962&catid=1532 ??

 

[NeverBackDown]

That or the RX kit.

 

[Dario_92]

Would the EK kit run fine ? I dont really want to pay more than £200 just to cool the CPU. I just wanted something that would be quiet and perform good. SO would the EK kit be fine for just CPU and maybe a GPU block later on ?

I am hoping to order a kit today.

EDIT - Just ordered the XSPC RayStorm D5 AX360. Probably not a good idea to go cheap on WC parts (not saying the ek kit is cheap) just because the D5 is a good pump and heard only good things about it. Should arrive Wednesday, I'll upload pics

 

[Warchild]

Either kit would be fine.

I started with the EK kit and over time replaced everything except the XTX radiator. For beginners I think the Kits are the perfect solution.

Enjoy your setup. But make sure you either purchase extra tubing for those potential mistakes, or think hard how you will setup your system. It isnt so bad when its just the CPU but once you introduce a GPU in the mix we like to see clean tidy loops.