New ROG build - need watercooling advice

theMoP

New member
hello everyone,

i read the faq and watched the vids on the phanteks enthoo primo...and am pretty much decided on this case for this build

here's the hardware:
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Primo Aluminum ATX Full Tower Case
Motherboard: Asus Rampage V Extreme
CPU: i7-5930k
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-3000 16GB (4 x 4GB)
PSU: Corsair AX1200i
GPU: x2 Asus GTX 980 (2-way SLI)
Storage: Samsung XP941 256GB M.2 SSD (boot), Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD
Optical: Archgon Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Case Fans: replace supplied front intake and rear exhaust 140mm with x3 BitFenix Spectre Pro 140mm Fan - Red LED (BFF-LPRO-14025R-RP)
Multi Control: Asus ROG Front Base Dual-Bay Gaming Panel

for water-cooling, these are my initial ideas:
Radiator (top exhaust): Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper Triple 120mm
Radiator (bottom intake): Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Full Copper Quad 120mm
Reservoir/Pump: Monsoon Series Two Premium D5 / MCP655 Dual Bay Reservoir w/Quick Change LED Control - Matte Black w/Red Trim (pump: Swiftech MCP655-PWM)
CPU Block: EK Supremacy EVO Universal CPU Liquid Cooling Block - Gold (EK-Supremacy EVO - Gold)
GPU Block(s): x2 EK Geforce GTX 980 VGA Liquid Cooling Block - Acrylic (EK-FC980 GTX) *might go evga hydro copper
Tubing: PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Tubing 3/8"ID x 5/8" OD - 10ft Retail Pack - Bloodshed Red (PFLEXA10-58-R) w/ Free Sys Prep
Fittings: All Bitspower Rotary Compression (wherever possible)
Fans (all in push/pull): x14 Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-P 120mmx25mm Ultra Silent Bionic Blade PWM Fan - 800 - 2000 RPM
Fan PWM Splitter (1 to CPU_Fan Header, 1 to CPU_OPT Header): x2 Swiftech 8-Way PWM Cable Splitter - SATA Power (8W-PWM-SPL-ST)
Misc: x3 Phobya G1/4 Inline Temp Sensor Coupler - 2-Pin - Black (2nd GPU outflow, both rads outflow), PrimoChill Anti-Kink Coils - 5/8" OD Tubing - Black, x2 XSPC 4 x 120mm Radiator Gasket - 3mm, x2 XSPC 3 x 120mm Radiator Gasket - 3mm, PrimoChill Hex 2-Layer Rad Grillz - Triple 120mm - Red / Black , PrimoChill Hex 2-Layer Rad Grillz - Quad 120mm - Red / Black, assorted LEDs in UV and red (tailed and 8" bars) for CPU/GPU block lighting and case lighting, respectively

my thinking goes like this:
1. all ssd for storage, so all drive cages removed
2. will need all 5.25" bays
3. i want both top and bottom rads' ports facing the front of the case
4. i want a minimum amount of tubing visible through side panel
5. i chose a 360mm rad for the top because i don't want any interference with the 5.25" bays and i'd like to use one of the upper ports on the end tanks to double as a fill point
6. i want the 7th port on the bottom rad to face the back of the case so that i can put a drain valve sticking through the grill of the optional psu vent
7. i realize that the rog front panel's knob sticks out ~12mm and the door clearance is less than 5mm, so i plan to drill out a recess in the back of the door panel to accommodate the knob
8. rotary compression fittings (angled, if needed) are for ease is install/dismantle and to minimize torque on components
9. rad grills are just for aesthetic reasons, as the stark white of the e-loop fans kinda throws off the red/black theme - but i'm not sure of their width...guess they need to be less than 125mm to fit past that side panel on the 480mm rad - i think the grill on the top rad should be ok
10. rad gaskets are for a better seal, some vibration dampening, and also because i've read that the e-loop's hub can press onto a rad and stop its spinning...so a little spacer should fix it

from what i've read, loop order doesn't really matter...and with that assumption, i'm planning bay res/pump > top rad > CPU > GPUs > bottom rad > bay res/pump

would really appreciate any advice, feedback, and/or criticisms

thanks in advance!
 
i always find a 1TB SSD just for storage such overkill, dont know how many HDD's you could buy with it ^^ Tbh it looks pretty slick! might want to post a build log or rig gallery when its done? :P Now what i did notice and i'm not really sure of but if you'd like to go for EVGA Hydro Copper, check if they are compatible with the ASUS. Cause i'm not sure if they are cause of the things with a non-reference and reference cards.

That would be the only thing i see or know of to advice ^^
 
i always find a 1TB SSD just for storage such overkill, dont know how many HDD's you could buy with it ^^ Tbh it looks pretty slick! might want to post a build log or rig gallery when its done? :P Now what i did notice and i'm not really sure of but if you'd like to go for EVGA Hydro Copper, check if they are compatible with the ASUS. Cause i'm not sure if they are cause of the things with a non-reference and reference cards.

That would be the only thing i see or know of to advice ^^

heya, creatixx! thanks for responding!

i completely agree with you on the ssd (even the m.2), but i also feel like i'm heading back down the rabbit hole and chasing moore's law in waiting for the "best & fastest" tech for this build...

i mean, the samsung sm951 (nvme) gen. 3 m.2 is "right around the corner" and that'll be blazing fast...so i'm compromising with a smaller m.2 boot drive until nvme retails

the 850 pro is something in the build that i'd happily change (and probably will) if i could just find a better vnand replacement - we're really on the cusp of a pcie / sata express ssd paradigm shift...but the build must go on at some point, right? lol

if i go evga hydro copper, i'll probably buy two evga gtx 980 superclocked...
but you can see them install the hydro copper (well, it's a prototype) to a reference 980 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2l5YbQzoL0

appreciate your input, man - thanks!

i'm interested in water-cooling feedback, as that's where my n00bishness really shines - lol

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oh, just for a visual reference of my ideas...here i'll wow you with my uber paint skillz :P

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y533/marketsniper88/Phanteks1_zps9c8349b2.jpg~original

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test...why are my other posts to this thread "awaiting moderation?"
 
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I think its has something to do with the amount of posts you have done, but i could be wrong

ahh, ok - thanks...i guess i understand

i just linked a youtube vid showing them installing a evga hydro copper to a 980 reference board = "awaiting moderation"

then tried to post an image of a paint i did showing the basic build schematic = "awaiting moderation"

in my experience, these posts don't get moderated and are just lost forever

seems unnecessarily convoluted and a waste of time for new members looking for help, imho
 
ahh, ok - thanks...i guess i understand

i just linked a youtube vid showing them installing a evga hydro copper to a 980 reference board = "awaiting moderation"

then tried to post an image of a paint i did showing the basic build schematic = "awaiting moderation"

in my experience, these posts don't get moderated and are just lost forever

seems unnecessarily convoluted and a waste of time for new members looking for help, imho

i think if you have less than 10 posts you have to wait once your over 10 your fine, yeah i understand but that is the rules.
 
i think if you have less than 10 posts you have to wait once your over 10 your fine, yeah i understand but that is the rules.

heh heh, thanks for the tip

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ok, so let's get to 10 posts!

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thanks, creatixx

of course you're right about the 850 pro - its price per gig is ridiculous...and it probably won't make it into this build

it's really just there as a "placeholder" for how much i'm willing to spend on any upcoming pcie-based ssd which can take full advantage of the sata express on the board

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as well, the xp941 m.2 might not make the final cut...for a similar reason - the samsung sm951 was supposedly "right around the corner" and "soon-to-be-released" back in june-july of this year

it'll be the first generation 3 m.2 using nvme, so it'll be blazingly fast(eR) as a boot

so the xp941 in the build is "budget-sized" in case the sm951 takes longer reaching retailers than my patience vs moore's law allows - lol

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as i mentioned before, there's a youtube vid (just search for evga hydro copper install)

it shows them installing the block onto a 980 reference card, but they do state that the hydro copper they used isn't in its final iteration

if it does come out in time, and is in fact proprietary...i'll just get evga's superclocked 980 - it's only $10 bucks more

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so...any suggestions/critiques/fundamental problems with the cooling loop i've envisioned?

oh, and that's 10 posts! w00t

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envy me my awesome paint skillz! lol

Phanteks1_zps9c8349b2.jpg~original
 
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ok, so let's get to 10 posts!

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oh, and that's 10 posts! w00t

Errhh yeah... no, that's not how things work around here, back to 5 posts ya go.

In the future, please
edit.gif
your posts rather than posting multiple times in a row.
 
Errhh yeah... no, that's not how things work around here, back to 5 posts ya go.

In the future, please
edit.gif
your posts rather than posting multiple times in a row.

i promise i wanted to do it the "proper way"

but the unstated policy threw away the single post i made initially

aww, shucks - sorry
 
i promise i wanted to do it the "proper way"

but the unstated policy threw away the single post i made initially

aww, shucks - sorry

Nah mate, it's just that it was in the approval area - invisible to the public. I've approved the necessary posts now (so they show in this thread if you scroll up) and deleted one post that was a duplicate :)

*shuffles out of the thread so you can get help with your issue again*
 
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