Do I need a custom water loop?

[jackfleegal]

Case: Corsair carbide air 740
Mobo: Gigabyte AORUS GA-Z370 AORUS Gaming 7
CPU: Intel i7-8700k
GPU: ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC
PSU: Corsair HX1000
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z RGB F4-3200C14D-16GTZR 16GB (2x8GB) 3200MHz DDR4
Sound: Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5

So I was originally going to have the Noctua NH-U14S cpu cooler, but the heatsink is MASSIVE and I really don't like the color going on. Considering most of the components in this build are going to be throwing an RGB rave party light show I may as well make an effort to making the inside look nice, which I think a massive heat sink will conflict with this.
Asides from the aesthetics I want the best cooling performance available for my CPU and GPU, I was considering an AIO Kraken X62 for the cpu and letting the GPU do its own thing, but I am considering getting a second card and running sli in the future.
The problem with this is that the 1080 ti run at core temp of 84c and I am worried the bottom card will just be blowing hot air up into the top card, I could see this creating issues down the line and am considering just building a custom loop to start with. I have no experience in this field though and am quite anxious about the whole idea, no matter how much I research into it, I am still paranoid about leaks.
Do you think the two hot graphics cards so close to each other would cause a problem? Do you think I would need a custom loop? Thanks in advance

 

[rodolphe.viard]

Hi jackfleegal,

About watercooling, the question is not about need, it's about enthousiasm.
If you feel ok with every "bad" side of the watercooling (Maintenance, failures, leak).

It's up to you to know if you want to spend this much money for a custom loop.

To stay on air with an SLI, you need good case air flow, that's it. Be carefull with the number of slot taken. Some GPU cooler take 2 slots, some 2.5 slots.


Rodolphe

 

[1LiquidPC]

It's all a matter of choice. If you really are considering full custom, you really need to read everything thoroughly. There's plenty to learn to understand the risks and rewards. Do you need it, not necessarily, but as mentioned you really are going to want excellent airflow with 2 250W TDP cards plus nearly 100W CPU in your case. Do you have any intent to OC the CPU as well? I would say that your GPU speeds will suffer a bit in SLI from higher temps and lower boost clocks on average from higher temps. All newer Nvidia cards start dropping boost bins after 59C. This is a great example of where custom WC and some hybrid solutions for GPUs really shine. In my setup for reference, my 1080 Ti never goes of 45C full load in summer. Because of this, my card will stay solid in the 1950+ range for core clockspeed vs. dropping off. Also, if done correctly, custom loops are very quiet vs most aircooled setups at least where GPU fans are concerned.

This all said, besides the research and understand the pros and cons of custom, it can get very expensive very quickly. It's not for the faint hearted, and like mentioned above, there is maintenance involved but how much can vary. If still interested, I can offer further info based on my own experiences. One more note, I tested my 8700k with the NH-U14S, worked great even for OC settings but my CPU is also delidded. Fan is quiet.

 

[coozie7]

^ Good advice, good points.

A few of my own:

The choice of case is critical, not every case will support a large custom loop, and even with a single GTX1080Ti and overclocked CPU you'll want at least a 360mm radiator to keep things cool AND quiet.

Don't get too worried about hose size, 13/10mm should be enough although you can go larger for a chunkier look, watercooling setups are far more sensitive to radiator choice and fan airflow than coolant flow rate.

A single D5 class of pump will shift enough coolant for even a SLI setup.

Hardline tubing looks neat but is harder to cut, shape and route than soft tubing, it also requires additional tooling and more research in its use than soft tubing.

First timers tend to forget the need to control the pump and fan speeds, which can be a issue all to itself.

With aircooled SLI setups it's usually the top card that gets hot, especially if the lower card is very close to it.