Question average cost of custom loop?

jostegogar

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hi im looking for solutions to cool down my pc. and i think custom seems best option since both my gpu and cpu are suffering from high temps. i want know the average cost in US dollar. also my gpu is asus DUAL gtx 1660Ti . is that PCB compatible with custom loop?
 

jostegogar

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well about the gpu if i dont curve the fans it can easly go 84.86C. if i speed up the fans it doesnt exceed 82 but gpu becomes very noisy. also about the cpu if the game is cpu intensive like NFS it can go up to 80C.
 

rubix_1011

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Not even sure a 1660 is worth putting watercooling on and I'm not really finding any custom blocks for them, but 80-82C is within operating range for the card. Nvidia lists the max thermal temp as 95C, so you have some room.

I would recommend pulling the factory cooler and replacing the thermal compound with some decent thermal paste and re-seating the original cooler. I've seen temps drop between 5C-10C just by doing this. Granted, they were older cards long ago, but the thermal compound used by the factory isn't always that great nor does it always provide great contact.

You didn't list temps for your CPU, what are they?
 

jostegogar

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Not even sure a 1660 is worth putting watercooling on and I'm not really finding any custom blocks for them, but 80-82C is within operating range for the card. Nvidia lists the max thermal temp as 95C, so you have some room.

I would recommend pulling the factory cooler and replacing the thermal compound with some decent thermal paste and re-seating the original cooler. I've seen temps drop between 5C-10C just by doing this. Granted, they were older cards long ago, but the thermal compound used by the factory isn't always that great nor does it always provide great contact.

You didn't list temps for your CPU, what are they?
i dont want sit next to a jet engine when im playing. also the problem is the card itself that has very bad heatsink replacing thermal paste not gonna solve anything.
 

rubix_1011

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Before we go much further, try the following:

Remove the side panel to your case and place a house or desk fan next to it, set to the highest speeds, blowing directly onto your components.

If your temps go down more than 5C, you have a case airflow problem that needs to be addressed.

If your temps remain the same (less than 1-2C difference) then you need to address the actual coolers.
 

jostegogar

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Before we go much further, try the following:

Remove the side panel to your case and place a house or desk fan next to it, set to the highest speeds, blowing directly onto your components.

If your temps go down more than 5C, you have a case airflow problem that needs to be addressed.

If your temps remain the same (less than 1-2C difference) then you need to address the actual coolers.
actually i did that while ago. i opened the side panel placed the case on the desk in front of AC. set the fans to 80 and it barley made difference. gpu was still siting at 78-79
if you check out the asus website u will see how stupid they have designed the cooler. i made mistake buying this model.
https://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/DUAL-GTX1660TI-O6G/
 
hi im looking for solutions to cool down my pc. and i think custom seems best option since both my gpu and cpu are suffering from high temps. i want know the average cost in US dollar. also my gpu is asus DUAL gtx 1660Ti . is that PCB compatible with custom loop?

Open custom loops is both a wonderful and gawd awful thing. They can do wonders and offer a lot of flexibility, once you get past the extremely high cost ($500+) and first time blunders (Bad tube cuts, filling & leak testing compression fittings)

If it wasn't for the fact water cooling my Radeon 5700XT cost more than the card itself, I would be all over it. ($100 cold plate, $150 pump, $80 reservoir, $30 Radiator, $60 six compression fittings + tubing + $40 fans + $8.00 splitters + $40 backplate.)

I would look first for other potential sources of your high heat. You might have a flow restricted case, or might need more fans. It would certainly be a cheaper option.
 

rubix_1011

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if you check out the asus website u will see how stupid they have designed the cooler. i made mistake buying this model.

What's stupid about the cooler? I'm not sure I follow. Other than I don't think ASUS always follows Nvidia reference PCB design, I don't understand what is bad about the cooler.


Custom watercooling isn't cheap, but the initial investment can go a long way as you upgrade your PC with few items to be changed out over the course of time. GPU blocks being one, as full cover models are often only compatible with the specific card models they were designed for. CPU blocks often have more longevity because AMD and Intel socket spacing remains relatively similar over generations. Even so, most blocks can swap mounting hardware for relatively low cost if you need different socket support.

Radiators, pumps, fittings and fans - these can carry over time and time again assuming they are taken care of and maintained. Tubing often is discarded and new tubing replaces it...same with coolant.

This is why quality kits are good places to start as they can offer quality components that can be reused over time, as long as you shop smart and know what you need now and potentially in the future.
 

jostegogar

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What's stupid about the cooler? I'm not sure I follow. Other than I don't think ASUS always follows Nvidia reference PCB design, I don't understand what is bad about the cooler.


Custom watercooling isn't cheap, but the initial investment can go a long way as you upgrade your PC with few items to be changed out over the course of time. GPU blocks being one, as full cover models are often only compatible with the specific card models they were designed for. CPU blocks often have more longevity because AMD and Intel socket spacing remains relatively similar over generations. Even so, most blocks can swap mounting hardware for relatively low cost if you need different socket support.

Radiators, pumps, fittings and fans - these can carry over time and time again assuming they are taken care of and maintained. Tubing often is discarded and new tubing replaces it...same with coolant.

This is why quality kits are good places to start as they can offer quality components that can be reused over time, as long as you shop smart and know what you need now and potentially in the future.
its like they have thrown a bunch of aluminium on the chipset and put 2 noisy fan on it. the fans are designed so bad that they are blowing warm air to the front of my case causing hard drives to overheat and giving me longer load times. i would never buy anything from asus again.
 

TJ Hooker

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its like they have thrown a bunch of aluminium on the chipset and put 2 noisy fan on it. the fans are designed so bad that they are blowing warm air to the front of my case causing hard drives to overheat and giving me longer load times. i would never buy anything from asus again.
You just described nearly every GPU cooler. Aluminum heat sink fins with 2 (maybe 3) fans. If the card is heating up your case that means you have insufficient airflow, which isn't the GPU's fault.
"Dual" is Asus' budget/entry level card lineup. If you want cool and quiet GPU coolers, you typically have to spend a bit more.
 
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jostegogar

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You just described nearly every GPU cooler. Aluminum heat sink fins with 2 (maybe 3 fans). If the card is heating up your case that means you have insufficient airflow, which isn't the GPU's fault.
"Dual" is Asus' budget/entry level card lineup. If you want cool and quiet GPU coolers, you typically have to spend a bit more.
asus is charging 300 dollars for this card. gigabyte or msi are offering the 3 fans model with less price. asus is just greedy and stupid and somehow still in business bcz of someone like me.. now im stuck with this and very little budget to solve it.
 

rubix_1011

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So, why did you you buy the more expensive version of the same card?

can you give me a link from amazon for everything i need to buy so i see how much it costs me for transit and other stuff

Sure, then what? Do you know everything you need to do in order to install and maintain it?

Devil's Advocate: What makes you certain that the parts I link are what you actually should by and not completely wrong? Do you just trust complete strangers to tell you how to spend your money without knowing for yourself?
 

TJ Hooker

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asus is charging 300 dollars for this card. gigabyte or msi are offering the 3 fans model with less price. asus is just greedy and stupid and somehow still in business bcz of someone like me.. now im stuck with this and very little budget to solve it.
Shrug I never said the Dual card was priced competitively. Just that it represents the cheapest/lowest-end card in Asus' lineup. Also, having more fans doesn't always mean cooler/quieter.

Edit: If you have "very little budget", how can you afford a full custom loop? Watercooling a mid range card doesn't make much sense IMO. I'd try undervolting/underclocking the card, and/or improving case air flow. If it still really bothers you I'd say you'd be better off selling it and getting a model with a better cooler sooner than getting a custom loop.
 
IMO Asus makes some pretty excellent hardware. There strix line of graphics cards, while a bit spendy, have some of the best coolers available. Just because you bought the lowest end card they make, doesn't mean they make inferior products. If you knew msi and gigabyte make better cooled versions of the card, for less money, why did you buy the Asus one in the first place?

That being said, the only 1660ti block I found after a quick Google search was made by alphacool. Unfortunately your particular model was not on the compatibility list. But if the pcb is a reference design, it may still work.

If you want a custom loop for both CPU and GPU, you'll be looking to spend well over $500. Just the GPU loop, if you can find a block that fits, will be $350+ .Its definitely not budget friendly. Like mentioned above, your best bet may be to sell your current card and buy a new one, with a better cooler. You'll probably lose a few bucks I'm the process, but it'll be cheaper than a loop.

View: https://youtu.be/WNZjsAzhzCo

This video shows the very small difference in cooler design vs temps.

More than likely the best cooled 1660ti will be the strix card, or possibly evga xc ultra, both just over 300 on Amazon currently.
 

rubix_1011

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If you are on a tight budget, watercooling likely isn't going to meet your needs or be within your budget to complete.

You would be much better off using the money to buy upgraded hardware like CPU, GPU, RAM or SSD if you are having issues now. Temps might not be any different with watercooling unless you have addressed airflow anyway. You can still have top-notch watercooling, but if it is in a case without airflow, you have just built an oven.
 

EndEffeKt_24

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I am currently planning and buying a custom loop. And the cost quickly ramp up. Even admitting that I am building SFF and need some angled fittings and passthrough:

  • 2x 240 Radiator 120 Euro
  • Byski fittings and adapters from Ali-ex 120 Euro
  • EK Blocks, pump, tubing 350 Euro
  • Custom Case-fit Res from Taobao 60 Euro

= 650 Euro give or take. More like 750 if I would have ordered fittings and adapters from EK Alphacool or Aquacomputer.

Thats roughly the money you are looking at.
 

rubix_1011

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It is a fun hobby, but can get expensive, quickly, which is why it is ideal to carry over as many components as you can from upgrade to upgrade, if you can. This makes the initial investment high, but the sustained investment much lower as you don't need to get a new set of radiators or a new pump each time you replace your CPU/motherboard/RAM/GPU. You only need to make sure the block fits.
 

jostegogar

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So, why did you you buy the more expensive version of the same card?



Sure, then what? Do you know everything you need to do in order to install and maintain it?

Devil's Advocate: What makes you certain that the parts I link are what you actually should by and not completely wrong? Do you just trust complete strangers to tell you how to spend your money without knowing for yourself?
bcz by the time i bought it was just asus versions available. strix was way too expensive almost same as 2060
and i never thought asus would make such a bad cooler.
 

jostegogar

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I am currently planning and buying a custom loop. And the cost quickly ramp up. Even admitting that I am building SFF and need some angled fittings and passthrough:

  • 2x 240 Radiator 120 Euro
  • Byski fittings and adapters from Ali-ex 120 Euro
  • EK Blocks, pump, tubing 350 Euro
  • Custom Case-fit Res from Taobao 60 Euro
= 650 Euro give or take. More like 750 if I would have ordered fittings and adapters from EK Alphacool or Aquacomputer.

Thats roughly the money you are looking at.
wtf?! thats a budget for a total new build lol. i thought its going to be 150-200 at most
 

DSzymborski

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wtf?! thats a budget for a total new build lol. i thought its going to be 150-200 at most

While I think you can put together a respectable loop in your case for a bit less, there's a significant initial outlay. A decent pump alone is going to use up this budget and given that this is a long-term investment, I'd be looking more at pumps in the $250-$300 range.

I only do custom loops for friends/colleagues who really want it. For my own needs, I'm lazy so I'll use H100i or big air.