Custom Water Loop Help NEEDED.

[hardcorebluesct]

I want to do custom loop on my pc with acrylic tubing. I don't know where to start, how to pick parts and what parts. How many radiators, what pump etc. Loop will be cooling my I7 4790K, r9 295x2 and asus maximus VII formula. All help and suggestions appreciated.

 

[i7Baby]

Read through http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-sticky

then pay a visit to Frozen CPU.com

 

[maddogfargo]

Stay away from Acrylic tubing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPa6lAC0jTs

If you're doing hard tubing, go PETG.

 

[Gizmotist]

SingularityComputer does some pretty nice build logs of custom water looping with some in depth information

 

[jossrik]

Start off in the watercooling forum, there are plenty of knowledgable people there, before you ask questions, read everything, start with the stickies and go from there. Once *you've* read anything, then ask to clarify, but it's kind of a bum move to just pop in and ask us to design something custom for you without any real information like total cost, what you're trying to accomplish what case you have etc. But you'd know that if you read the forums first.

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Jossrik-
I tried to research it but all it is is general info, no help with design of system, why there is 2 radiators, where to start , which way dp I want flow of water wyc. You are right it's lots of videos but most is completed builds without any info on what tubing they used what fittings and stuff. That's where I get,confused. My specs are in my sig. Cost......? Not cheapest Chinese products and not most expensive.

 

[Lutfij]

The reason the watercooling sticky was made was to provide a general guideline as to what to shoot for when you're building a watercooling loop. The watercooling sticky has alot of info covered there including what area of radiator space you should look for as well as a safe starting budget for a loop which could set you back with a kit or perhaps a full on custom watercooling setup.

That being said why are you going watercooling?
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-sticky#3718891

I'd also like to take the opportunity to disclose that after a somewhat elongated alteration at the FrozenCPU office, the owner has decided to keep the store closed, until further notice however he did state on his Facebook page that it will be up and running and to humbly bear with the waiting + That's not the end of the road as there is a list of watercooling hardware e-tailer sites included in the watercooling sticky.

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Going with water cooling to blow some cash and at the same time support economy lol. But for real I think my cpu and gpu are running hot. It may,be me and my brain freaking out and also I have block on mobo so why not......cool it and make it pleasant for the eye.......

 

[Lutfij]

Air cooling can accomplish a respectable temperature point but that is up to you. How far have you proceeded with your loop?

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Air cooling can accomplish a respectable temperature point but that is up to you. How far have you proceeded with your loop?

haven't started yet. Why?

 

[Lutfij]

If you'd need assistance and ofc for the prospect of us seeing a build log

I've come to appreciate that in the world of watercooling there is always a different take to the subject and no two systems are alike unless someone wants to do a literal copy/pasta build.

 

[hardcorebluesct]

If you'd need assistance and ofc for the prospect of us seeing a build log

I've come to appreciate that in the world of watercooling there is always a different take to the subject and no two systems are alike unless someone wants to do a literal copy/pasta build.

So for parts i picked following:

240mm rad
http://www.xs-pc.com/radiators-ex-series/ex240-dual-fan-radiator

360mm rad
http://www.xs-pc.com/radiators-ex-series/ex360-triple-fan-radiator

Pump and res
http://www.xs-pc.com/water-pumps/d5-photon-170-reservoirpump-combo

Cpu block
http://www.xs-pc.com/waterblocks-cpu/raystorm-cpu-waterblock-intel-copper

Gpu block
http://www.xs-pc.com/waterblocks-gpu/razor-r9-295x2

Fittings
Primochill Ghost or Revolver if ill decide to go PETG tubing

Tubing
PrimoFlex Advanced LRT or Primochill 1/2" ridgid PETG

http://www.primochill.com/product/primochilll-12in-rigid-petg-tube-36in-clear-12-pack/
http://www.primochill.com/product/primoflex-advanced-lrt/

.

My loop is going to go as follow:

Res/pump>240MM rad>gpu>360mm rad>CPU>MOSFET>back to res

If you have any suggestions on parts or loop direction feel free to share. Im open to changes.

My PC is actually completed but i can live without upgrades/changes/tinkering with my rig lol. Addiction ...........
Recently i swapped from AMD to intel so that was major upgrade there.....now cooling......you know how that goes

 

[Lutfij]

Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner

Are you looking towards a full XSPC build in watercooling? You could go down a mix and match build as I've done on my watercooling project - Project AMS - in sig. I've done the same with my, as yet to culminate, Vintage Case Mod.

When I asked for a budget you could go into potentially limited edition hardware or perhaps custom level of hardware with the likes of custom fittings, res' and if you so desired the design and performance custom made acrylic waterblocks.

With watercooling, you'll require a good amount of planning and drawing it out on a piece of paper is a must for those who also want to have an ordered aesthetically pleasing layout. The latter would be even better looking when we delve into a rigid tubing loop.

P.S: Love that case, identical to the 750D in terms of layout but is a stellar case for waterooling.

I apologize for down voting your post - it was an accidental mouse click on my part when the mouse veered off the other screen.

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner

Are you looking towards a full XSPC build in watercooling? You could go down a mix and match build as I've done on my watercooling project - Project AMS - in sig. I've done the same with my, as yet to culminate, Vintage Case Mod.

When I asked for a budget you could go into potentially limited edition hardware or perhaps custom level of hardware with the likes of custom fittings, res' and if you so desired the design and performance custom made acrylic waterblocks.

With watercooling, you'll require a good amount of planning and drawing it out on a piece of paper is a must for those who also want to have an ordered aesthetically pleasing layout. The latter would be even better looking when we delve into a rigid tubing loop.

P.S: Love that case, identical to the 750D in terms of layout but is a stellar case for waterooling.

I apologize for down voting your post - it was an accidental mouse click on my part when the mouse veered off the other screen.

Its ok about -1 thing.no worries.
I want to keep as much as possible to one brand/design of parts/looks.
I dont mind mixing parts as long it wont be like nickel with copper and so on if you know what i mean. Trying to keep all "uniform". That will be my first custom water cooled aircraft lol. Budget wise......6-800? I actually found some rads on ebay 360mm for $54 and 240mm for $48. Both are 20 FPI and guy sold lots of them. I think thats good price. They are most likely chinese but everything is nowadays but ships from US. Brass core with copper fins. Tried to track down some parts on ebay but its not many of them. SO i guess frozencpu it is. I didnt order anything yet soi can manipulate my parts and design.

Anyways thanks a lot for spending your spare time on helping me. I just dont want to make boo boo and then tear all a part specially with ridgid tubing. Once it goes in its not coming out. Did you have a chance on looking my loop flow and checking if it make sense? It does to me but you are more experienced with this stuff. I started building last year......so i have clue what and where but not with other stuff........

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Lutfij]

My loop is going to go as follow:

Res/pump>240MM rad>gpu>360mm rad>CPU>MOSFET>back to res

Loop order isn't much of a factor as long as you have fluid fed to your pump as a dry pump can be damaged in the event the res is out of fluid. The photon res you've chosen is a good indicator of when your fluid level is dropping and it also ensures your pump has a steady stream of liquid going to it. Though in these sort of situations a visual representation accompanied by the loop order would be a very good idea as this would help you understand the direction of the loop flow, the number of fittings you may need, the position of a drain port, conflicts between the end tanks of a radiator or the placement of a rad in general. In all that you can also gauge the aesthetic feel of your tubing layout.

Rigid tubing builds aren't very tough to accomplish but it does require the user to be a little wary of the quantity of materials and hardware necessary to pull the project off - e.g: work gloves, heatguns, bending jigs and patience.

Going for a complete XSPC build does get you the attention of XSPC should they decide to post on their Facebook/home page while some are just OCD about having all products coming from one inventory.

I would hesitate about going for rads outside of the norm as they tend to be more hassle than not. You could actually pull off your endeavor by looking for automotive radiators but you'd need some anti-corrosive agents int eh loop and they wouldn't be very effective with a ghetto setup+they wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing. You also have to wonder the QC that goes under a brand to feel safe after a purchase. Magicool knockoffs were bad as they had reported cracked end tanks and bad soldering between the flow channels and the fins.

FYI - you pay about the same per product on e-tailer sites. Speaking of e-tailer, I've mentioned above, FrozenCPU is down for the count and will not accept any orders -its also announced on FrozenCPU's home page. Thankfully there are others catering to watercooling enthusiasts.

What about silver kill coils or are you going for coolant?

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Thanks for reply. I'm not sure if I want coolant or just silver coil and destined water. I like looks of mayhems blood red? Deep red. My there is black and red so that would look awesome but I'm affraid of using any dyes/coolants due to clogging? Correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm not affraid of water and pipes tho I'm a plumber lol. I think I'll go with ridgid pipe and bend it crazy hahaha. I have nice heat gun with various temp settings too. For fittings I was thinking to use just straight g1/4 x 1/2 ridgid so I can make long sweeps on tubing to increase water flow.

Where else I can purchase my parts? I want to use one e-tailer/store cause I hate buying few things here and there.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Lutfij]

Mind If I ask where you are located?

 

[hardcorebluesct]

I'm in illinois. About 50 miles west from chicago downtown.

 

[Lutfij]

Aside from FrozenCPU's issue there are other great watercooling e-tailers like Sidewinder Computers, Performance PC's, xoxide and the likes. I usually mix and match my purchases because
a| not everything is found in under one roof
b| the prices of one product may be overpriced compared to another site.

e.g: the FrozenQ res' I purchased were off of Performance PC's because i couldn't get the frosted call acrylic Flex tank on FrozenCPU while I picked up the XSPC Copper edition Raystorm from [strike]Sidewinder[/strike]PerformancePC's because said block was overpriced there. FrozenCPU on the other hand had favrable rad pricing and at the time they were the only american site to stock the Alphacool Monsta rads.

If you want to go with readily available resources that may come in handy and not require to stock them on your shelves - distilled water and silver kill coil. If you have alot of money to splash and can afford down time with making a batch of coolant from a concentrate then the Mayhems Dye's will be your route. The Mayhems isn't quite like the competitors though as they use suspended nano particles to convey their colors where as the rest use color/dye's/stains to get color in their loops. We do have a thumb rule though; anything that is a dye will always stain as this is the nature of a dye. You want color in your loop - then go for colored tubing.

Which leads me to the next point, if you're going with primochill tubing(color of choice) then naturally their fittings will be the answer. I wouldn't go with Monsoon fittings simply because they tend to crack exactly where they make contact with the lock collars. Reason, everyone is speculating, is due to stress fractures. For a D5 pump you're ID should be no less than 3/8" so 1/2" ID rigid tubing isn't a bad idea. Larger cases would look nicer IMHO with larger dia tubing and 1/2" fits the bill in that area too

There are other unconventional names in the world of watercooling like
a| Diamond cooling
b| Rocket science
c| Skeeper

and they all cater to making custom res', fittings as well as engraving services on your orders.

The other reason I mixed and matched my components is due to the immense amount of research and info I found that the combination of parts would yield a temperature I was satisfied with and it also went along the color scheme of my build.

^ more in my AMS build log(in sig)

* EX rads a re slimmer and thus will require higher RPM fans than the RX rads. Mind you XSPC launched a V3 of heir RX rads and they are better performing than the previous run. Thicker rads give you more performance out of low rpm fans and greater performance if you go with higher rpm fans.

Also have you decided on fans for your rads?

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Aside from FrozenCPU's issue there are other great watercooling e-tailers like Sidewinder Computers, Performance PC's, xoxide and the likes. I usually mix and match my purchases because
a| not everything is found in under one roof
b| the prices of one product may be overpriced compared to another site.

e.g: the FrozenQ res' I purchased were off of Performance PC's because i couldn't get the frosted call acrylic Flex tank on FrozenCPU while I picked up the XSPC Copper edition Raystorm from [strike]Sidewinder[/strike]PerformancePC's because said block was overpriced there. FrozenCPU on the other hand had favrable rad pricing and at the time they were the only american site to stock the Alphacool Monsta rads.

If you want to go with readily available resources that may come in handy and not require to stock them on your shelves - distilled water and silver kill coil. If you have alot of money to splash and can afford down time with making a batch of coolant from a concentrate then the Mayhems Dye's will be your route. The Mayhems isn't quite like the competitors though as they use suspended nano particles to convey their colors where as the rest use color/dye's/stains to get color in their loops. We do have a thumb rule though; anything that is a dye will always stain as this is the nature of a dye. You want color in your loop - then go for colored tubing.

Which leads me to the next point, if you're going with primochill tubing(color of choice) then naturally their fittings will be the answer. I wouldn't go with Monsoon fittings simply because they tend to crack exactly where they make contact with the lock collars. Reason, everyone is speculating, is due to stress fractures. For a D5 pump you're ID should be no less than 3/8" so 1/2" ID rigid tubing isn't a bad idea. Larger cases would look nicer IMHO with larger dia tubing and 1/2" fits the bill in that area too

There are other unconventional names in the world of watercooling like
a| Diamond cooling
b| Rocket science
c| Skeeper

and they all cater to making custom res', fittings as well as engraving services on your orders.

The other reason I mixed and matched my components is due to the immense amount of research and info I found that the combination of parts would yield a temperature I was satisfied with and it also went along the color scheme of my build.

^ more in my AMS build log(in sig)

* EX rads a re slimmer and thus will require higher RPM fans than the RX rads. Mind you XSPC launched a V3 of heir RX rads and they are better performing than the previous run. Thicker rads give you more performance out of low rpm fans and greater performance if you go with higher rpm fans.

Also have you decided on fans for your rads?

Dude you really have lots of spare time......

Well I currently have Corsair SP120 for fans on my H105 and my r9 295x2 rads in push pull config. I think ill go with Monsta rads....they are massive and good looking. For fittings ill use primochill ghost and their PETG ridgid pipe probably in red. For now ill stick with destilled water and silver.
Ill check all etailers that you suggested....im sure ill find something.

Do you have just barbs for you fittings?

And one more question of topic.......
When I run like Handbreak or anything that maxes out my cpu I hear like sizzling/screeching noise by CPU socket. Its not gpu or psu. I can hear it by CPU. Do you know what that may be?

Thanks in advance and by the way you are awesome.......if I could ill give you PC purple heart lol

 

[Lutfij]

Dude you really have lots of spare time......

:lol: I wish! Juggling 4~6 lives and (their)responsibilities isn't an easy task. I just tend to answer where I can in full detail to remove doubts. After all it is our duty to respond to OP's question, right?

Regarding the fans:
Those are one the worst fans you can recommend from a products stand point although for the price it looks like one of the best fans to own for watercooling/rads. You can try and look into Noiseblocker E-Loops, Bitfenix Spectre Pro's, Silverstone AirPenetrators, Swiftech Helix, Scythe GT's or the EK Vardar's. The E-loops are the most expensive but yield the most out of your investment.

Might want to go through some reviews on Martinsliquidlab to understand how much of a performance bump you're getting with those Monsta rads when compared to your initial choice of EX rads. The key word you're looking for is Delta-T. Everything you're looking for (as a general idea) is found in the watercooling sticky and it is highly recommended to read it more than once. After the 2nd read through the terms, numbers and advice's will begin to click into place.

Primochill's Rigid Compression fittings also come in different versions:
Ghost
Revolvers: Diamond knurled, Straight Knurled, Dual Tone
for reference's sake

All of them employ the same compression mechanism and are a good choice for newcomers and enthusiasts. Another point to note is if this is going to be a showcase build you can go with the Mayhem's Dye/Pastel.

Are you sure its the CPU socket? It could be from coil whine from the VRM area but if this is as you say it to be then it only happens at load levels due to the fact that more power will cause more work on your power regulators. I don't own your board but a small search reveals that you're not teh only one experiencing it:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2578053/terrible-buzzing-whine-asus-maximus-vii-formula.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2592567/4790k-asus-maximus-vii-formula-buzzing-sound-load.html
though I will ask you to confirm if you are sure its not from the GPU or PSU...

Oh and about my fittings, I got the DangerDen Perfect Seal fittings where the tubing slips on snugly without the need for a tubing clamp. I got a flushed look in my build - though from an accident as you'll see I also ordered tubing clamps by Lamptron and didn't use them due to the nature of the fittings. Yeah, all of them are barbs. I left the GPU out of the loopa s I planned to get a new GPU and a mathcing full cover block though it never came to pass and I'll eventually retire it and move onto a smaller build.

For another project I'm planning to use Rigid compression fittings by EK inside a cramped chassis, Compact Splash;
http://www.overclock.net/t/1369708/compact-splash-brotherhood/0_100#post_19484868

Image only for reference, credits are due to the original builder(its not me)

^ and I've got 4 of these to tinker around with. Just recently one of my clients decided to build in it.

Back on topic, there is an immense number of options when you think about how many combinations you can take with hardware's, brands and their performance numbers.

I'm flattered, the purple heart belongs to those who have earned it, I feel I haven't earned it yet but thanks for the kind words! Though I hope you don't mean that I've been wounded or killed by your questions

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Dude you really have lots of spare time......

:lol: I wish! Juggling 4~6 lives and (their)responsibilities isn't an easy task. I just tend to answer where I can in full detail to remove doubts. After all it is our duty to respond to OP's question, right?

Regarding the fans:
Those are one the worst fans you can recommend from a products stand point although for the price it looks like one of the best fans to own for watercooling/rads. You can try and look into Noiseblocker E-Loops, Bitfenix Spectre Pro's, Silverstone AirPenetrators, Swiftech Helix, Scythe GT's or the EK Vardar's. The E-loops are the most expensive but yield the most out of your investment.

hey. I looked atsome fans and i think ill go with Scythe.
Also i LOOKED AT ETAILERS that you suggested and i found some good stuff like Alphacool blocks and some nice rads and my Phonton D5 for few bucks cheaper. Thanks for your input and If i need some help ill just PM you if you dont mind of course.

PS i switched my CPU phase to extreme and buzzing stopped when under load so i have no idea what was it. Not enough juice going to mobo or something? My voltage stays the same 1.192 @ 4.4 GHZ when turbo kicks in so ithink thats good.

 

[Lutfij]

If you don't mind my intrusion, I fixed the tags on your previous post as it seemed like you quoted me but didn't provide a response.

Please use the PM feature when you'd like to share an off topic conversation other than that technical questions are best had on a thread of its own or on a thread with its related topic as there may definitely be someone with a similar question or with a better solution.

Be sure to throw the link to the Scythe Fans to see if we're on the same frequency Based on your comment about finding newer blocks - have you read through reviews of their performances compared to EK, Heatkiller or XSPC blocks?

Keep this thread alive, it should work as a platform to iron-out your concerns and maybe it'll mutate into a build log(which I'm hoping is going to be )

 

[hardcorebluesct]

Hey bud. . So here is link for what I picked for fans.:
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/accessories/spectre-pro-pwm#specs

Cheaper than noise blockers lol.
For cpu block I might go with heat killer iv pro but that's still under research. I'll keep you updated what else I'll find on my way to make my loop perfect. Lol.

Anyways happy easter.

 

[Lutfij]

They say you get what you pay for and int eh case of the Noiseblocker fans - they are exactly what a watercooler would need however if there weren't any other brands competing for attention then we wouldn't be seeing those brands side by side either Good choice! I own the Pro's and if you use a fan controller with them you wouldn't be hearing the fan bearings ticking as you lower their RPM's.

Heatkiller IV's seems a good prospect but are quite new to the market as was my Airplex Modularity System rad by Aquacomputer. I bit the bullet but for about half the price I could've gotten a similarly performing rad/pump combo however the aesthetics was what I paid as premium and was my tier 1 concern with watercooling as well, tier 1.1 was performance

Choice is yours but just be careful to see if there are any design flaws...?